American Jewry is currently living through a remarkably dark era. It is certainly the darkest era I’ve lived through in my 37 years. The Jewish Question seems to have returned to public discourse yet again. To be a Jew in America is now viewed, first and foremost, in relation to Israel. This means one of three things: you oppose the existence of the State of Israel; you accept the existence of the state of Israel as a settled fact and do not wish to see it abolished or destroyed; or you actively advocate for Israel’s right to exist. In many cases, being an American Jew now means estrangement from longtime friends and social ostracization from social cliques that were once welcoming. And far too often now, it means being harassed, physically assaulted, or even murdered.

The American Jewish community currently finds itself trapped between two aggressive, competing ideologies that have come to dominate our public political discourse: the Left, which is characterized by its focus on anti-capitalism, Third-worldism, and identity politics; and the Right, which is based on traditionalism, capitalism, nationalism, and identitarianism.

Alt-right and fascist rhetoric, once closely tied to Trump’s first term, has since become mainstream within the younger generation of Republican and conservative movements. It is not uncommon to see right wing influencers and pundits celebrating Hitler and Nazi Germany, denying the Holocaust, or claiming that Israel, Zionists, or Jews control the U.S. government. The far-right is now closing in on the old guard. In the words of white nationalist Nick Fuentes recently, “My war against Israel is the only thing keeping me going at this point.” Any hope that the Right might defend America’s Jewish community is disappearing.

On the Left, the rhetoric and actions traditionally associated with the far right have become commonplace. Prominent Leftist pundits have circulated ZOG (“Zionist Occupied Government”) conspiracy theories, something previously seen only in Klan literature or on Stormfront.com. NYC hipsters protest synagogues; communist groups organize boycotts of “Israeli” businesses and vandalize Jewish businesses........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)