There is something called "the new anti-Semitism."

Now the old anti-Semite is a frightening, despicable creature, responsible for all manner of hate crimes up to and including the Holocaust. The old anti-Semite is a creature alien to the human race.

I have nothing to do with such creatures.

But recently I heard President Jimmy Carter called an anti-Semite.

With a man like President Carter - a man whose good deeds are matched by true words - I would gladly break bread. Any day. In fact, I would be honored just to be in the same room with him.

President Jimmy Carter, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the only American President other than JFK who really desired and worked for peace while in office. The latter president was assassinated by peace-haters. The former, thank goodness, has only had his character assassinated by peace-haters.

What kind of world do we live in, and how far have we fallen, that I can write "thank goodness" when speaking about the defamation of a good and honorable man?

This is the "new anti-Semitism": the mindless and hysterical misuse of a term - at one time descriptive of evil - but now taken over by that very evil to disguise from the eye of justice deeds which can neither be defended nor stand the light of day.

And then there is something called "the new Pro-Semitism."

The new Pro-Semite is exactly what the word says: someone who supports Semites. All Semites. Some one who supports Jews around the world and in Israel, and supports their equally Semitic brethren, the Palestinians, around the world and in the Palestinian Lands brutally and unlawfully taken from them.

The new Pro-Semite may have lived on a kibbutz; knows that being Jewish does not necessitate denying the Palestinians their rights in Palestine; and that the highest purpose of a Jew is not the defense of Israel, right or wrong, but to see justice done.

The new Pro-Semite is opposed to all forms of racist discrimination, and understands that when discrimination is practiced by a Jew against a Non-Jew it's still discrimination.

The new Pro-Semite knows that it is not possible to support an occupying power that denies human rights and to hold to Jewish principles of justice and compassion; that to oppose such policies by 'right-wing' Israeli politicians is not to be opposed to the Jewish religion or the Jewish people.

The new Pro-Semite knows that human rights are universal and without exception, that both Palestinians and Israelis have the right to a peaceful and secure life.

The new Pro-Semite knows that to be opposed to injustice in Israel is not to be aginst the Jews but against the injustice.

The new Pro-Semite also goes by another name you may have heard of: "human being".

You see, the new Pro-Semite is the truly human part of the so-called Human Race.