Opinion Blog / Guest Columnist
The hunting down of Jews for sport
It’s the second time in just a matter of weeks that reports are coming in of attempts to locate Israeli tourists visiting abroad, making their whereabouts known to the general public. The first incident happened in Italy.
According to a Jerusalem Post article, in late July, local Italians were being urged to fill out forms, available on Google, to report the presence of Israeli citizens staying in hotels and other accommodations. Finding this very disturbing, the president of the Jewish Community of Milan responded by saying, “I think we’re going back to the 1930s to hunting Jews.”
The second incident occurred in Amsterdam, when “flyers were distributed, featuring names and locations of Jewish IDF soldiers visiting the city, ahead of the Pride Amsterdam event, slated to take place between July 25 and August 8.”
Written on the flyers was, “Protect your community, watch out for war criminals during WorldPride.” The names of Israelis were mapped out throughout different locations in the city, with photos attached to facilitate recognition.
Although both the WorldPride event organizers, as well as the City of Amsterdam, categorically stated that they were not responsible for the dissemination of the flyers, their distribution took place, during the celebration, with the official WorldPride logo.
It turns out that the anonymous form, circulated in Italy, along with the messaging to hotels, vacation rentals and businesses, warning to be on the lookout for Israeli tourists, was also the work of an outside group.
What is clear is that malicious antisemitic groups have infiltrated venues with their hateful propaganda, designed to intimidate both the visiting Jewish tourists and also those who host them.
The troubling practice definitely conjures up horrific memories of the same toxic atmosphere that began to spread throughout much of Europe in the days leading up to the Holocaust.
In the case of Amsterdam, recipients of the flyers, who wanted to learn more, were directed to go to the HRF website (Hind Rajab Foundation) – an advocacy group, pushing for the prosecution of IDF soldiers, who they claim have committed genocide.
These two incidents are especially maddening, because they involve an insidious deception which takes advantage of already organized scheduled events, where large audiences will gather.
By appropriating the same logo as those sponsoring the celebration or other occasion, they try to add legitimacy to their message by illegally co-opting someone else’s symbols and function.
It’s thievery at its finest – capitalizing on the creation of others. But that’s the whole idea. By spreading their message to unsuspecting people, who came for another purpose, they turn them into a captive audience, ripe for the pickings.
While some may come to realize that the portrayal of Israelis, as war criminals, was not initiated or approved by those sponsoring the events, others may never arrive at that conclusion, which means they may believe that this message is also held by their hosts.
It’s hard not to see the deliberate dishonesty, being employed by organizations such as the Hind Rajab Foundation, established after the death of five-year-old Hind Rajab in January 2024, claiming that the child, along with her family, had been part of a targeted operation by the IDF, connected to their genocidal campaign.
The real story is that the Hamas massacre of October 7 displaced Rajab’s family, as had happened to so many others, forcing them to flee. During their flight, their car was identified, riddled with bullets. Although the IDF was blamed for the incident, they maintained that their soldiers were not within firing range of the car or even in the vicinity.
The possibility also existed that Hamas could have been responsible for accidentally killing the child, but why would biased human rights groups or a dishonest media entertain such a theory when their narrative is best served by blaming the IDF?
One thing is incontrovertible. A sad consequence of war is always the death of innocents, but Israel’s military does not target ordinary civilians. Because life is so sacred and revered by Jews, no wars, which have been fought against our enemies, were ever initiated by Israel, nor have peace agreements been extended by those seeking to destroy the Jewish people.
It’s only Israel who has been willing to give up significant parts of their land for the sake of ending the bloodshed. Of course, all were met with rejection.
So, despite the deliberate barbaric murders of many innocent Israeli children on October 7, the irony is that Hind Rajab, a victim of Hamas aggression, was turned into a symbol of resistance “that demands justice.”
Shouldn’t the tables be turned? If the Jewish people were vindictive and vengeful, they might be the ones hunting down Palestinians for all the horrors that were perpetrated against them.
But Israelis are not built that way. Despite the great tragedy, which occurred on its soil, by the same neighbors who received assistance and personal attention from the surrounding kibbutz communities, that were attacked, they have chosen to return to their restored homes, looking to the future rather than holding a grudge against the real aggressors.
But then Israelis have never had the desire to kill Gazans, Arabs or anyone else. We are a people who strive for peace, exemplified in our hello and good-bye greeting of “Shalom.”
This is why the charge of genocide, perpetrated by Israel, is so absurd, because if it was truly our goal, no Israeli leader would have ever wasted their time offering land for peace.
Knowing that peace is our goal, our enemies must reject every attempt to reach that objective, because it is not a shared ending for their side. For them, it’s all or nothing, and the Jewish people stand as a barrier to that finish line.
This explains why Jews are being hunted down and will continue to be pursued, both in the Promised Land and abroad. Permanent peace can never be an outcome when we are viewed as the major impediment that prevents them from seizing what rightfully was given to the Jewish people.
Sadly, they don’t seem to realize that they are fighting a losing battle, wasting their lives on a fruitless conflict which, in the end, will only hurt them – both in this life and the next.
