(Jewish Group) To fight antisemitism, you need to clearly define it

[Behind the Aegis]

With the appointment of Professor Deborah Lipstadt as the new Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, attention will focus on the Biden Administration’s plans to confront the persistent scourge of antisemitism which has increased in the wake of the COVID pandemic and the recent conflict. She will have an enormous task taking on the global reach of this age-old hatred, even as others will need to address the challenge of antisemitism here in the United States.

One of the most important and useful tools in the global fight is the Working Definition of Antisemitism.

There were over a dozen “authors” of this definition, originally issued by the European Union’s Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia in 2005 — scholars on antisemitism, Jewish organizational experts and advocates in Europe, Israel and the United States. I was one of them, and I led the efforts to negotiate the language of the definition with the director and staff of the EUMC. My American Jewish Committee colleague at the time, Ken Stern, helped gather and combine the many drafts into a final coherent text. Many of those original authors remain convinced this one-page definition is a critical tool in understanding and combating antisemitism that merits widespread adoption and use. Only one of them has become a vocal critic.

In his recent opinion piece for the Forward, Ken Stern — that one critic — asserts that the definition was intended to improve the collection of data on antisemitic incidents but instead “has been primarily used to suppress and chill pro-Palestinian speech.”

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

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[Chainfire]

1. I have seen people being accused, not necessarily by Jews, of anti-Semitic behavior for disagreeing

with Israeli national policies that had nothing to do with religion. In my opinion, it is not anti-Semitic to have empathy with Palestinians, but I understand that not everyone agrees with that.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. I have seen the same, people accused of Islamophobia for disagreeing with various Muslim nations.

While it is not anti-Semitic to feel sympathy, empathy, or comradery with the Palestinians or their cause, it also cannot be used as a justification for anti-Semitism. Of course, there are some who misuse the term, sometimes on purpose, but, IMO, usually by mistake or over-protectiveness. This is the same for any minority group. I will point out something I have observed over the years and that is this, when it comes to various bigotries, it is almost exclusively the right who makes statements like, "Just because Obama (insert other left-leaning black politician/celebrity) is black, doesn't mean every criticism is racist." and this type of formula is used for other forms of bigotry as well. It is a strawman. The only time I see that came or similar wording from the left, is when it involves Jews and/or Israel. Therefore, I see strawman statements about anti-Semitism, in my opinion, is they are reactionary and possibly anti-Semitic.

I also find it "curious" that almost every minority group under the sun gets to "define" the bigotry against them, except the Jews. Almost every minority person, when confronted by or contradicted by a majority member, can claim "'splainin'", except when it is the Jews. Majority members on the left are conscientious about discussions of race, sex, sexual identity, trans identity, and the list goes on, but when it comes to Jews, then, suddenly, one need not worry about not being a Jew, and, in fact their non-Jewish perspective is even more important, more weighted, that that of a Jew.