Antisemitism has moved from the right to the left in the US − and falls back on long-standing stereotypes

[Maru Kitteh]

Full article follows below here with permission:

https://theconversation.com/antisemitism-has-moved-from-the-right-to-the-left-in-the-us-and-falls-back-on-long-standing-stereotypes-215760

An Oct. 19, 2023, rally in New York City’s Times Square demanding the freeing of hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images



Arie Perliger, UMass Lowell

The U.S. is currently experiencing one of the most significant waves of antisemitism that it has ever seen. Jewish communities are shaken and traumatized.

Jewish and civil rights organizations both in the U.S. and in other Western countries reported a rise in antisemitic incidents following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military response. The Anti-Defamation League reported that in the first week after Hamas’ deadly attack, in which 1,400 Israelis were killed, antisemitic incidents in the U.S. tripled in comparison to the same week last year.

Similarly, London police recorded a 1,353% increase in antisemitic crimes compared with the same period a year earlier.

In addition, antisemitic symbols and rhetoric seem to be part of a growing number of protests that erupted around the globe following the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Most scholars agree that the term “antisemitism” describes animosity and discrimination against Jews. Broader definitions, such as the one adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, include the singling out of Israel and the demonization of its character, such as the claim that “the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”

My team of researchers at UMass Lowell and Development Service Group, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, compiled and analyzed a comprehensive dataset of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. between 1990 and 2021. We wanted to understand what factors led to antisemitism. We covered violent antisemitism as well as incidents of antisemitic intimidation and vandalism. We included any attacks against Jews which were motivated by the religious identity of the victims – even if it was motivated by anger about Israeli policies.

Our study, which will be published soon, found a startling new phenomenon: The ideology underlying antisemitism in the U.S. now encompasses both sides of the political spectrum. And it allowed us to develop three other insights regarding the intensifying linkage between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and antisemitism in the U.S.



1. Antisemitism is not exclusive to the far right

Traditionally, antisemitism in the United States was promoted by far-right organizations and movements, such as the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi groups and skinheads. Such groups focused on propagating traditional antisemitic narratives alleging Jews’ racial inferiority, their control of the financial sector and their role in global cabals aiming to undermine America and Western civilization.

More recently, progressive and left-leaning movements that are critical of Israel’s policies – especially with regard to the Palestinian population in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967 – have become linked to antisemitic practices, too.

In a survey conducted in 2018 in 12 European Union countries among victims of antisemitism, 21% indicated that they were physically or verbally attacked by what participants called “left-wing” activists. In the U.S., our data shows that 95% of antisemitic incidents motivated by Israel’s policies were perpetrated by far-left or unidentified activists. Just 5% were perpetrated by known far-right activists.

Further indication that antisemitic violence is no longer the sole domain of far-right extremists can be gleaned from an analysis of our data that looked at the geographic characteristics of antisemitism.

We find that antisemitic hate crimes are occurring especially in politically progressive areas of the country. The New York metropolitan area and the Northeast in general, and urban centers in Florida, California, the Northwest and the Midwest are experiencing the majority of antisemitic incidents.



While these regions of the U.S. were usually considered hospitable to minorities, our data reflects that in the past decade they are the most substantial hubs of antisemitic violence.

2. US antisemitism is strongly correlated to escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The outbreak of violence between Israel and Palestinians seems to inflame antisemitism in the U.S. and is exploited to amplify long-standing antisemitic tropes.

Rigorous analysis of our dataset found conclusive evidence that these escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – such as the violent clashes between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip in the past few years – are accompanied by an increase in antisemitic incidents in the U.S.

For example, in the months leading up to the Israel-Hamas war of May 2021, there was a gradual increase in antisemitic attacks that peaked in May 2021 and gradually declined in the following months.



3. Israel’s policies and antisemitism abroad are connected

The growing connection between Israel’s policies and antisemitic violence abroad, and especially in the U.S., reflects the view among many Americans that American Jews unquestioningly support Israel’s government.

The Anti-Defamation League’s leader put it bluntly when he stated following the May 2021 Israel-Hamas war that “the violence we witnessed in America during the conflict last May was shocking … it seemed as if the working assumption was that if you were Jewish, you were blameworthy for what was happening half a world away.”

Thus, it is not surprising that following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, Jewish organizations on American campuses became the main targets of violent activism by Palestinian rights supporters. Nor was it surprising that the first reaction of U.S. law enforcement agencies in the wake of the Hamas attack was enhancing the protections of Jewish schools and communal facilities.




Thousands of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and signs denouncing ‘Israeli apartheid’ march in support of Palestinians in Los Angeles on Oct. 14, 2023.
David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images



4. Antisemitism today exploits long-standing antisemitic tropes

American Jewish communities had traditionally strong links to the state of Israel, and many extended their support in various ways. They included contributing money to Israeli cultural, educational and social institutions, as well as advocating for U.S. support. This was explicit acknowledgment of the importance to the Jewish people of having a homeland.

In recent years, however, many Jewish communities, especially their younger members, became increasingly critical of Israeli policies and the country’s ongoing military control of the occupied Palestinian territories.

Despite such developments within the Jewish community, efforts by organizations sympathetic to the Palestinian cause to link American Jews as a whole to Israel’s policies seem to have intensified. Such linkages reflect an extension of one of the most resilient and long-standing antisemitic tropes, in which American Jews are portrayed as having a dual loyalty and a preference to support Israel’s interests over American ones, especially in times in which they may conflict.

In the past, sentiments regarding American Jews’ alleged dual loyalty were mainly exploited by extremists on the far right. Lately, it seems also to be manifested in left-wing discourse and actions that support or legitimize marginalization of Jews in the U.S. by blaming them for Israel’s policies.

Examples of this new manifestation of antisemitism include the exclusion of American Jewish organizations from progressive campaigns and events and the exclusion of Jewish activists from progressive associations.

Combating the new antisemitism

The reactions to the recent escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict illustrate a profound change in the ideological roots of antisemitism in the U.S.

The many cases in which professional and student associations as well as political organizations were quick both to legitimize Hamas terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians and direct their animosity toward U.S. Jews showing solidarity and sympathy with Israeli victims are prime examples.

That means any effort to combat antisemitism in the U.S. must take into consideration the growing ideological diversity behind contemporary incidents of antisemitism.

Those efforts will need to understand the nuances that shape American Jews’ relationships with Israel – and recognize that despite the substantial progress U.S. Jews experienced in the U.S. in all aspects of public life, antisemitism is still a part of the American political landscape.

Arie Perliger, Director of Security Studies and Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, UMass Lowell

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

[maxrandb]

1. Just a point of contention

Marching in Nazi garb, carrying tiki-torches and chanting "Jews will not replace us" = Antisemitism

Murdering multiple people at a Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, PA = Antisemitism

Criticizing the Israeli government for it's actions and policies regarding Palestinians = NOT Antisemitism

This article reads like it could have been written by Stephen Miller.

[PCIntern]

4. So you say...

I am not questioning your personal morality or motives, but let me tell you that the establishment of every sovereign state in the history of the world involves the displacement of resident individuals. Israel is the only, and I mean the only country where this has become a perennial Issue, and it has been used by the cousins of the Palestinians to fight the Jews, the Zionist entity, as they like to call it.

TheUnited States was formed by displacing hundreds of tribes, Europe was conquered over and over and over again and people were displaced. German and Polish Jews still alive were not allowed to return to their homes which were confiscated in their home country after World War II. This is how it works in the world. Only Israel is vilified 75 years after the fact, and will be for its entire existence as far as I can see.

[FalloutShelter]

8. +1000

[madaboutharry]

9. Following the establishment of Israel, Jews living in Arab countries were displaced.

There were thriving Jewish communities throughout the Middle East and North Africa in addition to what is now Israel. Jews in these countries - Iran, Iraq, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, and even Saudi Arabia - had their assets and property seized and were forced out of their communities, often by violent pogroms, to immigrate to Israel.

[Maru Kitteh]

67. How easily and quickly some gloss over this fact, how often it is denied

Indeed the very existence of Israel is still denied by so many in the ME and elsewhere.

[maxrandb]

13. You're right! We should just accept genocide

It's just the cost of doing business, but thanks for not questioning "my" personal morality.

We can go back 2,000 years and argue about "who started it", or about "which sides atrocities were worse", or we can try to find a peaceful resolution.

What America did to the native people of this country is disgusting and well documented. Our history books are full of examples of that.

I think we have done the best we can to document our atrocities and own them. That effort to reflect the actual history of America comes from the "left"

The only people I know that continue to describe the genocide of Native Americans as a "good for the country" necessity are those on the "right", but of course, that wouldn't fit your narrative that the "left is just as anti-Native American" as the right is.

The article you posted is nothing but right wing claptrap, trying to equate antisemitism among the right and left in this country.

That doesn't pass the smell test, but this article will show up on MTG and Andy Brggs x-feed. I guarantee it.

[Beastly Boy]

31. First, you should learn what "genocide" means

Then, omce you understant the meaning of the word, you should question its application to the country that has 2 million Palestinians as its citizens with equal rights.

Then i will leave it up to your morality to examine the motives for your comment in the context of a thread about antisemitism.

[Willto]

56. Well

You're right! We should just accept genocide

I don't think you have the vaguest conception of what the word genocide actually means. Genocide is what the Nazis tried to do to the Jews. It's the literal, purposeful extermination of an entire race or ethnic group. Israel is not trying nor does it want to kill all the Palestinians in Gaza or anywhere else. Israel would love nothing better than if Hamas would meet them on open ground away from civilians in order to settle this. But they won't. They are going to hide among civilians and use any collateral damage done by the Israelis as propaganda.
You know who does list genocide as a stated goal of their core charter? Hamas.

We can go back 2,000 years and argue about "who started it", or about "which sides atrocities were worse", or we can try to find a peaceful resolution.

Then by all means lets hear it. I'm all ears. The Palestinians have been offered their own country in numerous negotiations. They don't want it. They just want Israel gone. It has been the Palestinian side that has walked away from every round of talks refusing even the basic step of recognizing Israel as a country. So with that in mind throw that peaceful solution at me.

What America did to the native people of this country is disgusting and well documented. Our history books are full of examples of that.

It sure was terrible. But no one is demanding that all US citizens of European ancestry leave and give the whole country back to the Native Americans are they? There probably isn't a country on the planet that is still being ruled by the original people who settled on it's geographic location thousands of years ago. Right, wrong or somewhere in between once a change of this nature gets far enough down the road the die is cast and there is no going back. Israel is an established country now. They are not going away. And as long as the eradication of Israel is an unwavering demand of the Palestinians it will remain a roadblock to any lasting peace.

[Maru Kitteh]

119. Pretty much every neighbor of Israel has refused to take "yes" for an answer to peace

because they are unable to simply acknowledge does and should exist.

Hamas has fuel and there is a crossing into Gaza from Egypt but who is hated when Gaza has no fuel? Not Hamas. Not Egypt. Hamas has food enough to feed thousands for as long as 4 months according to Qatar. Who is hated when Gaza starves? Not Hamas.
Hamas has hundreds of miles of tunnels that offer safety from the ordinance they knew would follow the atrocities they planned for two years and executed on October 7. Who is hated because Palestinians are not safe? Not Hamas.
Hamas has stolen and stockpiled medicine, medical equipment and medical supplies that could have saved countless Palestinian lives. Who is hated because Palestine has no medicine? Not Hamas.
and so on
and so on

[SoFlaBro]

94. You have no idea what the word 'genocide' is all about. Go watch one of the many docs. about the Holocaust

Then we can have a discussion.

[Goddessartist]

95. Completely agree.

Ny Jewish m-i-l called us weeping over the Palestinians, saying it is genocide. She's 97. She's horrified.

Justifying bombing hospitals because their enemies are underneath it is monstrous. Bloodthirsty.

[madaboutharry]

116. Israel has not bombed hospitals.

That is a lie.
The outrage and weeping should be over Hamas putting their operation center under the largest hospital in Gaza.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamass-main-operations-base-is-under-shifa-hospital-in-gaza-city-says-idf/

[Goddessartist]

131. Bloodthirsty

[edisdead]

106. Does genocide often start with letting people get out if the way?

[intheflow]

110. The Holocaust started that way.

The US was offered the opportunity to take Jews in before the concentration camps started. We refused.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/us-government-turned-away-thousands-jewish-refugees-fearing-they-were-nazi-spies-180957324/

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-united-states-and-the-refugee-crisis-1938-41

[inthewind21]

150. And there

it is. THE thing people conveniently forget!

[Bettie]

173. Go South....

then bombing the South isn't really "letting people get out of the way".

[Zeitghost]

121. That you characterize Israel's actions as genocide

In and of itself reeks of antisemitism.

[inthewind21]

151. Of course it does

Any thought had not in agreement with Israel is antisemitism. Know any other governments that thought that way? Any spring to mind at all?

[Zeitghost]

165. Being critical of Israeli policy is one thing

Falsely claiming they are committing genocide means you are dishonestly labeling that policy in order to demonize them is a much different and rooted in antisemitism.

[BootinUp]

55. No criticizing of Netanyahu and his policies regarding West Bank and or Gaza?

Good luck.

[LeftishBrit]

112. Criticizing Netanyahu is not antisemitism

Loads of Israeli and Diaspora Jews hate his guts.

Blaming all Jews for Netanyahu is antisemitic.

Being pro-Palestinian is not antisemitic.

Being pro-Hamas is antisemitic.

Just as criticizing Bush was not anti-American.

But supporting Bin Laden and the atrocities of 9-11 would have been anti-American.

[BootinUp]

117. I would agree strongly with that. Nt

[Maru Kitteh]

76. Well spoken.

Thank you.

[Happy Hoosier]

103. Can tou at least recognize...

That Israel’s continued settlement of the West Bank compounds the problem? Whatever Israel did in 1948-49 could be potentially fading, but the settlements on the West Bank cannot be justified and rip open old wounds.

[PCIntern]

170. They give the West Bank away

And they are once again simultaneously pinned by Hamas on one side and I would suppose…Hamas on the other side. No way.

[ExciteBike66]

157. Israel is still doing it with settlers.

All While pretending to wonder why Palestinians don't like them...

Your post is an endorsement of ethnic cleansing by "fait accompli", and has zero concern for morality.

[sellitman]

167. Spot on

Thank you!

[David__77]

5. It is right wing nonsense.

And in the current context, especially terrible.

[obamanut2012]

16. Well said

[Beastly Boy]

33. Sure. Statistics must have a right wing bias.

So does outrage over antisemitism, but only when antisemitism comes from the left.

[karynnj]

75. The statistics are based on a DEFINITION of what constitues antisematism

If the definition is extremely broad and every event counts the same, you get meaningless results. Not to mention, many definitions conflate active criticism of Israel with hating people who are Jews.

The saddest inclusion is their labelling young Jewish people, following the values they learned from their parents, Hebrew school etc protesting because they see Israel not living those values. This reminds my of my reaction when I went to college in 1968 to the US actions in Vietnam. I see my protests then as my right and my responsibility as an American, who loved what I was taught we stood for. The one thing I do fault some of those groups for is that they did not express their horror and sadness for the attacks on Israel loud enough to be heard and, in some cases, immediately turned to worrying about the Palestinians.

It might be a good idea for the person doing this study to categorize each event and then produce results for each. I suspect that there is a huge difference between left antisemitism and right.

[Beastly Boy]

96. The most commonly accepted definition of antisemitism can be found here:

https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definitions-charters/working-definition-antisemitism

The most thorough documentation of antisemitic incidents can be found here:
https://www.adl.org/resources/report/audit-antisemitic-incidents-2022

Both sources have an extensive list of examples and incidents to illustrate their findings.

Help yourself.

I am not sure what your intentions were by bringing up the young Jewish people, following the values they learned from their parents, Hebrew school etc, but as a point of information, most people fitting this description are the ultra-Orthodox Jews who oppose the State of Israel on religious grounds. They are the same people who reject any Palestinian claims to the land on the same grounds.

[karynnj]

107. The young Jews are people i know personally

Their backgrounds range from Conservative, reconstructions, and reform. All a generation younger than me. Obviously, they are not all or even a majority of the young Jews I have met. My point was that I see my own protests and opinions in the 60s and 70s while still identifying as an American as an analog to their views.

As to my own views, a simple answer is that on Israel, I agree with J Street.

[Martin Eden]

6. Well said

My feelings exactly

[Martin Eden]

7. Well Said

My feelings exactly

[Ferrets are Cool]

11. AMEN

[yardwork]

12. It depends on how the criticism is expressed.

As other posters note in this and other threads, the history of the creation of Israel is usually misrepresented and misunderstood. Why? It seems as if Israel's history is treated very differently from every other country.

Next, the expressions of criticisms of Israel often use age-old anti-Semitic tropes. We all rightly recognized "Jews will not replace us" as a Nazi slogan. Yet even here on DU, there is wide insistence that similarly anti-Semitic slogans used in pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses in the U.S. are just benign expressions of peace.

Finally, I'd like to mention that when the U.S. was attacked on 9/11, lots of people around the world thought that the U.S. probably "had it coming" but most people didn't say so. Instead they rallied to our support. And, the U.S. launched two brutal wars afterwards. I didn't agree with those wars but I was in the minority, even on DU at the time. Why is Israel being treated so differently? Their hostages haven't even been released!

P.S. When Iran took dozens of Americans hostage in 1979 - whom they later released unharmed - the U.S. news media talked about the hostage crisis every. single. day.

[Farmer-Rick]

47. If only Israel had a Ronnie Reagan to make a deal

If you keep the hostages until I'm Prime Minister.. then set them free. I'll give you weapons and cocaine.

Wait isn't Benjamin Netanyahu a conservative with an authoritarian bent who never saw the attack coming? Maybe he's more like W.

[G_j]

161. Iraq War

February 15th, 2003, saw the largest peace demonstration the world had ever witnessed. 14 million people stood up against the Iraq war.

[yardwork]

162. As well they should have. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.

We'd already been at war with Afghanistan for over a year, even though they had virtually nothing to do with 9/11 either. And I recall our invasion of Afghanistan being cheered.

In fact, we went to war with nations who were at odds with the people who actually caused 9/11: Saudi Arabians.

Another poster mentioned that the number of Israelis killed during the terrorist attack on 10/7 represents a proportion of the Israeli population equivalent to 48,000 Americans. I wonder what we would do if the Mexican government launched an attack that killed 48,000 Americans in one day? You think many people would worry about the civilians killed in our response?

Palestine has not yet returned Israeli hostages, many of whom are known to be grievously injured. Bodies of young Israeli women who were literally raped to death are still being found. Palestine is holding babies and old people hostage. If they don't want to be bombarded, they should give them back.

[JI7]

15. "gas the jews" is anti semitic. Tearing up pictures of Israeli kids

actions by shitbag professors at Stanford and Cornell was anti semitic.

Making excuses for Hamas attack on Israel and many other things .

[Redleg]

19. Yes, these professors are the spokespeople for the entire left in this country

I know this because I attended the last protocols of the elders of Zion conference in Las Vegas.

[JI7]

23. The one that said he felt good about the attacks on Israel by Hamas

was cheered so he certainly speaks for a large number.

[Redleg]

29. A large number of followers

but not a large in proportion to those of us on the left in the U.S.

I am not trying to downplay the actions of these fools, I am simply stating that their viewpoints don't represent more than a small proportion of those on the left.

[Beastly Boy]

37. This resembles the argument that not all right-wingers are being antisemitic.

It is true, but they are not stopping antisemitism from spreading and becoming life-threatening to both the right-wing and the left-wing Jews.

When you are a Jew, it is not your voting record that the antisemites attack, it's you. And in this respect, I see no distinction between the extreme right and the extreme left.

[Redleg]

39. We can agree on that point

While I am not Jewish, I think I can empathize with the fear and frustration the people feel when their people are marginalized, derogated, and sometimes slaughtered. I can also empathize with those Palestinians living in Gaza who had nothing to do with the vile Hamas attack on Israel.

I pray to a higher power that anti-semitic and anti-muslim sentiments don't spread and become more virulent but being an agnostic I don't have a lot of faith that those prayers will be heard by a power that cares.
Shalom.

[Beastly Boy]

27. Ok, I will play your game

Chanting "From the river to the sea" = antisemitism

Comparing Israel to hamas and taliban = antisemitism

Making no distinction between Israel's general population and its right wing = antisemitism

There are plenty of other anecdotal instances of antisemitism on the left. It is undeniable.

[Redleg]

36. I'll see you and raise you $10

I have seen many commentators here at DU who can't differentiate between mild criticism of the current Israeli administration's actions against Palestinians and blatant anti-semitism. It is almost as though people are expected to forget all of the past dynamics because Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

Also, there seems to be a number of commentators suggesting that concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people equals anti-Israel and anti-semitism. This is nonsense and is unhelpful. One can support the right of Israel to defend itself while having concern for the welfare of the non-Hamas affiliated residents of Gaza. I know this because this is how I see it.

Finally, a good number of commentators equate Palestinians in Gaza = Hamas and therefore concerns about Palestinians displays a weak wrong-headedness.

As always with a tragic situation, there is more heat than light, and that is demonstrated by many of the posts here at DU over the last few weeks. I have seen posts advocating for military actions by Israel that would kill a great number of non-combatants in Gaza and without consideration for what constitutes a morally or legally just waging of war. I have also seen a number of posts that gleefully reference unverified "reports" of war crimes being committed willy-nilly by Israeli troops. It seems that once we have picked sides in this conflict we have become immune to information and ideas that don't confirm what we believe.

I would like to see more sober and thoughtful posts on this conflict.

[Beastly Boy]

41. This makes your response even more perplexing.

Certainly, the OP does not address individual posts on DU. Antisemitism on the extreme left goes well beyond criticizing the Israeli government. There is a whole range of antisemitic incidents between marching in Nazi garb and criticizing Netanyahu. You are leaving a huge gap between the two unaddressed.

You must be aware of that.

[Redleg]

50. I referenced DU commentators as an example

As a liberal, I will admit that I am certainly more aware of the blatant anti-semitic action from the right than from the left in this country. My perception is that the anti-semitism on the right is more overt and more violent than the anti-semitism on the left. I am certainly aware that their are Democratic politicians who have made anti-semitic statements and there are academics from the left who have made incendiary statements against Israel. I do not mean to excuse anti-semitism on the left, nor do I excuse it because there is no excuse for judging an entire people in this way and treating them as inferiors.

I think in the heat of the situation we often talk past each other, and this is evident here at DU. When we argue we use forceful and blunt language and we don't really try to understand what the person on the "other side" is saying. This is a recipe for conflict escalation and disunity, as we have seen on these boards.

[Beastly Boy]

58. Certainly, antisemitism on the far left is more subtle. But that is what makes it more sinister.

The far right flaunts antisemitism as their birthright. They don't conceal it.

The far left seeks to normalize antisemitism with covertly antisemitic messaging. At a certain point, this messaging saturates popular culture to the point where tthe messaging is no longer questioned: it is taken for granted. No longer are antisemites aware of their antisemitism.

The same happened, and is still happening, with racism in America. Well-intentioned white people (and some black people) lost perspective on racism because it has been normalized. We need some "wokeness" to just raise awareness of antisemitism coming from the extreme left.

[Redleg]

72. I would welcome more transparency or "wokeness"

on this issue.

[Beastly Boy]

89. It's an ananalogy.

Just like "woke" signifies becoming aware, or being aware, specifically of racism in the US, I am calling for an equivalent to "wokeness" in relation to antisemitism.

[Redleg]

146. I get it

I didn't need an explanation.

[Beastly Boy]

147. Good to know.

Feel free to ignore the explanation.

[Redleg]

148. You spelled "analogy" incorrectly

Feel free to ignore the spelling correction.

[maxrandb]

38. It's not a game

You saying it's "undeniable" is like Yul Brenner in The 10 Commandments - "so let it be written, so let it be done".

You are playing a very dangerous game by not providing the most important context, and one of the most important reasons I am a proud Democrat and progressive

There are crazy and stupid people on the left. The left does a damn good job of keeping that minority of crazy and stupid people locked up in the attic.

The right makes their crazy and stupid people Presidents, Committee Chairs, and Speakers of the House.

I won't deny that there are some racists, anti-semitic asspickles on the left. They have no political power

The difference between the left and right is that the right empowers and rewards their asspickles.

Might be something you may want to consider before playing the "both sides are they same" bullshit.

[Redleg]

40. This seems pretty accurate

Thank you for stating it so clearly. I have had similar thoughts but haven't expressed them as well as you have.

[Beastly Boy]

52. Deny this:

In 2022, 241 incidents involved references to Israel or Zionism. This is a decline from 345 such incidents in 2021, which was an unusually high year due to antisemitic reactions to the May 2021 military conflict between Israel and Hamas. This number is still 35% higher than the number of Israel/Zionism-related incidents in 2020. Of 2022’s 241 anti-Zionist/anti-Israel-related incidents, 70 incidents could be identified as having been perpetrated by individuals associated with hostile anti-Zionist activist groups, most commonly Witness for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine and its affiliates. Forty-six incidents took the form of white supremacist groups’ efforts to foment anti-Israel and antisemitic beliefs.

-snip-

This escalation in antisemitic incidents comes just as ADL has reported on Americans’ highest level of antisemitic attitudes in decades. According to ADL’s 2023 report Antisemitic Attitudes in America, 20% of Americans believe six or more antisemitic tropes, which is significantly more than the 11% that ADL found in 2019.

-snip-

This escalation in antisemitic incidents comes just as ADL has reported on Americans’ highest level of antisemitic attitudes in decades. According to ADL’s 2023 report Antisemitic Attitudes in America, 20% of Americans believe six or more antisemitic tropes, which is significantly more than the 11% that ADL found in 2019.

-snip-

Although forms of anti-Israel political protest and expressions of opposition to Israeli policies are not included in the Audit, the Audit may include cases where Jewish individuals or identifiable entities, including Jewish religious or cultural institutions, are targeted for harassment, vandalism or assault by anti-Israel activists. Public statements of opposition to Zionism, which are often antisemitic, are included in the Audit when it can be determined that they had a negative impact on one or more Jewish individuals or identifiable, localized groups of Jews. This is most commonly the case on college campuses, where studies have shown that vociferous opposition to Israel and Zionism can have a chilling effect on Jewish student life and compound on pressures felt by Jewish students added to the incidents accounted for in this Audit. A full assessment of the scope of anti-Israel activism and its impact on American Jewish college students, including the scope and impact of BDS campaigns, of which there were twenty in the 2021-22 academic year, may be found here:

Anti-Israel Activism on U.S. Campuses, 2021-2022 | ADL
The ADL-Hillel Campus Antisemitism Survey: 2021 | ADL

https://www.adl.org/resources/report/audit-antisemitic-incidents-2022?

A long list of specific incidents is included.

[maxrandb]

79. This is silly

Where do a lot of political protests come from?

Colleges and universities, where we send our children to learn critical thinking, engage in thoughtful debates, study problems and issues with an open mind, assess facts, prove and disprove hypothesis, ask difficult questions, challenge dogma, etc.

Since when did Harvard and Yale become bastions of liberalism?

Every effing right wing politician I know has a college degree. Hell, 6 of the most anti-democratic college graduates sit on our highest court.

College has always been volatile and a bastion of questioning authority.

The protests against the Vietnam War were one such example. The right painted them all as anti-American.

The Civil Rights battles in this country were fought on College campuses all over the country. The right painted them all as anti-American.

Labor battles were fought all over this country, in the trenches at mining companies, agricultural hubs and YES, on college campuses. The right painted them all as anti-American.

Do you see a pattern?

[LauraInLA]

85. There's a difference between protesting on campus and attacking students because of their faith/culture

As I posted below, instances like the targeting of Jewish students at Cooper Union and Stanford, the warnings on campuses around the US against Jewish students wearing kippot, explicitly undercut the idea that protests are against Israeli policies. These are actual attacks against kids just for being JEWISH, without any reference to their views on Israel.

[Beastly Boy]

101. You had an issue with me and Yul Brynner regarding undeniability of instances of antisemitism on the left.

Is my post silly because you can deny these instances, or is it silly because you can't?

Or are these not instances of antisemitism on the left?

[maxrandb]

109. No, my problem is, like Ramses

You seem to believe since you said it, it's "undeniable".

That's dogma. And that's silly.

The "left" in this country is made up of a vast, diverse number of people.

The "left" politically, is represented mostly by the Democratic Party.

Could you find a couple of Democratic politicians that have said stupid shit about Israel? Of course, but THAT'S NOT THE "LEFT"

Find me any Democratic policy paper, principle, or platform supported by Democratic Party leadership that is anti-semitic.

Any Nazis marching outside Disney with Biden signs, or are they Desantis signs? BTW - has Ron disowned and disavowed those folks yet?

Any example of Biden describing ACTUAL FUCKING NAZIS as "very fine people"?

But, I am done with this foolishness.

This original "paper" from the OP made the rounds of right wing garbage websites, and then ended up here. It's right wing claptrap designed to smear the left.

I can't believe the right wing trope about "liberal college indoctrination" is being parroted on DU.

[Beastly Boy]

113. Ummm...you are veering off subject.

The sources I cited are full of research, backed with clearly defined methodology, backed by statistics and examples.

My beliefs, like yours, have no relevance to the undeniability of the data you have in front of you. It is not dogma, and it is not silly. It is data, analyzed, sorted, calculated and published.

The whole issue is the distinction between "the left" and the "far left". Don't bunch them together, and don't bring the Democratic Party, let alone Joe Biden, into it. The Temocratic Party is only partially made up of the Left, let alone the far Left.

And if you bother to look into the definition of antisemitism, it ain't "couple of Democratic politicians that have said stupid shit about Israel". It is far beyond that, and it is well documented. If you can't deny what is well documented, it is undeniable. Simple as that.

And once again, the "liberal college" references are data, backed by well documented instances. YOU can deny it, but it doesn't mean the data is deniable.

[BootinUp]

64. +1

[LauraInLA]

84. The rising tide of actual student anti-Semitism

Sadly, right now there seems to be an increasing push to excuse “crazy and stupid” anti-Semitic behavior from the left. Consider the events at Cooper-Union, where Jewish students had to be locked in a “safe space” as pro-Palestinian activists banged on the doors and tried to get in. These students were later “rescued” through a hidden back exit rather than their tormentors being arrested.

That is not a demonstration against Israeli policy. That is terrorism against students of a particular faith/culture. And it is just one example. Take the case of the Stanford (?) professor who labeled and libeled the Jewish students in class. It’s not only happening on campuses, but that is one “arena”. Students are being warned not to wear kippot (yarmulkes) at school.

People SAY they are protesting Israel’s actions. But over and over, we see instances where an individual or group is targeted because they are JEWISH without any reference to their affiliation to Israel. There have been several examples posted on DU from D.C. to Studio City, C.A.

Calling this crowd madness or excusing it as the excesses of youthful fervor doesn’t play. And at this moment it is very much a “liberal” phenomenon. To adapt your phrase, right now the LEFT is “empower[ing] and reward[ing] their asspickles” with group approval.

[inthewind21]

152. Well

Maybe the "left's" voters can all get their knickers in a bunch and vote against them in the coming elections! That would teach them huh. So go ahead, keep jumping on the "the left are antisemites" bandwagon. The right will thank you profusely for parroting their nonsense. After all, it got them the SC and Donald Trump!

[T_A]

54. Well Stated

The comments should have ended with this one.

[msfiddlestix]

68. Spot on.

.

[question everything]

81. I have never thought that so many would agree with Trump about "both sides"

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-blame-sides-charlottesville-now-anniversary-puts-spot/story?id=57141612

[inthewind21]

153. Makes a little clearer

the answer to the question of HOW we got Trump in the first place.

[Captain Zero]

2. Bullshit

I think this is misinformation to bifurcate the aid agreements to Ukraine and Israel. Which would give Bannon and Miller exactly what they want. Ukraine to Russia.

[LexVegas]

3. It hasn't moved. Its always been there, simmering below the surface. nt

[EllieBC]

21. Yes and Jewish people have always known it.

Maybe we can smarten up and stop turning up to help everyone and every damn cause when those same people don’t turn up to help us.

[JI7]

26. The way I see it is you can support the specific issue

but be careful about the people and groups that claim to support those issues .

Kind of like how there are a bunch of right wing groups with names which claim to care about family and kids but there things they actually support are opposite.

[madaboutharry]

30. + 1,000,000

[hatrack]

44. It's as deeply rooted on the right as it's ever been - it just smells marginally less awful

Rapture clowns "care" about Israel, but only because the nation has to exist so Pro Wrestling Jesus can ride his dinosaur down from heaven and throw all the Jews into the Bottomless Pit, just as soon as he clears customs and gets his luggage at the carousel.

These beliefs may be "justified" in Christian eyes since they're swathed in all the sparkly eschatological bullshit that a thousand sweaty Southern Baptist preachers can carry. That doesn't change the genocidal impulse that inspires them.

[RAB910]

10. I saw this article posted on the conservative subreddit

when did DU sink to the level of pushing false right-wing propaganda?

[obamanut2012]

17. That's where I saw it first, too - shocked it's here

It is literally a left ie not conservative hit job. Wow.

[maxrandb]

24. JFC-"this" is what passes for scholastic research these days?

- See Billy Bob, we looked at anti-semitic incidents, and see...ummm...a lot of them happened in...ugh...New York, Ummm...and the, umm...North East...and...ugh...Big Cities, so...see, umm, because these areas are, umm, mostly...ugh...progressive..umm, voilla...the left is antisemitic

- Well, Donnie, I sure see the logic in that.



Below is from the OP "article"

Further indication that antisemitic violence is no longer the sole domain of far-right extremists can be gleaned from an analysis of our data that looked at the geographic characteristics of antisemitism.

We find that antisemitic hate crimes are occurring especially in politically progressive areas of the country. The New York metropolitan area and the Northeast in general, and urban centers in Florida, California, the Northwest and the Midwest are experiencing the majority of antisemitic incidents.

[Redleg]

18. After Oct. 7

Many here adopted the "you're either with Israel or you're against Israel," leaving no room for thoughtful consideration of the complex situation. The other thing is that the insensitive and incendiary statements of a few academics are used to tar the whole of the left in the U.S. The original poster stated that antisemitism has moved from the right to the left, implying that the majority of it resides on the left. While there has and always will be some antisemitic sentiments in some of those on the left, I believe that it does not come even close to representing a majority of those on the left.

[marybourg]

22. Tell that to Jewish college students.

[maxrandb]

28. The ones being doxxed, denied employment and blacklisted?

Just wanted to make sure which students we asked.

And you know, fuck that.

I said a lot of stupid shit when I was 18-23 years old.

I still wasn't used to smear an entire side of the political landscape.

But, I just want to throw up my hands and say; "you want to see antisemitism? Go ahead. FAFO and put Donnie Dipshit back in the White House with MTG as House Majority Leader, Stephen Miller as White House COS, and Rand Paul as Senate Majority Leader

[marybourg]

32. The ones whose organizations are being excluded from events,

The ones who have been mobbed in a classroom. The ones who have been jeered and harassed going to school. Yeah, the German people didn’t want to hear about it either.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

111. Good

If I had a company, I sure wouldn’t want to knowingly hire terrorist sympathizers. And that’s what lots of these protesters are.

[RAB910]

126. Israel is guilty of countless war crimes. So would it be okay for a company not to hire anyone that supports a

Supports a Terrorist nation?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

129. If they believe Israel

Is a terrorist nation, then sure.

Of course, the premise that Israel is guilty of countless war crimes is bogus, but hey, you do you.

[RAB910]

130. You deny the FACT that Israel is GUILTY of countless war crimes, and you accuse anyone supportive

of Palestinian civilians of being "terrorist sympathizers"... I think our discussion is done. You are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

132. Lighten up Francis

Nowhere, at any time, have I accused “…anyone supportive of Palestinian civilians” of being terrorist sympathizers. But I have and will continue make that accusation against those who use the “from the river to the sea…” chant, those who deny or minimize the atrocities of 7 Oct, those who sign on to letters or petitions blaming Israel for 7 Oct, and those who continue to deny Israel’s right to self defense against Hamas.

[Redleg]

43. I don't get what you want me to tell them.

I don't see how my statement implied any criticism of Israel or Jewish people nor did it deny the existence of anti-semitism in parts of the left. While I am an educator, I don't see that I have any moral obligation to tell Jewish students anything. I do have a moral obligation, as a professor, to prevent ostracism and hostility towards any of my students and to not demonstrate a bias against any student on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, creed, etc.

[marybourg]

49. Your words, downplaying the extent of

anti-semitism being exhibited on college campuses by the pro-Palestinian left:

“While there has and always will be some antisemitic sentiments in some of those on the left, I believe that it does not come even close to representing a majority of those on the left.”

[Redleg]

57. I am not downplaying the incidents

I am simply stating that those incidents do not reflect the sentiments of most of those on the left. I wish that college kids would be more thoughtful in their words and deeds, I truly do. I wish these extremist professors would try to more tolerant and open-minded. I just don't see these things as indicators that anti-semitism is one of the guiding motives (or "animating spirits&quot of those on the left.

[marybourg]

63. I respect your obviously sincere beliefs, but since these incidents

were not directed against your 18-year old self, you are probably not aware of the extent of them on college campuses today.

[Redleg]

71. I do work at a college campus and have seen nothing like this

I am not doubting that it occurs on some campuses.

[MyMission]

114. Jews tend to notice it more than non jews, since

We are often the ones experiencing it.

If we look at "people of color" who claim certain behaviors towards them were motivated by their race, those of us with sensitivity would believe them even if we didn't notice the behavior. But many times people do notice it and are appalled. And some try to dismiss it because it's not affecting them.

Antisemitism is a different form of racism. If Jews tell you they've experienced antisemitism I urge you to believe us, even if you didn't notice or recognize it.

[Redleg]

145. Yes

People are naturally more sensitive to bias against those "groups" with whom they identify. I do not deny the existence of anti-semitism nor have I tried to downplay it here at DU. I have simply stated that increasing acts of anti-semitism at some universities is not indicative of the state of U.S. universities as a whole. The same goes for acts committed by fringe elements of the left- they don't represent the normative sentiment of those on the left.

[marybourg]

149. Just for your information:

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Biden administration is convening a meeting with Jewish leaders on Monday on what it says is an “alarming” rise in reports of antisemitism on college campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

*****snip

Since Oct. 7, when Hamas invaded Israel, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, pro-Palestinian groups at a series of campuses have celebrated or endorsed the attack. At multiple campuses, Jewish students have been barricaded in buildings amid pro-Palestinian protests. Other Jewish students have been assaulted or engaged in violent altercations with pro-Palestinian students.


https://www.jta.org/2023/10/30/politics/white-house-convenes-summit-to-address-spike-in-campus-antisemitism-during-israel-hamas-war?utm_source=JTA_Maropost&utm_campaign=JTA_DB&utm_medium=email&mpweb=1161-63867-2085….

[Redleg]

172. Again, I am not denying that this is happening

I am also not saying that it is inconsequential. I expect it will get worse with time.

[marybourg]

174. Truly, I just meant for your info.

[Redleg]

180. Thank you

It is good to be better informed.

[brooklynite]

25. And its posted here, so by that logic its a liberal article?

If you have specific complaints about the author, perhaps your should lay them out.

[RAB910]

127. I don't play right-wing games. Claims need to be supported by facts. The right-wingers make up lies

and then challenge one to disprove the lies

[inthewind21]

155. 2016

n/t

[LiberalFighter]

20. Seems like something the mainstream media does. Treat both sides the same.

When they are not. And equating one part of something as the whole. Like not being a supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu as being opposed to Jews or all of Israel. When it is not.

[Farmer-Rick]

51. And there is NO far left in the US

No matter what folks want to say, we really have NO far left in the US.

We have progressives and liberals but NO far left.

When have you seen a march by socialist in the US, or a labor stoppage throughout the country? Did you see people marching on DC when the Soc Sec age went up? Are there continued protests in right to work states?

When have you seen socialist takeover DC? Let me guarantee you. If there was a far left, I would be a member of it.

This study or article has no validity because it fails miserably to define this imaginary far left in the US. It is a bogey man of the right and people who use that term are using a right wing talking points.

[Beastly Boy]

60. Harrassment on political grounds and antisemitism, along with duplicitous demagoguery, is

what distinguishes the far left from progressives and liberals.

Most progressives find themselves increasingly ashamed of associating themselves with the far left. This is where the rift is evident.

[Farmer-Rick]

73. Name me one far left member in the US

You are probably misidentifying liberals or Libertarians as far left. We know who progressives and liberals are. But there is no identifying characteristics for a far left member.

But with far right we know they are racist, antidemocratic, Trump lovers, with shades of misogyny and strong Christian Nationalism features.

[Beastly Boy]

91. Nina Turner

A prime example that jumps to mind. There are more.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

97. And what we're seeing after Hamas attacked Israel

Some of the extreme left=extreme right

[Voltaire2]

118. Ok now define the ideological positions

that define Nina Turner as ‘far left’. She is a Democratic Socialist, that is not a far left ideology. The actual far left, communists, anarchists etc would consider her a center left reformist.

[Beastly Boy]

120. As far s I know, Turner never articulated her ideological positions in a meaningful way.

She defined her politics in terms of positions on issues she promoted.

That included:
-Not endorsing Hillary for President
-Not endorsing Biden for President. (her infamous phrase describing a choice between Trump and Biden:"You have a bowl of shit in front of you, and all you’ve got to do is eat half of it instead of the whole thing.’ It's still shit.)
-Promoting left-wing populism
-She was contributing editor for the Intercept, and Jacobin, and co-anchor of the Young Turks, all far-left media mouthpieces
-Turner's politics have alternately been described in the media as progressive,[2][45][46] left-wing,[3][47] or far-left.[4][48] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Turner#cite_note-:1-4)

-And, infamously, she accused Shontell Brown, her political rival to whom she eventually lost, of taking contribution from conspicuously Jewish-sounding sources, neglecting to mention any others. But that speaks more to Turner's antisemitism than to her politics.

That's a good start, no?

[Voltaire2]

123. How is any of that 'far left'?

As I said, she is a democratic socialist, that is a center left ideological position.

[Beastly Boy]

133. Describe anything that is farther left, and compare Turner's position relative to it

on the full spectrum of American politics.
You will likely find that her politics fall somewhere around 90% to 99% away from the farthest right and 1% to 10% away from the farthest left.

Unless you describe center left as being situated in a range of 51% away from the farthest right and 1% away from the farthest left, you got your answer.

And if you insist that center left includes the political views of 40% to 49% of Americans, you are being ridiculous.

[Voltaire2]

134. This isn't complicated.

Democratic socialism is a center left ideology . It advocates for socialist reform through the democratic process within the current system. The ‘far left’ is defined by advocacy of revolutionary overthrow of the existing regime. Various marxist and anarchists groups are far left. They have very little political influence in this country.

[Beastly Boy]

139. You just refuse to address the numbers.

Democratic Socialism is NOT a center left ideology. Nina Turner is NOT a mainstream Socialist Democrat. Center left is represented by politicians like Biden and Harris. Democratic socialists are split with regard to center-left politics: some, like Sanders and AOC, reluctantly support center-left policies; others like Turner, reject them. The fact that Turner did not endorse either Hillary or Biden for president speaks for itself: an unequivocal rejection of the center-left. In her own words, she describes the right as a full bowl of shit, and center-left as half a bowl of shit.

Marxism, Communism and Anarchism are extreme-left, not far left. They are tiny in numbers, and I gave them the farthest 1% to the left on the ideological scale, and I am not surprised if far left looks like like center left from the extreme left point of view. Turner gets her spot at the range of 90 to 99 percent on that scale.

There is nothing center-left about Turner.

[Voltaire2]

143. never mind lol.

[Beastly Boy]

144. In retrospect, that sounds just about right, doesn't it?

[Farmer-Rick]

138. No, she's just a Bernie supporter

She identifies as a Democratic Socialist. A real far left person would be a disaffected democratic socialist.

America has NO far left...

A look at real far left politics in Europe gives us a description of their characteristics as follows:

Far-left politics prioritize equality of outcome over equal opportunity. Far-left groups support redistribution of income and wealth. They argue that capitalism and consumerism cause social inequality and advocate their dissolution. Some far-left groups also support the abolition of private property.

Scholars, such as Luke March and Cas Mudde, propose that socio-economic rights are at the far left's core. March and Mudde argue that the far left is to the left of the political left. There is nothing to the left of the political left in the US.

Far-left groups are anti-establishment, opposing existing political and economic structures. Far-left ideologies may support disestablishment of traditional sociopolitical structures.They may be classified as radical, supporting a total reformation of society and its functions. Most modern far-left political parties have rejected radicalism and revolutionary politics, instead seeking to enact change from within government. Far-left movements in Europe are associated with anti-globalism and anti-neoliberalism.

The US media likes to pretend US politics is like a horseshoe. The far left being as crazy radical as the far right but that is completely unfounded in reality.

[Beastly Boy]

141. We've already gone through this

See the sub-thread above your post.

I don't wish to go through the same thing with an expectation of a different result.

[stuck in the middle]

61. Yes, there is.

No matter what folks want to say, we really have NO far left in the US.

[Farmer-Rick]

74. Name me 1 US far left member.

And what their identifying characteristics are.

[stuck in the middle]

83. How old are you?

The Who - My Generation

[Farmer-Rick]

86. Loved that song

But I was still a small kid when it was released.

[stuck in the middle]

100. I bet you've heard of this guy, then.

Last edited Sat Oct 28, 2023, 05:08 PM - Edit history (2)

He was all the rage.

Apparently, we pissed him off here in Iowa back in 1981. (Boone is a 10 minute drive from here.)

Churchill also claimed to have spent time at the Chicago office of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and provided firearms and explosives training to members of the Weather Underground.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Churchill

PACIFISM as PATHOLOGY

PDF: https://takku.net/mediagallery/mediaobjects/orig/f/f_ward_churchill_-_pacifism_as_pathology.pdf

It has been suggested that I provide a bit of information concerning the origins of the essay. Perhaps obviously, it emerged from the matrix of cumulative frustration attending my own ongoing years of activist experience, but there are those who have suspected (correctly) that there was something more specific involved in motivating me to write it. The incident occurred when I accepted an invitation extended by Bob Sipe, an organizer/member of the Midwest Radical Therapy Association, to deliver a workshop at the group's 1981 annual conference, held near Boone, Iowa.

[Farmer-Rick]

140. Yeah, I've heard of these people

Doesn't mean I agree with their violent histories. You can be far-left and work from within the system.....but not in the US.

Seems the US right wing has done a pretty good job of wiping out most of the far left. With never ending money poured into the right wing by the filthy-rich, the far left skipped town, tired of fighting a losing battle. And now we have open air Nazi concerts without protests

[stuck in the middle]

125. The far left thinks that us Iowans need therapy, ..

...because we refused to kill the people they want dead.

The premise underlying my session was that many people on the left demonstrated an irrational aversion to firearms based upon an abject ignorance of— and consequent intimidation by — the technology itself. Worse, they were intent on glossing over this experiential/skills deficiency by proclaiming such weakness to be both a "moral virtue" and a political dynamic. To my mind, and Sipe's, this translated into a posture of deliberate self disempowerment on the part of oppositionists, the only possible result of which would be a virtual monopoly of firepower by the very institutional/ideological status quo we radicals were supposedly committed to abolishing. To call such practice self-defeating is to dramatically in favour of the resolution would be prepared to either disarm them or physically eject them. An amendment was then quickly put forth and ratified which exempted "police and other civil authorities" from the otherwise blanket ban on weapons. For at least some people, this finally said it all, validating every aspect of the analysis Sipe and I had been offering, but which many of them had been previously unwilling to accept.

The debate swirled on in radical therapy circles for several years. Finally, in mid-1985, Sipe, who had by then assumed the editorship of the radical therapy movement's primary organ, Issues in Radical Therapy, asked me to write up my thinking on topic for publication as a major essay in the journal. The result was "Pacifism as Pathology," published in two parts in IRTs winter and spring 1986 issues (Vol.12 Nos 1 and 2.) By 1987, the piece had gone into underground xerox distribution, with several hundred copies circulating in Montreal alone. It also served as the basis for a series of intense philosophical/ tactical discussions in locales as diverse as New York, Toronto, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, and was eventually translated into German, French, Spanish, and Arabic.

[Farmer-Rick]

142. Weird,

But most far left people are found in European politics and they are working from within the system to get their goals achieved. I kinda of agree, you can't get lasting political agreement from citizens at a point of a gun.

You can be a totalitarian dictator and force what you want. But the minute you let up the pressure, citizens are going to revert unless you institutionalize the controls....like capitalism in the US does.

[leftstreet]

65. +1

[Firestorm49]

34. This is an interesting and yet disturbing synopsis.

[dembotoz]

35. nutty yahoo and his ilk are disgusting pos...does that make me antisemitic?

so be it

[David__77]

42. He is a fascist and racist.

[dembotoz]

48. yep and i would include a good chunk of the coalition that keeps him in power

[Mossfern]

82. No it doesn't.

I have the same opinion of Netanyahu and Likud - I'm Jewish.
I find your statement disingenuous.

[Chainfire]

45. I am beginning to wonder if the term "antisemitism" has not been redefined to read something like,

"A belief structure that does not blindly and without question, accept the fact that the nation of Israel is incapable of error."

I support the nation of Israel and the Jewish people, and I always have, but I retain the right to question their actions; if that makes me antisemitic, in some people's eyes, I can not help it. To be clear, I also question many of the actions of my own government, does that make me anti-American as well?

People need to chill with the labels and consider each situation, each action, on its own merits.

[Redleg]

46. A thoughtful appeal to reason...

will likely be criticized as being soft on Hamas.

[obamanut2012]

175. You called it

[Beastly Boy]

66. For your reference, the most commonly accepted definition of antisemitism:

“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

--snip--

Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic. Antisemitism frequently charges Jews with conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews for “why things go wrong.” It is expressed in speech, writing, visual forms and action, and employs sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.

Contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are not limited to:

Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.
Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).
Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.

Antisemitic acts are criminal when they are so defined by law (for example, denial of the Holocaust or distribution of antisemitic materials in some countries).

Criminal acts are antisemitic when the targets of attacks, whether they are people or property – such as buildings, schools, places of worship and cemeteries – are selected because they are, or are perceived to be, Jewish or linked to Jews.

[inthewind21]

156. Right on que

[Beastly Boy]

163. You are making it sound like being on cue is a bad thing.

Does the post bother you? What do you find more upsetting about it, me posting in response to an ignorant comment about antisemitism or the content of the post?

[walkingman]

178. I agree with you. I call it "herd mentality" on every topic.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

53. Talk about misleading headlines

No, it hasn't "moved." It still exists on the right. What we're seeing now is how it exists on the left, *too.*

Big fricking difference.

[BootinUp]

59. the statistics he cites only weakly supports the hypothesis, imho. nt

[llashram]

62. 95%?

no matter this study...nah. Interesting read though.

[AloeVera]

87. 95% including "unidentified activists". LOL

[betsuni]

69. K&R

[Bucky]

70. It's not hard to slip from criticizing Israel to hinting at anti-semitic tropes

I agree that it's necessary for people criticizing Israel to take care to divorce their arguments from any rhetorical hint of anti-semitism. It's very easy to unintentionally use language -- when discussing how the powerful are disregarding the safety of the powerless -- to mirror some of the dog whistles that generations of bigots have littered into our political culture.

I think it's also incumbent upon people supporting Israel in this war to make sure they're not conflating criticism of the way the war is fought with hatred of Jews or objection to Israel defending its people.

The rule of thumb is don't ask questions like "So you don't think Israel has a right to defend itself?" It's disingenuous and signals your not listening to the other side.

And don't compare Netanyahu to any chaplinesque 20th century warmongers. If any historical analogs apply, he's Israel's Dubya, allowing his own intelligence failures (including failures of intelligence) to bumble his country into a flawed execution of a poorly conceived war plan.

[AntiFascist]

104. I have been critical of Netanyahu and the Likud Party practically since I first joined DU for about 20 years...

I've tried to warn about what I sensed as a global, almost conspiratorial rise of right-wing, anti-democratic leaning autocrats. In fact, the term "Deep State" originally referred to organized, anti-democratic, anti-socialist coalitions inside the Turkish government: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_state_in_Turkey Of course now, Trump has completely turned this around to refer to some sort of leftist global conspiracy.

Netanyahu's end game is likely to become the so-called 'strongman' leader who establishes the dominance of Israel within the Arab world. I fear for what this will mean for the future of Israel, its global reputation, and the future of its democracy.

[Sympthsical]

77. Oppression ideology requires villains

And Jews and Israel make really good ones. They're not particularly powerful in America - you can go nuts, and as we see, college administrations won't really do anything. They're an exquisite punching bag. The police don't stop the antisemites from threatening Jews - they tell the Jews to stay away from areas or stay in their homes.

The antisemites get the freedom of the space and the benefit of the doubt.

You can cloak the bigotry using others' suffering as your shield to engage in it. There is, of course, legitimate criticism of Israel. Netanyahu deserves a ton. The settlements in the West Bank are a big problem.

However, that legitimate criticism gets blended in and conflated with the antisemitism to render the antisemitism palatable. "From the river to the sea!" which is a blatant call for the destruction of Israel, gets euphemized into, "We just want freedom and peace."

Destruction of Israel = peace. This is the Orwellian mind twist people are being asked to make so you don't see the perfidy of the defenses. Genocide, apartheid, colonialism. Any word in the English language can get a total rework well past its useful definition, because people just want all of the worst words we have to apply to Israel. And what a lot of these people apply to Israel they happily extend to Jews in general, as we see in campus behaviors recently.

People really do think you can't see the antisemitism and that they can successfully gaslight everyone into magically not seeing it.

And let us not discuss the first world privilege involved in it all. Comfortable people can believe ugly things and engage in ugly acts when they know they themselves will not suffer consequences for the attitudes and policies they promote.

And when damage is done, well, the Jews probably had it coming. Wasn't that the lesson of October 7th? Because that certainly seems to be lesson some are taking away and spreading around, despite their mealymouthed attempts to say they aren't saying exactly what they are saying. I can't say, "I'm against violence," then slap a child in the face, and then when someone calls me out go, "I said I was against violence! Geez, what's your problem. I said it!" Ok, fine, you said it. So when does the child-slapping stop then?

The excuse doesn't matter when the behavior continues. Saying you're not antisemitic doesn't matter if you're literally engaging in it as you're in mid-denial.

[sarisataka]

78. It hasn't moved from one side to another

Perception has changed that it is acceptable, as long as you don't say "Jew" it isn't antisemitic.

It is allowing some to voice the antisemitism they have always had.

[Maru Kitteh]

105. I hadn't considered it in that way. I think most of them are like my MIL, who

(and gerd how I wish I was joking about this) thinks that she isn't a racist because a) she doesn't support the KKK and b) she once had a black family with a mother and a father go through her line at Walmart and she noticed how well dressed and clean the children were and she was so nice she even complimented those parents on having such clean children so you see she couldn't be a racist.

[Behind the Aegis]

108. That is common.

Look at all those regaling us with their "Jew relatives" or how somebody in their past....way back in the day....fucked a Jew, and therefore, they are Jew-ish. Or the ones who "condemn" Hamas, then immediately show off their big 'BUT(t)s'. The non-Jewish posters telling us which ones are the "good Jews" and disagreeing with them means we, Jewish people, are the ones with the problem and might not really be Jews. It is nothing more than microaggressive iteration of "there are Blacks and then there are....", except, there are "good Jews, then there are kikes."

[Jedi Guy]

168. "...and therefore, they are Jew-ish."

"AdJewcent" is the term an acquaintance of mine has started using.

[struggle4progress]

80. Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2022

... The dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents in 2022 in almost all categories cannot be attributed to any one cause or ideology. Significant surges in incidents include high volume increases in organized white supremacist propaganda activity (102% increase to 852 incidents), K-12 schools (49% increase to 494 incidents) and college campuses (41% increase to 219 incidents), as well as deeply troubling percentage increases in attacks on Orthodox Jews (69% increase to 59 Incidents) and bomb threats toward Jewish institutions (an increase from eight to 91 incidents).

Known white supremacist networks engaged in coordinated efforts to spread antisemitic propaganda, which accounted for 852 incidents in 2022, more than double the 422 incidents in 2021. If white supremacist activity had remained the same in 2022 as in 2021, the Audit total would have been 3,267 ...

https://www.adl.org/resources/report/audit-antisemitic-incidents-2022

[RandySF]

88. As a gentile, I don't see nearly as much left wing in America as we see in Europe.

It's also a matter of definition. For example, some believe that critics of Israel's settlement policy (and I am one of them) are antisemitic. Am I? But the VAST majority of overt acts in America come from the right.

[LauraInLA]

92. At the moment...

You said, “ But the VAST majority of overt acts in America come from the right.”

That was almost certainly true a year ago. At the moment, I don’t think you’re correct. I live in Los Angeles — the number of incidents here alone in the last two weeks has been astonishing. These are largely against individuals, people identifiable as Jews, without reference to their views about Israel/Netanyahu. And the perpetrators have been very open in stating their motives — they are NOT right-wingers.

[scipan]

90. False equivalence

The most important parts to me:

We included any attacks against Jews which were motivated by the religious identity of the victims – even if it was motivated by anger about Israeli policies.

In the U.S., our data shows that 95% of antisemitic incidents motivated by Israel’s policies were perpetrated by far-left or unidentified activists

It seems fairly clear that this is about incidents where people on the left were holding Jewish people responsible for Israeli government policies. (It doesn't say anything about how many other forms of antisemitism were shown by lefties.)

That probably qualifies as antisemitism IMO but is not the same by a long shot as typical far-right antisemitism. Furthermore, it doesn't do anybody any good to conflate the two, unless your purpose is to cast the left in a bad light.

Again, it's not okay IMO to hold individuals responsible for Israeli behaviors just because they are Jewish. But I fail to see the equivalence with denigrating Jews as being inherently bad/inferior or wanting them dead.

[LauraInLA]

93. I don't think the reason for the hatred is the most important part.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-arrested-l-allegedly-attempting-break-jewish-familys-home-rcna122334

A family in Studio City, CA, was attacked in their home this past week by a knife-wielding invader who wanted to kill them because they were Jewish. In this case, he was angry about Palestinian suffering; would it have been better or worse if he thought that Jews had murdered Jesus? I don’t think his reasoning would make it more or less frightening/threatening for the family. He could have been a right-wing nut job; in this case he skewed to the left. Regardless, he was unhinged and could have killed them.

[ripcord]

98. That is indeed a form a anti-semitism

If someone is blaming American Jews for Israeli policies that they have no voice in then that person is a hateful anti-semite. We don't blame American's of Russian decent for the Ukraine war and only a very ignorant person would blame American Jews for Israeli policies. This is a common thread among anti-semites, blaming Jews for things they aren't responsible for and just so you know there is only one kind of anti-semitism, the hateful kind and dismissing this crap is irresponsible.

[Sympthsical]

99. Boy, memories of Japanese internment have gone right out the window

It's a bit strange how all these instances of things we used to discuss at great length - bigotry, internment, antisemitism, fascism, the 1930s, etc. - have scattered to the winds as soon as actual events arrived.

It almost makes a body begin to doubt the sincerity of previous sentiments.

[stuck in the middle]

128. The recent racist attacks on George Takei here at DU were disgusting.

Why I love a country that once betrayed me | George Takei

[inthewind21]

158. LOTS

Of history goes right out the window when it's inconvenient to the outrage of the moment.

[scipan]

115. I didn't dismiss it. I said it was antisemitic.

I still think that there is a difference between that and people with tiki torches chanting "Jews will not replace us". One can be reasoned with, the other is filled with hate and paranoia.

There's already too much emotion laden rhetoric about this. I see people I follow on Twitter taking more and more extreme positions. It's getting a little scary. I don't know how this will end.

[SocialDemocrat61]

135. Well said

My heritage is Italian and no one blames me for the actions or policies of the government of Italy. I know many Jewish people who object to the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Conservative Christians who defend Netanyahu.

Blaming all Jewish people for the actions and policies of Netanyahu is wrong just at blaming all Palestinians for the atrocities committed by Hamas is wrong.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

102. My husband is Jewish.

He's secular. When we were first together in the 80's I recall having very heated arguments over Palestinians. As my heritage is British/Finnish/Slavic I had an outsider's perspective and saw the Palestinians as pawns in the conflict. The state of Israel came after the Holocaust - the height of vicious and abhorrent antisemitism. My feeling was that maybe Israel could relate to the plight of Palestinians. But sadly those supporting terrorism had other ideas.

Mainly, I think this particular fight is more about land than people. I don't see it as being antisemitic if you empathize with peaceful Palestinians who are held captive by Hamas. Especially the very young whose only crime was to be born.

[disablegamer]

122. Why does this feel like a Trap

if you say one thing you are wrong. If you don't say anything you are wrong. Yet you can't defend yourself because you are already set up as bad for loving peace.

[Celerity]

124. Just because someone claims you are wrong does not necessarily mean you are wrong.

[tavernier]

136. If there was an asteroid headed for earth in three days

and everyone knew for certain that there would be total annihilation, these arguments would still go on until the final impact. And in the end it wouldn’t matter ever again who was right or wrong.

Humans are not yet evolved enough to live together even when given an entire planet.

[Chainfire]

137. Something certainly seems to have changed.

I am not sure if antisemitism has moved to the left or Israel has moved to the right. As Dr. Einstein said, "Its all relative."

[Happy Hoosier]

154. A bit of both....

.... make no mistake.... Israel under Nutandyahoo is a right wing government. But plenty of on the left here have embraced Antisemitic stereotypes to villify Israel, even in the face of of the monstrousness of Hamas.

I see thread after thread of how horrible those Ebil Israelis are, but the same people do not loudly condemn Hamas continuing to hold over 200 civilian hostages. The outrage seems to move only one direction.

[inthewind21]

159. Interesting

Pretty sure being antisemitic is against the DU TOS. How could you be seeing so many antisemitic posts? OMG! So I guess now DU is antisemitic.

[Chainfire]

169. I look at a lot of posts here, but I have not seen what you are describing.

Perhaps we are reading the same words differently. If your complaint is that a poster voices dissatisfication with some policy coming out of Isreal, and in the same post does not damn Hamas for its horrible actions, then they are somehow anti-Semetic, then I just think that you need to reconsider. I, and I suspect most posters here, whether said or unsaid, unconditionally damn the Hamas mass murder that started this war and also damn the illegal holding of hostages. I believe that in this forum, you can take that for granted. Now, that that has been said, and sincererly meant, I will also say that there are policies in the current war, that are under the control of Israel, that I think are inhumane and probably illegal as well. I do not believe that one atrocity should be repaid with another atrocity. I have always stood by Israel, but there are paths they are taking that I will never follow.

[obamanut2012]

176. Many Americans don't get that Bibi is Israel's Trump

And he and his buddies have been in power for a long time. Imagine Trump and his minions being in power here for over a decade.

Bibi is ultra RW.

[mathematic]

160. It hasn't moved. A pervasive idea on the left denies Jewish identity: they're really just white Europeans.

How could this denial be anything other than antisemitism? It's a wholesale erasure of Jewish identity in the political discourse. They consider Jewish people a "type of" white, like Italians.

[Chakaconcarne]

164. If I'm "antisemite" because I oppose the Netanyahoo leadership, then I must be anti-american..

for opposing Trump/Maga Leadership?

Could be wrong, but it seems to me any opposition from the left is being spun against Israel in general, when it's really against Netanyahoo.

That is my opinion.

[Scrivener7]

166. And yet: "Jayapal warns that Biden's support from Arab and Muslim-American voters could be at risk for handing of Israel

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218411301

Seems to me like this is a perfect subject for the right to use to peel off some Democratic voters.

[Maru Kitteh]

171. Antisemitism raising it's STUPID, hateful, performance-theatre hands RIGHT NOW

During the Blinken testimony. Those assholes can fuck ALL THE WAY OFF.

[Joinfortmill]

177. So damn sick of this.

Full disclosure. I'm an old gal raised a Catholic, was a very religious child, wanted to be a nun. Instead, I married a Jewish fellow when I was 20, had 2 kids, divorced 6 years later. I stopped being religious a long time ago. Religion is the blame for a lot of this. I worry for my son and his children who carry a very Hebrew name.

[gay texan]

179. I want people to stop blowing each other up

In the name of an invisable sky daddy.

Im tired of the death and destruction.

Im tired of the pain and the suffering.