Conventional wisdom suggests that antisemitism is a misguided belief, one that could be remedied with better education, improved nutrition to enhance cognitive ability, exposure to balanced information, and a genuine emphasis on compassion. If these factors were universally applied, antisemitism, it is believed, would fade into oblivion.
However, the events since October 7th have shown this to be an oversimplification. Elite Ivy League campuses and countless representatives of compassionate NGOs have demonstrated that neither intelligence, education, nor compassion inoculates the mind or heart against hostility toward Jews.
The reason for this is that antisemitism is not merely a misguided thought or the product of ignorance. It is, in fact, the distilled manifestation of the collective negative intellectual and moral flaws that exist both within individuals and in society at large.
-Intelligent people may harbor antisemitism if they are unjust or dishonest, despite their intelligence.
-Highly educated individuals may be antisemitic if they are consumed by resentment or envy, regardless of their learning.
-Compassionate people may fall into antisemitism if they are ignorant or lack critical thinking, despite their compassion.
And so it goes.
In this light, antisemitism is not an anomaly but a universal human failing, though, for obvious emotional, psychological, and cultural reasons, it disproportionately manifests among non-Jews.
One of the great strengths of Judaism and Jewish tradition (Yiddishkeit) is its ability to channel and redirect negative character traits into constructive, disciplined, and intelligent paths:
-A Jewish individual with aggressive instincts becomes a ritual slaughterer (shochet) instead of a thug or torturer.
-Someone prone to sloppiness learns the intricate details of Jewish law and ritual, correcting their natural imprecision.
-A naturally lazy person is often motivated by a strong-willed Jewish mother and later spurred into success by a demanding spouse.
-A person inclined to reap the fruits of others' labor may become an avrekh (a married Talmudic scholar), devoting themselves to study rather than theft or looting.
Understanding antisemitism in this way reveals a profound truth: antisemitism is not inherently tied to Jews, Judaism, or the Jewish State. Rather, it is the outward expression of flaws and failings unconnected to the Jewish people. As such, it becomes clear that antisemitism will only end with the conquest of the yetzer hara—the negative inclination present in all humanity.
In this context, it is no coincidence that the Messianic Era, when the nations of the world will recognize the truth, wisdom, and beauty of Yiddishkeit, is also described as the time when the yetzer hara will finally yield to truth and goodness. Redemption cannot come without the defeat of the evil inclination, and the evil inclination cannot be vanquished until all nations sincerely embrace peace, justice, and truth.
May the world soon be blessed with the redemption of every individual and every nation!
Rafael Castro is an Italian-Colombian graduate of Yale and Hebrew University. A Noahide by choice, Rafael can be reached at rafaelcastro78@gmail.com