Steven H------ Finds the acts of anti-semitism occurring in Europe disgusting. Did the memory of the Holocaust fade?

Mr.Egg: don't confuse anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism

Steven: Mr. Egg, stop reading about the suffering of Gaza and take a look at attacks on synagogues occurring in Europe.

Random guy I don't know: Mr. Egg, when the Dutch are chanting "Jews to the gas," it has nothing to do with Israel or Zionism. It is anti-Semitism. When the Belgians are firebombing Jewish homes in Antwerp, it is anti-Semitism. When Jewish graves, synagogues, and institutions are vandalized, it is anti-Semitism, not anti-Zionism. Israel is the *excuse* for European and Islamic anti-Semitism, not the *reason*.

Me: this is a really good article. I think though, that keeping things in perspective, Muslims face much higher levels of prejudice in this day and age. And in Europe especially, the anti-Islamic vibe is much stronger - most clearly in Holland and France. And even you, Steven, have made many comments that are blatantly anti-Islamic. So it's okay for you to be anti-Islamic but not for others to be anti-Semitic?

That is just the tip of the iceberg. My Facebook has been blowing up in comment sections and responses to statuses and generally everywhere since Israel launched their offensive against Hamas. It's reached the point where I am getting angry.

I have no patience left for Jews defending Israel simply out of some sort of sense of entitlement or being "chosen".

I have no patience left for fundamentalists who consistently choose to exclude themselves from society then turn around and bitch that said society treats them as outsiders.

I have no patience left for being labeled an anti-Semite just because I disagree with Israel's policies and have issues with the exclusionary attitude of most Orthodox Jews or even the many completely secular Jews I know who will defend with their last breath their "nation".

I am tired of having the Holocaust card played time and again in conversations that have nothing to do with the Holocaust (as the guy did above). Yes, it was horrible and sickening and no we never want it to happen again. But you're going to bring it up now, 60 years later, when we're discussing a flaming car which was driven into the gate of a synagogue causing no harm to anyone? How is that logical?

I realize this sort of mentality is not exclusive to the Jewish people but people all over the world, no matter the reasons for division it is pervasive and encapsulating.

I understand being proud of your culture and your ancestors and in no way do I mean to take away from that but at what point are people going to start coming together as simply human beings? When will we finally be able to strip away religion and nationality and ethnicity and sexuality and all the ways we choose to categorize ourselves; allowing us to cling to these cloistered groups which make us feel safe and comforted while providing haven for a separatist mentality rife with hostility, partiality and elitism?

I truly believe that is the next evolution for humankind, we either evolve into harmony with one another or we will kill ourselves dropping bombs and turning this planet into a war zone. We are on the precipice here and I don't know which way we will go. For every time I am beginning to feel hopeful there is something else equally abysmal.