Anti-Semitism versus Anti-Goyism

The document called "Working Definition of Anti-Semitism" (http://www.european-forum-on-antisemitism.org/working-definition-of-antisemitism/english/) starts with the following statement: "The purpose of this document is to provide a practical guide for identifying incidents, collecting data, and supporting the implementation and enforcement of legislation dealing with anti-Semitism." The document includes an entry that is similar but not identical to dictionary definitions of the term (compare the definitions of the term in Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Cambridge Dictionaries and Jewish Encyclopedia). It specifies that apart from visual forms and actions, anti-Semitism can be expressed in speech and writing. Speech and writing are the means used to disseminate the equivalent of anti-Semitism -- anti-Goyism -- that instead of targeting Jews aims at non-Jews. The statement below clarifies the notion:

"The difference between the people of Israel and the nations of the world is an essential one. The Jew by his source and in his very essence is entirely good. The goy, by his source and in his very essence is completely evil. This is not simply a matter of religious distinction, but rather of two completely different species" Rabbi Saadya Grama.

Grama's statement employs the Hebrew word "goy," ("goyim," in plural), frequently used in the Old Testament, to signify nation(s), people(s) in English. The Hebrew word "am" ("amim," in plural) also means "people" and is equally frequent in the Old Testament. However, there is a difference, which is not clear to a non-Hebrew speaker. While the first emphasises the "otherness" of all the nations of the world, the second refers to the "chosen people" only. The emphasis on the differences between Jews and Gentiles paves the way for attitudes towards the Goyim that are less than favourable.

"If they don't stop after we kill 100, then we must kill 1,000. And if they don't stop after 1,000, then we must kill 10,000. If they still don't stop we must kill 100,000. Even a million" Israel's former Chief Rabbi, Mordechai Elyahu.

This statement is similar to the one appearing in the Working Definition of Anti-Semitism: "Contemporary examples of anti-Semitism in public life, media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are not limited to: Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion."

The similarities are stunning but there is a problem: Rabbi Mordechai Elyahu does not urge to kill the Jews; he targets Palestinians. This in not anti-Semitism but it still "Calls for, aids, or justifies the killing or harming of" a group of people. Is it legal to promote hatred against Palestinians?

"I don't believe in Western morality, i.e., don't kill civilians or children, don't destroy holy sites, don't fight during the holiday seasons, don't bomb cemeteries, and don't shoot until they shoot first because it is immoral. The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle)" US Hasidic Rabbi Manis Friedman.

Rabbi Friedman's recommendations come close to yet another inclusion in the Working Definition of Anti-Semitism: "Criminal acts are anti-Semitic when the targets of attacks, whether they are people or property -- such as buildings, schools, places of worship and cemeteries -- are selected because they are, or are perceived to be, Jewish or linked to Jews." As was the case with Rabbi Elyahu, Rabbi Friedman's targets are non-Jews. Thus we must look for ways of cataloguing another sample of hate-speech.

The statements by Rabbi Saadya Grama, Rabbi Mordechai Elyahu, Rabbi Manis Friedman and others demonstrate equal amounts of hatred one finds in Hitler's Reichstag Speeches -- hatred expressed freely because of the absence of legislative power. "The implementation and enforcement of legislation dealing with anti-Semitism" does not aim at analogous hate speech that targets Gentiles. Yet the language is as vicious and hateful as one gets in the most extreme cases of anti-Semitism. A new comparable term will certainly remedy the situation. Apart from rhyming with anti-Semitism, the new term "anti-Goyism" takes the successes of its antecedent into account. Just as anti-Semitism was conveniently thrown at the face of all critics of the present-day Israeli policies, the long overdue term "anti-Goyism" will suitably describe the present-day abuses perpetrated by Zionists against all other nations.