Q. Shalom Rabbi! On our university campus, we’ve recently felt some anti-Semitic slurs, and want to know, should we report this to the authorities, or perhaps just let it slide to prevent a possible big Chilul Hashem? A. Regarding the anti-Semitic slurs, it’s definitely not a Chilul Hashem to stand up for Am Yisrael- but to the contrary, it’s a Kiddush Hashem to stand up for the honor of G-d’s Chosen People, and continue being proud of your Judaism (as you always are)! On the other hand, if you think you may physically or even psychologically suffer as a result of reporting it, you don’t have to get involved [for it’s unfortunately basically “built-in” to Galut (Exile), even in democracies, to usually be outnumbered and occasionally slurred- serving as a constant reminder what Galut is about! Vayikra 26, 36-37]. On the other hand, maybe you should confer with some other local Jewish friends, for maybe this type of anti-Semitism should be “nipped in the bud” before it gets out of hand and becomes really uncomfortable or even dangerous for all of the Jews there.
Combatting anti-Semitism and anti-Israel propaganda is pretty simple regarding the intellectual aspect and arguments (especially after what Hamas did to us!). Historically and politically, whether one decides who owns the land by who was here first (the Jews were in Israel 2,000 years before Islam even began!), or if you decide by the current modern situation, either way, the rights to Israel belong to the Jews. What logic is there to davka only look at that temporary middle period when the Jews were forcibly exiled from our land before 1948?! Since Yehoshua 3300 years ago, there were always Jews in Israel, and even though there were also some Arabs over the last 1400 years, they never had a state here, and were living, like the Jews, just as individuals and tribes, as opposed to Israel who had a 1st, a 2nd and now the 3rd Commonwealth and independent state.
What complicates issues is that it’s not really a rational topic, but more of a tactical question, how to play things smartly and beneficially for Am Yisrael as a whole, and for the local Jews on campus as individuals (which may even sometimes contradict). Prof. Alan Dershowitz feels strongly in his book titled “Chutzpah”, that the best way to combat anti-Semitism is to bring it out into the open as clearly anti-American, anti-democratic, anti-moral and just plain stupid. On the other hand, as college campuses occasionally have proven over the last 2 years, many people there are biased and anti-intellectual when it comes to this issue.
An additional factor which you should take into account, is that if some Jewish students are getting “swept up” in the anti-Israel atmosphere, I would speak to them individually, for they (hopefully) are truly open and objective, and it’s not only possible but a great mitzvah to succeed in returning them to our People. Remind them of the truths upon which they were probably raised. How the Land of Israel is correctly, historically and legally ours, and what happened when we did not have a Jewish State to defend ourselves (how even the totally assimilated Jews were not spared in the Shoah…).
In short, the only sure thing about this complex topic is, as I always said, it looks like Aliya is the only real solution! B’Hatzlacha with everything and Chanukah Same’ach!! Rav Ari