(Jewish Group) Condemning Anti-Semitism Should Not Be Difficult for Womens March Leaders

[Behind the Aegis]

(THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP! RESPECT!!)

“I’m tired of our movements not taking anti-Semitism seriously. … It is taking a toll on me and on all Jewish people on the left. We are tired and heartbroken.”

So tweeted Sophie Ellman-Golan, the highest-ranking Jewish woman among the leadership of the Women’s March movement, in response to her colleague Tamika Mallory attending a Nation of Islam rally and cheering on Rev. Louis Farrakhan as he spewed forth the kind of anti-Semitic rhetoric for which he is notorious.

I am one of those Jews that Ellman-Golan references. But make no mistake, I am not tired or heartbroken. I am angry.

I am angry at the apparent double standard on the left when it comes to appeasing blatant bigotry. To date, responses among many Jewish progressives have ranged from deafening silence to angst-ridden, qualified expressions of dismay. Activist Jews must stop hedging, equivocating and lamenting. Rather, we must stand up for ourselves and our people.

We would not expect African-Americans to apologize for having a “zero-tolerance” policy toward public figures who champion racist beliefs. Jews understand that the pernicious legacy of slavery and Jim Crow lives on in current attitudes, policies and actions, and that telling blacks to shed the heavy, piercing baggage of their history is both an insult and a folly. The United States is still a land where merely “driving while black” can lead to calamity, and where racial disparities in economic, educational and health care status remain appalling. It is this unacceptable status quo that compels many American Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, where I serve as associate director, to continue to prioritize advocacy and community education on issues such as criminal justice reform, strengthened hate crimes laws and racial justice writ large.

more...

[DURHAM D]

1. This is what happens when two grifters take over a movement.

The March group is doomed if they don't get this fixed and soon.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. I agree.

I am finally also starting to see backlash from the GLBT community, who have been pointing out Farrakhan's LONG history of homophobia and his more recent transphobia.