39 Comments
User's avatar
Barbara Rice's avatar

This column horrified me! I always thought that antisemitism was a long gone problem, trashed in the dustbin of history, and this re-emergence puzzled and disgusted me! I had no idea where it came from, but now I realize it never actually went away. I am a Christian who has read the Bible six times, and my admiration, love and respect for the Jews has only grown with each reading! I can seriously apologize to you and those like you who have suffered as a result of this outrageous and irrational pathology! I am grateful for your candor in revealing it. I am also a conservative American. Thank you, Eli!

Expand full comment
HatChick's avatar

Beautifully written, Eli. Thank you 🙏

Expand full comment
Kip Brockmyre's avatar

Bitterly disappointed that we have made so little progress and that this ugly hatred still festers.

Expand full comment
jocelyn314's avatar

Eli, you are such a mensch. I have such great respect for your dad who helped me once at SJSU, and now you are writing and doing really solid services for the U S. Thank you, just thank you.

You’ve put such important facts in this essay I will carry it with me to help me discuss the issues my friends just don’t have any background about. But they’re on the Bandwagon ….

Expand full comment
Eli Steele's avatar

Thank you, Jocelyn, and that is cool about the SJSU connection.

Expand full comment
Chuck Flounder's avatar

I hate to break the news to the white antisemites of Europe: You're not going to like the Muslims much better--and Jews don't do grooming gangs or stab people for mocking their pedophile prophet.

Expand full comment
Rick Ryan's avatar

Eli, thanks for sharing these painful reminders that there is still work to be done throughout the entire world to remove antisemitism.

Expand full comment
Randy Wayne's avatar

Dear Eli,

I too feel sorry for the doves. This is so illuminating. Thanks for writing it.

randy

Expand full comment
gail driscoll's avatar

I know that everything that Eli recounts is true but I have to believe that good will ultimately defeat the evil of antisemitism.

My husband was raised in the working class city of Worcester, Massachusetts. His Dad was a policeman & his Mom a public school teacher. He recounts the story of his mother’s instruction as he left for college…she said that in all her years teaching Irish, Italian and Jewish kids, it was the Jewish parents who always attended Parent/Teacher conferences and wanted to know what they could do to help their children succeed. Her advice to my husband was that when he went to sign up for courses etc, he should always follow the Jewish kids. They are smart, hardworking and respectful, she said. I always loved this story from an old Irish Catholic school teacher. She wanted her children to appreciate the basic qualities that lead to a worthwhile life.

Expand full comment
Steve Beckerleg's avatar

Great writing! Thank you

Expand full comment
T. Paine's avatar

Another insightful essay on the challenges we face learning to understand and navigate the vast differences between cultures and principles. Those who hate are the saddest of all. They spend their precious time thinking about how others are inferior and of ways to punish them if they could, pure evil. I for one will not spend a minute of my precious time hating anyone since it's my time and I will not squander it. The current occupiers of power in the West that some call the Left and others call the Right, who someone I listen to calls them two cheeks of the same ass, are in my mind weak, self conscious, predator's jealous of anyone or group who makes them look bad. The West had a great run from the 60's to 2016 and I witnessed much of the improvement in my own life. Racism, homosexuality, religious tolerance and overall improvements in the standard of living for most people from all groups had improved but is not perfect and never will be. So burning it down seems like throwing the baby out with the bath water or literally as they promote killing babies and calling it a woman's right makes me wonder how long it will be before killing for any reason becomes acceptable for those being hated?

Expand full comment
Chuck Flounder's avatar

Finally, a refreshing dose of common sense and bipartisan mockery! Remember when we used to be skeptical of ALL politicians, and not just the ones we didn't vote for? I wonder what George Carlin would have to say about America today...

Expand full comment
Dave Driver's avatar

Wow. This piece is a treasure, Eli. Thank you.

Expand full comment
Reuven Yatrofsky's avatar

Interesting timing for our current events; in the midst of celebrating Purim. It was meant to be a time of ending such tribal hatred once and for all. Seems like Dr Suess stated in his work “The Sneeches”:

“Nope, you can’t teach a sneech, they’ll never learn”

Expand full comment
Kiki R's avatar

Great piece!

Expand full comment
Al Dente's avatar

Thank you for a fine essay. But I believe there are times where one must follow analysis with action. I would like to see Jews and their friends inflict serious violence on the antisemites. For example, there are, I believe, almost 1 million Jews in NYC. During the Columbia University disturbances couldn't a couple of hundred young, strong Jews with baseball bats have solved the problem in a hurry? Or perhaps a clever Jewish engineering student could have rigged up a drone and dropped some unpleasant chemical on the Jew-haters. Bullies do not understand appeals to reason or to the finer emotions; they only understand force.

Expand full comment
The Haeft's avatar

God bless you Eli

Expand full comment
Laura Larimore's avatar

Thank you, Eli. I learn so much from this Substack. Wish our youth were being taught this.

Expand full comment