Society has sugar-coated Anti-Semitism for far too long. It existed before Hitler, Christ, the PLO, and the recent shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And guess what, it still exists today. Unfortunately, whenever a tragedy such as the recent atrocity in Pittsburgh occurs, the general public tends to politicize Anti-Semitism and American Judaism. In the past week, I have seen a multitude of newscasters persuade survivors and other members of the Tree Life synagogue, to blame President Trump for the evil attack on their temple. And while I think the American media is just obsessed with blaming everything on Trump, the global community is not paying enough attention to the actual, evil Anti-Semites of our global community.

These are the countries, people, and terrorist organizations that blatantly state their intent to eradicate all Jews. If you think that language sounds familiar, just pick up a copy of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf", and you can likely find some striking similarities. These are the same groups of people that hate the state of Israel, and constantly threaten its existence every single day. So, no, Anti-Semitism neither starts nor ends with Adolf Hitler.

Just to clarify, I do not think that anyone who criticizes Israel is a raging Anti-Semite. Fairly critiquing Israel for any flaws in their foreign policy, domestic security, and methods of occupying and overseeing Palestine is much different than declaring that Israel should be erased from the Earth. That is and should be regarded as the language of anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic extremists.

So, what exactly am I getting at? Well, take a tragedy such as Pittsburgh, for example. The common public response to the recent shooting in Pittsburgh has rightfully been cries for social action, outrage at hate crimes, but most importantly, love. Overall, there has been a mass amount of love shown for the American Jewish community the past couple of days, as there should be. But is that the same response when Israel is involved?

Notice how there is not a similar general public opinion regarding Israel. The basic public interpretation views Israel as an oppressive nation full of hate, violence, and terrorism. And setting aside politics that may agree or debate that idea, all that I am trying to point out is the difference between the public's view of Judaism versus Israel. A person who commits a crime against Judaism commits a hate crime, but someone who terrorizes Israel isn't...?

Public opinion automatically changes once someone mentions that they are "pro-Israel". Look at students at the University of Michigan who wanted to study abroad in Israel, but their professors denied writing them letters of recommendation because they are "boycotting" Israel for personal political reasons.

And once again, a person's political objections to Israel do not qualify them as being Anti-Semitic; however, when someone publically supports a group that has clearly stated their intent on destroying Israel and Jews, such as Hamas, the PLO, Neo-Nazis, and Iran, they either agree with or are indifferent to that group's Anti-Semitism. And honestly, indifference may be the worst threat to us all. Too often do I hear comparisons to the Holocaust and Germany during World War II, but do we forget that Jews were being expelled, marginalized, and kicked out of their home countries for generations BEFORE Hitler rose to power?

So, yes, you can compare Anti-Semitism to the Nazis as much as you want. But there are a lot more recent examples that are just as valid. Just look at all the rocket attacks against Israel since they declared their independence in 1948. Think about the constant threat that Israelis endure every single day because a wide array of Anti-Semitic countries want to wipe it off the maps.

Consider the fact that Anti-Semitism is alive and well, and has been for centuries. There is not a man with a peculiar mustache nor man sitting in the White House to blame for such a long-bred hatred. Plus, there is a much more productive approach rather than pointing the fingers at others; it's called standing up and making a change.

If you are going to denounce the Pittsburgh shooter, denounce Hamas. If you condemn Hitler, condemn Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during World War II who met with Hitler to discuss plans for the "Final Solution". If you hate Anti-Semitism, you should hate countries that want to eradicate all the Jews and the state of Israel. Stand up against Anti-Semitism that has come in all different shapes and sizes throughout history.