#in Israel and in the diaspora

[zorciarkrildrush]

Chag sameach!

I think I now get what I was missing in Enlightened Terminally Online Leftist Discourse, with help from this post. (I'm leaving out a good bit in the chain about American education because that part's really not my problem, but it is interesting)

People have decided their politics are an identity and not an ideology. That's why they think antisemitism is just opt-in! If they don't identify as antisemitic, if they don't look at their arm and see a red band with a swastika on it, then they can't be The Bad Guys. They're safe! The reason a lot of Jews don't talk to them anymore is irrelevant, and I bet those guys are (again! as an identity that defines who they are as a person, in every facet!) Zionists anyway so who cares. There's no reason to talk to them, or regard them as human, they aren't Part Of Us, The Good Guys. While there, why ever study what Zionism is or what it means to Jews? You don't need to do any research, just sharing emotional social media posts that tell you what to feel and conform with your Good Identity is good enough. Those guys definitely know what's up. If they tell you someone is Necessarily Bad, that's just the way it is - and it conforms with your identity so it feels good.

If Jewish concerns are only because of The Bad Guys - (Only ever The Dastardly White Supremacists, nobody else, right?) Then surely you, certified Good Person that you are, have no obligation to care about them more than anything else. Just punch Nazis and move on, right? It's all good! And listen to marginalized people. As long as their opinions conform with your identity. Otherwise they must be... not marginalized, actually. Not worthy of protection, actually.

And again, and I can't stress this enough, people legitimately think antisemitism and pervasive anti-Jewish sentiment, well-hidden behind popular causes, started and stopped with the holocaust. It happened once, it basically happened for no reason, and it was done solely by Bad Guys holding The Bad Opinions. You, since you don't identify as bad, can't be part of the same problem. Surely people will know that? That you're necessarily good, that their worries are unfounded? The Jews in your life and your circles definitely know you mean fascism specifically when you talk about Zionism... right? The decades of popular and arbitrary use of "Zionist" as a a more publicly acceptable replacement for "Jew I want to die but be righteous about it" don't factor in... right? A social media post told me it's fine. Or someone who says they're a Jew says it's fine. So my identity is secure, surely.

The fact you identify as anti-racist and antifascist is well and good. It is! But unlike other identities, where deciding to identify as such is the only validation required - this one requires actual work. Listening to other humans, even if you decided they don't share your identity, should not be difficult to you. If your reaction to Jews celebrating their cool holiday that has doughnuts and candles and songs, or how unsafe they feel right now, is to immediately talk about how Some Jews Are Good But Some Are Bad And We Must Always Watch Out And Exclude And Condemn The Bad Ones (they hide in plain sight don't you know), you aren't actually furthering any agenda - except, you know, the anti-Jewish agenda. You aren't gaining allies or changing anyone's mind for the better. It doesn't matter if this doesn't conform with your identity! You might still do it anyway! Anybody can!

And it will be with the best of intentions. That's how it works.

#I don't know how many gentiles this will reach but like #if you're a leftist and want equality and peace please understand these very good messages are incessantly perverted #all the time #you HAVE to know you aren't sharing misinformation or malicious conspiracy theories #you HAVE to understand if you're contributing to peace and coexistence or just further bloodshed and division #in Israel and in the diaspora #the danger is everywhere #that's why Zionism fucking came about #anyway happy 2nd candle babes #selfpost #antisemitism #i/p #antizionism

[hilacopter]

conflating diaspora jews with the actions of the israeli government is not okay, yes, but have you considered it's not okay to conflate israeli jews with them either

#listen. no hate to diaspora jews. y'all are suffering unimaginable antisemitism rn. #but as an israeli it makes me so mad how they're always the only ones leftists care about when it comes to antisemitism if even #“nooo guys we can't be mean to diaspora jews because of isnotreal it's antisemitic and wrong!” #“israelis? now those are completely fine to harass and wish death upon <3” #people just straight up don't see us as humans deserving of basic decency i think #when they at very least pretend to or believe they like diaspora jews #leftist antisemitism #antisemitism #israel #jumblr

[the-catboy-minyan]

would you tell a Native American person you know their history better than them?

would you tell an African American person you know their history better than them?

would you tell any minority group you know their history better than them?

no?

then why the fuck are you doing that with Jews?

#I'm so fucking tired #antisemitism #jumblr #jewish #judaism #israel #israblr #ישראבלר #ישראל #jewish history #am yisrael chai #like it or not Israel's history is part of Jewish history as well #because it's a Jewish country created by JEWISH PEOPLE #not all Jews are gonna know Israeli history that well sure #but Israeli Jews sure will #and even diaspora jews need to know a bare minimum because the existence of the state directly affects them #and obviously this is also about general antisemitism which I'd say diaspora jews probably know more than Israelis

[secular-jew]

Arab colonialism generally adheres to the same blueprint of land theft, displacement, and genocidal violence. When Islam plants a mosque somewhere, it believes this is conquered land and it's theirs forever, no matter what Temple or Church it builds on top of.

What sets it apart, however, is that it also attempts to project its own abuses onto its victims.

Rather than acknowledge their glaringly obvious 1400-year uber-colonial history, they will invert perceptions of history and reality in an attempt to self-indigenize.

They then usurp the cultures, stories, and legacies of indigenous peoples for themselves (but only the convenient parts - you'll never see Palestinians claim Judas) and disenfranchise the people they stole it from.

They will furiously deny that their ancestors were, in fact, colonizers who conquered their way on land on which they now occupy. Instead, they will frame themselves as native peoples who simply embraced Arab identity/converted to Islam, while the actual indigenous peoples are framed as nothing more than a pathetic band of rejects and cosplayers whose ancestors either never lived on the land to begin with, or were rightfully cast out (or have been cast out for so long that they have lost all right to return).

I can think of few other colonizers that do this. And because this behavior deviates from what we typically understand as "baseline colonialism", it becomes immeasurably harder to identify and more complex to counter.

#secular-jew #israel #jewish #judaism #israeli #jerusalem #diaspora #secular jew #secularjew #islam #destroy hamas #hamas is isis #Arabs are the colonizers #Arab colonialism #Islamic colonialism

[akonoadham]

#Israel #Palestine #africa #african diaspora #black lives matter #black liberation

[unbidden-yidden]

Them: Are you a Zionist or an anti-Zionist Jew?

Me: ...

Them: Or maybe perhaps you are a non-Zionist or maybe a post-Zionist?

Me: I reject the premise of this question.

#this is a little niche lol #but my belief is basically: Zionism happened already and Israel is here to stay #I refuse to constantly rehash historical arguments and am a lot more interested in where we go from here #identifying as anything in relationship to Zionism inherently puts Israel’s continued existence up for debate #which I refuse to do #I am far far more interested in discussing how to achieve both Jewish and Palestinian liberation #in the land and in the diaspora

[edenfenixblogs]

I recently received the following message from a (former?) friend of mine:

okay I am being so genuine right now: since you seem to have educated yourself on what is bothering jewish people about the pro-palestine movement, /what/ is it. I genuinely cannot see and have not interacted with any pro-palestine activists that have actively advocated for the murder of jewish people. I have seen Israelis who have justified the breaking of the truce to bomb Palestinians returning to north gaza. Note I said Israelis and not Jews.

I responded by essentially saying that there's a lot there and I'll need some time to compile and articulate.

I mention this in order to ask if you (or any of your followers/any Jewish tumblr users reading this) have anything specific you'd like to point me toward (search keywords/starting points, links, thoughts, interpret however) that's not already on the list of what i'm planning to discuss (included after this paragraph), anything you specifically want me to read, suggestions of where to place emphasis, or any stories or thoughts you'd like me to pass on to him directly.

current tentative list i'm planning on going over with him, in no particular order:

clarification of scope of conversation (specific to non-jewish western left rather than on the ground or from affected groups)

dual loyalty accusations and harrassment of random jews that have nothing to do with medinat israel

taking discussion of antisemitism in bad faith by default

opportunistic use of the issue by more active antisemites, broad failure to to recognize when that's occuring

uncritical sharing of dogwhistles, conspiratorial thinking

outsiders and newcomers attempting to speak on the matter with authority we don't have

neglect of fact-checking and widespread mis- and disinformation

tokenization of antizionist jews and "jews" - jvp in particular i need to look into more

glorification of hamas and disregard for israeli civilians

misuse, misunderstanding, and demonization of zionism

application of western frameworks of colonization when not applicable

binary good guys/bad guys framing, contrarianism, taking "sides"

might talk about bds e.g. the whole boston map thing but not yet confident on this one, need to do a lot more digging

denial of jewish history - focus on denial of eretz israel as the jewish homeland, holocaust inversion, treating absolutely anything but especially those as trivial or "so long ago"

treating or discussing jews and/or israelis as monolithic

double standards and singling out of israel, holding it as inherently more suspect or less legitimate than any other state

@faggotry-enjoyer Oh man! This is such a good ask!!!! I was going to wait until after work to answer, but your list is so good and so thorough that it relieves a lot of the work I’d have to do.

Some stuff I linked overlaps with your list but I wanted to provide links to these points when possible.

Another thing that bothers me in particular about the western leftist movements’ approach to pro-Palestine conversations (and more: I am critiquing their approach to supporting Palestine not their support itself):

The absolute inability for Jews anywhere to even discuss provocation from Hamas, the history of bombs coming into Israel out of Palestine, or any other act of aggression from Hamas. Anytime we try to discuss anything even remotely nuanced or historical we are told “there’s no excuse for genocide” or “I guess you just love killing Palestinian babies” when that’s not what we are saying at all. Or, more often, the assumption that we are flat out lying about Hamas’ tactics and use of human shields and Palestinian civilian suppression and their view of the disposability of Palestinian lives.

The blanket condemnation of Zionism without understanding that it is a complex philosophy with several movements and differing goals.

The complete lack of media literacy.

The specific dismissal of From the River to the Sea as a term stolen from a Palestinian civilians who desire to express hope in a fully free and equal future but people who use it explicitly to call for the death of Jews. And the weaponization of the phrase to make it a death threat to any Jew who points this out.

The lack of specificity in terms line “Free Palestine.” Yes, Palestinians deserve full and equal freedoms and representation in government. This is a wonderful thing that I support with my whole heart. But that doesn’t change the fact that many bad actors and antisemites are hiding within the Free Palestine movement who are specifically manipulating the phrase to imply free Palestine FROM JEWS—both in terms of their presence in the levant at all (which would entail yet another anti-Jewish ethnic cleansing) or simply the murder of the 7 million Jews who exist in Israel. So asking a Jew why they won’t shout “free Palestine!” At the top of their lungs is taken as a sign that western Jews don’t want Palestinian freedom. When actually it’s a refusal to call for their own deaths.

The assumption that western protest tactics are inherently useful in this conflict and the refusal to look to interfaith and intercultural organizations on the ground in I/P who have been doing this longer, better, and more effectively than western groups.

The focus of western efforts on naming one side a victor in this conflict rather than peace for all.

Not understanding how few Jews there are in the world. And relatedly, the dismissal of the fact that the destruction of the modern state of Israel with no solid plan for a shared Palestinian/Israeli solution would mean the loss of sovereignty for half the global Jewish population, which would indeed affect Jews worldwide.

Dismissal of Israeli leftist efforts to oust the Likud and Netanyahu, because it doesn’t fit the narrative of all Israeli Jews being evil.

The sharing of graphic content of 10/7 attacks, dead and injured Palestinian and Israeli children, and calling any victims martyrs without appropriate trigger warning and as a political tactic.

Mocking Jews (yes, even celebrities) who express feeling fearful for their personal safety as antisemitism rises worldwide.

The expulsion of Jews from their non-Jewish communities and friend groups.

Not understanding the magnitude of the Jewish diaspora and its affect on Jewish culture and voice during this conflict.

Other friends and Allies please add on with your own experiences and concerns!

#jumblr #diaspora problems #I/p #antisemitism #leftist antisemitism #israel #palestine #reference #sources

[homochadensistm]

Palestinian terrorists shouting 'death to the jews' in front of a Jewish community center in Montreal, Canada. They're just antizionists though, naturally.

#israel #palestine #canada #what is happening over there in the diaspora?

[anonymousdandelion]

A companion to this poll.

(Once again, though I should not have to say this: this is not a post for political discourse, whatever your perspective. And it is most definitely not a post for political discourse from non-Jews.

You are more than welcome to respectfully share your reasons for your response. Using the poll as a platform for debate — or for criticizing others for their answers — will result in a block. 👍)

#polls #poll #jumblr poll #jumblr #frumblr #judaism #israel #diaspora #eretz yisrael #aliyah #making aliyah #dandelion polls

[bsof-maarav]

Editor’s Note: Sanne DeWitt is a microbiologist, geneticist, researcher, and author of a memoir: “I Was Born In An Old Age Home”. She has lived in Berkeley, California since 1957, where she moved for advanced studies in microbiology and genetics, and worked there until her retirement. The views expressed here are those of the author. View more opinion on CNN.CNN — 

In 1957, I moved to Berkeley, California: a bastion of American liberalism that squarely aligns with my progressive values, and a hub of American scholarship that nurtured my academic quest and professional growth. I came here for advanced studies in microbiology and genetics. Since then, I have lived, worked as a scientist and retired in this community.

Over the 65 years that I have called this beautiful area home, I have occasionally encountered antisemitism, but these one-off incidents never succeeded in destroying my spirit. When I was four years old, Nazis burst into my bedroom and sent me and my family to Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp. We were soon released and I was smuggled out of Germany by a Christian woman. After this harrowing experience, not much in the Bay Area could scare me.

But since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the hatred towards Jews that I have seen in Berkeley terrifies me more than anything I have experienced while living here. I am still reeling from being called a liar at a Berkeley City Council meeting, where I asked for a proclamation to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day and spoke about October 7. The Jews at that meeting were circled and called “Zionist pigs” by menacing protesters.

We are approaching the holiday of Passover, which commemorates the freedom of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and our formation as a free Jewish people in our own land. But this Passover is like no other in recent history, with scores of hostages still held in Gaza and Jews worldwide fearful for our future — including Jews in the US. We are facing the worst global antisemitism since the Holocaust and while it is not state-sanctioned as Nazism was, it is a threat going unchecked in California’s East Bay.

It is incredibly painful to see my neighbors vilify Jews, tear down posters of Jewish hostages in Gaza and not believe Jewish rape victims. In this hotbed, hatred and hostility have become normalized. Families have moved their children out of public schools. Jewish businesses have been vandalized and boycotted. And lies about Jews and Israel have gone unchecked and unchallenged in our public forums. Our local Jewish community is both horrified and petrified.

This onslaught of Jewish hatred cannot become the new normal. This epidemic must be treated as seriously as all other hatreds that our society is confronting, such as racism and homophobia. We need more education about Judaism and how the long, sordid history of antisemitism ties into other forms of hatred in our public schools.

We need colleges and universities to unequivocally denounce hate speech and actions directed at Jews. We need public officials to urge mutual respect, understanding and civil discourse during city council and town hall meetings.

I have seen where unchecked antisemitism can lead, when people will do nothing — or worse, join the mainstream, such as our German neighbors during Nazism. This Passover, I resolve with whatever time I have left in this world to fight for the safety of the Jewish people, in Berkeley and around the globe.

During Passover, we are commanded to tell the story of the exodus out of Egypt to our children. We believe in the lasting power of sharing this history with younger generations and reflecting on this hopeful new beginning. There is also lasting power in sharing my history as a Jewish refugee — and I invite my Berkeley neighbors to hear my story. Without understanding and acceptance, we are enslaved by our biases.

The hatred, violence and bigotry against the Jewish community cannot continue — for our shared future, we must confront it and root it out.

#jumblr #october 7 #israel #antisemitism #frumblr #terrorism #usa diaspora #Jewish women #Shoah survivor #Pesach #Passover #Sanne DeWitt

[screamingfromuz]

Hi Guys! standing together are encouraging people abroad to become friends of the movement! You will be receive zoom invitation to events and get information on global events!

Bonus: you get to hang out with a bunch of leftists

I have been talking about the movement a bit, so my global friends, here is your time to join in!

Who we are?

Standing Together is a grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace, equality, and social and climate justice. While the minority who benefit from the status quo of occupation and economic inequality seek to keep us divided, we know that we — the majority — have far more in common than that which sets us apart. When we stand together, we are strong enough to fundamentally alter the existing socio-political reality. The future that we want — peace and independence for Israelis and Palestinians, full equality for all citizens, and true social, economic, and environmental justice — is possible. Because where there is struggle, there is hope

Links

Become our friend:

our English Instagram:

Shirts:

#i'm being shameless here #hey young diaspora jews! #want to join a peace movement that does not hijack our identity to justify antisemitism? #instead of JVP #join friends of standing together! #activism #israel #palestine #standing together #join the purple shirts #i/p #the israeli palestinian conflict #israeli palestinian solidarity #we will get through this together #נעבור את זה ביחד #سوف نتجاوز كل هذا معًا

[hindahoney]

Has anyone else noticed the weird appropriation of Yiddish for specifically anti-zionist spaces? It makes me deeply uncomfortable.

#its gross #why are you all so fucking weird about jews #why cant you be normal #these same people are like “jews are a diaspora people so thats why we learn yiddish' #without thinking or asking where the diaspora is from #because you cant have a diaspora without a point of origin..... #and then they still deny jews are indigenous to israel #so they dont care about most mizrahi jews who literally live there and have forever #but then they kind of have this weird fascination with yemeni jewish culture #and like exoticize (?) Mizrahi jews #but not if youre from israel then youre immoral and evil

[ace-hell]

Just discovered that Henna is also a jewish(israelite) thing and that the henna plant was in the torah and that it symbolizes forgiveness and absolution. I thought it was an arab thing and mizrahi jewish traditions but no its full jewish tradition and symbol!!

Ngl it kinda makes me giddy inside to discover new(for me) native ancient jewish traditions that doesn't fall with the diaspora

#israel #jumbler #am israel hai #jewish #jews #ישראבלר #Hebrew #israelites #Ancient israel #Ancient jews #jewish traditions #jewish history #Judea #יהדות #עם ישראל חי #עם הנצח #jumblr #Henna #Torah #Jewish bible #Bible #History #traditions #I love the jewish nation #diaspora

[secular-jew]

I truly adore Gad Saad.

#israel #secular-jew #jewish #judaism #israeli #jerusalem #diaspora #secular jew #secularjew #islam #indigenous #indigeneity #gad saad #antisemitism #Hamas #Gaza #Gazans #never forget #never again #no ceasefire #israel hamas war #hamas massacre #al shabab #Al asqa brigades #hezbollah #Taliban #Isis #hamas is isis #the religion of peace #the religion of pieces

[creekfiend]

I just really need ppl to integrate the fact that Jews being explicitly racialized and violently targeted for elimination under white supremacy is in fact the reason this is all happening to begin with so perhaps rhetoric which conflates is with the group of people who have been ethnically cleansing and genociding us for centuries is like, not the hottest thing to do idk

#its not NECESSARY to claims this is WHITE PEOPLE VS BROWN PEOPLE to advocate for Palestinian freedom or hold the state of israel accountable #it is not TRUE firstly which i wish was reason enough in a lot og leftist spaces lmao but #like. its not helpful. #its allowing white westerners to lazily map racial dynamics they feel familiar with #onto a situation they know nothing about #which is dangerous for diaspora Jews. it is dangerous for us. your rhetoric is DANGEROUS TO US #GOING TO THE CEASEFIRE RALLIES WITH HORSE BLINDERS ON SO I DONT HAVE TO SEE GENTILES SAY HATEFUL THINGS #FUCKS SAKE

[partyinvalhalla]

Predictably, every time, every single fucking time, like without fail, every time someone airs a psa that goes "hey guys, antisemitism is bad" there are gonna be self proclaimed 'nazi-punching' leftists shrieking "(((ZIONIST))) PROPAGANDA!!!11!!1!" from their rooftops.

#antisemitism #leftist antisemitism #jumblr #jewish #judaism #the jews are tired #anti zionisim #zionism #every time israel does something shitty jews in the diaspora have ti take the punishment #thats what hamas wants too #theyre fucking laughing