Raffaella Rubenstein, Kai Schaffer and Hope Shinderman discuss how anti-Semitism remains in our society, even during times when political activism is gaining more traction.
Opinion – By Raffaella Rubenstein, Kai Schaffer and Hope Shinderman – The Myriad News
In the wake of June’s protests against police brutality, issues long overlooked in American history have resurfaced. However, in the midst of social change, we realize that one form of hatred—anti-Semitism—is consistently ignored by all regions of the political spectrum. While anti-Semitism is not new, not only has President Trump’s bigoted rhetoric allowed for discrimination and those who perpetuate it to thrive, but an increasingly alarming amount of anti-Semitism has come from self-proclaimed leftist activists.
But, what is anti-Semitism?
The American Defamation League (ADL) defines anti-Semitism as “the belief or behavior hostile toward [Jewish people] just because they are Jewish. It may take the form of religious teachings that proclaim the inferiority of [Jewish people], for instance, or political efforts to isolate, oppress, or otherwise injure them. It may also include prejudiced or stereotyped views about [Jewish people].”
To gain a more profound understanding of anti-Semitism, it is important to note just how small the worldwide Jewish population is and how grossly outnumbered we are. Only 0.2 percent of the world’s population is Jewish (14.6 million people). In the United States, Jewish people comprise about 2.2 percent of the population.
However, as of 2018, nearly 60 percent of hate crimes in the U.S. were committed against Jewish people, and this number only continues to rise. To put this into perspective, American rapper Ice Cube is a known anti-Semite, having gone on a recent Twitter tirade which included anti-Semitic imagery, who also currently has 17.8 million followers on Instagram.
Anti-Semitism divides rather than brings minorities together
Unfortunately, America’s divisive institutions end up pitting Jewish people and other minorities against each other. There are many stereotypes that anti-Semites spread, ranging from minor micro-aggressions to violence-inciting hate speech.
For example, a common belief that many anti-Semites share is that Jewish people control the media, economy, stock market and white supremacist institutions in general. These beliefs are further exacerbated by activists buying into the beliefs of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Nation of Islam is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, and it is clear to see why; Farrakhan infamously refers to Jewish people as “termites” and Satan worshippers and is infamous for being vehemently homophobic.
Farrakhan’s extreme brand of anti-Semitism suggests that Jewish people are actually an elite brand of white supremacists who are not related to the original Semitic people and who have systematically oppressed black people.
Obviously, this is untrue, however, this is not to say that racist Jewish people do not exist. Not only is it terrifying to have such a prominent speaker spreading blatantly false hatred, but Farrakhan’s ideology also ignores the existence of non-white Jewish people almost entirely. To elaborate, Jewish people come from all backgrounds, including, Ashkenazi (European), Sephardi (Spanish), Mizrahi (Middle Eastern), and other races all together.
Farrakhan is clearly engaging in white supremacist behavior by pitting two minorities, in this case, Jewish people and Black people, against each other. That is to say that a white supremacist tactic is to create animosity between minority groups to prevent them from achieving unity and dismantling oppressive structures.
What is even more alarming is that many of Farrakhan’s disciples are prominent leftist activists who buy into his anti-Semitic rhetoric, thus disproving the popular theory that anti-Semitism is perpetuated mostly by uneducated white conservatives.
Anti-Semitism is seen all over the political spectrum
Anti-Semitism is prevalent on both sides of the political spectrum. In recent years, people who call themselves “leftists,” “liberals” and “activists” have blamed us for the crimes that the Israeli government has committed, thus maintaining the idea that Jewish people are all pro-Israel.
It is important to note that Jewish people’s “dual loyalty” is one of Hitler’s tropes. While Israel did not exist at the time of the Holocaust, the notion that Jewish people have loyalty to other Jewish people first and their home nations second was one of the keystones of Hitler’s ideology.
At the same time, American Right extremists see us as ethnically inferior but also believe we control state and economic governmental systems. Punching-up, the idea that anti-Semites are fighting back against the Jewish people who are perceived to have power, is unique to anti-Semitism. The ideas that Jewish people control the media, the economy, Hollywood, and other such institutions is anti-Semitic in and of itself.
In recent days, certain outspoken figures such as Nick Cannon and DeSean Jackson came under fire for their anti-Semitic comments, many prompted by Louis Farrakhan’s sentiments.
Jewish people were horrified by these remarks, but what we found most alarming was that few gentiles spoke out against the seemingly mundane anti-Semitism, which includes recent stabbings, shootings, and the constant stream of vandalism. A famous poem written during the Holocaust by Martin Niemöller, a Lutheran Pastor, reads:
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
—Martin Niemöller
Include Jewish people in your political activism
While many Jewish people, us included, are speaking out on behalf of others, many gentiles are silent in the face of anti-Semitism. Perhaps they justify their silence as a critique of the Israeli government’s crimes. Perhaps they do not see anti-Semitism as a threat. Perhaps they see Jewish people as successful model-minorities. Perhaps they see Jewish people as other white people. Perhaps they simply do not care.
Regardless, anti-Semitism is real, and the global Jewish population can hear your silence louder than any cry of protest, louder than the machine guns used to massacre us throughout modern history. In this time of political uprise, it is important to think of all minorities, ethnic, racial, or religious, in our activism.
Otherwise, the change that our country so desperately needs cannot be accomplished. Activists must not stand for one, they must stand for all.