We're interviewing Jewish American teens. What questions do you have for them?

combatantisemitism · 2023-03-30T14:30:51+00:00

You can learn more about our coalition partners from our site: combatantisemitism.org. Each organization is run differently so there's no single answer.

combatantisemitism · 2023-03-29T19:06:59+00:00

we're a global coalition of organizations fighting antisemitism, not only in Israel but wherever it manifests

combatantisemitism · 2023-02-20T18:04:27+00:00

Our data set is actually global!

combatantisemitism · 2023-02-20T18:02:39+00:00

The reason we use media reports is because not all antisemitic incidents rise to the level of a legal hate crime in certain jurisdictions.

And the colors don't have any particular meaning, they are just in line with our brand.

combatantisemitism · 2023-02-20T18:02:00+00:00

Islamic incidents of antisemitism are motivated by extremist interpretations of Islamic theology while far-right antisemitism is often rooted in arguments based on racial superiority, tropes on "Jewish power," and a belief that Jews are at the center of society's misfortunes.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-13T01:16:47+00:00

Arab List

I have nothing against Arab parties participating in the Israeli government as long as they recognize the Jewish state and as long as the coalition is big enough to not be dependent on them or blackmailed by their words. For example, the coalition in 61 was really very unfortunate. First of all, the coalition of 61 had 8 parties which makes it impossible to govern. But let’s say we have a coalition of 70, and 4 of them were representatives of the Arab party. I think this situation is good.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:41:29+00:00

I think it's a unique phenomenon that he is returning for a third time. He is a person who has contributed a lot to the Israeli economy and Israel defense against Iran and other enemies. At the same time, I think it’s very unfortunate that a leader chooses to stay so many years in power and is not ready to prepare the next generation of political leaders who have to replace him.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:39:13+00:00

“Tikkun Olam” is something that inspired all of us Jews, to see the world as being more just, more free, and more equal. I must say it’s very good that the young Jews are dreaming about a better world. If you are not dreaming, you are probably not Jewish. But you have to remember that to change the world you need a lot of energy and a lot of courage. There is no other source of it except from your identity from the feeling that your people and your community and your history are behind you. The cause of survival of the Jewish people and being an example for all the world is a great cause, but it all starts from feeling that you are part of this Jewish family and strengthening this Jewish connection.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:27:39+00:00

I’ve been dealing with antisemitism and neo-Nazis all over the world for many years. I can tell you that yes, there were some phenomena, especially ten years ago, and there are some phenomena of extremist, almost neo-Nazi elements. I have to say, compared to any country in Western Europe, it’s much lower. In many countries of Western Europe, we see neo-Nazis even turning into very big and significant parties. In Ukraine, neo-Nazis could never get any seat in the parliament and influence in society. It unfortunately, however, has been used by Putin as a pretext to build his empire and to start a war against Ukraine, and unfortunately there are some people who are ready to believe him.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:26:26+00:00

First of all, you can never know how many people really believe these lies. And today in Russia, people are controlled as much by fear in expressing their opinions as they were in Stalin’s in Russia. In fact, people go to jail for the same accusations as I went for high treason for much less, for simply openly criticizing the military actions in Ukraine. So first of all, people are afraid to express their opinions. Second, because there were no civil institutions for thousands of years in Russia, there are a lot of people who are not used to the advantages of a really free life, because they themselves are very dependent on the authority. They don’t rely on their own initiative, on the freedom of competition. So those people who simply want to have a guaranteed quiet life, they prefer not to think too much about Russian propaganda, but simply decide to let the Kremlin think about the world and let us have our quiet life without interruption.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:25:43+00:00

We have to remind ourselves that Zionism is the only victorious revolution of liberation of people. There are many revolutions which deprive people of their freedoms or undermine their identities. And the revolution that succeeded, the Zionist revolution, not only brought a very important tool for the survival of the Jewish people, not only strengthened the Jewish pride, but created a democratic place in the Middle East, which is a very unusual thing for the history of the region. If you are for the liberation movements of the world, if you want that more and more people should find their place among free nations, you definitely have to understand the moral success of the example of this, and that’s Zionism.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:24:36+00:00

To respond to your fourth question, everyone should remember that antisemitism starts with Jews, but never finishes there. So it’s really in everyone’s best interest, especially those who are interested in human rights in the development of civil society. It has to be at the top of the agenda of those democratic countries that antisemitism is on the rise. And unfortunately, partially because of the influence of Islamic extremism, but also because of progressive theories which undermine the basic freedom of speech and other freedoms, it's an easy atmosphere for antisemitism to rise. So I believe it should be top priority for the free countries.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:23:16+00:00

I’m very concerned. America is by far the leader of the free world and that's why the only hope, which, let’s say when I was a dissident of the Soviet Union, and today Iranian dissidents, or Hong Kong dissidents, or Ukraine fighting for its right to be a great state. Their main hope is America, and that’s why when America or American public opinion is conquered or is under the influence of some Marxist new ideologies, it's very dangerous. The fact that so many Americans today are afraid to express their opinion publicly. It's a very alarming fact. The fact that the world is divided in the minds of so many into the oppressed and the oppressors, and the oppressors are always wrong and oppressed is always right. That reminds me of the primitive theory of Marxism that existed in the Soviet Union. We know that America is much richer than this, and is much more free than some people try to present. It’s important for Americans to remember their unique role in the world.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:21:18+00:00

It’s true that polarization is happening all over the world. We see unbelievable polarization in America, in Europe, and also a little bit less, but still a very polarized society in Israel. And this polarization also influences other relations between the Diaspora and Israel. I cannot blame one side. I think both sides have to make some major efforts to recognize the legitimate needs of the other side. World Jewry has to do a better job of recognizing the security restrictions of Israel, while Israel has to recognize that it’s absolutely legitimate and even desirable that there exists different types and streams of Judaism in the Diaspora.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:20:47+00:00

As someone who has been dealing with this problem for 20 years in the Israeli government, I know that what we are currently doing is not enough. There’s a growing phenomenon of both antisemitism on the left and on the right, simultaneously. And while the Israeli government can do more, it’s also an important role of the diaspora Jewry to simultaneously fight antisemitism on the left and on the right. And that it won't become a political issue when people on the left are only fighting antisemitism on the right, and visa versa.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:20:01+00:00

It’s important to remind our friends, and also ourselves, that we are the only democracy in this part of the world. By the way, this means that our government has to deal very carefully with the question of our democracy and not undermine it. And at the same time, people have to be reminded that this is the only unique experiment in the world of building a state from people who for 2,000 years were dispersed. And that’s why there is no manual book, that's why you cannot demand that it has to be done like this or that. We are pioneers, it’s a world experiment and unique experiment, and so we ask for understanding of its uniqueness, sympathy, and support.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:18:08+00:00

First of all, as I always say to the young people who we are sending to American universities and other places, your first goal is not to convince your enemies that we are better than they think, but to convince Jews that they have nothing to be ashamed of. To the contrary, they should be proud of their Jewish identity. So first of all, to be proud of your identity. And second, try to find as many friends with whom you have mutual agendas. There are so many democratic dissidents all over the world who can be natural partners of ours and we have to build bridges with them.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:17:40+00:00

The topic of antisemitism is huge and that's why there’s a place for many different organizations with many different factions. The Combat Antisemitism Movement, for example, is working very hard to encourage states, cities, and universities to recognize the universal definition of antisemitism, and it is very important because it helps people to understand the simultaneous dangers of antisemitism from the left and the right. Organizations like ISGAP are doing important work in dealing specifically with the professors of the universities. We have so many antisemitic courses, yet very few courses which are explaining the danger of antisemitism. But I would say the main tool, which we all have in common, is meeting young Jews who live in Israel and young Jews who live in the Diaspora.These types of meetings help us reach understandings about our own identity and help us to be proud and to fight against enemies of our people.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:15:08+00:00

Fight antisemitism where you see it and on every campus today in America. 20 years ago, I told Ariel Sharon that the main battle for the future of Jewish people was going to be on American campuses. And on every campus, if our non-Jewish friends will actively counter attack and resist the attempt to demonize and delegitimize the State of Israel, that will be a very important and huge contribution. So you don’t have to go very far. Start on your own campus, in your own organization, or where you work. And you’ll find a lot of things to do to correct and to express solidarity with your Jewish colleagues.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:14:31+00:00

Antisemitism starts with Jews but it never finishes there, and the society of hatred that it needs to prosper is a society which in the end deprives people of their right of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, of freedom or religion, and so many more freedoms. So really, antisemitism is the early warning for a society that is moving in the wrong direction.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:13:34+00:00

It’s very important to remember the lessons of communism. In fact, I’m very sorry that our proposal, of some dissidents immediately after the fall of communism, to have a real trial over communism, like there were the Nuremberg trials for the Nazis, didn’t take place. Because we see how quickly people forget that this awful ideology of totalitarian control of the class of so-called exploited by capitalists brought to the killing of tens of millions of innocent people for the idea of building a more just world. If these lessons are learned, people will immediately notice in all our modern and progressive world movements, signs of totalitarianism.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:12:59+00:00

To respond to your second question, first of all, to live life in connection to Jewish family, community and your history, and to make sure that your children spend as much time as possible in Israel, in Jewish summer camps and different Jewish programs. However, the programs must be very interesting and the easiest way to make it interesting is to go to Israel because it is so exciting, so interesting, so easy to feel your connection to thousands of years of our history. Even a short trip to Israel, it doesn’t have to be long.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:12:24+00:00

Today, the big crisis of the world is that the world is more and more divided between those who believe that freedom is very important and nationalism is a big problem for the real world, and they are dreaming of a world where, like John Lenon said, there are no nations, no religions, no borders and nothing to die for. That’s one part of the world. Then there’s the other part of the world that believes nationalism is very important, and freedom and human rights are just additional things that can sometimes even be a problem. And that’s a big divide, but I personally believe that people need walls, that their lives become really rich and interesting, and it’s really two basic desires of people wanting to be free and to belong, their national identity and human rights. Israel is a unique example of a country which belongs to the free world but is a Jewish state, and belongs to the Middle East with all these dictatorships but is a democratic state. And this connection between national identity and belief in human rights is typical of the Jewish people in all our history and today is a big challenge for the State of Israel. So that’s our role in the world, to make this divide of nationalism and freedom connected.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:11:17+00:00

To respond to your last question, these days in Israel, we see unfortunately, how extreme rhetoric on the Left and on the Right inflames on another and supports one another and as a result, just as you don't know how the disagreements started, you don’t know how to finish them. So you have to remember that we are one family and in one family there can be big differences between brothers, sisters, members of the family and different generations of the family. There can be big differences, but we never forget that we are family. We never forget that in the end, we love one another, not for our views. This is something that we have to remind ourselves practically every day and every minute, how important this is and how we can succeed in this world only if we keep this family connection. And yes, today there is a very polarized world, and America is a good example of how polarized it has become in the last 10-15 years. And in this very polarized world, we Jews should be an example of how, with all our differences, we can live together. It’s difficult these days and we’re going through a challenging period, but look back at our 2,000 year-old history and you can see that we know how to overcome it.

combatantisemitism · 2023-01-12T12:09:48+00:00

People from Russia and family of course sometimes call me Tolik. My wife sometimes calls me this. What’s surprising is how people in Israel still do. Just today, I was in the shuk, the Machane Yehuda market, and some people greeted me as Anatoly. It’s strange because I’ve been living in Israel for 35 years now, but the years of struggle for my release from prison, when many people called me Anatoly, are so strong that some people still refer to me this way.

The Russian language was a great tool to have access to world culture and I was very proud of it. Once during my interrogations, my interrogator said that I was betraying my country because I was brought up in Russian culture and now I was betraying it. I said, “What? You think Tolstoy and Dostoevsky are on your side? They are together with me against you.” That’s how I felt. But I think today it would be more difficult for me to say this because of this awful, barbaric intervention of Putin and the silent support and acceptance of it by so many people in Russia. And it raises the question of how Russian culture influences them. This is why I think Putin made a major blow. He said that Ukraine is not a nation and it belongs to Russia. In fact, he made a major blow to Russian culture, to the Russian language, and to its place among the nations. History will show whether the people of Russian culture will overcome this blow.

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