Glad to see you back, but sad it is because of this!

I find this place largely as unwelcoming and unappealing as I find America. It is really only among other Jews, who by and large, can be expected to understand nuance and sarcasm, that I feel some comfort and community.

Last edited Sat Nov 3, 2018, 07:17 PM - Edit history (1)

I am overwhelmed by the hate that is being aimed at the Jewish community right now. I get the feeling that you're "used to it" since you've been fighting it for centuries, but that doesn't make it any less painful.

So. As a gentile, what can I do?

I have a thought. A lot of white people are talking about white privilege and trying to educate people about it. You don't have to be racist to benefit from institutional racism. and there's an effort to get people to see that.

I think if people knew what anti-Semitism looks like, they might try to change. I know that I'm looking at myself and trying to make some changes, but anti-Semitism is such a big part of the black community that its hard to recognize what is anti-Semitism and what is true history. The relationship between blacks and Jews for the last 100 years has been complicated, and has caused a lot of ill will. I didn't know that it had begun violent, but I just read that the vandalism was done by a black man, and I am so disgusted I could just spit.

So, again. as a non-Jew, what can I do? Can you tell me what "left wing anti-Semitism" looks like so I can help people see it in themselves and let go of it?

I began to try to compile my own list and explanation but this is not easy because “the left” conceiving itself as being entirely good, is incapable of recognizing its own anti-semitism much as it largely can’t recognize its own racism.
Please watch this video and you will know and understand much more.

But because most of the references were to the UK, I couldn't make sense of it.

One thing I'm still struggling with is whether wanting a Palestinian state is anti-Semitic.

Likening Jews to Hitler seems unfathomable. Portraying Jews as the devil with horns seems evangelical, but Farrakhan does it, so clearly Christians have no monopoly on it.

I think i watched 20 minutes of it. Let me know if he would have connected more of the dots in the last half of the presentation.

I posted to you in another thread I was aware of your desire to learn about anti-Semitism (I also saw your post in the AA group), but it would take me a bit to get something together. While this is not exactly what I want, I figured it was better to get something to you, then to wait too long.

What is anti-Semitism? The most basic definition, as in the dictionary one, is bigotry or discrimination against Jews. Like racism, or really any form of bigotry, anti-Semitism isn't always easy to identify. Basic anti-Semitism denies the humanity of Jews. Much of it stems back to the crucifixion of Jesus, but really, it goes far beyond that, as anti-Semitism was prevalent prior to his death. Anti-Semitism is sometimes called "the world's oldest hate", while it does have a few millennia under its belt, personally, I feel the title of the "world's oldest hate" goes to women, misogyny; but, that is another discussion.

There are various types of anti-Semitism. There is religious anti-Semitism; Jews are Christ-killers; Jews use Christians for sacrifices (blood libels); and Jews are agents of Satan (or a cosmic evil). These bigotries spawned other issues, which led up to anti-Semitism based on "race". For a long time, Jews were seen as a separate race. It is more accurate to call us an "ethnicity", than a race. But, whatever it is called, it became a basis for a new wave of anti-Semitism based on the "Jewish mind and character", namely, Jews are greedy, crafty, shifty, unreliable, only interested in our own needs, loyal to ourselves (later this would include Israel) over all else, instigators (civil rights, GLBT rights, labor unions, women's rights, immigration (as seen with the attack on the synagogue in Pittsburgh)), and master manipulators. All of the aforementioned manifest in a variety of ways, including "Jews control the media/banks/global politics", "Jews are more loyal to Israel", "Jews controlled the slave trade", "Jews are trying to open all borders in the US", "Jews are purveyors of pornography", and the list goes on and on.

Just as there are different types of anti-Semitism, different groups act out different types of anti-Semitism. Ethnic groups, mainly African-Americans and Latinos/Hispanics, tend to embrace the "religious" anti-Semitism, whereas whites tend to go for the more ethnic based anti-Semitism. There is quite a bit of crossover, of course, but from what I have read in recent years, that seems to be the pattern. The more religious an anti-Semite is, the more religious based the discrimination; which seems obvious. Anti-Semitism from non-whites seems to get more of a pass in regards to those usually willing to call out or stand up to anti-Semitism, this bleeds into the left. Blacks and Jews have a long and complicated history and a short post here will not do it any justice. Sometimes it has been very good, and sometimes, very bad. Sometimes the animosity stems from the Jews, sometimes from African-Americans.

The left/right divide is as complicated as the aforementioned paragraph. The main component of anti-Semitism stems from discussion about Israel, more from the left, than right; but the right uses their "support" of Israel as a shield against accusations of more traditional anti-Semitism. The right is more prevalent in their anti-Semitism than the left, which is the same for other forms of bigotry, including racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, etc., but it doesn't negate all of those bigotries also exist in our wing of politics and must be excised and condemned when- and wherever they occur. One poster here called anti-Semitism on the right, "an open chest wound", and while I agree to some extent, the anti-Semitism of the left is a persistent rash, threatening to take of the entire body and evolve into something as bad; it is just not seen as a immediate. Accusations of dual loyalty (or complete loyalty) to Israel is something those on the left are quite fond of accusing Jews of, including against Jews on the left. Jews are told we are not the ones who get to decide what is and isn't anti-Semitism, as you can see in some of the comments of the threads posted below. We are expected to live up to standards of others, not our own. When we confront anti-Semitism in our own ranks, we are challenged, and called bigots. People try to distract from the topic of anti-Semitism, or anti-Jewish sentiment, usually by invoking Israel. We are blamed for anti-Semitism against us. We are told bigotry against us isn't as bad as those bigotries against others. We are told to "get over the Holocaust." There are many more, but I want you to look at those examples and reimagine them as being about race and directed toward you, as a black woman, and being spoken by a white person. How does it make you feel when a white person tells you "Black people need to get over slavery?"

The reason I point out your race and gender is not to shame you, but rather to have you put yourself in our shoes from a perspective you already understand. It isn't always going to "match up" and there are always going to be differences, sometimes wide differences, but more often than not, there is quite a bit of common ground and if non-Jews learn to empathize by "walking in our shoes", they start to see anti-Semitism they have overlooked in the past and bad behavior, usually directed at their own communities, and identifying the same actions targeting Jews. "Some of my best friends are Jews" and "I have Jewish ancestry" are two of the biggest excuses we hear from people claiming they or what they have said/done aren't anti-Semitic. Sound familiar? Of course, they are usually the ones, who when challenged, claim they are the victims by a "know-it-all Jew" who is confronting them, and how dare s/he (the Jew) talk that way to them as they are a "friend" to the Jews and by talking back we risk alienating them. Again, sound familiar?

We hurt our own causes when we sit by, silently, and do nothing about bigotry, be it anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia, sexism, and on and on. It is even worse when we make excuses or refuse to acknowledge issues in our own camp. Yes, anti-Semitism on the right, especially the far-right is the most "in your face" and the most dangerous, but it doesn't mean that all forms of anti-Semitism are unworthy of fighting. Whether it is "Jews will not replace us!" from the neo-Nazi scum in Virginia, or left leaning leaders whining about "Jewish controlled media", anti-Semitism should have no place in our lives.

I hope this helps. If you have more questions, ask! The only "stupid question" is the unasked one. Ok, ok...yeah, there are sometimes "stupid ass questions", but you know what I mean. Also, if you have something you are hesitant to ask in public, please PM, but know, I am not always the best at responding promptly. I also suggest reading as much of the following as possible. Do know that The Forward a left-leaning Jewish publication has a limit on the number of free articles per month (6) as some of the links go there.

I really do hope I helped!

"Homework"


White Supremacy Can't Be Untangled From Anti-Semitism
Support For Women's March Softens Among Jews Amid Perceived Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism Isn't Just A Right-Wing Problem
It's time to call out campus anti-Semitism by both the left and the right
The left must restore the ties between antisemitism and other racism
Relegitimizing Antisemitism on the Right and the Left
ADL's Black-Jewish Alliance will help fight racisim and anti-semitism
Gay, African-American rabbi wants to shatter Jewish stereotypes
For A Century, White Supremacists Have Smeared the ADL. Now, The Left Has Picked Up The Habit
Unpopular opinion: The US left needs to set its hatred of Israel aside and deal with Anti-Semitism
Memo To Shaun King From A Black Jew: Stop Dividing Our Communities
Jews Get To Define Anti-Semitism Not Shaun King

I'm guilty of so many of the things you named. I have to look deep in myself and understand that they are stereotypes, and force them out of my psyche.

The black-Jewish situation makes it harder, but again, it encourages stereotyping, ALL Jews are A and ALL Jews are B. The Israel issue is a big one. But I guess it's like "there are black Republicans" and maybe not. Can you see how hard it is for me to imagine Jewish people who stand up for Palestinians and believe that Israel goes too far. But it's a stereotype.

African-Americans have been fighting for years not to be considered a monolith. There's an entire organization of Black Skiers, because white people don't think we ski. White people don't think we swim. We've been swimming in creeks for years in the South. I grew up going to the beach every summer.

So, it makes sense that Jewish people are not a monolith. Some Democrats, some Republican, some bigotted, some not bigotted, some rich, some poor. Some who read the Torah, some who can't read the Torah. I'd like to think that there's not a Jew on the planet who thinks that the Holocaust wasn't real. But it's possible that some Jews don't know their own history. Don't assume.

Let me know how you feel about me reposting your comment.

I think I am going to come back and read it until it sinks in. I harbor a LOT of anti-Semitic views. But I believe I can change.