It’s important to note that much of the current anti-Semitism, especially the kind seen on college campuses, is different from the traditional kind. While Jews were once disliked because they were too different from the overall society, they are now denounced because they exemplify things that the ‘progressives’ despise about their own societies.

Related to the above, the subtitle of a recent post at Quillette says: “The enemies of the Jews are the enemies of Enlightenment.”

If this is correct…and, historically, it largely is…then it should not be surprising that attacks on Enlightenment thinking – which is really what much Wokeness is all about – have been reflected to encompass anti-Semitism.

[Foster wonders whether emigration from cultures in Europe and other places where anti-Semitism is more common may be contributing to the explosion seen the past month in America. Wokeness seems to be a better explanation for reasons excerpted above, though. And we should note that while we condemn Academia generally for these trends, there are exceptions — although largely at private, and often faith-associated, colleges and universities. — Ed]