Talk:Semitism
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I propose changing this to a disambiguation page between Semitic people, Semitic language, and Jewish ethnocentrism based on the M-W definition. Maybe adding a link to Wiktionary for anyone who wants a proper definition. (currently it's a broken redirect) Objections? Martin
Being an elderly German I have tried to resolve the superficially meaningless terms Semitismus and Anti-Semitismus. The latter was introduced by one Wihelm Marr, son of the famous jewish actor Heinrich Marr, at the beginning of the 1880s. This has become very popular almost overnight in the Western world at large, comprehending everything bad on jewish persons. It has taken on the meaning of racism as well.
Starting from there we can agree on the possibility that "anti-semitism" was a term used for the intra-jewish discourses in German speaking countries. There were many German jews who were very critical of certain traits of what is called the "jewish identity" - Tenach, Talmud, Zohar with their hatred against non-jews, with justification of ethnic cleansing, of lying and of cheating if so commanded by G-d. Most prominent among those (formerly) jewish critics is Karl Marx.
I suggest that Wilhelm Marr gave to these ugly traits the term "semitism" and he did not have any speakers of semitic languages in mind, when doing so. Instead he was reflecting the fact that frume jews will never use the word G-d. When encountering the tetragrammaton in Hebrew or Aramaic "holy writ" they will speak something different, most often just "ha Shem", which translates into "the name", meaning the name of their G-d. For instance the founder of the Chassidim was therefore called Baal Shem Tov (Master of the good name).
So when propagating anti-semitism Wilhelm Marr was taking up a fight against the selfish traits encountered in Judaism - but of course also found in certain christian communities like the evangelicals with their obsession with money. The G-d Marr was fighting against is in reality just an idol whose proper name is "Mammon" or selfishness.
