While for some 50 years anti-Semitism was frowned upon, in recent years it has assumed a new cachet, as leftists who support the Palestinian cause blame Israel, and by implication, all Jews for their plight.

Daniel Bernard, France’s ambassador to Britain expressed The European Union’s (EU) sentiment toward Jews during a dinner party at Lord Conrad Black’s home in Britain, when he referred to Israel as “that shitty little country” and then stood by his comment by refusing to apologize. While Muslims complain bitterly about anti-Islam sentiments in the West, the incidence of violent anti-Semitic acts in France has seen a sharp increase in recent years. In fact, the increase is so alarming that the French government refuses to classify these acts as “hate crimes” and treats them instead as mere vandalism or other street crimes to avoid the perception that French anti-Semitism is increasing.

Britain’s George Galloway, a former Labour Party MP who was also an ardent supporter of Saddam Hussein, spoke at the Sept. 24 Anti-war rally in Washington, condemning Israel as a “little Hitler state in the Mediterranean.” Others who spoke at the rally included “Mother” Cindy Sheehan, the unbalanced darling of the Left who has discovered the limelight and is attempting to prolong her 15 minutes of fame with ever more outlandish utterances about the Iraq War. Currently, she blames the whole thing on, you guessed it, Israel.

The academic community has also jumped on the bandwagon with its own version of anti-Semitism, barring pro-Israel Jewish professors from sitting on university boards or attaining tenure. Currently Columbia, Stanford and 16 other U.S. universities are under investigation by Campus Watch, a watchdog organization that reviews and critiques Middle Eastern Studies in America with a view toward improving them.

One of the chief culprits identified by Campus watch is Professor Hamid Dabashi, Chairman of the Middle Eastern and Asian Language Studies Department at Columbia University. Dabashi calls Israel “a military state for the rising predatory empire of the United States.” This begs the question: if he is so opposed to the United States, What the hell is he doing living there, teaching American children? But that’s material for another column. Many students describe Prof. Dabashi’s department as “the department of fear” or the ”department of dishonesty”

"Professorial power is being abused," one student complained. "Students are being bullied because of their identities, ideologies, religions and national origins."

The term “neo-con” has become shorthand for “Jew” as ever more critics of the Bush administration point out that George W. Bush’s philosophical mentors all happen to be Jews. Paul Wolfowitz, Elliot Abrams, Richard Perle and William Kristol, publisher of TheWeekly Standard, are all considered sinister members of the pro-Israel, fascist, warmongering cabal propping up the hapless and intellectually challenged Bush.

It’s interesting to note that anyone questioning the racial or ethnic background of anti-war advocates such as say, Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton, would immediately be branded as racist with attempts being made to ruin or end their carrers. Why is it acceptable for individuals such as Jessie Jackson (who once referred to New York City as “Hymietown”) to express anti-Semitic sentiments and not acceptable for anyone else to express similar sentiments about other ethnic groups?

It has been said that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I firmly believe that there is likely to be a replay of the Holocaust, except this time around there will be different players. The Nazi with their “Aryan” myths will be replaced by Arabs with their own set of anti-Semitic myths. And in the same way that individuals such as Leon Degrelle of Belgium, Klaus Barbie of France or Oswald Mosley of Britain colluded with and embraced the Nazi belief structure, so are many members of the Left following in their footsteps today.

Western countries are passing “hate crime” laws to protect gays, women, blacks and a plethora of other groups. Shouldn’t these laws apply equally to Leftists calling for the elimination of Jews? If not, we will relive the nightmare of the 1930s and 1940s.