No matter what disaster or crisis besets the Earth, it is merely a matter of time until the Jews or Israel are held at fault for it.
Coronavirus has already earned the moniker of "The Jewish Plague" here and there, for just as in the plague pandemic of the 14th century, in 2020 Jews are blamed for that too.
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An anti-Semitic image connecting Jews to the coronavirus outbreak that was posted on social media by Dutch lawmaker Arnoud van Doorn
(Photo: Twitter)
The Ministry of Strategic Affairs has already released a report on the matter titled "The Virus of Hate."
The Anti-Defamation League and the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry have also released reports on the subject.
It is not the rebirth of blood libel just yet, and while Jews in western nations are disproportionately hit harder by the disease than the general population, anti-Semites never cared about facts.
And we were still not done with dealing with the hate triggered by the coronavirus outbreak when the anti-Semites crawled out of the dark to spin a whole new tale.
They allege that the despicable death of George Floyd in Minneapolis was a result of the police officers being trained by the Israel Police.
Many police departments around the world cooperate on training and information gathering and the Israel Police has extensive expertise in anti-terror tactics and operations.
The Jewish Institute for National Security of America prides itself on sending delegations of high-ranking police officers from the U.S. to Israel to learn about counter-terrorism methods.
Organizations affiliated with the anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement have protested in the past and tried to stop these delegations.
Amnesty International even released a report in 2016 alleging that human rights violations by police officers in the U.S. were connected to their training in Israel.
In response to the report, the National Black Police Association wrote a letter supporting the training in Israel, highlighting the counter-terrorism tactics they are taught.
There is not a single shred of evidence that American police officers are brutalized during their visits to Israel or that those who mistreat African Americans have any connection to such training.
Data shows that police brutality has actually dropped in recent years, but again, anti-Semitic propagandists never care about the facts.
One of the main proponents of this lie is Eran Efrati, an erstwhile member of Breaking the Silence, whose former organization seems to have become too mild for him.
He gives talks all over the U.S., mentioning that his father was top-ranking police officer Shlomo Efrati, and insinuating that the American police officers' brutal treatment stems from their training in Israel.
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Anti-Semitic image on Facebook alleging a connection between Jews and coronavirus
(Photo: Screenshot)
Floyd's murder becomes the new blood libel, with the current protests engulfing the nation spearheaded by the BDS-aligned Black Lives Matter, Antifa and the Democratic Socialists of America.
It is unclear if the demonstrations will better the situation of African Americans, with eight years of a black president not doing much to help in that field; but it is clear that they are releasing into the air the noxious fumes of anti-Semitism, not even attempting to masquerade as anti-Zionism.
Columbia University's Iranian-born Prof. Hamid Dabashi wrote in the past that "every dirty treacherous, ugly and pernicious act happening in the world, just wait for a few days and the ugly name of 'Israel' will pop up."
The old anti-Semites blamed the Jews. The new ones blame Israel.
Dabashi's words have a point. Just wait a few days and either the Jews or Israel will be blamed for every disaster in the world. So it was with coronavirus, the Ferguson Riots of 2014 and now with the death of George Floyd.
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A Black Lives Matter protest in Oklahoma City following the death of George Floyd
(Photo: Reuters)
Anti-Semitism is a contagious disease. Even Jews and Israelis such as Efrati can catch it and infect others.
Back in the day, it was clear that shadowy organizations were behind it. Today the infection is twice as effective – coming from both the far-right and the far-left.
The war against this disease is long, hard and arduous, and it may never really be won.
But the first step in killing a disease, is acknowledging its existence.