r/JewsOfConscience Oct 28 '24

Discussion Rising Antisemitism

I have witnessed so much antisemitism everytime I go online it's starting to become worrying. I see non Jewish leftists say that antisemitism isn't a real problem for Jews in America, usually being boiled down to "most Jews are white, rich, and have never experienced antisemitic violence physically". Yet antisemitism is rising and is a real problem that we should still consider in this time of jewish identity being weaponized and the jewish supremacy that is enacted in Occupied Palestine. Stating "most jews are white" seems harmful and also just false. Also Jews have always been hesitant to be apart of surveys so it's hard to find legitimate info on these things. Am I alone in this?

EDIT: I am not talking about any specific statistics or surveys. This is based on what I've personally seen scrolling on social media. I understand/agree there isn't a clear way to see that based on largely pro zionist orgs. EDIT PT 2: I am not saying that Pro Palestinian sentiment is antisemitism. I am talking about LEGITIMATE antisemitism. This is not a post talking about false accusations of antisemitism based in Zionism.

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u/mr-dr Oct 28 '24 edited Oct 28 '24

Sure, and I would argue "who cares" since we are not in a position where antisemitism affects our material conditions. We do not get disproportionately shot by police, we do not get different hiring practices, we do not get redlined, we do not get systemically attacked the way other groups do. I don't see the issue of anti-zionist jews being thrown under the bus as a serious threat because that bus isnt even moving, theres just some crazy people trying to stuff themselves under its wheels and unless you're an idiot you're not going to end up like them. All you have to do as a jew to avoid supposed anti-semitism is show compassion for Palestinians and acknowledge that apartheid ethnostates are always bad. Nobody is out here asking for anything more.
If anti-semites can come up with conspiracy theories about us, surely some of us are also making up conspiracy theories about them, and its important for us to call that out rather than remaining silent otherwise things continue escalating.

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u/myownpersonallab Jewish Anti-Zionist Oct 28 '24

One thing I think this analysis is missing is that antisemitism is often used to hide the real perpetrators of these actions: billionaire capitalists. Antisemitism is misinformation that only leads to more suffering not only because of Jews suffering but because it is a major wedge that brings people into fascist movements. The more people see that the oppressors are the billionaire class, the more people can unite and overthrow it. But meanwhile we are losing so many people to conspiratorial thinking because... we are worried that caring about pointing out antisemitism is going to somehow hurt Palestinians?

Also I do not liken my pain to even 0.1% of what the Palestinians are going through but I actually have been targeted for being Jewish. I would prefer not to speak about it because it's traumatic. But even one piece of hate in this world is too much. I will not make it a big deal because ending the genocide is my focus. But I don't think invalidating what is real is going to help anyone.

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u/acacia_tree Reform Ashkie Diasporist Oct 28 '24

the way OPs comment comes across is not that pointing out antisemitism is going to hurt Palestinians but more that Jews don't deserve to talk about it because some Jews are committing a genocide in the name of Judaism

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u/myownpersonallab Jewish Anti-Zionist Oct 29 '24

Agree. It makes me really uncomfortable. The idea that people can dictate whose suffering matters is the same logic that Zionists use to weaponize the Holocaust. We can certainly point out the scale of differences (there is a real existential threat to Palestinians) but it feels like a strange self-injury to present it in the way it was presented.

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u/acacia_tree Reform Ashkie Diasporist Oct 29 '24 edited Oct 29 '24

And it legitimizes Zionist complaints that we are self hating kapos that excuse antisemitism. On principle, we should never feed the Zionist narrative about anti-Zionist Jews. Like how the fuck is it okay for you to respond to “Jews were murdered six years ago because of Great Replacement Theory” with “who cares?”

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u/myownpersonallab Jewish Anti-Zionist Oct 29 '24

Yes. It is dehumanization and a weak political understanding of why any of this is happening. In my experience, anyone who would show disregard for the life of another in this way is the first to re-perpetuate the fascism we are fighting against within a new society. I don't know if this is unprocessed guilt or if it is intense dissociation but it does not belong in a liberation movement.

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u/acacia_tree Reform Ashkie Diasporist Nov 01 '24 edited Nov 01 '24

When Palestinians and allies have spent so much time proving that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism and an anti Zionist Jew comes along and says “who cares about antisemitism? I’m ashamed of being Jewish” it completely undermines them.