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they have demonstrated again and again; neither are their principal par–
liamentary opponents; and
that,
after all, in addressing the German fu–
ture, is the first consideration.
Let me add one caveat. The decline or curtailment of anti-Semitism
would not necessarily solve everything; we shouldn't assume that threats
to Jews are always anti-Semitic in origin. The fact that the German au–
thorities have recently feted the head of Iranian intelligence, for example,
is arguably much more ominous, in its possible effect on Jewish lives,
than anything so far perpetrated by neo-Nazis and skinheads. But who
can suppose that the welcome he received had anything to do with anti–
Semitism? It was plainly prompted by simple realpolitik - which doesn't
make it any less dangerous.
In the same way, the largest potential danger (perhaps the only really
serious one) facing the Jews in Eastern Europe is an indirect one - in the
first instance, at least. As a child and grandchild of immigrants, I often
feel that I have no right to any negative feelings about immigration at
all. But it is too easy to say, as many liberal commentators in Western
Europe do, that the immigration question would be a non-issue if it had
not been "problematized" by right-wing governments. Daily observation
suggests that it is a problem, in and of itself; and it is no consolation that
for many of the fascist or semi-fascist groups who trade on anti-immi–
grant feeling, Jews no longer loom large on the ostensible agenda. Such
groups are loathsome themselves; and anti-Semitism always turns out
to
be an inseparable part of the package.
I have touched on some dangers; if I had more time, it would be
easy enough to remind you of others. Yet I persist in remaining mildly
sanguine. The world may not have been totally transformed, but there
have been changes circulated to make anti-Semitism much less of a men–
ace that it once was. Two obvious ones are guilt and embarrassment
about the Holocaust and respect (even when it is reluctant respect) for
the State of Israel. It is true that many hostile critics of Israel have also
shown an obsessional need to equate Israelis and Nazis - which is of
course one way of trying to slough off guilt about the Holocaust. But
this is a pathological subplot: the main effect of the Nazi era has been to
discredit anti-Semitism, and the main effect of the creation of Israel has
been to make Jews look less vulnerable.
There is an equally big factor, perhaps an even bigger one, which
should be taken into account: the increased integration of Jews, at an
ever-accelerating rate, into the societies in which they live. Integration
and assimilation don't in themselves guarantee freedom from prejudice;
what happened in Germany is a standing warrant against supposing that
they do. Yet I believe that, when it is taken in conjunction with other
