The Torah in D’varim 31:17 warns that the day will come when Hashem will hide His face from us, and we will find ourselves living under “raos rabbos v’tzaros” – many afflictions and travails. The Daas Z’keinim explains that we will experience conflicting sufferings. For example, the remedy for a bee sting is cold water, while the remedy for a scorpion sting is warm water. Warm water is bad for a bee sting, and cold water is bad for a scorpion sting. We will find ourselves bitten by both, and we are thus caught in a dilemma.

Should we find ourselves oppressed by our enemy, says the Daas Z’keinim, perhaps we should remain silent so as not to further antagonize the anti-Semites. On the other hand, if we remain silent, we will further encourage Jew-hatred.

This is the situation we find ourselves in now. The StopAntisemitism organization proclaimed Tucker Carlson the “Anti-Semite of the Year,” a richly deserved criticism. It is Carlson, perhaps more than anyone, who helped push anti-Israel and pro-Islam thinking into the mainstream right.

Yet, when word got out that Carlson was the winner of this dubious distinction, many people cringed and said that it further pushes Carlson up the ladder in his acceptability.

Ben Shapiro, in his address to the AmericaFest audience, consisting mostly of Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA audience, bravely called out Candace Owens, who was once employed by Shapiro on The Daily Wire. He correctly pointed out her wild conspiracy theories relating to Kirk’s murder – she even saying that the Mossad was behind it – as well as her unrelenting criticism of Israel and Jews.

He also took a swipe at Carlson for his willingness to give a platform to the arch anti-Semite Nick Fuentes, and for his one-sided reporting on the war in Gaza.

Steve Bannon, a one-time adviser to President Trump, reacted by calling Shapiro a dangerous cancer that must be eradicated.

Pundits were largely critical of Shapiro for bringing his criticisms to a public forum. In fact, statistics show that an increasing number of young conservatives are turning on Israel and even admiring Hitler ym”sh. This is part of the pushback against the criticism of Carlson.

A family member told me that she left Facebook because she could not stand to see the reaction there to the news that Carlson was labeled Anti-Semite of the Year: “Why didn’t they interview me?” or “How do I get that title?” along with many more comments in support of Carlson.

So, we are left with a dilemma. Do we remain silent in view of all the anti-Semitism being spewed, or do we speak up? I say speak up. We cannot sit idly by as our enemy revels in our persecution. We need the likes of Ben Shapiro.

Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is the Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, former President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, and the Rabbinic Consultant for the Queens Jewish Link.