(Jewish Group)Unpopular opinion:The US left needs to set its hatred of Israel aside and deal with AS

[Behind the Aegis]

(THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP! RESPECT!!)

Unpopular opinion: The US left needs to set its hatred of Israel aside and deal with antisemitism

The United States is in the midst of a crisis of empire, brought on by Donald Trump and the Republican Party, which would rather see the nation burn than cede an inch of ground to Democrats. On the left, a newly energized population has dubbed itself “the resistance,” and is turning out in force to vote, protest, and call their representatives. But there’s a problem.

Antisemitism is par for the course on the right, where extremists engage in Holocaust denial, foment conspiracy theories about some sort of “Jewish elite,” and engage in like acts of hatred. And it’s a playbook used worldwide by people like Vladimir Putin. This deeply-rooted hatred of Jewish people is something the left should be opposing in loud voices, but it’s not. Instead, antisemitism is largely tolerated, despite the escalating rhetoric and the states.

Why? Why can’t the left condemn antisemitism in the same terms that it decries other forms of injustice?

One theory proposed by some members of the American Jewish community is the left’s inability to separate Jewish people from Israel, and the left’s rabid hatred of the idea of Israel as a Jewish state. Jewish people of conscience and varying positions on Israel argue that the left veers into antisemitism with its rhetoric about Israel, perpetuating injustice. American Jews are frequently called to answer for the sins of Israel — their opinions on the matter aside — and any discussion of oppression is countered with “but what about Israel?”

This is a grave and hateful mistake in a climate where Twitter freely hosts people talking about “ovens,” “the big nose tribe,” and other dogwhistles. When Facebook tolerates antisemitic rhetoric, saying it doesn’t violate their terms of service. While Jewish lesbians are ordered to put their pride flags away because they contain a Star of David — a symbol that predates Israel.

In a social climate where the right treats Jewish people as the propagators of some sort of scheme for new world order, the left wishes to hold each and every single one accountable for the misdeeds of a country some feel no connections to. Other members of the American Jewish community are zionist. Or believe in a two state solution, or a secular state, or any number of other things. But the left appears disinterested in engaging with the reasons why some Jewish people feel connected with Israel, with the existential crisis that was the Holocaust and is the continued persecution of Jewish people all over the world.

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[still_one]

1. The dirty little secret is that there some on the left who have the same anti-Jewish feelings as

those on the right, but many times it conveniently gets ignored because other political ideals align

[leftynyc]

2. That's a great piece

All I can tell you is that today, in trump's America - I've never been more grateful that Israel exists. It's often in times like this that things get very ugly for Jews but now we have a place to go where we not only belong, but will be protected. In fact, I leave for there 2 weeks from today for a much needed vacation.

[marybourg]

3. I don't intend to distance myself from Israel

in order to prove that I’m an authentic “lefty”. And I think Israel’s “misdeeds” are largely in the eyes of the beholder.