A few days ago, in a private messaging conversation with a non-Jewish ally, I thanked them for their support of the Jewish community. They responded “No need for a thank you, its a privilege”, to which I wrote “Trust me, we feel so alone these days, whenever someone speaks out, I feel like thanking them.”
Their response to this?
“You have more friends than you know.”
I have been thinking about this a lot. Being exposed to so much hate and antisemitism online, one can be led to think that the world is against us. But I am beginning to believe a lot of it is smoke and mirrors.
Case in point: A couple of (now deleted) ads appeared on Craigslist last week, offering to pay people to attend anti-Israel protests around New York:
The kicker is “Whether you share these values or not, we want you there and will be paid.”
If the anti-Israel movement is so large, why do they need to engage in “rent-a-crowd” deception? Surely they need only advertise their protests and the masses will flock?
I think the answer is clear: there are not as many haters as we are being led to believe (although there are still too many).
Another comment I received from a non-Jewish Israellycool reader in response to my post on the two antisemitic nurses reveals the same sentiment:
“These 2 Clowns just woke the Silent Majority in Australia…and we are NOT VERY HAPPY!!!!”
Silent majority are the operative words. The haters are loud, obnoxious cause chaos, and are very active online, giving the appearance of being the majority. But I believe the majority of people do not support their morally bankrupt cause. And while the silent majority might not have a dog in the race, more and more are likely beginning to support Israel by default as their lives are negatively impacted by the daily shenanigans of the hate protesters.
Which is why I do not advocate shutting down the social media accounts of these haters (unless they are inciting violence). Allow them to reveal their ugly selves. At the same time, spread the word about their revolting offline behavior – whether it be assaulting and harassing people, vandalizing businesses, protesting outside hospitals, blocking traffic and, yes, paying for people to engage in deception.
Because our best weapon against these people is their own behavior. Use it against them.
