What is Really Behind Anti-Israel and Antisemitism?

I've been interviewed, spoken before all sorts of groups and have found myself being asked all sorts of questions over the years, decades.

Over forty-seven years ago, when we boarded the enormous ship that took us to Israel, I was interviewed by a television crew and asked why I was leaving my native New York to start a life in Israel. That was a pretty simple question. I answered that as a Jew I didn't feel like a "real American," so I was going to live in the Jewish country, Israel.

There's another much more difficult question I've been asked, first a number of years ago by a little American girl who had come with her family to tour Israel with their pastor. She very naively and sweetly asked why people always want to kill Jews. I didn't have a very good answer for her then.

The other day a documentary film crew came to interview me and my husband separately. I was, davka, asked the same basic question. And I think that I now have an answer that makes sense. Unfortunately, it's an answer that can't make us hopeful of an end to the antisemitism, condemnations and terrorism we Jews and Israelis suffer from.

Ironically, earlier in the interview I had stated that I wasn't going to talk theology. But in all honesty, I think that the answer to this very important question is rooted in theology, Christian and Islamic theologies. When I explain Judaism, Israel and the "conflict," I stress the importance of chronology. Judaism, the Jewish People, the Jewish Kingdoms all predate both Christianity and Islam. This must never be ignored.

• Both Christianity and Islam expected to/aimed to replace Judaism.
• Both Christianity and Islam have adopted sections of the Jewish Biblical narrative with distortions.
• Both Christianity and Islam claim to be the continuation of Judaism.
• Both Christianity and Islam want the Jewish Homeland as their own.
• Both Christianity and Islam predicted the end of the Jewish People.
• Both Christianity and Islam are a form of Identity Theft of Judaism.

The continued existence of the Jewish People, especially the return to our Historic Biblical Homeland threatens the essence of both Christianity and Islam. The establishment of the State of Israel and the miraculous wars in which we have been victorious show that the True Gd supports the Jewish People, which totally contradicts both Christian and Islamic theologies.

Besides theology, there are the philosophies/ideologies like Communism, Liberalism, Naziism etc. which had been expected to replace religion, especially Judaism. As they have failed, and Israel and the Jewish People thrive, their followers are angry with us.

Rather than saying that they have been wrong and following "false gods," everything Jewish is attacked. It's that "simple." And being that it's that simple, I don't see a solution, because those who oppose us certainly won't join us nor say that everything they believe in is a lie. Trying to destroy us us a lot easier for them. But, no doubt, they will go the way of all of our ancient, and not so ancient, enemies. They will be past history while the Jewish People and Judaism live on forever, with the Help of Gd.

Chanukah Sameach 

Chag Urim Sameach

May You have a Joyful and Enlightened Chanukah