Vigilance Produces Peace
Contributed by Brett Ahern
“Eternal vigilance is the price of democracy.” -Thomas Jefferson.
How does Alaska lay a foundation that curtails the oncoming violence from the growing Anti-Israel movement
Why do I think this will become violent? It is mainly young people protesting, who are being taught by idealistic professors. Then this will fall into a more powerful anti-Israel movement that has worn a variety of disguises over the centuries. It usually turns violent in its persecution of Jews.
Young people tend to see things as black and white, with little depth of history in their decision-making approach. They don’t yet know how complex issues really are. They over-believe what they hold to be true. Currently, they are strongly trusting informational lies, playing into the media’s quick routines, which poorly reviews the validity of what it broadcasts world-wide. Even UN leaders are believing media sound bites fed to us by Hamas propagandists.
Idealistic professors have developed a strong history of elucidating the David vs Goliath battle between honest businesses and corporation’s greed machine. They highlight that so much of what is wrong stems from this. They articulate how cultural moral campaigns get hijacked by the powerful as battle weapons. They propose an enlist view of higher education transforming the world into an Edenic state.
Yet they fail to honor one of the most classic David vs Goliath battles in history: Judaism vs global Antisemitism. They fail to see Israel’s struggle to minimize the corporations’ attempts to hijack Israel’s economic growth and politics. They ignore Israel’s noble efforts to build a world-class nation. If we look at the true news of Israel’s approach to building battled nations, including its huge support of Gaza; the protestors would fall silent. NONE of their accusations hold water.
One strategy to silence anti-truth movements is to be more informed than their proponents. Israel has utilized this approach for decades, with a high degree of success. This success led to the current problem: Hamas could no longer influence Arab nations to their side. The light of Israel’s truth outshone them. Hamas chose to go for a last-ditch effort to get Israel hated, reviving the global Antisemitism approach; currently masked as white-man colonialism propaganda. They whitewashed Israel’s impressive humanitarian efforts, including brotherly love for Gaza.
We can use true news to silence fake news. My experience is its effective to up the ante in the debate. Ask a few questions, get the full fake news view out on the table, then respond with true news, and a person’s story, to touch the audience’s heart. For example, the fake news says Israel is starving Gazans, the UN must impose sanctions against Israel. The truth of the matter is, Israel is routinely providing 400 truckloads of food to Gaza. They set up daily distribution points. The UN distribution agency is experiencing poor coordination. And, Hamas hijacks the distribution efforts, steals the food, resells it to local vendors at exorbitant prices, who must resell at screamingly high prices. Here is the story of a local grocery store owner that shows us how terror permeates Gaza’s grocery industry.
Another strategy is to fix broken windows. Decades ago, a theory was proposed to police departments that broken windows were a first visible sign of deeper societal problems that were about to show as criminal activity. While this approach has been used with mixed results, it’s been effective in several communities’ efforts to improve. This approach helps maintain a balanced cultural response atmosphere, instead of festering a wound into sickness that becomes contagious to an unhealthy portion of the population. We can fix broken windows on various levels: social, religious, news, community, political. Looking through a few web sites dedicated to fighting Antisemitism, we find a variety of good opportunities. Check these out.
With a network of offices across the country and a global presence, ADL (Anti-Defamation League) works in local communities, responding to incidents of antisemitism and hate, advocating with elected officials, and provides education programs in schools and workplaces.
Discover how you can get involved and join us in our fight against hate. Find your nearest regional office. Alaska is in the Pacific Northwest office.
https://www.adl.org/what-we-do/fight-antisemitism
The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism: Key Actions by 4 Pillars
A multi-level national approach from the White House.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/02/the-u-s-national-strategy-to-counter-antisemitism-key-actions-by-pillar-2/
The Losing Battle to Beat Antisemitism in the Age of Misinformation:
“Antisemitism is like crabgrass,” Oskar Knoblauch, a 98-year-old Holocaust survivor, responded. “It always appears after a rainy season. When it’s dry, you don’t see them. They reappear again. Sometimes, maybe in a small way, sometimes worse. We must control it.”
We need to see the misinformation on the internet and neutralize it. Fortunately, systems are in place to do this. We just need more people to man them.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/04/27/misinformation-holocaust-education-00154643
Our Mission:
The Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism (SEAS) advances U.S. foreign policy on antisemitism. Antisemitism is discrimination, prejudice, or hatred toward Jews. The Special Envoy develops and implements policies and projects to support efforts to combat antisemitism.
Deborah E. Lipstadt was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 30, 2022, as the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, with the rank of Ambassador.
https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-civilian-security-democracy-and-human-rights/office-of-the-special-envoy-to-monitor-and-combat-antisemitism/
COMBAT ANTISEMITISM MOVEMENT (CAM)
Founded in 2019, CAM has emerged as a leading new voice in the fight against antisemitism. With the Holocaust receding into historical memory and Jews facing a growing proliferation of threats, fresh approaches are needed to confront this age-old societal scourge. CAM fosters groundbreaking alliances that transcend traditional divides, reaches diverse audiences with initiatives geared for specific demographics, and forges relationships with policymakers at the global, national, and local levels.
https://combatantisemitism.org/
A Society-Wide Guide to Address Antisemitism:
To combat antisemitism, one must understand it. AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report revealed 30% of Americans are not familiar with the term antisemitism or know what it means.
When antisemitism occurs, we all bear the responsibility to decry it. When everyone uses their voices to push antisemitism and those who espouse it to the fringes of society, America becomes a safer place not only for Jews, but for all.
Responding to the complex nature of this hatred requires a multi-pronged approach. AJC’s Call to Action Against Antisemitism in America calls for all facets of society to mobilize and unite to combat anti-Jewish hate.
Learn more about how you can understand, respond, and prevent antisemitism.
https://www.ajc.org/call-to-action