This is a word I have written on in the past (more than once, in fact)—but clearly, it’s a word we need to look at again, since in the aftermath of the Bondi mass murder by Islamic terrorists the Albanese government is being told, it has failed to tackle ‘antisemitism’ in Australia.
The Oxford lists the first appearance of ‘antisemitism’ in English as occurring in 1880—which it did.
In that year it was used widely in Germany, and from German newspapers made its way into English.
In 1880 it was used to label the vitriolic attacks on Jews coming from the pen of a German politician, journalist and editor Willhelm Marr—and he labelled Jews as ‘Semites.’
When he was being verbally violent against ‘Semites’ (Jews) it made sense to label his attacks as ‘antisemitism.’
But the word had actually be coined in Germany a century earlier as part of an academic dispute.
It was coined by Moravian historian Moritz Steinschneider to label French philosopher Ernest Renan's offensive and false ideas about how ‘Semitic races’ were inferior to ‘Aryan races’ (the poisonous notion that would later drive Hitler’s Nazis as they pursued their evil aims in the Holocaust).
But it remained, as I say, a German word, until 1880.
So how should it be defined?
The International Holocaust Alliance uses this definition: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Jillian Segal, in her report to the Albanese government on antisemitism, says the government should adopt this definition.
Which is excellent.
But it’s too long.
As a wordsmith who believes that brevity and clarity are what work in language, I think we can boil the International Holocaust Alliance definition down to just two words: ‘Jew hatred.’
That’s what should be banned!
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