The Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and Israel

I heard a speech by Daniel Goldhagen, author of Hitler's Willing Executioners, about two weeks ago (I've been slow to blog). He spoke about the topic of his book, that is, the complicity of millions of ordinary Germans in perpetrating the Holocaust. He concludes that they did so not because they were forced, or feared for their lives, but because they, like Hitler himself, truly believed that what they were doing was the right thing.

I spoke to the author afterwards, and asked him about the current threat of anti-Semitism. His perspective is very historical - in other words, he looks back, not forwards. But he did have some interesting things to say about what is going on now. He saw contemporary Islamic anti-Semitism as genocidal in nature, and very similar to that of the Nazis. He said that most of the other anti-Semitism in the world is of a more mild form, not the kind that could lead to another Holocaust.

But what about Islamic anti-Semitism? This could lead to another Holocaust, but Dr. Goldhagen felt that this could not happen now, due to the relative weakness of the Islamic world. He contrasted this to the relative strength of Israel, saying that this was the main difference in the world between 1939 and now.

I think it is important not to use scare tactics to convince people that another Holocaust is about to happen - it probably is not. But it is very important and instructive to look at the potential for genocide building in the Islamic world, and to recognize Israel's role in this. When we think about peace and the strategic future of Israel, we need to keep in mind the balance of power that Dr. Goldhagen mentioned, and make sure we keep it that way. In this way, strengthening Israel in any way is really the most effective means to combat global anti-Semitism.