Avi Mayer אבי מאיר
Read this.
Izabella Tabarovsky
The blinding rage directed at AOC & Bowman for daring to utter the word ‘antisemitism’ in relation to the pogromist mobs outside the Nova exhibit is something to behold. I don’t take condemnations of antisemitism from these two as a sign of serious intention or allyship. They are complicit in creating the current climate, & their condemnations are cynical & politically-driven. But responses they are getting from their progressive-Islamist friends tell us something important about this moment. Over the last few years there’s been a campaign going on to disarm, distort & discredit the very term ‘antisemitism.’ One time-tested technique here is to create so much confusion & controversy around the term that people would feel too hesitant to condemn antisemitism or speak of it at all. This campaign has been decades in the making, but it picked up new energy during the last Hamas-Israel war in 2021. A few examples: In May of 2021, Sanders’ national surrogate Amer Zahr called on activists to stop condemning antisemitism: “Don't condemn sh**, we have a cross-sectional, intersectional movement that is winning… Stop it. Stop it. Stay focused. Say free, free, free Palestine and nothing else.” https://m.jpost.com/international/amer-zahr-national-surrogate-for-sanders-dont-condemn-antisemitism-669179 Soon after that, SJP mobs forced Rutgers to withdraw a statement condemning antisemitism. Rutgers complied, promising to be more “sensitive & balanced” in the future. https://www.timesofisrael.com/rutgers-university-condemns-antisemitism-then-apologizes-for-doing-so/amp/ Then there was the case of April Powers, a Black Jewish DEI professional who had to resign from her job after she put out a statement condemning antisemitism. https://forward.com/news/472289/equity-and-inclusion-officer-resigns-over-a-statement-condemning/?amp=1 Back in 2021 this all seemed shocking. Today it’s become completely normalized. Constant claims that antizionism is not antisemitism are playing a massive role in creating confusion & intimidation around the issue. By condemning antisemitism on their side of the political spectrum, however insincerely, AOC & Bowman have put a wrinkle in the progressive-Islamist clique’s ongoing effort to portray antisemitism as something Jews imagine & manipulate for their own benefit, including to silence criticism of Israel. Hence the rage. In the current climate, even cynical, politically-driven condemnations of antisemitism on the left by the left matter because they signal to their followers that antisemitism is real & exists on their side of the aisle. Meanwhile, reactions to these condemnations show that any leftist daring to step outside the progressive-Islamist line on Jews will face the below & worse.
