Ariel Harkman
The American Spectator, July 15, 2025
“This is not old hatred in new clothes. It’s something different — Post-Identity Antisemitism.”
In October 2023, as Hamas live-streamed the mass murder and abduction of Israeli civilians, anti-Israel protests erupted across Western capitals within hours. In New York, London, Sydney, and Paris, rallies cheered “resistance” even as footage of atrocities spread in real time. On elite campuses, professors signed open letters framing the attacks as acts of decolonization. Days later, Jewish students at Cooper Union were locked inside a library for safety as demonstrators pounded on the glass.
In a bitter echo, just last month at Glastonbury, a performer led the crowd in a chant calling for the death of Israel’s “Jewish citizen army” — a chilling distortion of a nation whose soldiers are civilians conscripted to defend families like those massacred at Nova. The chant spread like wildfire: shouted outside the Welsh Parliament, then Westminster, then on New York streets. Most recently, a mob in Melbourne echoed it while attacking a restaurant with Jews inside. Days later, a synagogue in the same city was set ablaze — with worshippers inside
In a historic reversal, antisemitism has not returned from the fringes, but from the core of elite institutions, influencer circles, and youth movements. According to the FBI, Jews have been the most targeted religious group in America since tabulating these stats, despite making up less than 2 percent of the population. In 2023 and 2024, hate crimes surged to historic highs. Yet in academia and media, antisemitism no longer wears swastikas. It comes cloaked in hashtags, open letters, and the relentless defamation of the world’s only Jewish state.
This is not old hatred in new clothes. It’s something different — Post-Identity Antisemitism: a modern obsession, born of cultural breakdown and emotional displacement. Israel is no longer just a country; it’s a symbol. A mirror held up to a civilization that’s forgotten what it stands for. … [To read the full article, click here]