Frederick Hughes
“Never Again” is a phrase that originated amongst Holocaust survivors and has echoed through subsequent generations as a reminder of the horrors of the systematic murder of 6 million Jews, driven by the Nazi ideology. With the exception of some dangerous fanatics, there are few today who would not view that period in history with revulsion and agreement that it must never happen again. Historical research has exposed the cunning and systematic ways in which an entire population was drawn into the mindset that “The Jews are our misfortune”. The instigator of the Holocaust can be clearly identified – one man with the obsession of ridding his country of the “Jewish problem” and with the extraordinary ability to indoctrinate others with the same hatred. With such a clear identification, it would be reasonable to assume that a repeat of such a situation could be avoided in future.
Despite this lesson from history, antisemitic incidents have risen at an unprecedented rate in the years following the October 7th attack on Israel. There are major differences between the present scenario and Nazi Germany, and yet there are also chilling similarities. In order to anticipate and address the development of global antisemitism, it is vital to understand the key factors at work in Nazi Germany and how they might be re-emerging under a different guise in our present time.
Three aspects can be identified in the Nazis’ assault on Jewry, these having a great effect in turning public opinion against the Jews: demonisation, isolation, and delegitimisation. History shows how effective these were in the 1930s, but a critical observation of present-day trends and events shows the danger of history being repeated.
Under Nazism
Demonisation
Hitler held “the Jews” to blame for Germany’s defeat in World War 1. This was just one of many levers employed by the Nazis to incite hatred and violence toward Jews.
This blame was extended to the post-war economic crisis, and to politics.
Rallying the majority of the country behind him, Hitler also managed to use the Jews as the justification for World War 2, even blaming them for its inception.
Isolation
From 1933 onwards, the Nazi party introduced laws for the purpose of isolating Jews – boycotting Jewish businesses, barring Jews from roles in public office, and forbidding marriage between Aryans and Jews.
Delegitimisation
The Race laws, most infamously those enacted in Nuremberg in 1935, progressively removed the rights of the Jew. This was a gradual process of dehumanisation which made their removal more easily accepted and even justified.
In the World Today
Several significant changes have taken place since the Nazi era – there is now a thriving Jewish state of Israel which is home to some 7 million Jews. Antisemitism is being addressed in some form in most countries of the world, but often with a mixed message. A new form of criticism has emerged – anti-Zionism. Opposition to the policies and existence of the Jewish state has become an acceptable vehicle for criticism of Israel and, by implication, the Jews. Proponents of anti-Zionism would say that their complaint is specifically directed at Israel’s government and armed forces, and they generally argue passionately that they are not antisemitic. The term “Zionist” has become predominantly a negative term, and is often used in an aggressive manner when opposing Israel. When chants such as “Put the Zios in the ground” are becoming commonplace in university campuses and on the streets, it becomes clear that the distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism is at best blurred, and at worst non-existent.
There is no single dictatorial figure cultivating the present rise in antisemitism, but there are clearly forces at work. Islamic influence in media and education in western nations is shaping the response of the “man in the street” to the perceived injustices at the hands of Israel’s government and the IDF. Even without Islamic influence, a general left-wing slant in many media outlets fuels the anti-Israel sentiment. Far-right and far-left political movements also find common ground in antisemitic ideology.
The three aspects of the Nazi era are also recognisable today:
Demonisation
Jews are repeatedly blamed for controlling finance, media, etc. Conspiracy theories have circulated linking “the Jews” to 9/11, and to the Hamas atrocities of October 7th 2023.
Allegations of war crimes and genocide in Gaza have been used as justification for attacks on Jews across the world.
Isolation
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement seeks to pressure Israel on its policies toward the Palestinians by discouraging trade with Israeli businesses.
Israel has suffered severe isolation in the UN for many years. From 2015 to 2024, the UN General Assembly has passed 173 resolutions against Israel and 80 against all other countries in the world, including those known for severe abuse of human rights.
Israel is facing numerous calls for exclusion from world and European events, ostensibly as a protest against their actions in Gaza.
Delegitimisation
A recent extension of the BDS movement has seen groups of people in UK cities embarking on a campaign of door-knocking and encouraging people to boycott Israeli goods and produce.
Israel’s right to exist as a state is being undermined, with accusations of colonialism becoming common. The notion that the land has always belonged to the “Palestinians” from ancient times until now is taking root and being used as a weapon of delegitimisation. Since October 7th, a number of governments, particularly in Europe, have recognised the “State of Palestine”. This has contributed to a creeping shift in terminology in which the state of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza are becoming referred to collectively as “Palestine”
Where Do We Stand?
Very few people today would choose to call themselves antisemitic, but it is vital for us to identify areas in our speech and thinking that actually align with antisemitism. If we choose to criticise Israel’s actions, or even to campaign against them, we must ask ourselves whether we would apply the same level of criticism and action to any other situation in the world where there is believed to be oppression and suffering. Whilst regular protests on behalf of Palestine are still happening in the UK for example, the same streets are almost empty of any kind of campaign regarding Ukraine/Russia, Iran, Venezuela etc. An imbalance of this size can only indicate one thing – an underlying current of antisemitism.
What Can We Do?
Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda, said the following:
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
This was in the 1930s, when public communications were mostly limited to printed publications, radio broadcasts, and cinema newsreels. In today’s world where instant communications are made over a huge range of public platforms, the ability to spread misinformation and challenge the truth is limitless. AI is providing even greater opportunity for lies to be presented as truth – in written word, images, and even faked video.
It is clearly not possible to address every post or article that promotes misinformation, but it is possible to speak for the truth. This is something that we can do as individuals on whatever platforms we have at our disposal. It is also vital for antisemitism to be monitored at institutional level – in the education system, in local and national government, and in broadcasting organisations. Scrutiny must be applied at every level in order to avoid the lie becoming gradually accepted as the truth.
To quote John Stuart Mill: “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”
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