Kiwis for Balanced Reporting on the Middle East
September 3, 2009
In Another Country — Anti-Semitism in New Zealand
KBRM has received much mail that displays overt anti-Semitism (see Bigotry Box on Feedback Page) Is anti-Semitism a factor in the willingness of Kiwis to believe false or unfair accusations against Israel, or to discount information favourable to Israel? The background was examined in a short article by a KBRM member that was sent to most New Zealand newspapers, but not (to our knowledge) published. The article reads:
Introduction
KBRM promotes balanced reporting of events in the Middle East, We receive a number of letters about Israel, most supportive, others critical. The latter fall into two groups:
- anti-Semitic rants
- ‘reasoned’ critiques of Israel.
A typical rant might say: [a media item about Israel] proves that Jews are [expletive, etc.]. While ostensibly about recent events, the letters generally recycle anti-Semitic clichés that long pre-date the settlement of New Zealand. Some are Apocalyptic, gleefully forecasting the destruction of Israel and the extermination of the Jews. A few accuse KBRM of being funded by Jewish or Israeli interests (we aren't), as if no-one else would stand up for Israel.
Even the more temperate letters are often based on flawed assumptions. We try to engage these correspondents in dialogue, but often they just repeat their original accusations, apparently having made up their minds unshakeably. They too are prejudiced.
New Zealand prides itself on its reputation for tolerance and fairness. There is no large Jewish community, and few prominent Jewish figures. Links with Israel are minimal. Why should there be anti-Semitic prejudice in New Zealand? Most New Zealanders are probably unaware it exists. Prejudice feeds on ignorance, and increasing public knowledge of anti-Semitism will help eradicate it.
Historical
Anti-Semitism has a long and unsavoury history. Its roots include.
The unsympathetic portrayal of Jews in Biblical accounts of the Crucifixion. While the true meaning of events is still debated, many retain only the impression that ‘the Jews killed Jesus’.
The ‘Blood Libel’ — claims that Jews use the blood of Christian children to make their Passover matzo wafers. Needless to say, there is no evidence for this practice, with its echoes of witchcraft. A modern version accuses Israelis — equally implausibly — of ‘harvesting’ body parts of abducted Palestinians for use in transplants.
Envy — Jews were historically wealthier than Christians — primarily because Christians were then forbidden to engage in moneylending, leaving this economic niche for Jews, who prospered and became leaders in banking, finance and commerce.
Jewish ‘insularity’ — resulting from the enforced segregation of Jews in many countries of Europe.
The ‘Jewish world-domination conspiracy’ — as described in the notorious forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Translated into many languages, this book was a prime inspiration for the Holocaust. None of these arguments is relevant in today's New Zealand. To understand New Zealand anti-Semitism, we must look elsewhere.
The Jewish Stereotype
Prejudices are based on stereotypes. It's irrelevant whether the stereotype is accurate; as long as it's believed. The stereotypical Jew is above all successful in business. This might seem a positive quality, but in the stereotype it's associated with the avarice, ambition, cunning, ruthlessness and lack of scruple. Jews are also strongly supportive of their community — again apparently a positive quality, but often given negative connotations of clannishness and indifference to the welfare of non-Jews.
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Strands of Anti-Semitism
Four strands of anti-Semitism can be identified.
The religious strand is less important than it once was. No mainstream Christian churches are now hostile to Jews per se, even though a local interdenominational Christian organisation recently — and implausibly - accused ‘Zionists’ of bombing Christian churches in Iraq. Letters we receive from avowed Christians are more often supportive than hostile.
Likewise the racial strand. In an increasingly multi-cultural New Zealand, familiarity breeds not contempt, but tolerance. And most Jews are not instantly recognisable, in the way that some minorities are. Only a few even of the rants we receive contain specifically-racist abuse.
The cultural strand is stronger. The Jewish stereotype is essentially a cultural one. Egalitarian sentiment is strong in New Zealand, and anti-business views are common — so the stereotypical Jew is an uncongenial figure to many. And in a country where a tall poppy needs to be cut down to size, self-reliant high-achievers aren't too popular. Culturally, stereotypical Jews and stereotypical Kiwis are poles apart.
The political strand is undoubtedly the strongest. The target is either the state of Israel, or ‘Zionists’, apparently shorthand for Israelis with more assertive attitudes towards land ownership. Some claim that being anti-Israel isn't being anti-Semitic. But being ‘anti’ any nation in principle is just a different prejudice.
In New Zealand, no other nation gets such a bad press as Israel. Does New Zealand anti-Semitism arise from media presentation, or is media presentation driven by the anti-Semitism of its consumers? We're unlucky in that there's no real competition among daily newspapers, and that the NZ Herald, our largest-circulation daily, takes most of its overseas stories from the UK Independent. This title, little-read in the UK, takes an unabashedly anti-Israel stance, and fails to discriminate between news, planted stories, hearsay and comment. However it's unlikely that Herald readers swallow uncritically all they're told, and our correspondence suggests that media stories support existing prejudices, rather than creating them.
A number of letters suggest that Israelis are arrogant and deserve to be humbled. Granted Israelis have a strong sense of national pride, but so do Poles, Koreans, Iranians, Australians — in fact most nations. While national pride in New Zealand isn't strong, we don't have a problem with it in others — except for Israel.
Might the low profile of Jews in New Zealand lead to anti-Semitism, driven by ignorance? — unlikely. Many low-profile minority groups live in New Zealand without attracting hostility.
For some, the support given to Israel by the US is reason enough to be anti-Israel. Anti-Americanism has long existed independently of anti-Semitism, and it seems all too easy to combine them.
In Israel as in New Zealand, occupation of land is a significant political issue. Land disputes are notoriously intractable — all New Zealanders are aware of the protracted negotiations with Maori over land transfers that were largely documented, and carried out within a legal framework. But most Kiwis recognise that solutions which uphold the mana of all parties can be negotiated — but not by a process of wholesale eviction and expulsion. It's a pity that they can't see the disputes in Israel in a similar light.