PURELY COMMENTARY

10 | NOVEMBER 17 • 2022

A

t one time or another, we’ve
all heard a Jewish comedian
tell an antisemitic joke — and
we cringe. While such jokes are often
funny, they also perpetuate antisemitic
stereotypes we would be
better off without. They
can be funny in a comedy
club, but inevitably
become dangerous when
they are adopted by
genuine antisemites.
This illustrates an
interesting and perhaps
puzzling double standard: The same
joke that, if told by a non-Jew, would
result in accusations of antisemitism,
receives belly laughs when told by a
Jew.
Jews, of course, know a great deal
about double standards. Indeed, double
standards and antisemitism often go
hand-in-hand. They are almost constant
in debates about issues related to Israel,
such as the IDF’s conduct of its wars,
Israeli immigration policies and the
treatment of the Palestinian Arabs. Put
simply, the world holds Israel to one
standard, and everybody else in the
world to another.
Double standards are usually a
product of hypocrisy. This is the case
even with the close alliance between
the U.S. and Israel. For example, the
American military uses drones to
assassinate targets in civilian areas,
which often leads to civilian deaths. Yet
the U.S. sometimes criticizes Israel for
doing exactly the same thing, usually
with far less collateral damage.
However, the issue of double
standards is more complicated than it
appears. This is because the Jews also
hold themselves to a different standard.
The Jews maintain that they are the

uniquely chosen people. This
does not mean that Jews are
inherently special, but rather
that they are charged with
the responsibility of being a
light unto the nations, a model
of exemplary behavior. To meet
this requirement, every Jew must
hold themselves to a higher standard
than others, almost by definition. The
opportunity to sanctify God’s name and
the commandment to avoid desecrating
God’s name demand nothing less.

ITS OWN MORAL STANDARDS
The early Zionists understood that the
state they sought to build would be unlike
any other. While this state would be a
member of the global community like all
other countries, it would also be a Jewish
state. It would be more than just a “state
for Jews.” Instead, it would be a state
whose society was consistent with Jewish
values. Exemplary ethical behavior would
be one of its top priorities.
Today, Israel often does hold itself to
a higher moral standard than the rest
of the world. War is a terrible thing, but
Israel makes an honest and sometimes
hazardous effort to conduct it in an
ethical manner. Often, this prioritizes
the lives of civilians, and potentially
enemy combatants, over those of IDF
soldiers.
This sense of an ethical imperative
is even more apparent in Israel’s
humanitarian efforts. For example,
it establishes field hospitals in the
world’s worst disaster zones and opens
its borders to refugees from Africa to
Ukraine.
All of this, however, leads us to
a paradox: Israel holds itself to a
higher standard, but when other
countries — or organizations and

individuals — hold Israel to a higher
standard, this is seen as antisemitism.
At first glance, this appears to be a
contradiction.
It is not. Jews may hold themselves
and Israel to a higher standard, but
no one else has the right to do so. This
standard is how the Jews have decided
to judge their own behavior. It is for
domestic use only. The larger world has
its own set of standards and, of course,
must apply it equally to all. The Jews’
decision to adhere to a higher standard
does not give the world the right to
deviate from its own standards, which it
holds to be universally applicable.
However, this does not mean Israel
should stop holding itself to its own
standard. Many argue, for example, that
Israel should never put its own soldiers
at risk by holding them to a higher
moral standard than any other army in
the world. But if Israel acted like any
other nation, it would forfeit its role
as the exemplar of moral behavior it is
required to be as a Jewish state. Israel
isn’t and will never be a nation like all
other nations. It has a unique role in
the global community and must act
accordingly.

Rabbi Uri Pilichowski is a senior educator at numer-

ous educational institutions. He is the author of three

books and teaches Torah, Zionism and Israel studies

around the world.

opinion
The Paradox of Jewish
Double Standards

Uri
Pilichowski
JNS.org