1

[ThistextwaspreparedforalecturedeliveredattheCentroSienaTorontooftheUniversitdegliStudidi
Siena,BianchidiSotto,81,Siena,on9March2011.Togetherwithatranslation(Fantasiedisperate:Retoricae
ideologia del 'Nuovo Antisemitismo') by Tiziana Tampinelli, the text was printed by the Centro for local
distribution.]

[Index: Canadian politics, antisemitism]

[Date: March 2011]

DesperateImaginings:
RhetoricandIdeologyofthe'NewAntisemitism'
SienaLecture,9March2011

MichaelKeefer

ThetitleofmytalktodayisalsothatofthefinalchapterofabookIeditedand
coauthored last year, Antisemitism Real and Imagined: Responses to the Canadian
Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism. In addition to my own four long
chapters,thebookalsocontainsshortertextsbyelevenCanadianhumanrightsactivists
andscholars,aswellasstatementsbysevenCanadianhumanrightsorganizations.
ThebookanalyzessomeprimarilyCanadianissues,butalsoengageswithothers
thatareofwiderrelevanceasajournalistintheTorontoGlobeandMailsuggestedlast
summerwhenhecalledthebooktimelyandindispensable,andrecommendeditto
the politicians of our governing party as of use in understanding the IsraelPalestine

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conflict.(Thatis,regrettably,asubjectonwhichtheyremainillinformed.)
IamgoingtobeginbyoutliningtheimplicationsofrecenteventsintheMiddle
East.IwillthensuggestwaysinwhichcurrentdebatesinCanadaaroundthemeaning
and the prevalence of antisemitismdebates whose real subject is the orientation of
CanadianforeignpolicymaybeofinteresttoEuropeansgrapplingwithparallelissues.
I will conclude with some recommendations, both ethical and political. I hope the
followingbriefnoteswillmakemycommentseasiertofollow.

1.DemocracyintheMiddleEast?(anddemocracyathome?)
USforeignpolicysince2001(andindeedforsomedecadespreviously)hasbeen
devotedtoreplacinginsufficientlysubmissivegovernmentsthroughouttheMiddleEast
andwesternAsiawithregimeswillingtoacceptWashingtonConsensusglobalization
andAmerican geopolitics, includingcomplicity in(oratleast passiveacceptance of)
IsraelscolonizationoftheOccupiedPalestinianTerritories.
Inadditiontotheappallingsufferingandlossoflifethatthepost2001versionof
thispolicyhascaused,anditsstaggeringcriminalitytheinvasionsandoccupationsof
AfghanistanandIraqhaveviolatedallthemajorprinciplesofinternationallawthis
policy has manifestly failed. American rhetoric about exporting democracy has been
fraudulent for at least the past halfcentury, but U.S. behaviour since 2001 has
contributedbothtosharpdeclinesinAmericanmilitaryprestigeandeconomicpower,
andalso,ironically,tothecurrentsurgeofprodemocracyproteststhatistopplingUS
andEUclientregimesacrossNorthAfricaandtheMiddleEast.
Part of the irony here may be that while an attempt to implant submissive
autocracies has helped produce a prodemocratic surge abroad, the Global War on
Terrorhasalsosubverteddemocracyathome,bothintheUS,wherethePatriotActled
toaneffectiveeliminationoftheUSConstitutionandBillofRights,andalsoincountries
likeCanadawhichadoptedsimilarantiterrorlegislation. Canadahasbeenastrong
supporterofUSpolicyinAfghanistan,whereourtroopshavesuffereddisproportionately

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highlosses,andintheMiddleEast,whereCanadahasbecome,nexttotheUS,Israels
mostdogmaticanduncriticalsupporter.
One very interesting recent development in Canadian politics has been the
incorporationofclaimsaboutantisemitismintoattemptstolimitfreedebateoverour
foreignpolicy.TheseclaimshavetypicallyinvolvedassertionsthatCanadiancivilityand
decency are menaced by a new antisemitism, in which the traditional antisemitic
loathingofJewsandJudaismhasmutatedintohatredofthecollectiveJew,andnow
takestheformofattemptstodemonizeanddelegitimizethestateofIsrael.Theconcept
ofantisemitismisthusbeingextendedtoincludeanysustainedcriticismofIsraelistate
policiesand in particular any criticism of the occupation and colonization of the
PalestinianTerritoriesoccupiedbyIsraelsince1967.
This concept of a new antisemitism is unacceptable. I do not claim any
originalityforthisopinion,whichhasinrecentyearsbeenvoicedbymanydistinguished
contemporaryscholarsofJudaismandantisemitism.TheseincludethelateRaulHilberg,
whosemagisterialthreevolumework TheDestructionoftheEuropeanJews (1961)is
acknowledgedastheseminalstudyoftheShoah;UniversityofOxfordphilosopherBrian
Klug,whosewritingsonantisemitismincludeTheCollectiveJew:IsraelandtheNew
Antisemitism, Patterns of Prejudice (June 2003), and The Myth of the New
Antisemitism, TheNation(February2004);YakovM.Rabkin,ProfessorofHistoryat
the Universit de Montral, whose book Au nom de la Torah: une histoire de
loppositionjuiveausionisme(2004)wasshortlistedinCanadaforaGovernorGenerals
Award;andMarcH.Ellis,DirectoroftheCenterforJewishStudiesatBaylorUniversity,
a theologian whose nearly two dozen books include The End of Jewish History:
Auschwitz,theHolocaustandPalestine(2005).
Theirprincipalreasonforrejectingtheconflationofantisemitismwithcriticism
ofIsraelipoliciesisthatitsobviouspurposeistodeflectattentionawayfromIsraels
systematic violations of international law, including the Geneva Conventions, in its
treatmentsince1967ofthepeopleofthePalestinianOccupiedTerritories.
A secondary reason is that this conflation actually detracts from the struggle
againstrealantisemitism.AsProfessorYanisVaroufakisoftheUniversityofAthenshas

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written,
[W]hen a worthy cause, like that of zerotolerance to
antisemites,isappropriatedbyaregressivecampaignwhosepurpose
is,ineffect,toterminateanycriticalengagementwiththesubjugation,
repressionandexpropriationofanotherpeople,thePalestinians,then
the worthy cause suffers. Antisemites rejoice when criticism of
IsraelsWallinPalestineisequatedwithantisemitism.Fortheyare
suddenlyincludedinthewidercommunityoffairmindedpeoplefor
whomthecollectivehumiliation,massharassmentanddisconnection
ofawholepeoplefromtheirownbackyards,nottomentiontherestof
the world, constitutes a hideous state of affairs in need of urgent
redress.

2.AntisemitisminCanada
Letmeprovideyouwithsomehistoricalcontext.Consider,first,thecomparative
sizesofCanadasandItalysJewishcommunities.Withanoverallpopulationofalittle
morethanhalfthatofItaly(34milliontoyournearly61million),wehaveaJewish
communitysomethirteentimeslargerthanyours(about370,000peoplecomparedto
your28,000).AsscholarsofCanadianliteraturehereknowverywell,thiscommunity
hasmadeveryimportantcontributionstoCanadianculture:oneneedonlymentionsuch
names asthoseofthegreatMontrealpoetAbrahamMosesKleinandhissuccessors
Irving Layton and Leonard Cohen, and such novelists as Adele Wiseman, Mordecai
Richler,andMattCohentohavesomesenseoftheweightofthatcontribution.
It is perhaps less wellknown, given Canadas present strongly proIsrael
orientation, that Canada has had a shameful history of antisemitism. The very good
historicalscholarshiponthisissueissummarizedinoneofthechaptersofmybook.I
will comment here only on the fact that between 1933and 1939, when the Jews of
Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and other European countries were seeking

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desperatelytoescapefromNazism,Canadaaccepted,onapercapitabasis,onlyonefifth
asmanyJewishrefugeesasdidBritain,theUS,andAustralia.
Scholars of racism commonly distinguish between contemptuous or hateful
attitudesandopinions,andtheirinstantiationinlawandininstitutionalpractices.Some
antisemiticpracticessuchasquotasonadmissionsofJewstouniversitieswerestillin
place in Canada in the early 1960s. However, antisemitic attitudes in Canada have
declinedsteadilyinrecentdecades.Onemustbevigilantaboutanypossibleresurgence
ofantisemitismneoNazigroupswhichwouldliketoexploithostilitiesgeneratedby
thestateofIsraelscrimescertainlyexistinCanadabutatthesametimeonemust
admit that the principal groups currently exposed to institutionalized hostility are
MuslimsandFirstNationspeople.

3.Therhetoricofthenewantisemitism
ThequestionofanewantisemitismbecameapoliticalissueinCanadain2009,
whenagroupofparliamentariansannouncedtheformationofaCanadianParliamentary
Coalition to Combat Antisemitism (CPCCA) whose purpose would be to conduct a
parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism in Canada, with emphasis on Canadian
universitiesandthemedia.Thisgroupannounceditsconclusionsbeforebeginningits
inquiryclaimingthatJewishstudentssufferpersecution,intimidation,andmockeryin
Canadian universities, and that the country as a whole is experiencing a surge in
antisemitismandantisemitichatecrimes.Theformerclaimwasrefutedbythetestimony
ofuniversityadministratorsandhumanrightsofficialsattheparliamentaryinquiry;the
latterclaimisalsountrue,asIhaveshowninoneofchaptersofAntisemitismRealand
Imaginedthroughastudyoftheavailablestatistics.
TheideologyofthenewantisemitismdealswithcriticismsofthestateofIsrael
byredescribingthemasrevivalsofthetraditionaltropesofantisemitism.Reportsof
IsraeliwarcrimesagainstPalestiniancivilians,forexample,aredefinedasbloodlibels
anddenouncedasvileandabusive.Thisrhetoricdoesawaywiththematerialevidence,

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slanderingasantisemitesthosewhoreportandanalyzeviolationsofhumanrights.And
byidentifyingallseriouscriticismsofthestateofIsraelIsraelasevidenceofantisemitic
hatred,itlegitimizesabusiveandaggressivebehaviourasselfdefense.
Two dangerous feedback loops can be identified here. First, when Israel is
treated as indistinguishable from world Jewry, and its Prime Minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu,isintroduced(ashewasattheJewishFederationsofNorthAmericaGeneral
AssemblyinWashington,DCinNovember2009)asnotjusttheelectedleaderofIsrael,
but also as the leader of the Jewish people, it becomes difficult to interpret
thoroughgoingcriticismofIsraelasanythingbutantisemitic.Ofcourse,thedeeperthat
state plunges into apartheid policies, the more vocal become the criticisms of its
behaviourandthelouderalsoareclaimsthatJewsworldwidearebesetbyantisemites,
whomustbecombatedbyallmeansavailable.
A second feedback loop is set in motion by this oneone in which the vile
prejudicesofarealifresidualantisemitismfindconfirmationinthelawlessviolenceofa
statethattheantisemitebelieves,becauseideologueslikeNetanyahutellhimso,isacting
onbehalfofJewsworldwide.Thissecondloopalsoamplifiesthefirstone:anyincrease
inreal,andnotjustimaginedantisemitismthatmaybepromptedbythestateofIsraels
actionscontributestoabeliefthatJewsareinescapablythevictimsofirrationalhatred.

4.Oneexample:thebloodlibel
Toshowbrieflyhowtherhetoricofthenewantisemitismworks,Iwillanalyze
itsdeploymentofthemostvicioustropeoftraditionalantisemitism,thebloodlibel,to
deflectcriticismsofeventhemostflagrantcrimesandillegalities,libelinghumanrights
activistsasantisemitesandrepresentingvictimizersasvictims.
Thebloodlibelappearstohaveariseninthe12thcenturyfromreflectiononthe
imageoftheChristchild,thefuturecrucifiedRedeemerwhosebloodwouldbeshedto
atoneforhumansins.ThedisbeliefofJewsinthisMessiahwasgenerallythoughtto
excludethemfromthecommunityforwhomChristsbloodwasshed;throughasick

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projectionandinversion,thisconvictionpromptedaccusationsofritualmurderinvolving
thecrucifixionofaChristianchildinademonicparodyoftheChristiannarrativeof
redemption. Further extensions of the same process led to elaborations including a
parodic kosherbutcheryofthevictim, whosebloodwouldthen beincorporated into
PassovermatzohsinablasphemousmockeryoftheMass.
The blood libel represented the obviously dominant Christian community as
victimizedandincitedthevictimstotakerevenge,intheformofjudicialandmob
violence against a Jewish community that was of course already systematically
victimized byChristians.Theclaimthatthereports ofhumanrightsagencies onthe
victimizationofPalestinianciviliansbytheIsraeliarmyaresimplyanewformofthe
bloodlibelinvolvesafurtherdisplacementoneinwhichtheantisemitictropehidesor
eraseactualpresentdaysocialactions,andturnstheIsraelisoldiersfromvictimizersinto
thevictimsofaninternationalcampaignagainstJews.
ThusinMarch2009JonathanKayofthe NationalPostcomplainedthatFrom
theopeningdaysoftheGazacampaign,thebloodlibelsofmassacreandgenocide
haveflownthickandfast;andonthesameday,hisEnglishcounterpartinunwavering
support for Israel, Melanie Phillips, went so far as to accuse the Israeli newspaper
HaaretzofabloodlibelforhavingreportedthetestimonyofIsraelisoldiersthattheyhad
witnessedandparticipatedinwarcrimesagainstGazacivilians.InAugust2009aHuman
RightsWatchreportthatdocumentedthemurderduringOperationCastLeadofeleven
PalestinianciviliansholdingwhiteflagswasdismissedbyanAmericanproIsraelblogas
abloodlibeldisguisedasaninvestigativereport.
But by midSeptember 2009, when the Goldstone Report, Human Rights in
Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories: Report of the United Nations Fact
FindingMissionontheGazaConflict,wasreleased,withitsmeticulousandscrupulous
documentingofwarcrimes,thebloodlibeltacticseemedtobelosingitseffectiveness.
HarvardlawprofessorandIsraelapologistAlanDershowitzdeclaredthatthereportis
sofilledwithlies,distortionsandbloodlibelsthatitcouldhavebeendraftedbyHamas
extremists.Therearemultipleironieshere:Goldstoneis,likeDershowitz,averysenior
memberofthelegalprofession,aJew,andalifelongZionist.Thedifferencebetween

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themwouldappeartoresideinthefactthatGoldstonespersonalandjudicialintegrity
hasledhimtofaceuptorealitiesofakindthatDershowitzhasspentmostofhisadult
lifeconcealing,distorting,ordefending.
Dershowitzs rhetoric is undermined within Israel itself by the courageous
testimonies of 180 Israeli soldiers, led by Yehuda Shaul, whose book Breaking the
Silence describestheiractionsandexperiencesintheOccupiedPalestinianTerritories
from2000to2009.Shaul,anorthodoxJew,isactingontheprincipleofarefusalto
remainsilenceinthefaceofevil.Theoccupation,hesays,ismonstrous,andthecode
wordsusedtowintheIsraelipublicsassenttoitsikkul(thepreventionofterrorism),
afradah (the separation of populations), and akhifat hok (the application of laws)
concealterribledeviationswhichgofromsadismtocompleteanarchyandsweepaside
themostelementaryhumanrights.

5.Principlesofinterpretation
In approaching these issues, my position is the one announced by the great
EnglishpoetWilliamBlakeinoneofhisproverbs:Oppositionistruefriendship.As
IsraelijournalistandpeaceactivistUriAvneryhaswritten,Itisthedutyofallwho
considerthemselvestruefriendsofIsrael,JewsandnonJewsalike,toconfrontAIPAC
[theprincipalembodimentoftheIsraellobbyintheUS]andbreakitspowerofsilencing
criticism.ThisistheonlyhopeforIsraelsfuture.AvneryalsoarguesthatIsraelismust
changenotjusttheirpolicies,butourbasicoutlook,ourgeographicalorientation.We
mustunderstandthatwearenotabridgeheadfromsomewheredistant,butapartofa
regionthatisnowatlonglastjoiningthehumanmarchtowardfreedom.
Canadians,andthecitizensofothercountriesthathavesupportedIsraelspolicies
ofapartheidandcolonizationintheOccupiedTerritories,haveastillstrongerethical
obligationtoworktowardschangingourgovernmentsorientations.