The new antisemitism.

An old plague is back, even in Evanston

A depiction of Shylock

Hating Jews, an Updated Version

I remember reading The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare’s 1596 play at Catholic High School in Altoona, Pa. in the mid 1960s, not my first experience with anti-semitism, and certainly not my last.

There were gangs in my neighborhood who were not shy about painting swastikas on the garages of Jewish kids and generally tormenting them for a whole array of offenses that were rooted in the Roman Catholicism of the era.

“Christ killers” was one of the common things. But I think that just served as shorthand for hatreds we picked up from our parents, which they picked up, of course, from their own parents.

That’s the kind of hatred, I am sure, that informed Shakespeare in a story that involved cutting someone’s heart out, until a clever intercessor says, basically, “heart? Sure. But not even a drop of blood. Shylock represents greed, vengeance, the corruption of money lenders.

These were all lingering prejudices because when he wrote the play, there were no Jews in England, an estimated 3,000 having been expelled by Edward 1 in 1290.

Enough ancient antisemitism history. Proof arrived a few days ago that is alive, and still pathetically sick, right now.

In Evanston, of all places.

A piece of paper was shoved into our mailbox a few days ago that is a modern variant on that ancient hatred.

It includes everything from Martin Luther’s eight “themes of concern,” among them the claim that Jews are money lenders who cheat people, think themselves superior to everyone, lie incessantly, are stubborn, greedy, sexist, misanthropic, and murderous in the collection of wealth.

It also takes a bow to one of history’s most controversial antisemites, Henry Ford. It claims Jews were behind 9-11 and points to a collection of literature making anti-semitic arguments over time.

I was puzzled about why anyone would think I wanted this kind of shit in my mailbox until I read on and found reference to Northwestern University and how students have been banned from pro-Palestinian rallies.

My suspicion is that this led some “scholarly” person to dive into the cesspool of antisemitic history and try to revive it all again.

It’s interesting to know we are still not far from the attitudes afoot in 1596, even here in this haven of north shore liberalism.

Charlie Madigan was a reporter and editor for 40 years at United Press International and The Chicago Tribune. He lives in Evanston.