"Being woke and antisemitic is like a vegan who eats veal."

[DemocratSinceBirth]

I saw it on a billboard in Hollywood. Stop Jew hatred. Being woke and antisemitic are mutually exclusive.

[Elessar Zappa]

1. Antisemitism is definitely on the rise.

When all else fails, blame the Jew!

[Submariner]

7. Is it really on the rise?

Or is it because we just get to hear it more often because we are surrounded by 8 billion people.

Because I’ve heard this same antisemitism in the ‘60s when our population count was 3 million, maybe just not so freaking often with so many more illiterate racists in our midst.

[Elessar Zappa]

11. It seems like it.

Maybe it’s just being reported on more.

[Kennah]

26. This. It's been there all along. Just now it's speaking up.

[Behind the Aegis]

16. Yes, it is.

Sources point to spikes in anti-Semitism, as well as other forms of bigotry. It has risen over the past 5 years. Any thoughts as to why?

[jaxexpat]

2. Or a vegan butcher.

[ColinC]

3. I worry that isn't so much targeting anti semitism as much as

Anti-Israel/Palestine policy.


Thinking Israel shouldn’t be killing people in the West Bank isn’t anti semitism, but certain groups want you to think it is.

[Elessar Zappa]

4. A lot of anti-Israel protests veer into anti-semitism.

Not all but a lot.

[ColinC]

6. I imagine they can. But we have seen people who simply call Israel's actions war crimes

“Anti semitic” when any rational observer -and amnesty international, will conclude they are indeed war crimes

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Some ideologues consider any criticism of Israel anti-semitic. . . . nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. I hold Netanyahu in the same regard as I hold Trump.

Doesn't mean I dislike Americans

[Hortensis]

29. BUT, in every other nation in the ME and east Africa are routinely committed

FAR MORE HORRENDOUS CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY AGAINST FAR MORE PEOPLE. Even the better ones, like Jordan. Every form of crime against humanity is being perpetrated against minority groups in the other nations.

Look any one of them up to find out which minority ethnic groups are being targeted there, sometimes for extinction, often by their government, often by extra-governmental terrorist groups either not controlled by government or with government complicity.

Deaths and displacements, unjust arrests and tortures, are counted in the dozens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands, and too often ultimately millions. Many of their victims would drop to their knees and kiss the ground if they found themselves and their families magically transported to the relative safety of the West Bank.

In contrast to devastation of targeted minority sects in other nations, population in the occupied territories has been booming for decades. Over 5M these days, with another 2M departed for other nations. In another nation, most of those Palestinians would never have been born to people themselves dead or dispersed.

Which brings us to how we can identify antisemites: They mostly ignore the dreadful regional holocausts (a few appropriate comments when one hits the front pages) to focus intensely on the far smaller and fewer atrocities related to the region's only Jewish state. Notice, btw, that they don't mention persecution of Palestinian sects outside Israel.

What people oppose, even hate, and what they ignore usually reveals far more truth than what they say. "Usually" because wishing evil on other peoples isn't nice. Bigotry isn't respected, and so the antisemitism behind much of the noisy outrage on this subject typically comes frosted over by pretense that it's not about what is.

[ColinC]

30. This

Thank you

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. I think it is in response to Kanye West and a couple of NBA players

They have been spouting anti-semitic shit about jews supposedly controlling sports and fashion and culture and ... everything because (supposedly) ... they are jews.

It's shit and it ain't woke.

[ColinC]

8. Indeed.I wonder tho does Kanye consider himself woke?

[Behind the Aegis]

15. Why the worry?

Many of the billboards do specifically target anti-Semitism. Shouldn't that be allowed? Isn't anti-Semitism bad?

Thinking Israel shouldn’t be killing people in the West Bank isn’t anti semitism, but certain groups want you to think it is.

Just as many think criticism of Israel is never anti-Semitic, wouldn't you find that to be as irresponsible and untrue as those who claim all criticism is anti-Semitic?

Frankly, there are certain groups who also downplay anti-Semitism at every turn, making excuses and 'splainin' to Jews what anti-Semitism is and isn't. At what point do the Jewish people get to have a say in determining what is and isn't offensive to us?

[Behind the Aegis]

21. Strawman.

Israel is a country and a government. It is not a religion. Criticizing Israel’s foreign and domestic policy has absolutely nothing to do with religion, and trying to tie those two things together in order to escape or deflect any form of criticism is quite flawed.

NOT what I said or implied. However, your remarks demonstrate a line of thinking that IGNORES anti-Semitism because of RARE misuses of it. Is all criticism of Iran racist or Islamophobic? Because what you are claiming about Israel is certainly applied to Iran and many other Muslim countries by a certain sect. OR do you recognize that SOME criticism of those countries CAN BE racist and Islamophobic?

ETA: I see you added something to your post which was out right laughable, because that DOES happen! So, the question remains, do you understand that SOME criticism of Israel can be anti-Semitic, even if rare? Also, do you understand that the OP was NOT about Israel, but anti-Semitism, and you decided to focus on rare misuse as opposed to the rampant anti-Semitism in the US and around the world, choosing to make your comments about ISRAEL and not ANTI-SEMITISM?

[Glorfindel]

9. Or this...

[blogslug]

13. This is the organization responsible for the billboards

https://www.jewbelong.com/

Here is a news story about some of the billboards being vandalized, featuring a response by one of the org's co-founders:

https://abc7news.com/berkeley-billboards-antisemitism-vandalism-hate-crime/12722825/

[LetMyPeopleVote]

14. K&R

[Just A Box Of Rain]

17. Unfortunately, anti-Semitism is rampant on the anti-democratic/Democratic far-left.

Much of it tries to "pass" as "anti-Zionism," but the reality is impossible to miss.

Damn shame.

[Hortensis]

18. :) "Antisemitic LWers are like antisemitic RWers who deplore capitalism."

I just said that.

But they ARE, a lot actually, proven by many studies. The events of 2015-2016 have lead to a lot more scientific scrutiny of the previously neglected far left. Before then, by far most was focused on the alarming developments among the far right, but turns out they have a whole LOT in common.

Btw, anti-business hate IS building on the right in general. Of course. Hard-core RWers are very good haters, always up for more; and in addition to reality-based drivers, it's a natural fit with the evil rich Jews myth.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

19. Good old Populism.

[Hortensis]

24. Yup! Antagonism's a far more powerful driver than claimed goals,

and research has found that most "populists" lean socially conservative, more so on the right but also on the left. Interesting that most people who feel a need to hide even mild bigotry against blacks STILL think they have society's permission to go after Jews, and we see them "outing" themselves that way. Serious self awareness deficiency.

But I was almost mentioning that studies are now seriously examining LW authoritarianism. Of course, there is a lot of overlap between populists looking for a leader to send a mob to storm "the establishment" and authoritarian followers of a charismatic leader who're also eager for marching orders.

[Behind the Aegis]

25. Spot on.

Of course, any attempt to discuss anti-Semitism is almost always derailed by those who want to make it about Israel. Just another way to perpetuate anti-Semitism.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

28. Certain political movements look to gain power by fueling anger, rage, and resentment.

Never works out well.

[Torchlight]

23. A biting and insightful (to me) message.

Watching antisemitism being given pretty packaging and commercial appeal with the justification that 'maybe they just don't like the policy' only to better cover up all manner of otherwise miserable and ugly assertions is a frustrating thing to watch.

A few vague references to What It Actually Might Be Instead, followed by a few instances of It Doesn't Always Mean That is enough indication (to me) that I'm dealing with a less than honest organization.

[Kennah]

27. Human who works for vampires