Anti-Semitism: Drawing Lines

by Joel on April 15, 2010

In an ideal world, it would be easy to discuss Israel without the issue of anti-Semitism. I do not believe that the most serious issues facing Israel are about collective disdain for the Jewish people. Rather, Israel faces a host of problems from domestic issues of socioeconomic inequality to an affinity for international diplomatic crises. When I sit down with someone who disagrees with me about Israel, these are the issues I want to address:

How can Israel better serve its Sephardic, Muslim, and Christian populations? What can Israel do to protect the security of its citizens and address the root causes of terror in neighboring states? How can the nation with the most powerful military in the Middle East work toward a mutually beneficial and lasting peace?

Unfortunately, we don’t live in this ideal world. Enemies and friends alike characterize the issues facing Israel as “Jewish” issues. Opponents of Israel blend legitimate arguments about Israel’s policies with inappropriate statements about Jews. Some pro-Israel activists have a hair-trigger anti-Semitism detector and categorize all negative comments about Israel as racist.

Personally, I’m conflicted. As a friend of Israel and a Jewish person, I know that hate toward Israel and hate toward my people can be bound together. On the other hand, I recognize that Israel makes big mistakes, and the world has an obligation to call out Israel when it legitimately deserves criticism. As a result, I was relatively pleased with how carefully the ADL addressed anti-Semitism and Israel in their statement before Congress yesterday:

Expressing disagreement with Israeli action through violence against one’s Jewish neighbor or the Jewish community is untenable and a violation of rights. Yet, as Israel defended her citizens from Hamas’ missiles, Jews around the world also came under attack. Anti-Israel rallies and demonstrations were the scene of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery.

Notice that the ADL does not equate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. Instead, they carefully draw the line between what makes an anti-Israel expression legitimate and what makes an action anti-Semitic.

A couple of years ago, when I was still in school, I was working on an anti-genocide campaign for Darfur. A particularly disagreeable student came up and tried to systematically deconstruct the work we were doing. I moved him away from the main event and engaged him in a conversation about the event, which became a larger conversation about student activism. When I told him that I worked with Hillel, he said something along the lines of, “Well, then you must be a supporter of the apartheid regime and the war there.”

The look of disgust and confusion on my face must have been noticeable, for he immediately launched into a string of apologies for his comment. Of course, to assume that I support a war in a faraway land because of my religion, and then to attack me based on that assumption, is where he crossed the line between civilized political discourse and anti-Semitism.

Had he actually wanted to engage in a discussion about the merit of Israel’s military action or about social inequalities in Israeli society, I would have gladly sat there all afternoon and talked with him. However, since this was not the case, I cut our conversation short and went our separate ways.

I’m glad that the ADL recognizes this line, and it’s important that this discussion be part of public discourse. Only then will we be able to recognize and eliminate anti-Semitism while striving to make Israel a better place.

About the author

Joel

Related Posts with Thumbnails
  • http://www.israelsituation.com/ Anthony Reich

    Joel, I can definitely understand your view and why you wish to separate yourself in your home environment from some of the things that are happening in Israel. Even living in Israel, there are things that are done that I don’t agree with.
    One does need, however, to recognise that attacks on Israel are predicated on anti-Semitism. The only reason that our Arab neighbours don’t want us here is because we are Jewish. In the process of defending our Judaism and our right to exist as a Jewish country, we are drawn into extreme situations. These situations don’t always bring out the best in us or our people, but we should never forget where this comes from.
    Also please remember that the one main thing in the current world that allows you to live as a Jew in the USA and practise your Judaism freely, is the existence of the State of Israel. I have no doubt that Jews around the world would at much greater risk if it was not for the backup that the State of Israel provides to each and every Jew.

    • Joel

      Anthony:

      I strongly disagree with you on two points:

      1) Not all attacks on Israel are predicated on anti-Semitism. For instance, empirical evidence indicates that state-sponsored violence against terrorists actually increases tension and perpetuates the cycle of killing. Therefore, among Jews and non-Jews, I criticize Israel’s violent responses when they fail to achieve goals. This does not make me an anti-Semite. I think the issues surrounding Israel’s right to exist are as much socioeconomic and political as they are religious, so only particular kinds of arguments are anti-Semitic. There is extreme danger in dismissing all anti-Israel arguments as anti-Semitic, as turning a blind eye to legitimate criticism makes us worse.

      2) To say that my community depends on Israel for its existence and freedom is relatively offensive to me. Maybe it’s because I believe that the diaspora is more symbolic than it is literal, but I don’t believe that Jewish communities outside of Israel are “in exile.” While I believe, in my heart of hearts, that Israel contains many vibrant, thriving Jewish communities, I do not believe that my community relies on Israel’s existence to thrive. Furthermore, though I have certainly seriously considered making aliyah, I make a conscious choice to practice Judaism in my land. Israel will always be close to me, but it is not my home, my life, or my Jewish community.

      • http://www.israelsituation.com/ Eric

        I have to side with Anthony on part of this one. There would be no attacks on Israel or hostile borders if it were a Muslim state. The Arab Muslim countries next door only hate Israel because it is a Jewish state. That is anti-Semitism.

        I will admit that a Christian state would not be treated well by the neighbors either, but the pure hatred and violence toward Israel is a prefect snapshot of the horrors of anti-Semitism.

  • http://www.israelsituation.com/ Anthony Reich

    I am afraid we will have to agree to disagree on point 1. I have no doubt in my mind that the attacks on Israel, and the attempts to wipe it off the map are purely anti-Semitic. The contention that they are socio-economic and political issues is falling into the trap set by the Palestinians to try to get people like you to believe this. The truth is that they are hardly even making an effort to conceal their true anti-Semitic intentions. It is a shame that the world community, especially Jews in the diaspora still fail to see it for what it truly is.

    I don’t view the diaspora as being in “exile” at all. I believe that diaspora communities can be viable and solid Jewish communities. I do believe, however, that growing anti-Semitism would ultimately G-d forbid lead to another holocaust or something similar. All the time that Israel is here with an army to defend Jews around the world, this can never happen. As such, this provides a backing to the diaspora communities that they need to flourish and grow. I have no doubt that world Jewry would be in a much weaker position than today without the knowledge that the State of Israel is there to provide support where required.

    • Joel

      I guess we will have to agree to disagree, though I do object to your characterization of “people like” me as naive or brainwashed. It’s rather rude to revert to attacks like this, as it artificially removes grounds for legitimate discourse. I don’t lightly dismiss your arguments, though I disagree with you; I sincerely hope that we can continue to disagree in a thoughtful and civilized manner.

      • http://www.israelsituation.com/ Anthony Reich

        I apologise if you have feel have been rude and attacked you in an unfair way. No insult intended. By referring to “people like you”, I did not intend insult, but rather intended to refer to Jews living in the diaspora which the Palestinian machine has successfully convinced that the main problem in the Middle East is the way in which Israel is behaving towards the poor unfortunate Palestinians. While I genuinely do feel very sorry for the unfortunate circumstances in which they find themselves, I feel more sorry for the fact that they continue to try to wipe Israel and the Jews off the map. I really wish that they would try to build a state for themselves rather than waste all their time and resources attacking Israel. I would like to strongly recommend you read the Daniel Gordis book “Saving Israel” (John Wiley & Sons, 2009). It says all of this far better than I can.

        • Joel

          No worries.

          The Palestinians haven’t convinced me of anything, which I guess is kind of my point. You’ll notice that my original post and subsequent comments do not mention the way in which Israel treats Palestinians; I think that there are internal socioeconomic and educational inequalities that need to be addressed. It’s hard to deny that the Arab-Israeli population, on the whole, has fewer economic and educational opportunities than descendants of Ashkenazim. This is analogous to the United States, where Hispanic and Black Americans are far more likely to be born into poor families.

          By criticizing these policies and working to change them, I am not anti-American (or, based on the parameters of this discussion, anti-Protestant). Likewise, I have always ardently opposed the War in Iraq, but this does not mean that I hate Americans (or Protestants).

          I think we do agree, however, that arguments against Israel’s right to exist are anti-Semitic. I just think that there’s a lot of gray area between “Israel needs to do a better job of…” and “Israel should not exist because… .” The arguments in the former category ask us to question the behavior of that land we love in order to make it the best possible place; the arguments in the latter category leave no room for a discussion of the real issues plaguing Israel and thus are illegitimate.

          Too often, we fail to draw these lines, and in doing so, we fail to recognize and separate legitimate criticism.

          • http://www.israelsituation.com/ Anthony Reich

            I am glad we agree that the arguments against Israel’s rights to exist are anti-Semitic. I think that we also agree that not every action taken by Israel is good, or can easily be defended. Elements of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians fall into this category, although I do believe that Israel is placed in a no-win situation by the Palestinians and is sometimes forced to act in a way that shows her up in a negative light. As a citizen of Israel, there are many actions by the government and the army which cannot be defended and need improvement. On the whole, however, I do support the actions of the government and the army in their attempts to defend the Jewish homeland and the Jewish people under the most extreme circumstances.

  • http://www.israelsituation.com/ Eric

    That is very powerful and gives each of us quite a lot to think about.

Previous post:

Next post: