r/JewsOfConscience • u/MondoweissOfficial • Sep 12 '22

AMA I produce the Mondoweiss Podcast – AMA!

Hi r/JewsOfConscience, I'm Dave and I am the product manager at Mondoweiss. I produce the Mondoweiss Podcast, assist with video production, and various other work related to running an independent, non-profit news and opinion publication.

https://mondoweiss.net

https://mondoweiss.net/podcast/

Ask me anything!

https://imgur.com/a/aIPAeFI

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u/conscience_journey Jewish Anti-Zionist Sep 12 '22

Here is a question from u/crumpledcactus:

Hello, Mr. Reed.

I've been following MondoWeiss for a while now, and greatly appreciate the publications efforts. As a Jew affiliated with Humanistic Judaism, most of my Jewish friends are progressives, and are very critical of Israel. Online things are different. I've noticed in online mainstream Jewish spaces (ei. r/Jewish, and any news story that appears on r/worldnews) is that right leaning Israelis, and American Orthodox Jews tend to deploy the familiar tools of the right to suppress critiques of zionist claims, boost misinformation, and outright lie. (ei. mass down-voting, sock puppet accounts, regulatory capture by political moderators).

I've personally seen a thread on r/Jewish claiming a UN worker was a raging anti-semite due to being interviewed by MondoWeiss. I pointed out the UN is not antisemitic, and that MondoWeiss is run by two Jewish guys. My rebuttal was shadow banned (visible to me, invisible to the public).

What are your thoughts on countering the efforts and tactics of the Jewish right wing?

Does the Jewish right wing fuel antisemitism?

Is there any use in publicly highlighting the divide between US Jews and Israeli Jews?

Why aren't we seeing more Jews publicly support BDS, or call out Israeli abuses?

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u/MondoweissOfficial Sep 12 '22

There is a lot here in these questions. I'll try to answer them briefly with my thoughts, not necessarily the position or opinion of Mondoweiss as an organization, or other staff members...

I think that the Zionist right is largely out of defensive options because the reality of the Israeli occupation and apartheid system are so egregious there is simply no justification. And so the only option they have left is try to knock down, undermine, or destroy the credibility of those who criticize the Israeli government. Everyone in this subreddit is probably very familiar with this tactic.

I think there is little use in trying to "counter the efforts and tactics of the Jewish right wing." The resources available to those groups and individuals who might fall into that descriptor are massive and almost never-ending. But this struggle is now a battle of attrition, and they are losing legitimacy all the time.

I do think there is utility in organizing in Jewish spaces, and this might fall into your question around "highlighting the divide between US Jews and Israeli Jews." There is a marked trend among younger Jews in the United States and around the world to look critically at the actions of the Israeli government. By and large the Jewish institutions are going in the opposite direction – digging their heels in and entrenching in knee-jerk support of the Israeli government. So organizing in that gap is important.

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u/conscience_journey Jewish Anti-Zionist Sep 12 '22

We definitely know about the undermining credibility tactic. I have been banned from the main Jewish subreddits for saying very basic things (despite their stated rules saying a diversity of opinions is ok).

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u/MondoweissOfficial Sep 12 '22

They banned us recently too... lol

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u/crumpledcactus Jewish Sep 12 '22

Thank you, Mr. Reed.

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u/OnePalestine Sep 12 '22

But this struggle is now a battle of attrition, and they are losing legitimacy all the time.

Could you expand on this? How is it attrition, and how are they losing legitimacy?

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u/MondoweissOfficial Sep 13 '22

I mentioned this in a couple of other answers. Briefly, there is polling data that shows the historical Israeli justifications for the occupation and apartheid are not being accepted as widely any longer. This is a trend that is going to continue to grow, particularly among younger generations who are growing up in a hyper connected world. The reaction from the Israeli government and the institutions that support it, has been to retrench and attack the critics more directly.