Q:
What is the purpose of antisemitism?
A:
In short, the answer is that antisemitism is a miracle. It’s a barrier, a wall that the Almighty sets up when he sees that a wall is needed. When there is too much fraternization between Jew and gentile, and it’s all going one way—it means that the Jews are traveling across the wall in that direction—so the wall has to be made higher. And antisemitism is that wall that helps keep us aloof and separate. That’s the reason why this force was created.
Now, there are more purposes to that but briefly, that’s the main purpose. The principle is, separate! הן עם לבדד ישכון – A nation that dwells alone, ובגוים לא יתחשב – we have no business with other nations. That’s Hashem’s policy with us and therefore in order to keep us apart from the nations of the world, Hashem creates a wall between us and them and that wall is antisemitism. It must be at all times—nothing to do with our good behavior or bad behavior—in order to protect us from fraternization with the umos ha’olam. Only that He raises the wall according to how much it’s needed.
Q:
But can’t we say that antisemitism is caused because of jealousy of the Jews, that we’re a successful and often wealthy nation? Isn’t there some mehalech that we can explain the hatred in a more natural way?
A:
That’s not enough of a reason. It’s not enough, because there have been classes of gentiles who have been successful and wealthy and they have not been greeted with such a wave of animosity as the Jews. For example there was a class of usurers licensed by the pope called the Corsini. And when the Jews were driven out of England, the Corsini came and they became the usurers. Now, they weren’t beloved by the English. They were much worse, and the English said, “Would that we had back the Jews now. We’re suffering more from the Corsini.” The English tried to get rid of them, but they had the protection of the pope. They were the pope’s own usurers.
But even though the English suffered from them worse than they did from the Jews, the hatred that was generated against the Jews was not evident then against them.
Now, they have tried to analyze this. You know how much money has been spent on surveys of this subject? To no avail. They come up at the end with a big question mark. And the truth is it’s a nes. It’s a miracle. It’s hashgachah pratis. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is doing it.
April 1974
