A new year; same old problem confronts the Jewish people

As the holiday season concludes with this evening’s New Year’s celebrations and tomorrow’s recovery, the same old problem of 2021 confronting the Jewish people is carried over into 2022, namely global antisemitism.

As we move into the new year, virulent antisemitism continues to grow unabated here in America and throughout the world. How long must we deal with the endless and meaningless apologies for the use of antisemitic tropes, for physical attacks on Jewish citizens and for attacks against Israel based on knowingly false accusations that Israel is an apartheid state, an oppressor of Arabs and unworthy of its existence.

In fact the only areas where apartheid is policy are in those areas of Judea and Samaria ruled by the Palestinian Authority, and in Gaza under the terrorist regime of Hamas. Jews are not permitted to live in either one of these areas but the world refuses to recognize and condemn this realty.

Furthermore, neither of these Arab government authorities nor the overwhelming majority of their respective populations have kept secret their ultimate goal to rid the Jews entirely from all of Israel.

The finger of condemnation should be pointed at the true perpetrators of apartheid, ethnic cleansing and oppression: the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and their other brothers in terrorism, who uniformly oppress their own people, ignore human rights and persecute minorities for being different.

Christian Arabs have been primary victims of Muslim Arab violence. Churches and other Christian institutions have been attacked and desecrated in the areas ruled by the PA and Hamas.

It has been reported that Christian Arab populations in these areas have been substantially reduced as Christians were compelled to leave to seek safety overseas. The Christian Arab population has been reduced by 80 percent since Hamas took over Gaza in 2007.

Even before Israel declared independence, the Christian Arab population lived in fear of their Muslim Arab neighbors. Since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire in the early part of the 20th century, Muslim Arabs have persecuted Christian Arabs; and the Palestinian Authority persecution of Christian Arabs continues even now.

By comparison, both Muslim and Christian Arabs and other minorities living in Israel enjoy freedom, security and prosperity unknown in the rest of the Arab world. The Christian Arab population has continued to thrive and increase in number since Israeli independence. Arabs have attained high positions in the Judiciary, have substantial representation in the Knesset and are part of the coalition government now in power in Israel.

While the truth is well known to the Jew-haters, they continue to ignore it. Most media views this reality as “not fit to print,” since publishing or broadcasting the truth would not support its antisemitic, anti-Zionist agenda.

There are Jew-haters who have never personally known or reacted with Jewish people and Jew-haters who have never even met a Jew. They ignore the grave injustices and oppression being perpetrated all over the world to focus their animosity and hatred on one of the tiniest of ethnic groups on earth who have given so much to humanity and continue to do so in spite of the efforts to eradicate them as a people.

It is time to recognize that antisemitism is not the result of ignorance or real grievances against the Jewish people. It is an individual and collective mental and social disorder built into the DNA of humanity that will never go away with education alone. Unfortunately, a vaccine or cure for this disease has not yet been discovered.

If you wish to comment or respond you can reach me at melpearlman322@gmail.com. Please do so in a rational, thoughtful, respectful and civil manner.

Mel Pearlman holds B.S. & M.S. degrees in physics as well as a J.D. degree and initially came to Florida in 1966 to work on the Gemini and Apollo space programs. He has practiced law in Central Florida since 1972. He has served as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando; was a charter board member, first vice president and pro-bono legal counsel of the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida, as well as holding many other community leadership positions.