Noting the ugly antisemitism his own family has dealt with, Robert Reich writes that he's glad that President Biden has confronted, antisemitism, but:
"I also worry that by speaking out against antisemitism without acknowledging what has sparked the student protests across America, he is conflating those protests with antisemitism.
By and large, the protests are not motivated by antisemitism."
"After many talks with demonstrators and faculty, it seems clear to me this protest movement is centered on moral outrage at the killings of tens of thousands of innocent people in Gaza, most of them women and children.
Many of the demonstrators are themselves Jewish.
Jews have been involved in these protests for the same reason Jews were so involved in other social justice movements —"
“''If any Jewish person voted for Joe Biden, they should be ashamed of themselves.' That’s ex-President Trump this morning as he headed into the courtroom in New York City. This is worth everyone taking a close look at. When Trump feels cornered and scared one of his go-tos is to lash out at American Jews."
The academics took issue with the act’s use of the International Holocaust Awareness Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which has raised concerns that legitimate criticisms of the state of Israel could be seen as antisemitic under the bill.
Sticker seen at shopping centre carpark in Deer Park. Without more context it could be interpreted as anti-semitic, although the website doesn't otherwise appear to be. Does anyone know the specific context of this meme? #palestine#antisemitism
I’m impressed by the intellectual flexibility that’s required to believe that college kids are both afflicted with extreme wokeness and are also prone to rabid expressions of #antisemitism.
These things can only be reconciled by claiming that calls for divestment or a ceasefire are inherently antisemitic. Which is common but nonsensical.
"A clear line of argument has emerged from many progressive commentators: First, the overwhelming majority of the protesters are peaceful and not anti-Semitic. Second, it undermines and mischaracterizes a vital movement to focus on a few bad actors who spout anti-Semitic vitriol, or to emphasize a few chants that glorify Hamas or call for the destruction of Israel."
These #proHamas agitators aren't even trying to hide their brazen #antisemitism. They sent Jewish students a letter threatening them, their freedom, and their safety if they don't singlehandedly liberate the #Palestinians and destroy #Israel. It's time for these #IslamistTerrorists to stop harassing and committing violence against innocent #JewishStudents, and go find something else to do with their time. Their #lawlessness is getting really tired.
I read a Politico piece that referred to students walking out to demand a ceasefire as an “antisemitic incident.”
This stuff tells people that there’s no shame in being called an antisemite and that perhaps reports of real antisemitic incidents are overblown. Just makes the world more dangerous for Jews. #media#gazaprotests#antisemitism
A debate about the differences of #antiZionism & #antiSemitism isn't possible @freieuniversitaet . Some might say that's corrupted by design, but I'd call it a classic conflict of interest.
However, #FUBerlin president prof. Ziegler published today: “This kind of protest is not dialogue oriented. An occupation of university property is not acceptable. We welcome academic debate and dialogue – but not in this form,”
"President Joe Biden on Tuesday issued a call to fight a 'ferocious surge' of antisemitism, saying such hate has no place in America as he connected the horrors of the Holocaust to Hamas’ attack on Israel."
CNN reports on Biden's speech at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. "Biden’s staunch support for Israel’s war against Hamas, which has now led to the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians, has caused deep fractures in the coalition that sent him to the White House in 2020."
A cogent summation of what American Jews are feeling right now. Since it's from Xitter, I'm using the Thread Reader App to share it here so y'all can read without going to The Bad Place.
A #Jewish woman who called a Lyft saw the October 7 license plate.
She asked the company for a refund which was initially denied.
The DMV said they are looking into the plate.
A marcher wears a yellow badge appearing to resemble those the #Nazis forced Jews to wear as a demonstrator raises a Palestinian flag
Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a remembrance march to honour the victims of Nazi atrocities at the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Jules Koifman, a Canadian living in London who attended the march, said: “Pro-Palestinian protesters here at the Yom HaShoah ceremony – it’s really disgusting." #antisemitism @palestine @israelhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/06/pro-palestinian-protesters-heckle-holocaust-memorial-march/
On #YomHaShoah I think about the Jews of Švihov, whose torn Torah my shul was gifted with. We say Kaddish for them even though, for many of them, their first or full names are lost and we only have a last name or, at worst, birth year.
Only their Torah survived, and that was defaced. The shul is currently working to have it restored. But even when we first received it, almost 2 years ago, we gave it pride of place.
With the Torah comes a mandate to continue to remember the Jews who once revered & taught from it. Who were killed while their scrolls were warehoused by Nazis.
And also to continue to teach the world what hate can do & why people of love & solidarity must ALWAYS intervene.
I've been crying through this whole thread. Our Torah represents a whole village killed, whole families. Some of them were only small children.
This is why my shul takes its anti-racism and anti-hate work so seriously.
At the end of the original thread, I posted a link to our synagogue's website so folks could read more about the town, our scroll, and the #HolocaustTorah program more generally.
That is no longer possible. The site is now members-only because it was spammed by so much anti-Jewish hate.