Manfred Gerstenfeld, author the new book, “Demonizing Israel and the Jews,” and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Robert Wistrich, probably the world’s leading authority on the history of anti-Semitism, are like diagnosticians who agree on the grim prognosis for European Jewry, but disagree on the probable cause of death.

Gerstenfeld has attracted a headline in “The Times of Israel” (July 10) by extrapolating from a 2012 study conducted by Germany’s University of Bielefeld for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation that asked 8,000 people across eight EU member states whether they agreed that “Israel is conducting a war of extermination against the Palestinians.” Responses varied from 38 percent in Italy to 63 percent in Poland, but a continent-wide average 40 percent answered “yes.” The population sixteen years and older of EU countries is approximately 400 million. Gerstenfeld’s estimate of “well over 150 million” European anti-Semites comes from dividing 400 million by two fifths.

Wistrich, on the other hand, retorts—to paraphrase slightly—that 150 million idiots do not necessarily equal 150 million anti-Semites! Remember that the term “idiot” among the ancient Greeks referred not to mental impairment but to complete political ignorance and ineptitude—a condition generally assumed by them to be beyond remedy.

Looking more closely at the University of Bielefeld poll, one finds that the question asking about Israel’s waging genocidal war on the Palestinians was actually one of two outlier questions. The poll’s major analysis was based on answers to four questions. One was phrased positively—have the Jews “enriched our culture”—three negatively: to they have too much influence? do they play the Nazi victimization card? and do they only care about their own kind? The three negative questions again elicited varying responses—significantly higher in eastern than western Europe—but here the overall average (based on many more responses than to one question) was around thirty percent. Thirty percent of 400 million adult Europeans equals 120 million: still a hell of a lot of anti-Semites! (more…)