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In reply to the discussion: The left needs to handle its antisemitism problem - Now. [View all]Johnny2X2X
(19,420 posts)Protesting the way Israel is conducting this war is not antisemitic. If that's all we were seeing, it would be a non story. But that's not all of it. These protests we're seeing on college campuses seem to be targeting Jewish professors, administrators, or students, as if Jewish US citizens have anything to do with what is going on in Gaza. That's in further of a common anti-semetic idea that American Jews can't be trusted because they're loyal to Israel over the US. I've known American Jews that couldn't care less what happens in Israel, they don't think about Israel any more than I think about Poland as the country my ancestors came from. But somehow, American Jews are responsible for what the IDF is doing and these protests seem to be vocalizing that at the very least. Heck, the US isn't even responsible, we are not Israel.
Furthermore, questioning Israel's right to exist can easily cross over a line to anti-semetism. Doesn't mean the history of Israel being formed can;t be questioned, but advocating for Israel to be dissolved now is not realistic and hearkens to their extermination.
Next, the word genocide is loaded when talking about the Jewish people. The Holocaust was genocide. The IDF absolutely committing war crimes and being too brutal is not genocide and using that word to describe it is a blatant attempt to diminish the Holocaust, also a favorite pastime of Anti semites and Neo Nazis. Hitler willfully killed 65-70% of all the Jews in Europe, this war has killed 0.14% of all the people in Gaza and while I agree the IDF is being brutal and not careful enough to protect innocents, very few civilian deaths in gaza are willful.
So it's very familiar language for Jewish people, they've heard much of it before. "Jews can't be trusted, they lie." We've seen that even in the days after the 10/7 attack where the accounts of the horrors were being questioned. Now we actually have proof, babies were beheaded, women and children were burned alive, but there was widespread push back, because, "you can't trust the Jews, they're always exaggerating for sympathy. (like they exaggerated the scope of the Holocaust)"
But I think people are also painting with too broad a brush these protesters too. There are obviously agitators in some of them. But there are very very few Hamas sympathizers. The bulk of the people are just anti war. And liberal anti war folks just see a weak country at war with a strong country and their instinct is to defend the weak.