While American anti-Semitism is dwarfed by that of the Arab world, there is troubling evidence that anti-Jewish sentiment in this country is on the rise. It may, in part, be fueled by the perception that were it not for American aid to Israel, terrorists would not have our nation in their crosshairs. For over six decades, attitude surveys have been used to gauge Americans' beliefs and opinions about a wide range of issues, among which is their attitude toward Jews. The Anti Defamation League (ADL) conducted major surveys on this topic in 1964, 1992, and 1998, as did the American Jewish Committee in 1981. Following a nearly forty-year trend of declining anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish stereotypes in the US, a 2002 ADL survey indicates that these phenomena have rebounded somewhat. In this most recent study, the proportion of Americans holding views about Jews that are "unquestionably anti-Semitic" stands at 17 percent, up from the all-time low of 12 percent in 1998.

Over the years, age has consistently been one of the strongest demographic predictors for anti-Semitic beliefs. Those over age 65 are about twice as likely to be in the "most anti-Semitic" category as those under 65. The negative images of Jews that linger among elderly Americans include many of the financial and ethical stereotypes that younger people have largely rejected; these include the notion that Jews are unscrupulous in their business practices and exert too much control over Wall Street and the business world.

The 2002 survey also found that among Hispanic Americans, one of the fastest growing segments of the US population, 44% of those who are foreign-born hold hardcore anti-Semitic beliefs, as compared to just 20% of native-born Hispanics. Among African-Americans the overall figure is 35%, which is consistent with prior findings, and is about 4 times higher than the white rate.

It is also clear that less-educated Americans are likelier to hold anti-Jewish stereotypes. Only 5% of college graduates fall into the "most anti-Semitic" category, as compared to 18% of citizens who have no more than a high-school education. Among those blacks without any college education, 43% fall into the "most anti-Semitic" group. This number falls to 27% among blacks with some college experience, and 18% among black college graduates.

While anti-Semitism among minorities is clearly higher than among whites, there are unfortunately many whites who hold such attitudes as well. Two months ago, for instance, the National Alliance and several Neo-Nazi groups staged their "Rock Against Israel" rally in Washington, DC — drawing several hundred white nationalists. Asserting that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," the Aryan Nation's Ministry of Islamic Liaison is working to unite Muslims and Christians against "the real enemy." This group contends, among other things, that the September 11 attacks were spawned by America's monetary and military support of Israel. Others actually accuse Jews of having conspired to destroy the World Trade Center (WTC) and then falsely blame Muslim militants.

It is the world's oldest pastime: When in doubt, blame the Jews. Long is their history of being scapegoated for every conceivable misfortune besetting society. The anti-Jewish bigotry that pervades the Middle East is evident in our country as well; the difference is only one of degree. The most popular view among high-ranking public officials and prominent columnists in the Middle East is that Jews masterminded the 9-11 attacks.

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the following items have appeared in the Arab press: Palestinian columnist Khalil Al-Sawahri wrote that a letter left by a hijacker was forged so as to "tarnish the image of the Arab Muslim." Syrian foreign minister Mustafa Tlass called the 9-11 attacks a Jewish conspiracy planned and carried out by the Mossad. Jordanian columnist Rakan Al-Majali wrote, "It is obvious that Israel is the one to gain greatly from this bloody, loathsome and terrible terror operation, and it seeks to gain further by accusing the Arabs and Muslims of carrying it out." Iranian Parliament Chairman Mahdi Karrubi suggested that "Zionists in Israel plotted the terror operation in order to blacken the faces of the Muslims." Much of the Arab media asserts that some 4,000 Jewish employees, aware of the planned attacks, conspired not to report for work at the WTC on September 11. Some even claim that the planes used in the attacks were not hijacked at all, but were directed by a remote control developed by a Jewish-owned company.

Sadly, these absurd charges scarcely differ from what many American bigots claim. At an October 31, 2001 press conference, New Black Panther Party chairman Malik Shabazz joined Muslim clerics not only in calling the United States and Israel the world's major terrorists, but in asserting that Jews orchestrated the 9-11 attacks — as "evidenced" by the purported fact that thousands of Jews employed at the WTC stayed home that day. New Jersey's infamous poet laureate, Amiri Baraka, made a similar charge in his pitiful, rambling poem, "Somebody Blew Up America." When the ADL objected to his remarks, Baraka accused the organization of "character assassination" and "slander."

According to many Middle Eastern bigots, Jewish involvement in the events of September 11 was never reported because the Jews "control the American media." Along these lines, MEMRI reports the words of Egypt's Sheikh Muhammad Gamei'a: "If this [deceit] were to be known to the American people, they would do to the Jews what Hitler did to them."

Louis Farrakhan, our country's most influential black leader, has made precisely the same charge, condemning the "inordinate control" Jews wield over blacks by supposedly dominating the media. "[Jews] are the greatest controllers of black minds, black intelligence," says Farrakhan. "They control black intellectuals, they control black politicians, black preachers, black artists — they control black life."

Like many of his bigoted white counterparts, Farrakhan further asserts that Jews "own the Federal Reserve" and "exercise a tremendous amount of influence on the affairs of government." He has called Jews "wicked deceivers" who have "sucked the blood" of Americans, "wrapped their tentacles around the US government," and "[sent] this nation to hell." He blames Jews for "their hand in [the] ugly slave trade," though he makes no similar charges against African dealers who profited so immensely from selling their countrymen into bondage for hundreds of years. He even finds a way to blame Jews for America's involvement in World Wart II. "How did we get into World War II?" he says. "[W]hat were the forces that created in Japan the desire or the need to force them to attack America? . . . [W]hen America went to war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, she had to borrow money. There were the [Jewish] international bankers again. They financed all sides."

In this year's political primaries, two members of the Congressional Black Caucus — Georgia Democrat Cynthia McKinney and Alabama Democrat Earl Hilliard — blamed their respective defeats on Jewish special-interest groups that supported their opponents. The implication was that Jews were racists for doing so. Ron Walters, the director of the African American Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland, said, "When you unseat two black candidates, it's not a freak thing, it's a strategy. It took black candidates by surprise, and it's made them very angry." Unmentioned in the midst of all the whining was the fact that the two victorious candidates who received considerable Jewish support — Denise Majette and Arthur Davis — are both black.

The aforementioned episode illustrates the pathetic absurdity of many people's knee-jerk impulse to blame Jews first and ask questions later. It is reminiscent of the case of former NAACP leader Benjamin Chavis, who in 1994 was removed from his position after having stolen at least $64,000 from the organization's coffers. Despite the fact that the NAACP's black directors voted by a 53 to 5 margin to depose Chavis, he nevertheless blamed his demise largely on "right-wing Jewish groups."

The sad irony is that notwithstanding all the invectives aimed their way, Jews are surpassed by no group in what they have contributed to human civilization. Nor has any people worked harder on behalf of the oppressed. As black author Larry Elder has pointed out, Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute was funded in large part by Jews, one of whom — Julius Rosenwald — financed the building of 5,300 black schools across the American South. In a recent Emerge magazine survey examining which groups hold the most negative stereotypes about blacks, Jews showed less racism toward blacks than did the members of any other group. In the mid-1980s and early 1990s, Israel airlifted some 20,000 black Ethiopian Jews from persecution and famine, to safety. During the 1960s, when many white Northern "freedom fighters" risked their lives registering Southern blacks to vote, Jews comprised a disproportionately high share of those brave men and women; indeed three-fourths of those whites who went to Mississippi to register black voters in 1964 were Jewish.

Historically, among the greatest achievements of American society has been its ability to wash away the bigoted attitudes of prior eras with torrents of truth. No nation in human history comes close to America's accomplishments in this regard. It is time once again for us to lead the way, this time on behalf of Jews.