Bernard Axelrad Scholarship Fund

The recent spate of anti-Semitism and violence all over the world, in the wake of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, is only the most recent example of how instinctive and close to the surface is the recurring age-old hatred of the Jew - simply because he is a Jew.

Amazingly, in such democratic and freedom loving countries as England, France, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Switzerland and even that erstwhile protector of Jewish lives, Denmark, there are anti-Semitic incidents and boycotts of Israeli products, and the authorities do little to curb them.

One would think that on the merits the Israeli-Palestinian struggle would elicit compassion and understanding of the Israeli position. But even in such a free-thinking bastion as Sweden there was a movement to withdraw the Nobel Peace Prize given to Shimon Peres, an Israeli dove, and leave it in the hands of that mendacious terrorist, Yasser Arafat. Imagine that, if you will!

The killer bombers who attack innocent women and children on buses, at restaurants and malls deep within Israeli cities with specially prepared lethal and crippling explosives designed to kill, maim and terrorize are hardly reprimanded by the world while any foray into Palestinian areas of Israeli defense forces to defuse such attacks is met with a barrage of world criticism.

The Palestinians are not the underdogs in this epic struggle for Israel's survival. There are 300,000,000 Arabs - including countries with untold wealth like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and Iran and Iraq, to say nothing of the implacable Israeli enemy, Syria, and its captive, Lebanon, - all arrayed actively against tiny Israel- the only democracy in The Middle East - with over 1,000,000 Arab citizens in its midst, almost 20% of its population. So by any rational measures, there should be much more empathy and understanding of the Israeli position in the struggle.

How little does it take to forget the 6 million slaughtered and the unspeakable horrors of Dachau, Buchenwald, Bergen-Belsen, Auschwitz and other killing camps. Does it take another Holocaust to bring the world to its senses! The truth is we cannot afford another.

How can Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, spew out such an utter inanity as "is the whole world wrong and the Jews right" in referring to The Middle East conflict. Yes, Mr. Annan and it won't be the first time. We are the people of the Book, to us was given The Torah after our exodus from bondage in Egypt, and we are chosen and often the conscience of the world. So we can be right even standing alone.

Most startling to me is how quickly the rise of anti-Semitism, given any excuse. Admittedly, there are arguments on both sides, but newspaper articles and photographs appear biased in favor of the Palestinians. Possibly they help fuel the anti-Semitic sentiment but equally plausible is the argument that no rational reason is needed. Perhaps, as I believe, anti-Semitism is inherently endemic, lies one inch below the surface and is easily triggered. For no logical reason the Jews are frequently disliked, feared and discriminated against with both ancient and recent history replete with examples.

Only when Jews are being led to the slaughter by the millions does the world take some notice and evince some sympathy after the fact and for a limited period.

If that is what it takes, then thank God for the Israeli defense forces and the motto "Never Again". Just as the children of Israel led by Moses in the desert had to battle enemy forces to win access to The Land of Israel, let us realize that Israel is in a battle for its very existence.

Make no mistake, the Palestinian current leaders are not seeking only all of The West Bank and part of Jerusalem; to them and their cohorts the very existence of Israel in The Middle East is anathema and their goal is the elimination of Israel altogether. This, more than anything else, is what makes negotiations difficult and a peaceful solution next to impossible.

The only nation in the world which seems to have some understanding of the plight of Israel is our own United States which had a taste of the utter ruthlessness of terrorism and the total devastation it caused on September 11. Some of those 'enlightened' European states may rue the day they took up the cudgels on behalf of the Palestinians and their ilk as the tide turns their way.

More than anything it is incumbent upon us to understand the anti-Semitism which rages around us as irrational and instinctive and close ranks behind a very beleaguered Israel.