Antisemitism is one of the world’s oldest forms of prejudice towards a group of people–Jews. Jewish people around the globe are affected by Antisemitism–whether in New York or Greece.
Antisemitism does not refer to hatred of people of all origins who speak a Semitic language, as some think; it relates only to the disdain of Jewish people. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization dedicated to fighting Antisemitism, defines Antisemitism as “The belief or behavior hostile toward Jews just because they are Jewish. It may take the form of religious teachings proclaiming the inferiority of Jews, for instance, or political efforts to isolate, oppress or otherwise injure them. It may also include prejudiced or stereotyped views about Jews.”
While some Antisemitism comes from the political right–usually neo-Nazis, some forms of Antisemitism come from the political left.
Left-wing Antisemitism criticizes Jews for supporting Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, and its occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Right-wing Antisemitism, however, attacks Jews using centuries-old Antisemitic tropes. Such tropes include the idea that Jewish people control the media, the banks, and politics.
The centuries-old saying that Jewish people are greedy is not accurate. A big part of Judaism is called Tzedakah, or giving to charity. When I was growing up, myself and my peers were often encouraged to bring coins for Tzedakah to Hebrew School so that we could give them to those less fortunate. Tzedakah comes from the root, Tzedek, meaning righteous.
We usually hear about Jewish Antisemitic stereotypical tropes from groups like QAnon, the Proud Boys, or those who marched in Charlottesville in 2017.
When the Neo-Nazis in Charlottesville chanted, “Jews Will Not Replace Us,” they did not come up with that phrase. The phrase has been around since at least the early 1900s when Jews started immigrating in the masses to the U.S., and Jewish-owned businesses replaced Christian-owned ones. The truth is, Christians were scared that Jews, out of nowhere, started opening up the competition to their businesses.
Jewish people of the time wanted a better life for themselves, to live the American dream.
Antisemitism has been around even since the time of Jesus, where a common Antisemitic trope is that Jews killed Jesus.
So now that the trope that Jews are greedy and want to replace Christians debunked, let’s talk about Antisemitic tropes from the left.
A May 2021 article from Pew Research about Jewish Americans and their views on Israel says 72% of Democrats/Democratic-leaning Jews in the U.S. say that Israelis and Palestinians can coexist peacefully. While only 40% of Republican/Republican-leaning Jews agree the Palestinians and Israelis can coexist peacefully.
Republican-leaning Americans usually don’t agree that Palestine should have a sovereign nation because of the U.S. Republican politicians who support Israel for evangelical purposes.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the ADL, feels strongly about his organization’s mission. Greenblatt wrote an article in the Washington Post where he wrote about left-wing Antisemitism being subtle.
A left-wing activist group that embodies left-wing Antisemitism is the Sunrise Movement, a nationwide movement dedicated to fighting climate change.
Greenblatt wrote in the Washington Post that the Sunrise Movement’s D.C. chapter “would not speak at a rally later that week in support of D.C. statehood because of the participation of three Jewish groups ‘that are all in alignment with and in support of Zionism and the State of Israel,’ and asked the organizers of the rally to remove all three groups from the list of supporters.”
It is common to see American left-wing activist groups act on their Antisemitic views by not showing up to events because Jews who support Israel speak at an event.
This occurrence wasn’t an outlier, we often see this type of left-wing Antisemitism on college campuses nationwide, and it scares Jewish college students nationwide. Left-wing activist groups go out of their way not to attend events where Jewish organizations are present because they support Israel.
While I support Israel, I also support the idea of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution, which I believe is the only feasible solution to the conflict.
The solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict shouldn’t favor one side or another. It should be about peace and equal opportunity for both sides.
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Whether coming from the left or the right wing, Antisemitism is common in America. The American public should educate themselves on the history of Antisemitism, from persecution to the many activist and conspiracy theory groups speaking their views of Jew-hatred.
Jewish people want the world to educate itself on the history of Antisemitism so that history does not repeat itself.
Sources to Educate Yourself on Antisemitism:
