Our Quote of the Day is a series of Tweets by The Atlantic’s Senior Editor David Frum, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush. On those saying they’re adding “context” to Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel which left some 800 dead in a terrorist operation that has been called Israel’s 9/11, Israel’s Pearl Harbor, and the Second Holocaust.
In the aftermath of the most horrific mass murder and mass rape of Jews since the Nazi Holocaust, many are volunteering to provide "context" for antisemitic atrocity. (Thread)
— David Frum (@davidfrum) October 9, 2023
We all seek insight. But be on guard: there is "context" that adds understanding and "context" that subtracts. There is "context" that explains and "context" that excuses. There is a "context" powered by expertise and "context" that functions as propaganda for terrorism.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) October 9, 2023
So many ideologies and cultures have found ways to justify the murder of Jews.
"Jews spread the plague."
"Jews serve the landlords."
"Jews invented capitalism." "
Jews invented communism."
"Jews stabbed our army in the back."
"Jews are settlers and colonialists."— David Frum (@davidfrum) October 9, 2023
From the point of view of those justifying the killing, rape, and plunder of Jews, each of these excuses looked or looks excitingly new. From the point of view of the Jews being killed, raped, and plundered – your fresh-out-of-grad-school ideology is just the same old, same old.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) October 9, 2023
Antisemites have *always* believed that Jews were aliens and settlers who should not be allowed to live where they do live.
Antisemites have *always* believed that Jews were vastly powerful and that murdering Jews was therefore necessary self-defense.
Same old, same old.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) October 9, 2023
Since Karl Marx himself, many would-be revolutionaries have repurposed ancient anti-Jewish hatred as up-to-the-minute progressivism.
Same old, same old.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) October 9, 2023
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.