The Road to a Second Kristallnacht

Key Findings:

The commemoration of Kristallnacht is not just about the lives lost in the pogrom in November of 1938, but it is also to serve as a reminder of what it symbolized for European Jewry, and the ‘moral shattering’ of European society as a whole. The Jewish world is experiencing a similar moral environment that was conducive to the horrors of Kristallnacht almost a century later, especially post 7 October and the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. The events leading up to Kristallnacht and the current climate facing the Jewish world are similar, and are the aftermath of a society gradually growing morally bankrupt, accepting the inverted logic on which antisemitism rests. 

Modern day antisemitism demands that Jews accept the double standard which has been thrust upon them. For example, accepting “from the river to the sea” as a fair chant for the establishment of a Palestinian state, though the true meaning of the chant calls for destruction of the Jewish state. This also means Israel being held to the standard of a democracy, though it is constantly accused of being an apartheid state. Most jarringly is the case of victim-swapping when it comes to the 7 October attack, which serves to illustrate Israel as the perpetrator as opposed to a victim of a large-scale terror attack. 

Anti-Zionism, an undeniably antisemitic ideology, is now an accepted and palatable point of view. This is apparent on campuses, in the news, and in almost every space that defines our culture and society. Stephens acknowledges the ‘two front challenge’ that the Jews face– the physical war against Hamas in Israel, and the war against antisemitism and anti-Zionism in the diaspora. He urges a strategic disengagement from institutions complicit in perpetuating falsehoods about Jews and Israel, advocating for a collective effort to establish new, morally upright organizations untainted by the prevalent prejudices of the day. 

Stephens emphasizes the importance of protecting Israel's strength, as well as safeguarding the values of a free and vibrant American society. This starts by acknowledgment of the reality that is placed before us.