‘Antisemitism is a threat to democracy’
A one-on-one with Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt
NEW YORK – Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt didn’t describe the wave antisemitism in the wake of October 7 as an uptick – she called it a tsunami.
To the heads of governments and opinion makers: take this seriously; it’s not just the passing moment, Lipstadt told The Jerusalem Post last week during the Anti-Defamation League’s “Never is now” summit on antisemitism.
“This has very serious overtones, and above all, this is the message I’ve been giving worldwide before October 7, but with much greater clarity since October 7 .... Recognize this as more than solely a threat to the welfare of Jews and [the] Jewish community,” Lipstadt said, “which, if that were just the reason, would be a good enough reason to fight it; but it’s also a threat to democracy.”
Anybody who buys into the conspiracy myth which is at the heart of antisemitism and accepts the notion that Jews control the media, the banks, government, or judiciary has given up on democracy, Lipstadt said.
Lipstadt said it’s multilayered: the welfare of the Jewish community, democracy, and now the most ominous threat to security and stability of nations.
“Bad actors” might not hate Jews, but they recognize that ginning up antisemitism is a good way of making democracies look like failed states, according to Lipstadt.
Lipstadt described antisemitism as a ladle used to stir the pot.
“They can’t add fuel to a nonexisting fire. But if there’s a fire, they can gin it up,” Lipstadt said.
Lipstadt said moving past the initial shock and pain of October 7 and the following rise in antisemitism can be done through community and having a sense of Jewish identity, outside of fighting antisemitism.
Don’t go at it alone, Lipstadt said; find a synagogue or an affinity group.
“Even more than finding a community, learn who you are and what you are, because you can’t build an identity solely based on ‘I’m against the people who hate me,’” Lipstadt said. “Because then the people who hate you determine how [Jewish] you feel. You can say, ‘Oh, I feel strongly Jewish because there’s antisemitism; if there’s no antisemitism, forget it.’”
One’s Jewish identity can be approached from religious, cultural, or sociological perspectives, she said.
Advancing one’s Jewish education should be done to honor Judaism’s traditions, not just preparing oneself to fight the antisemites, according to Lipstadt.
Lipstadt’s Jewish identity isn’t based on one thing: it’s her formal Jewish education, her ability to
teach about Judaism, being sued by a Holocaust denier, educating a movie crew about the Holocaust.
“Learn about when someone is just saying something with which you disagree, or when it’s overtly antisemitic. Get yourself the facts; you can’t do it just out of your
gut,” Lipstadt said. “If you’re really going to fight it, know when you can say hey, this is antisemitism, and this guy is just a dolt, or, they’re a dolt and an antisemite.”
Lipstadt said she’s most concerned about people getting their news from the headlines on social
media and having misconceptions and distortions perpetuated online.
“Most of all, I’m worried about the loss of life on both sides – Palestinian, Israeli. Anyone who isn’t disturbed by that I wonder about,” she said.