r/JewsOfConscience • u/AutoModerator • Aug 28 '24

AAJ "Ask A Jew" Wednesday

It's everyone's favorite day of the week, "Ask A (Anti-Zionist) Jew" Wednesday! Ask whatever you want to know, within the sub rules, notably that this is not a debate sub and do not import drama from other subreddits. That aside, have fun! We love to dialogue with our non-Jewish siblings.

22 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

88 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/PlinyToTrajan Non-Jewish Ally (Jewish ancestry & relatives) Aug 28 '24

In the real, practical politics of my local community, how can I "yes, and" concerns about anti-semitism? Yes, anti-semitism must be addressed, but so must the fact that many local residents are advancing a genocidal politics.

10

u/spxncer Reconstructionist Aug 28 '24

Dont? Putting any sort of equivalency or relationship between the two is what we’re trying to get away from. Validating the issue of a massive uptick in jew hatred is important, so let it be its own issue.

Bringing up anti-zionist concerns is obviously the issue at hand, and it should certainly not be disenfranchised by whataboutism. But to “yes and,” a real concern about jew hatred is a really bad look, ineffective, and further establishes the tie between it and antizionism.

TL;DR: Don’t, allow the issues to be seperate

-1

u/PlinyToTrajan Non-Jewish Ally (Jewish ancestry & relatives) Aug 28 '24

In my view, I'm not trying to put forth "anti-zionist concerns," because that feels to me like taking a position on a religious and cultural issue. I am instead trying to advance the cause of humanitarianism, the cause of mercy and humanitarian assistance.

I do not think it is a surprise that our politics, which are so ugly, in which we back a genocide and suppress dissent from it, are also anti-semitic and also feature a large amount of official concern and public expenditure regarding the problem of anti-semitism. Thus I see the issues as related and not separate.

6

u/specialistsets Non-denominational Aug 28 '24

In my view, I'm not trying to put forth "anti-zionist concerns," because that feels to me like taking a position on a religious and cultural issue.

I don't think it is accurate to call Zionism or anti-Zionism a "religious" issue (I would sooner use the words cultural, political, social)

2

u/lilleff512 Jewish Aug 28 '24

I'm not trying to put forth "anti-zionist concerns," because that feels to me like taking a position on a religious and cultural issue. I am instead trying to advance the cause of humanitarianism

if it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, then people who are afraid of ducks won't care if you call it something else