Any discourse about the terror state of Israel is going to draw in strange characters, including express antisemites, and I’ve been noticing a sparse but present range of bigoted language and sentiment in response to Israel’s invasion of Gaza. I can’t tell if people are merely erroneously equating the state of Israel with Jews broadly (as Israel itself does), or this is a cynical hijacking of the anti-imperialist movement by right-wingers and other bad actors. Either way, it’s not too uncommon to hear people express inappropriate hatred of Jewish people in general when criticizing Israel specifically.
I want to be absolutely clear that I have not seen a single instance of such behavior on this site, but it does exist elsewhere, even if in small amounts. Obviously, the problem of imperialist genocide goes far beyond, and does not necessarily encompass, Jews or Judaism, and it’s clear that communists understand this far better than most.
With all that in mind, is there a way to educate these folks? When you see antisemitic remarks like I’ve described, what do you say?
It might help to use examples of some of what Zionists have done to Jewish people in order to demonstrate that it’s not Jewish people that are the issue - it’s a white settler state that happens to be majority European-Jewish trying to justify its colony while serving the interests of the US and Europe in the region. Anarcho-Bolshevik recently posted something about the Iron Dome misfire that has links to a number of shit Israel’s done that’s been harmful to Jewish people.
And if they somehow take that as a justification to hate Jewish people because a handful are exploiting their own people, then they’re probably dumb (can’t see that’s what happens all across the world, throughout history, and isn’t a racial or culturally exclusive thing), or just looking for something to justify their hate. In either case, it’s probably a wasted effort to convince them, but by pointing out their flawed logic, you might convince others who are listening to the convo.
Explain how antisemitism is useful for the ruling class. Zionists specifically promote antisemitism and tie all anti-Zionism to antisemitism because it’s useful for convincing Jews around the world to become settlers to escape the antisemitism that the Zionists helped foster.
Oh! I’ve been wondering why they do that, but that makes sense, thanks for that insight!
Swiftly, efficiently, and wherever you see it. Antisemites are going to be antisemites regardless, but don’t let people who you care about fall into these dark holes of hate. The existence of Anti-Zionist Jews should be evidence enough that what’s happening in Palestine doesn’t represent all Jews/ Judaism. Joe Slovo was high ranking Jewish politician in the ANC, served as commander of one of it’s military wings at one point, and served under Nelson Mandela as a minister as well. He was also very much against the apartheid of the Zionist regime. Highlighting the unified struggles of multinational & interreligious groups is a fast way to dispel antisemitic garbage.
I think it’s efficient to draw the line between the Jewish people and Israel, the zionist entity or whatever you want to call it.
I’ve written a few versions of “don’t mistake the Jewish people from the fascist Israeli state”. Didn’t get many responses on it, which means people went to look for trouble somewhere else, in my book.
But there isn’t really “educate” on the online land. It’s most about occupying and disputing the space, as our sanity allows.
"In answer to your inquiry:
National and racial chauvinism is a vestige of the misanthropic customs characteristic of the period of cannibalism. Anti-semitism, as an extreme form of racial chauvinism, is the most dangerous vestige of cannibalism.
Anti-semitism is of advantage to the exploiters as a lightning conductor that deflects the blows aimed by the working people at capitalism. Anti-semitism is dangerous for the working people as being a false path that leads them off the right road and lands them in the jungle. Hence Communists, as consistent internationalists, cannot but be irreconcilable, sworn enemies of anti-semitism.
In the U.S.S.R. anti-semitism is punishable with the utmost severity of the law as a phenomenon deeply hostile to the Soviet system. Under U.S.S.R. law active anti-semites are liable to the death penalty."
Thank you comrade Stalin!
Those who cannot differentiate correlation and causation, well you can’t really reason with them. They will simply list bad things that people who happen to be Jewish did, and use that as causus belli against Judaism itself. Obviously the logic doesn’t work this way; Judaism like all other non-cult religions teach you to be compassionate, be a good person, be nice to others, etc. There are obviously bad Jews who go against this, just as there are bad Muslims who don’t listen to Muhammad’s teachings to be nice to each other and start beheading all the non-believers. What Israel is doing right now has not much to do with religion or race, it is simply that those currently in power are bad people. Replace them with good people (Jewish or not) and the crisis is averted.
Antisemitism hurts all Jews, both good and bad. This is unacceptable, as it is indiscriminate (like Israel’s bombing of Palestine). If you have 5 bad guys and 1 good guy in a room, you don’t throw a grenade in; you storm in and make accurate shots even if it means more risk to you. It is much encouraged to be anti-badpeople, as all people belonging to that group is bad.
Just my views, I guess you’d agree with them, but I don’t know if someone dense would be able to buy it. Some people lack rational thought and that’s the way it is. If needed, use force to prevent them from doing something stupid (if they threaten you good Jewish neighbor, beat them up until they don’t!).
I generally agree, but I think classifying people as good or bad is only necessary when people are an immediate threat to you. A more nuanced approach is that the culture people grow up in can make people accept antisocial behaviors.
