(Jewish Group) Why liberal Jewish women are demanding more from Women's March

[Behind the Aegis]

(THIS THE JEWISH GROUP! RESPECT!!)

On the heels of actress and activist Alyssa Milano’s remarkable statement indicating that she plans to boycott the upcoming 2019 Women’s March because of its leaders’ persistent anti-Semitic behavior, there has been a backlash in our own Jewish feminist ranks. Jewish women are being urged not to abandon the national Women’s March, lest we empower white supremacists, who are more dangerous to Jews and to women, and are only too delighted to sow divisiveness among social justice activists. In effect, the argument goes, to raise a fuss about anti-Semitism among Women’s March leaders or other progressive activists is to be a tool of the far right.

It is condescending to presume that Jews who call out people like Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory are being manipulated and duped. We know anti-Semitism when we see it. In fact, Sarsour recently hit a new low by invoking on Twitter the pernicious “dual loyalty” canard that has been the basis of persecution of Jews for centuries by accusing progressive Jews of caring more about Israel than they do about preserving American values and ideals.

Like almost every other issue these days, the fight against anti-Semitism is becoming increasingly politicized, pitting right against left in a meaningless debate about the identity of the worst anti-Semites in our midst. But there is no “anti-Semitism Olympics,” where we crown David Duke and Richard Spencer’s team with the gold medal as the far more dangerous, authentic anti-Semites, while Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam come in a distant second and have to settle for the silver. All anti-Semitism emanates from the same age-old tropes of the sinister, untrustworthy, greedy, repulsive Jew. Peddlers of this evil all need to be fought with the same conviction and vigor, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum and how their messages are packaged.

For decades, and for very ethical, laudable reasons, many Jewish activists have condemned Farrakhan while taking care to keep the lines of dialogue and communication open with his supporters. Efforts to share mutual narratives, collaborate on a huge range of public policy initiatives and nurture deep interfaith bonds have all strengthened connections between Jews and other minority groups in our local communities, and benefited society as a whole.

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