How to criticize Israel without being Anti-semitic

[Marianne]

From the tumblr "This is not jewish"

If you’ve spent any time discussing or reading about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I guarantee you’ve heard some variation of this statement:

OMG, Jews think any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic!

In the interests of this post, I’m going to assume that the people who express such sentiments are acting in good faith and really don’t mean to cause pain to or problems for Diaspora Jewry. For those good-faith people, I present some guidelines for staying on the good side of that admittedly murky line, along with the reasoning why the actions I list are problematic. (And bad-faith people, you can no longer plead ignorance if you engage in any of these no-nos. Consider yourselves warned.) In no particular order:

Don’t use the terms “bloodthirsty,†“lust for Palestinian blood,†or similar. Historically, Jews have been massacred in the belief that we use the blood of non-Jews (particularly of children) in our religious rituals. This belief still persists in large portions of the Arab world (largely because white Europeans deliberately spread the belief among Arabs) and even in parts of the Western world. Murderous, inhumane, cruel, vicious—fine. But blood…just don’t go there. Depicting Israel/Israelis/Israeli leaders eating children is also a no-no, for the same reason.

Don’t use crucifixion imagery. Another huge, driving motivation behind anti-Semitism historically has been the belief that the Jews, rather than the Romans, crucified Jesus. As in #1, this belief still persists. There are plenty of other ways to depict suffering that don’t call back to ancient libels.

Don’t demand that Jews publicly repudiate the actions of settlers and extremists. People who make this demand are assuming that Jews are terrible people or undeserving of being heard out unless they “prove†themselves acceptable by non-Jews’ standards. (It’s not okay to demand Palestinians publicly repudiate the actions of Hamas in order to be accepted/trusted, either.)

Don’t say “the Jews†when you mean Israel. I think this should be pretty clear. The people in power in Israel are Jews, but not all Jews are Israelis (let alone Israeli leaders).

Don’t say “Zionists†when you mean Israel. Zionism is no more a dirty word than feminism. It is simply the belief that the Jews should have a country in part of their ancestral homeland where they can take refuge from the anti-Semitism and persecution they face everywhere else. It does not mean a belief that Jews have a right to grab land from others, a belief that Jews are superior to non-Jews, or any other such tripe, any more than feminism means hating men. Unless you believe that Israel should entirely cease to exist, you are yourself Zionist. Furthermore, using “Zionists†in place of “Israelis†is inaccurate and harmful. The word “Zionists†includes Diasporan Jews as well (most of whom support a two-state solution and pretty much none of whom have any influence on Israel’s policies) and is used to justify anti-Semitic attacks outside Israel (i.e., they brought it on themselves by being Zionists). And many of the Jews IN Israel who are most violent against Palestinians are actually anti-Zionist—they believe that the modern state of Israel is an offense against God because it isn’t governed by halakha (traditional Jewish religious law). Be careful with the labels you use.

Don’t call Jews you agree with “the good Jews.†Imposing your values on another group is not okay. Tokenizing is not okay. Appointing yourself the judge of what other groups can or should believe is not okay.

Don’t use your Jewish friends or Jews who agree with you as shields. (AKA, “I can’t be anti-Semitic, I have Jewish friends!†or “Well, Jew X agrees with me, so you’re wrong.â€) Again, this behavior is tokenizing and essentially amounts to you as a non-Jew appointing yourself arbiter over what Jews can/should feel or believe. You don’t get to do that.

Don’t claim that Jews are ethnically European. Jews come in many colors—white is only one. Besides, the fact that many of us have some genetic mixing with the peoples who tried to force us to assimilate (be they German, Indian, Ethiopian, Italian…) doesn’t change the fact that all our common ancestral roots go back to Israel.

Don’t claim that Jews “aren’t the TRUE/REAL Jews.†Enough said.

Don’t claim that Jews have no real historical connection to Israel/the Temple Mount. Archaeology and the historical record both establish that this is false.

Don’t accuse Diasporan Jews of dual loyalties or treason. This is another charge that historically has been used to justify persecution and murder of Jews. Having a connection to our ancestral homeland is natural. Having a connection to our co-religionists who live there is natural. It is no more treasonous for a Jew to consider the well-being of Israel when casting a vote than for a Muslim to consider the well-being of Islamic countries when voting. (Tangent: fuck drone strikes. End tangent.)

Don’t claim that the Jews control the media/banks/country that isn’t Israel. Yet another historical anti-Semitic claim is that Jews as a group intend to control the world and try to achieve this aim through shadowy, sinister channels. There are many prominent Jews in the media and in the banking industry, yes, but they aren’t engaged in any kind of organized conspiracy to take over those industries, they simply work in those industries. The phrase “the Jews control†should never be heard in a debate/discussion of Israel.

Don’t depict the Magen David (Star of David) as an equivalent to the Nazi swastika. The Magen David represents all Jews—not just Israelis, not just people who are violent against Palestinians, ALL JEWS. When you do this, you are painting all Jews as violent, genocidal racists. DON’T.

Don’t use the Holocaust/Nazism/Hitler as a rhetorical prop. The Jews who were murdered didn’t set foot in what was then Palestine, let alone take part in Israeli politics or policies. It is wrong and appropriative to try to use their deaths to score political points. Genocide, racism, occupation, murder, extermination—go ahead and use those terms, but leave the Holocaust out of it.

In visual depictions (i.e., political cartoons and such), don’t depict Israel/Israelis as Jewish stereotypes. Don’t show them in Chassidic, black-hat garb. Don’t show them with exaggerated noses or frizzled red hair or payus (earlocks). Don’t show them with horns or depict them as the Devil. Don’t show them cackling over/hoarding money. Don’t show them drinking blood or eating children (see #1). Don’t show them raping non-Jewish women. The Nazis didn’t invent the tropes they used in their propaganda—all of these have been anti-Semitic tropes going back centuries. (The red hair trope, for instance, goes back to early depictions of Judas Iscariot as a redhead, and the horns trope stems from the belief that Jews are the Devil’s children, sent to destroy the world as best we can for our “father.â€)

Don’t use the phrase “the chosen people†to deride or as proof of Jewish racism. When Jews say we are the chosen people, we don’t mean that we are biologically superior to others or that God loves us more than other groups. Judaism in fact teaches that everyone is capable of being a righteous, Godly person, that Jews have obligations to be ethical and decent to “the stranger in our midst,†and that non-Jews don’t get sent to some kind of damnation for believing in another faith. When we say we’re the chosen people, we mean that, according to our faith, God gave us extra responsibilities and codes of behavior that other groups aren’t burdened with, in the form of the Torah. That’s all it means.

Don’t claim that anti-Semitism is eradicated or negligible. It isn’t. In fact, according to international watchdog groups, it’s sharply on the rise. (Which sadly isn’t surprising—anti-Semitism historically surges during economic downturns, thanks to the belief that Jews control the banks.) This sort of statement is extremely dismissive and accuses us of lying about our own experiences.

Don’t say that since Palestinians are Semites, Jews/Israelis are anti-Semitic, too. You do not get to redefine the oppressions of others, nor do you get to police how they refer to that oppression. This also often ties into #8. Don’t do it. Anti-Semitism has exclusively meant anti-Jewish bigotry for a good century plus now. Coin your own word for anti-Palestinian oppression, or just call it what it is: racism mixed with Islamophobia.

Don’t blow off Jews telling you that what you’re saying is anti-Semitic with some variant of the statement at the top of this post. Not all anti-Israel speech is anti-Semitic (a lot of it is valid, much-deserved criticism), but some certainly is. Actually give the accusation your consideration and hear the accuser out. If they fail to convince you, that’s fine. But at least hear them out (without talking over them) before you decide that.

I’m sure this isn’t a comprehensive list, but it covers all the hard-and-fast rules I can think of. (I welcome input for improving it.)

But wait! Why should I care about any of this? I’m standing up for people who are suffering!

You should care because nonsense like the above makes Jews sympathetic to the Palestinian plight wary and afraid of joining your cause. You should care because, unfortunately, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has correlated to an uptick in anti-Semitic attacks around the world, attacks on Jews who have no say in Israeli politics, and this kind of behavior merely aggravates that, whether you intend it to or not.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a real minefield in that it’s a clash between oppressed people of color and an ethnoreligious group that is dominant in Israel but marginalized and brutalized elsewhere (often nowadays on the exact grounds that they share ethnoreligious ties with the people of Israel), so it’s damned hard to toe the line of being socially aware and sensitive to both groups. I get that. But I think it is possible to toe that line, and I hope this post helps with that. (And if a Palestinian makes a similar list of problematic arguments they hear targeted at them, I’d be happy to reblog it, too.)

So, TL;DR version:

Do go ahead and criticize Israel.

Don’t use anti-Semitic stereotypes or tropes.

Don’t use overly expansive language that covers Jews as a whole and not just Israel.

Don’t use lies to boost your claims.

Do engage Jews in conversation on the issues of Israel and of anti-Semitism, rather than simply shutting them down for disagreeing.

Do try to be sensitive to the fact that, fair or not, many people take verbal or violent revenge for the actions of Israelis on Diasporan Jews, and Diasporan Jews are understandably frightened and upset by this.

May there be peace in our days.

http://this-is-not-jewish.tumblr.com/po ... ti-semitic

I'm pro-Palestine (well... more or less), and tired of hearing the "you're antisemitic !!". While reading this post, I understand that some of what I was saying was anti-semitic (because I can tell that I'm not racist or antisemitic, being raised in a country who is racist and antisemitic make me racist and antisemitic. I just can try to change myself.). This post help me to change my rhetoric and understand some thing about what was being semite. I hope it can help !

(the whole tumblr is very good. Good post also : http://this-is-not-jewish.tumblr.com/po ... we-learned )

[August]

I'm sure the author means well, but she's delusional. I've been called anti-semitic for saying "the actions of Israel are unconsionable and abusive."

[Marianne]

I'm sure the author means well, but she's delusional. I've been called anti-semitic for saying "the actions of Israel are unconsionable and abusive."

Stéphane Hessel have been called anti-semitic, and he was a concentration camp survivor :roll: The problem is that people think that criticizing Israel = criticize Judaism.

[2xx1xy1JD]

The point of the tumblr is that THESE THINGS are crossing the line between political commentary and anti-semitism. It doesn't mean that you are magically immune from anybody ever calling you a name or questioning your motives as long as you follow this particular list.

[aquitana]

I agree with 2xx1xy1JD. If you say these things to Jewish people, many of them will not be happy, and many will not take it well.

[cindyluvs24]

My two cents: I try not to comment on what other countries do or don't do. Their circus, their clowns. I've sat thru too many arguments about doing the "right" thing in the Mid East, Tibet, Northern Ireland, etc.

[Trynn]

Some items on the list are like..... Um.... Duh? Like, don't draw stereotype cartoons of Isarelis/Jews? Isn't that just basic human decency?

[2xx1xy1JD]

Some items on the list are like..... Um.... Duh? Like, don't draw stereotype cartoons of Isarelis/Jews? Isn't that just basic human decency?

You would think, but many demonstrators didn't get the memo.

[Vivi_music]

One of professor I had during my B.A was a very ardent defender of the Palestinian state. Overall, he took part in a lot of demonstration to end the Gaza blocade and the colonization of the West Bank. And guess what? He was Jewish, and he taught: ''History of the Jewish people in Europe''. More precisely, he studied how the Jewish communities lived during the 1930's in the USSR.

So yeah... this professor was called antisemitic many times. How hard it must have been for him.

[aquitana]

This professor knew what the reaction would be from the more conservative factions of the Jewish community. It would be no surprise to him. It was his choice.

With the recent events in Gaza, there is a war going on between two Jewish friends on my Facebook feed. An activist pro-Palestinan woman is putting up all kinds of posts, and an anotherwise liberal artist who is the child of concentration camp victims is countering her with his own opinions, and posting his own pro-Israeli news clips.

[Vivi_music]

Sure, I'm not saying he is crying in the corner of the room. This prof is very intelligent and he's used to speaking in public. I've seen him comment on TV many times on the events in Israel. He even did a TV show on History channel, about the three abrahamic religions. So, I'm pretty sure he has comebacks! :P But it must still suck a bit to be called antisemitic when you are yourself Jewish. It bugs me when people make the association: criticizing Israel means you are antisemitic, automatically. -________-'

[2xx1xy1JD]

I have no idea who this professor is, so this isn't a comment about him in particular.

In general, though, I'd say that the mere fact that someone is a member of group X doesn't mean that they can't also spew misinformation, stereotypes or even hatred toward group X.

Exhibit A: Look at how some fundie women bloggers talk about other women and go out of their way to say that they are not feminists.

So, if a person who happened to be Jewish talked about Jews the way that Lori talks about women - I'd still call them anti-semitic.

[Vivi_music]

If you want to look him up, his name is Yakov Rabkin. He is a very public figure and wrote a bunch of books so I don't think M.Rabkin would mine if I named him here.

I've seen a lot of his interventions in the media and he criticizes mostly the politics of Israel, their international policies, etc. I never heard anything about hating Jewish people simply because they were Jewish.

In my mine, it's very different to disagree with policies of one country then to hate its people. I disagree with a lot of policies from my country too. ;)

[aquitana]

I personally would not call someone anti-semitic for criticizing the policies of the Israeli government, whether I agreed with them or not. Doesn't make any sense or serve any point in my mind.

But this guy knows that the much older generation of Jews that lived in the time of the Holocaust are very touchy about these things. I doubt he takes it personally.

[OkToBeTakei]

I personally would not call someone anti-semitic for criticizing the policies of the Israeli government, whether I agreed with them or not. Doesn't make any sense or serve any point in my mind.

But this guy knows that the much older generation of Jews that lived in the time of the Holocaust are very touchy about these things. I doubt he takes it personally.

Everything about the Middle East situation is touchy. In my experience it is almost impossible to criticise the actions of Israel now, the Brits and the US historically without some level of religious involvement being levied. Basic facts of the matter are that claiming any land mass and moving forcibly or through attempted peaceful means those who call it home at that particular time is going to be a hot shit mess no matter where it is. Add in religion and a race of people who are hurting and feel fearful, the guilt of those who caused it.

It was wrong. The fact that the repercussions are being felt still today and people are dying because of it proves that. Everybody knows it and casting anti-semitism as a slur for saying so lacks intelligence. If both sides sat down and said 'well shit that didn't work out the way we thought, sorry about that, not a great idea, it's done now let's see if now we realise and admit that, we can actually get somewhere.'

Because all the MINE MINE posturing by both sides is going nowhere fast. :(

[It'sFunToRun]

Everything about the Middle East situation is touchy. In my experience it is almost impossible to criticise the actions of Israel now, the Brits and the US historically without some level of religious involvement being levied. Basic facts of the matter are that claiming any land mass and moving forcibly or through attempted peaceful means those who call it home at that particular time is going to be a hot *** mess no matter where it is. Add in religion and a race of people who are hurting and feel fearful, the guilt of those who caused it.

It was wrong. The fact that the repercussions are being felt still today and people are dying because of it proves that. Everybody knows it and casting anti-semitism as a slur for saying so lacks intelligence. If both sides sat down and said 'well *** that didn't work out the way we thought, sorry about that, not a great idea, it's done now let's see if now we realise and admit that, we can actually get somewhere.'

Because all the MINE MINE posturing by both sides is going nowhere fast. :(

Did I misunderstand or are you saying that because Arab terrorists in Israel are still exploding themselves and launching rockets at kindergartens, it means that Israel existing was a mistake? Israel is unfortunately surrounded by Muslim extremists who believe it is their higher calling to kill all infidels and take over all land for Islam. They cannot contemplate having one tiny Jewish country in the middle East and not trying to kill all of its inhabitants. If the Jews had not returned to their homeland, then the Muslim terrorists would just be killing the Christian and Druze minorities there instead; see the slaughter of the Yazidis in Iraq.

There is a logical fallacy that says that whenever two parties are in conflict, both parties need to give a little bit in order to find a just solution. An example against this is if you have a cake and a random person in the street runs up to you and wants to take your cake. Do you have to give him half, or even one piece of your cake? No. If Islamic extremists keep trying to kidnap and murder your civilians, do you have to give them some of your land? No. In fact, every time Israel has given up land, the results have not led to peace. Many of the rockets are being launched from what used to be Gush Katif (enjoy getting brain f*cked by maggots, Ariel Sharon!!).

I agree that calling people "anti-semetic" is unhelpful. It's like calling someone "racist" or telling someone to "check their privilege"; it might be true, but it just causes people to become defensive or more offensive and it shuts down discussion.

[artdecades]

I'm sure the author means well, but she's delusional. I've been called anti-semitic for saying "the actions of Israel are unconsionable and abusive."

Ok, how is she delusional? I followed this-is-not-jewish closely (this post is over a year old, she hasn't blogged lately) and she is extremely critical of Israel. You clearly did not read the article, because she was not calling a comment like yours antisemitic. It makes me curious as to why the reaction is defensiveness when she did not attack you or your comment at all.

[Dinorah]

I think this article makes sense. These things should be obvious, but sadly they aren't. At least in Europe, some people do use the pro-Palestinian movement as an excuse to be anti-Semitic. I've seen plenty of "I stand with Gaza" pages full of statements along the lines of "Hitler should have gassed them all" and caricatures that were out of a 1930s German newspapers. And what about the attacks on synagogues? I really don't see how any of this is going to help Palestinians. If anything, it's going to add ammunition to those who equate any criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.

As for me, I hate the either/or logic of the view of the Middle Eastern conflict.I want a solution that's viable for everyone living in the area, regardless of their ethnicity and religion. I can see the faults of both sides, Israel might have done some ghastly things but I don't believe Palestinians are the totally harmless innocent little lambs they're sometimes made to be (and I've read articles equating the rockets from Gaza with Bush's imagined weapons of mass destruction in Iraq), just as I don't believe the "Israel can do no wrong" point of view.

I find I get attacked easily both by pro-Palestinians and pro-Israelis, and was tempted to give up on FB last summer. It's depressing.

[OkToBeTakei]

Did I misunderstand or are you saying that because Arab terrorists in Israel are still exploding themselves and launching rockets at kindergartens, it means that Israel existing was a mistake? Israel is unfortunately surrounded by Muslim extremists who believe it is their higher calling to kill all infidels and take over all land for Islam. They cannot contemplate having one tiny Jewish country in the middle East and not trying to kill all of its inhabitants. If the Jews had not returned to their homeland, then the Muslim terrorists would just be killing the Christian and Druze minorities there instead; see the slaughter of the Yazidis in Iraq.

There is a logical fallacy that says that whenever two parties are in conflict, both parties need to give a little bit in order to find a just solution. An example against this is if you have a cake and a random person in the street runs up to you and wants to take your cake. Do you have to give him half, or even one piece of your cake? No. If Islamic extremists keep trying to kidnap and murder your civilians, do you have to give them some of your land? No. In fact, every time Israel has given up land, the results have not led to peace. Many of the rockets are being launched from what used to be Gush Katif (enjoy getting brain f*cked by maggots, Ariel Sharon!!).

I agree that calling people "anti-semetic" is unhelpful. It's like calling someone "racist" or telling someone to "check their privilege"; it might be true, but it just causes people to become defensive or more offensive and it shuts down discussion.

Yes you have totally misunderstood and might want to separate sensationalism with history.

[It'sFunToRun]

Yes you have totally misunderstood and might want to separate sensationalism with history.

Care to elaborate?

[2xx1xy1JD]

If you want to look him up, his name is Yakov Rabkin. He is a very public figure and wrote a bunch of books so I don't think M.Rabkin would mine if I named him here.

I've seen a lot of his interventions in the media and he criticizes mostly the politics of Israel, their international policies, etc. I never heard anything about hating Jewish people simply because they were Jewish.

In my mine, it's very different to disagree with policies of one country then to hate its people. I disagree with a lot of policies from my country too. ;)

I agree with the bolded part.

Countries are not people. They don't think or feel, and attributing thoughts or feelings to an entire country will often be wrong. I find it much more useful to talk about trends within a country, and to focus on individuals and specific policies that are a problem.

BTW, never heard of Prof. Rabkin before and while I quickly googled him, I'm not going to comment on someone if I haven't read their stuff myself.

I saw one comment of his that he finds less criticism in Israel than in diaspora Jewish communities. That's quite possible. I know some mainstream Jewish organizations will specifically refrain from criticizing Israeli media, academics or politicans, even if they would object to the same statements made elsewhere, because they don't see their job as dictating internal debate within Israel. For example, I've been told that Honest Reporting, as a matter of policy, would never criticize Haaretz. [in the internet age, I don't think that policy is logical. An unfair or inaccurate report in Haaretz can spread just as quickly as an unfair or inaccurate report in the New York Times, and get quoted anywhere.]

[artdecades]

I think these are relevant to this discussion. Not breaking because they want to spread awareness. While it may seem like common sense, many Jews are feeling unsafe with the rise in pro-palestinian action because there is so much anti-semitism. These are well documented here without having a specific pro-israel bias.

https://twitter.com/EDAntisemitism

http://everydayantisemitism.tumblr.com/

http://returnofthejudai.tumblr.com/

[jaelh]

I think this might fit in this thread:

http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-an ... ider-guide

I think it goes a bit of track in some spots (substituting one narrative for another is just that; there is a richness of valid narratives; the settlements are the only thing criticised?) but beautifully written and a very worthwhile read.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I think this might fit in this thread:

http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-an ... ider-guide

I think it goes a bit of track in some spots (substituting one narrative for another is just that; there is a richness of valid narratives; the settlements are the only thing criticised?) but beautifully written and a very worthwhile read.

Thanks for the link.

A huge problem with coverage is that it's not simply pro-Israel or anti-Israel, but that anything that doesn't fit into the pre-existing narrative never gets covered. For example, you tend to get far more coverage of everything, good and bad, on the Israeli side, while Palestinians are often portrayed as either killers or victims of Israelis. Interviews, debates and commentary will attempt to be "balanced" by providing views from an official Israeli source, and from a westerner (sometimes even an anti-Zionist Jew) "explaining" the Palestinian position.

And yes, it matters because stuff gets missed.

[jaelh]

A huge problem with coverage is that it's not simply pro-Israel or anti-Israel, but that anything that doesn't fit into the pre-existing narrative never gets covered. For example, you tend to get far more coverage of everything, good and bad, on the Israeli side, while Palestinians are often portrayed as either killers or victims of Israelis. Interviews, debates and commentary will attempt to be "balanced" by providing views from an official Israeli source, and from a westerner (sometimes even an anti-Zionist Jew) "explaining" the Palestinian position.

And yes, it matters because stuff gets missed.

It matters enormously. They that control the narrative control public opinion.

The idea that "balanced" involves two opposites criticising each other is a farce, but it seem it's what we've come to accept as "balanced." Moreover, the monster/ angel dichotomy is what we seem to be able to digest. We (society) just isn't good at nuance. (see also: Madonna/whore; prostitute/trafficked woman; good kid/thug).

What did you think of the narrative that the article proposed? I thought it was very persuasive. If you could tell the story of the conflict, what story would you tell?

Sorry. I realise they aren't easy questions that can be briefly answered, but if you had the time/inclination I'd be interested.