Could a Holocaust happen in America? That seems far-fetched, but the possibility is more likely than most want to acknowledge.
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One way to make this assessment is to look at the frequency and types of incidents that have taken place here. Even more fascinating is comparing our culture to that of Nazi Germany in the 1930s and studying the trends there that led to the Germans slaughtering six million Jews.
Before we begin that assessment, it’s important to remember that our government does not sanction anti-Semitic incidents, as the German government did. That said, one must wonder how relevant that fact is, especially if the U.S. does not actively punish anti-Semitic behavior.
Written and Oral Attacks in the U.S.
Many of the current antisemitic attacks in America are written and oral, not physical. The news is filled with reports about the resurgence of ancient antisemitic tropes (such as Jews controlling the world economy or American politics), along with new ones about Jews spreading COVID-19. There are also grotesque slanders against Israel as a genocidal nation. These appear in K-12 classrooms, in colleges where professors humiliate Jewish students, and online. They are becoming part of mainstream discourse.
Boycott, Invest and Sanction (BDS) actions, which boycott Israel, are growing. For Islamic organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood (active in this country), the mission statement includes a commitment to free the world of the Jewish community.
Current members of Congress originally from Islamic countries have made their hatred for Jews clear and their support of Hamas apparent. And don’t underrate the increasing efforts to conflate Zionism and Judaism.
Physical Bans and Attacks
Violence characterizes the attacks on individuals and communities. It’s easy to find in the news reports about synagogues being burned or vandalized, deadly shooting attacks targeting shows, protestors physically attacking Jews, and criminal assailants targeting Orthodox Jews.
Socialism
The emergence of socialism in this country deserves its own description:
The root cause of socialist antisemitism is a hatred of capitalism. As a people who have famously thrived under free markets, Jews become a natural target for hatred and conspiracy theories. But envy must also have much to do with it. Socialists gain popularity and power by convincing the powerless that they are being exploited by greedy Zionists and should be entitled to the fruits of other people’s labor. Simply put, steal from the rich and give to the poor. And who better to target with this modern-day Robin Hood philosophy than those who are the most successful?
The recent success of Democrat Socialist candidates nationwide does not bode well for the Jewish community. These people are desperate to make inroads into governance and power, and their leadership expects them to embrace anti-Zionist platforms.
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Early Nazi Actions
What similarities do we see between the Nazis and today’s antisemites?
One of the first steps that the Nazis took occurred early in the 1930s, long before the Holocaust had begun:
Before the Holocaust began, the Nazi government of Germany began their persecution of the Jews when they took power in 1933. The Nazis eroded the place of Jews in Germany society with prohibitive laws, boycotts, and anti-Jewish violence; in November 1938, the government led a nation-wide attack on Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues, causing millions of marks worth of damage and ninety-one deaths.
Jews did their best to persuade the Germans that they were loyal citizens:
Characteristically, aside from the actions of the Nazi leadership, many German associations and organizations took matters into their own hands and passed bylaws that discriminated against Jews. Some of these restrictions had injurious practical consequences, while others clearly had the nature of malicious harassment.
[snip]
Any remaining illusions cherished by some Jews came crashing down during the Kristallnacht pogrom (November 9/10, 1938), when hundreds of synagogues and thousands of shops and dwellings were ransacked and torched, dozens of Jews were injured, and many thousands sent off to concentration camps.
Similarities between 1930s Germany and 2020s America
What similarities do we see between Nazi Germany, the U.S. Democratic Socialists, and the broader U.S. community? Both demand that their candidates and constituents embrace their ideology. Both rely on ancient tropes that demonize the Jews.
Both expect their candidates to make public criticisms of Jews and Israel. Both have supported and celebrated deadly attacks on Jews. International conferences have banned Israeli academics and their books.
The factors described here may not form an immediate specter of another Holocaust, but the Jewish community and the U.S. might benefit from noting these occurrences, their increasing frequency, and their growing virulence.
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Before it’s too late.
Image created using AI.