Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism
I'm sure we all have opinions, one way or the other, over whether anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. I fall strongly in the camp that argues not only is anti-Zionism anti-semitism, but it is one of the surest examples of antisemitism.
I think it helps to dissociate anti-semitism from prejudice itself. The thought process usually goes something like this.
A Jewish woman not allowed to stay in a hotel overnight -> prejudice -> anti-semitism.
A Jewish man attacked on the street for wearing a kippah -> prejudice -> anti-semitism.
A synagogue attacked on Sukkot -> prejudice -> anti-semitism.
These are all examples of how Jewish people and organizations are treated differently from their non-Jewish counterparts. Targeted because of their Jewishness. So it is very easy to understand that these are antisemitic. But there is an underlying current that we often forget. Antisemitism is an exercise of unequal power. Discrimination isn't prejudice. It is the use of power you have to further prejudiced ideas. Holding anti-Jewish ideas but then not acting on it in any way, to me at least, isn't antisemitism.
I often like to think on it from a lens of feminism. Very few men "hate" women. In fact, hatred and prejudice is often not the things feminists fight against. The fight is against power structures that are designed to hurt women.
Let's talk about domestic violence. Let's say A a man, who beats his wife B. In this context, individual power outside context does not matter. B might earn more than A, or have more political influence than A or work in a less dangerous job than A. But in a particular context of their home, B cannot exercise power over herself.
A doesn't need to hate all women. He doesn't need to be prejudiced against women. His opinions on women don't matter in this context. His actions against B in particular do. This exercise of unequal power is misogynist, and any decent feminist would fight against this power imbalance.
But let's take it a step further and think through how feminists would fight against it. A feminist position would be to argue for better policing and more shelters. These are systematic responses to unequal power. But again, let's focus on these two answers. One looks to respond to it and other to provide women with a safe space. They are both responses to the same problem. One tries to guarantee that the power of the state will protect you against such events. The other doubts that guarantee.
I think the parallel is pretty clear now, but I will spell it out.
Emancipation and Zionism are both responses, not to prejudice against Jews, but to exercise of power against Jews. And both anti-liberalization and anti-Zionism are reactionary responses to these guarantees.
When I don't have time to write an essay, I often respond to claims of "Anti-Zionism isn't antisemitism" with - Wanting to kill and displace half the world's Jewry is anti-semitism. Because it doesn't matter how much you've interacted with Jews, it doesn't matter if you are one (and yes, I know this is a touchy point), if your response to exercise of power against Jews is to minimize the event, then you are complicit in the exercise of that power, and that IS antisemitism. Sure, you haven't killed Jews personally, but your actions give cover to those who want to do the same. Just like I assume you are misogynist if your response to women being raped is "But you know, these things happen." Worse still, if your response is "Men deserve to be here. Why don't women just stop resisting, and things will be alright"
Because power structures of the world are so toxic, we take any exercise of power to mean exercise of power against someone. But that is not what we are arguing. We are arguing for power over ourselves, to determine our own fates. This often gets expressed with one word thrown around in connection to Zionism all the time - SELF DETERMINATION. That is the only counter to antisemitism. To exercise power over ourselves. Zionism is one way to express this self determination.
This is where I have to make clear to many people what Zionism is - Jewish self determination in the land of Zion. Zionism isn't about exercising power over Arabs. Probably why Zionists through the years, have never waged a war of conquest, never been the aggressors in conflicts against our neighbors.
At any rate, whatever your opinion on the conflict, anti-Zionism isn't the ending of the conflict. It is taking power away from Jews to self determine, which leaves Jews vulnerable to others. And THAT is antisemitism, whether it is born out of prejudice against Jews or not.
But of course, you will argue, if antisemitism is truly about power, then someone ranting about Jews online isn't antisemitism. Most people who tweet about Israel and write reddit comments about anti-Zionism aren't doing anything to take power away from the state of Israel.
And you are right. I suppose an argument can be made that they shape public opinion which leads to policy changes. It is a good answer, but we all know this effect is limited.
I'd argue it does something worse. It legitimizes the idea that Jews should not wield power. Many months ago, I wrote a comment detailing many expressions of anti-semitism. Of these, the two most common forms - "Jews control the world" and "Dual loyalty" are both example of this delegitimization.
Find a Jewish owned bank or company, find a Jewish landlord, a Jewish senator and argue that Jews shouldn't have access to power, argue that such access is detrimental to the society at large. Or argue that when Jews wield power, they use that power only to help themselves at the expense of others - i.e. - dual loyalty.
Of course, while there are many unique things about how antisemitism is expressed, in this way at least, it is very similar to how anti-feminism is expressed. We have all heard about "so many allegations of false rape" whenever we talk about rape laws. To write this, I decided to postpone my mental health goals for a bit and visit a few anti-feminist subreddits which I won't link here to prevent brigades. Somehow simultaneously "family courts are biased against men" and "gay men shouldn't adopt children", but both responses to changing family dynamics. Any time we try changing women's access to power in the society, or creating safe spaces for women, the response is the same. Exactly the same response to any kind of minority empowerment. People who hold power over others loathe giving it up.
And, we the Jews, we who have exercised almost no power in society since our exile, we are the perfect targets. Jewish revolutionaries, Jewish philosophers, Jewish landlords, Jewish bankers, Jewish artists, Jews just existing usurp power from the majority. And the response is always the same - demonization, delegitimization, double standards. And so we are disbelievers. We are Christ-killers. We are anti-revolutionaries. We are traitors. We are child killers and blood drinkers. We, the pigs, the dogs, the fascists, the communists, the devil worshipers, the plague spreaders. It's easy, you see. We have no power to resist these portrayals.
And it gives quarter to someone who comes along to argue we should all be exiled or gassed or thrown into ghettos. But it is not just these final actions that are antisemitism. It is everything that leads up to it. Every tweet, every newspaper article, every reddit upvote, every speech, every little action to delegitimize Jewish existence, for that is what happens when Jews cannot decide their own fate, cannot "self-determine"
"Zionism is the redemption of an ancient nation" Yigal Allon once said. I tend to agree. Sovereignty is the final redemption of an abused people. It is where you go when the power systems of the world encroach. It is where you go to finally be considered legitimate. It is where you can, at last, hold power over yourself.
Reprinted with permission from Chava, https://www.reddit.com/user/nobaconator/
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