How Jews push Jews out of the fight against antisemitism – Haaretz
Posted By admin on May 25, 2022
This past Saturday, the United States endured its 198th mass shooting of 2022. In Buffalo, New York, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, domestic terrorist and white supremacist, opened fire in in a supermarket and its parking lot with a semi-automatic weapon.
According to Gendrons 180-page-long manifesto found after the shooting, his intention was, in his own words, to "kill as many Blacks as possible." During the shooting, Gendron murdered 10 people and injured several more; among the victims, 11 were Black.
As is common with other white supremacists, Jews factored prominently into Gendrons phantasmic beliefs and conspiracy theories about racial subordination and dominance. In his manifesto, Gendron devoted "dozens of pages" to antisemitic and other memes. He also peddled "great replacement theory," the conspiracy that Jews are controlling non-white immigration as a means to intentionally diminish the white population and establish dominance over "weaker" races.
Gendron demanded a war against Jews as well as the annihilation of the entire Jewish population, and advocated that Jews "be removed from our Western civilizations, in any way possible."
Gendrons manifesto indicates among many other things what activists around the world have been saying all along: that antisemitism is on the rise all over the world. In the United States in particular, antisemitic incidents are at an all-time high. Within the Jewish community, opinions vary about what can be done.
I dont work in counter-extremism or counter-terrorism. What I do know, however, is that any external-facing approach by American Jewish communities to combat antisemitism must also include at a minimum an equal effort to look inward and determine how a sense of cohesive peoplehood can be further developed and deepened.
Community leaders need to ask themselves: Do we make all Jews feel included and united, not just during this fight but in daily life? When we ask all Jews to call out antisemitism and its amplifiers, are we fostering a culture that discourages the gatekeeping of Jewish identity? Are we creating a culture that generates the kind of consistent goodwill that makes coming together in a crisis easier? Otherwise, what is it that we are fighting for, not just against?
It can feel unfair to ask those who experience repeated exclusion to fight for a Jewish community that is still learning to prioritize fighting for them.
Consider Jews of color. In a 2021 research survey among American Jews of color, 80 percent of respondents an enormous percentage said that they have experienced incidents of discrimination in a Jewish setting. Only 51 percent of respondents reported feeling a sense of belonging among white Jews.
Anecdotally, I have lost track of all the stories I have heard about the confusion and disbelief at the presence of Jews of color in a Jewish space. The "Are you sure youre at the right place?" types of responses are meek compared to the invasive, fetishizing questions many American Jews of color receive when they are simply trying to live their Jewish lives.
Instances of gatekeeping in the Jewish community extend past notions of race. There is the ever-thorny issue of conversion and the increasingly confusing hierarchy of which processes "count" in order for one and ones children, if the convert is a woman to truly be considered Jewish by everyone in the wider Jewish world. Even after jumping through all the necessary hoops in order to become Jewish, for many converts their status does not feel completely safe.
Their concerns are warranted when they see the reverberations from Israel. Not only is the Israeli rabbinate known for creating a process rife with barriers and even circulating so-called "blacklists" of rabbis whose conversions are deemed untrustworthy, but the same body has also even been known to revoke conversions of longtime Jews after "investigating" their level of observance years after becoming Jewish.
For other Jews, having "less" of a Jewish background than community insiders can create feelings of isolation and inability to participate in communal life. Jews with little to no formal Jewish education, Jews who become religious as adults, Jews with "just" one Jewish parent, and Jews whose ancestry has been so hidden that they are left with very little "proof" of their heritage, all face a higher barrier to entry when it comes to getting involved in Jewish life.
I have friends and acquaintances who comfortably and happily identify as Jewish privately, but never in front of Jews they see as more involved or knowledgeable for fear of being "outed" as outsiders or being told that they dont belong in the community.
I recently read a recent essay about antisemitism and anti-Zionism on college campuses. In it the author describes a student who implies that on her campus some Jewish students are not "out" to their non-Jewish peers. In reading, I was struck by the idea that for many Jewishly-identified people, it may be as complicated for them, but in a different way, to claim Jewishness in front of their fellow Jews. There is always the chance that they will be told they do not belong.
There are legitimate concerns about maintaining boundaries around Jewish identity. However for social or activist purposes, and not involving some sort of religious obligation, if someone identifies as a Jew I can think of very little reason to question that persons claim. The harm that is potentially done to a persons sense of belonging and to the Jewish community by extension outweighs, to me, any perceived "benefit" or reassurance about the persons status.
I have met Jews from many backgrounds who are genuinely not sure whether or not the Jewish community considers them true members of the Tribe, despite their own deep convictions and profound attachment to their Jewish identities.
I sometimes wonder if I hear more of their stories because I myself converted to Judaism and so I, perhaps, can more easily understand their perspectives. On the one hand, of course I can. I know what it is like to face intrusive questions at times, or to feel surveilled second-hand when converts identities are commented upon.
On the other hand, as an adult I have never felt more supported than I do by the Jewish communities of which I have been a part. I have been blown away by the sense of togetherness and positive mutual support that so many Jewish communities have shown me. I know from experience that Jewish communities can achieve truly amazing, unparalleled things. In particular, the Modern Orthodox community has been accepting and generous to me beyond a level I ever could have imagined.
The people who speak to me about their own sense of exclusion also understand the power of Jewish peoplehood, and they appreciate the myriad expressions that Jewish identity can take. It says so much about Judaism (and all its expressions) that, despite gatekeeping, so many people want to be a part of this thing! More emphasis on inclusion within the Jewish community itself makes this great tradition even better for all its adherents and it creates a more bonded and safer community.
After all, internal hierarchies of who is the most "authentically" Jewish matter little when we are dealing with violent antisemites who arent making distinctions among Jewish targets. After all, there is something illogical, not to mention cruel, in querying the credentials of people who positively choose to claim their stake in Jewish peoplehood and in the Jewish community when that same community is under attack.
Last year, organizers planned the "No Fear" rally against antisemitism in Washington, D.C. Given the muscle behind the rally, it would have been expected that the event would be a huge success. Yet the turnout was abysmal, with attendee numbers in the hundreds.
Unfortunately antisemitism is here to stay. More opportunities to join together and denounce hate will arise. Could those crowds grow in size, I wonder, if the Jewish community strives to make sure every single member is valued in both good times and bad?
Nava Anne Grant lives and works in New York City. Twitter: @navaannegrant
Originally posted here:
How Jews push Jews out of the fight against antisemitism - Haaretz
- The Definition of the Jew: The Dimension of Freedom - Jewish Journal - June 26th, 2022
- Cha Cha Real Smooth is a charmer but its Jewish characters need some work - Forward - June 26th, 2022
- Meet every Jewish name that has ever been inscribed on NHLs Stanley Cup - Forward - June 26th, 2022
- Mapping Project unveiled by BDS Boston is a roadmap for Jew-haters - The Boston Globe - June 19th, 2022
- A Jew and an Arab walk into Auschwitz - The Times of Israel - June 19th, 2022
- How the Jewish community found a home in Japan - The Japan Times - June 19th, 2022
- Watergate's Jewish 'thing' & Nixon's thing for the Jews - The Times of Israel - June 19th, 2022
- To save the American Jewish community, we must build personal relationships - JNS.org - June 19th, 2022
- Following War, Russian Jews Congregate in Yerevan - The Moscow Times - June 19th, 2022
- Jew or Not Jew: Bill Gates - June 4th, 2022
- Jew-Hater Ayiana Love Accuses 'Israeli' Zoom of Deliberately Sabotaging ... - June 4th, 2022
- Who is a Jew? Israel's renovated Diaspora museum attempts an answer. J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - June 4th, 2022
- Another Jew is murdered in France - JNS.org - JNS.org - June 4th, 2022
- The Problem With Calling a Jew a 'Convert' - Tablet Magazine - June 4th, 2022
- Vanishing Jews and replenishing our numbers - JNS.org - JNS.org - June 4th, 2022
- Building Bridges to Jewish Unity - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - June 2nd, 2022
- Fighting Jew-Hatred As Winners, Not Victims - Jewish Journal - May 25th, 2022
- California Jewish caucus' primary endorsements are a diverse bunch J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - May 25th, 2022
- How Jewish is the Queen? - Jewish News - May 25th, 2022
- Dispatches from the Jewish Rally for Abortion Justice | New Voices - New Voices - May 25th, 2022
- J. ARCHIVES: Bay Area Jewish delis of yore gone but not forgotten J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - May 25th, 2022
- It's not about you: Why the Forward's article on the anti-Jewish elements of the Buffalo shooter's screed was offensive - Forward - May 25th, 2022
- Antisemitic Vandalism Is a True Threat to the Jewish Community - Algemeiner - May 25th, 2022
- WATCH: Lufthansa ADMITS They Targeted Jews Who Did Nothing Wrong - VINnews - May 8th, 2022
- Jewish gangsters once took on Nazis in the streets of NYC - New York Post - May 8th, 2022
- Spanish Jews take the spotlight in Heirs to the Land, a Netflix series set pre-Inquisition - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - May 8th, 2022
- The Speech President Lawrence Bacow of Harvard University Needs to Give - Algemeiner - May 8th, 2022
- The Jewish community must stand with Ukraine - The Jewish Standard - May 8th, 2022
- Israel refusing to let me immigrate, Iranian Jew says - May 4th, 2022
- Reviving the Renaissance Temples of Venices Jewish Ghetto - The New York Times - May 4th, 2022
- A Russian Jew's Insights on the War in Ukraine - jewishboston.com - May 4th, 2022
- How an observant Jew became the mother of Jesus and Christianity itself - Forward - May 4th, 2022
- The Jewish World Of Harry Potter - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - May 4th, 2022
- This Black Jewish filmmaker is the spouse of New Yorks new lieutenant governor - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - May 4th, 2022
- "God of Vengeance": A Seminal Script in the Fight to Reclaim Jewish Identity | New Voices - New Voices - May 4th, 2022
- Yemeni Academic Dr. Abd Al-Wadud Muqasher: Muslims Must Exterminate The Jews; Allah Transformed Jews Into Apes And Pigs, They Are The Filthiest Of... - May 4th, 2022
- Putin wants to de-Nazify Ukraine thats ludicrous, say the countrys Jews - POLITICO Europe - April 25th, 2022
- 'It was paradise at the time': the little-known story of the Jews of Indonesia - Haaretz - April 25th, 2022
- New exhibit opens on history of Jews and cannabis - New York Post - April 25th, 2022
- Germany's Largest Newspaper: Jew-Hating Muslims Should Be Treated like Nazis - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - April 25th, 2022
- Remembering the only Jew on the first Freedom Ride 75 years ago - Forward - April 25th, 2022
- Report: Jewish Convert to Christianity to Lead March of the Living - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - April 25th, 2022
- Muna El-Kurd: Jews are Zionist Dogs, and 'Palestine' Should Be Ethnically Cleansed of Them - Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in... - April 25th, 2022
- Do you know this Jew? An actress known for her scandalous personal life and revolutionary activism - St. Louis Jewish Light - April 20th, 2022
- Arab Incitement to Violence Against Jews, Then and Now - The Wall Street Journal - April 20th, 2022
- It's time for Houston Jewish community to challenge antisemitism in the media - Jewish Herald-Voice - April 20th, 2022
- Jesus the faithful Jew: How misreadings of the Christian Gospels miss this and fuel anti-Judaism - The Conversation - April 20th, 2022
- The usefulness of Jewish amnesia - Haaretz - April 20th, 2022
- Mini-film fest to honor Gay Jewish Icon Harvey Milk this weekend in St. Louis - - St. Louis Jewish Light - April 20th, 2022
- Jew-Hater Ariyana Love Claims She Had the UN at Her Beck ... - April 11th, 2022
- German dictionary changes definition of 'Jew' after outcry ... - April 11th, 2022
- Amy Schumer is more Jewish than she thinks - Religion News Service - April 11th, 2022
- Blacks and Jews: Fifty-Five Years After James Baldwin's Negroes Are Anti-Semitic Because They're Anti-White - Literary Hub - April 11th, 2022
- Mayim Bialik assembles a very Jewish cast in her directorial debut J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - April 11th, 2022
- I am a Ukrainian Jew. I have lost my mother to Russian disinformation J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - April 11th, 2022
- Jew-Hater Captain Dan Hanley Digs Himself a Deeper Hole ... - April 7th, 2022
- For a Polish Jew Like Me, the War on Ukraine Is About Our Shared Futures - Jewish Exponent - April 7th, 2022
- How a conversion split and then strengthened Kenyas Jewish community - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - April 7th, 2022
- Ezra Furmans new song is inspired by her experience as a Jew and as a trans woman - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - April 7th, 2022
- Despite 10 years of promises, Jewish leaders have failed to make space for Jews of color - Forward - April 7th, 2022
- Jews Of Iran: A Community On Borrowed Time - I24NEWS - i24NEWS - April 7th, 2022
- Remembering the Jews of Mostyska - The Jewish Standard - April 7th, 2022
- "I'm the Jew!" - Jewish News - April 7th, 2022
- 'We are that united family': Russia's war uproots Ukrainian Jews amid false Nazi claims - USA TODAY - March 28th, 2022
- THE DEFINITIVE RAP: Jew Hatred Rising Interview With Richard Cravatts, PhD - VINnews - March 28th, 2022
- Zelensky Is a Jewish Hero. Some Jews Worry the Acclaim Won't Last. - Religion & Politics - March 26th, 2022
- Jew in the City Launches Hollywood Bureau for Jewish Representation: We Want to Be Seen as Individuals - Variety - March 26th, 2022
- The Surprising, Fraught History of the Texan Jewish Experience - Texas Monthly - March 26th, 2022
- Jewish stories were excluded from a new movie museum. Is Hollywoods push for diversity leaving them behind? - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - March 26th, 2022
- Could Ryan Turell become the first Orthodox Jew to play in the NBA? Scouts say its a long shot. - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - March 26th, 2022
- Milwaukee Jewish Federation audit finds a near-record high of antisemitic incidents in Wisconsin - WUWM - March 26th, 2022
- The surprisingly Jewish history of the Rorschach inkblot test - Forward - March 26th, 2022
- The Forgotten Jew Who Developed The Cholera And Bubonic Plague Vaccines - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - March 26th, 2022
- These Messianic missionaries were at the Ukraine border, and now theyre coming to New York - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - March 26th, 2022
- Once Victims in Southeast Europe, Jews Come to Aid Fleeing Ukrainians - The New York Times - March 8th, 2022
- Being a Jew in Ukraine: The difference eighty years makes - The Times of Israel - March 8th, 2022
- The Jew caught in the middle of the Stoli boycott - St. Louis Jewish Light - March 8th, 2022
- Do you know this Jew? His punim helped define the look of Hollywood gangsters - - St. Louis Jewish Light - March 8th, 2022
- Ukraine-born Jewish cannabis CEO raises thousands for war relief J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - March 8th, 2022
- As the fighting in Ukraine intensifies, Chicagos Jewish community rallies in support - WBEZ Chicago - March 8th, 2022
Comments