Weaponizing Antisemitism to Attack DEI

Updated: March 27, 2024

Thank you to Noreen Kamal for pointing out the fact my facts in this article were outdated and biased based on the evidence now available. Grateful for the community who calls us to be accountable for our words.

We need to discuss the tokenization of solidarity between the Jewish and Black communities at this very moment in history.

For this article, I used a photo of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel walking in solidarity with Martin Luther King Jr. at Selma in 1965. Rabbi Heschel was a long-time friend and supporter of Mr. King's, and a symbol of solidarity between these two communities at a pivotal time during the Civil Rights movement. He made an important speech that day which included the quote:

"To act in the spirit of religion is to unite what lies apart, to remember that humanity as a whole is God’s beloved child. To act in the spirit of race is to sunder, to slash, to dismember the flesh of living humanity."

Something has gone very wrong since then.

For context, I am a white-identifying woman with newly discovered Jewish lineage. I am embarking on a journey to learn more about my Jewish ancestry - something we long-suspected, but it was never confirmed until very recently. Discovering my great-grandmother was Jewish was one of the proudest moment's of my life. It has also been a very difficult time to learn about the history of the State of Israel, the Nakba , and 75 years of occupation.

I preface everything I write in this article with these three statements:

• (This has been disputed and facts have been brought to light that dispute these claims - https://theintercept.com/2024/02/28/new-york-times-anat-schwartz-october-7/ ; https://zeteo.com/p/debunked-seven-israeli-myths-about ). To keep myself honest, I won't delete the comments I posted originally:What took place on October 7 was a war crime. Hamas terrorized, raped, and murdered civilians . There is no denying this fact, and anyone who does so is further perpetuating antisemitism and hatred.)
• Antisemitism is unacceptable in every shape and form. The rise of hate against the Jewish community in Canada is abhorrent and must be stopped.
• All people have the right to live in peace, no matter their race, creed, gender, identity or political beliefs.

I am loathed to write this piece, but it feels necessary at this moment in time.

Right-wing movements and political parties are using the October 7 attacks to conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. These opportunists are now weaponizing Jewish generational trauma and fear, to attack Indigenous, Black, Brown, and people of colour (BIPOC) who sympathize with the Palestinian cause. They are taking this moment in time to attack anyone that speaks in favour of a permanent cease fire. Individuals who are advocating for peace are being silenced, losing jobs, having contracts cancelled, and being attacked online. Their calls to save the thousands of innocent civilians in Palestine are being met with threats against their livelihoods and attempts to end their careers - this is wholly unacceptable.

And when I say innocent I mean it.  

50% of Gazans are children.

Please note that as of January 7, the World Food Programme estimates that more than half (50%) of Palestinians in Gaza are on the verge of famine.        

Just after the October 7 attacks, comedian Amy Schumer tweeted out a video featuring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr admonishing antisemitism and speaking in support of Israel. Schumer assumed that the history between the African American and Jewish communities in the 1960's civil rights movement meant there was a bond between them that requires Black folx to speak in unequivocal support of Israel.

She was swiftly corrected by Dr. King's daughter, Bernice King, who wrote the following response on X :

"Amy: Certainly, my father was against antisemitism, as am I," Bernice King wrote in a thread on the social media platform X. "He also believed militarism (along with racism and poverty) to be among the interconnected Triple Evils. I am certain he would call for Israel’s bombing of Palestinians to cease, for hostages to be released and for us to work for true peace, which includes justice."

Many in the Black community were, rightfully, offended that Ms. Schumer chose to tokenize and weaponize Dr. King's words in order to defend Israel's actions - something she has yet to apologize for.

And the costs for speaking up are not equal. For example, this was a post by comedian Sarah Silverman on October 8:

Ms. Silverman has since apologized for her "emotional reaction", but as the it's important to note that while Silverman’s reputation may have suffered, if only temporarily, she has not lost any work (LA Times).

While these are examples of celebrities making mistakes and being called to task, these sentiments are also showing up on my LinkedIn network. For example, I was tagged in a post where someone wrote that "Palestinians don't deserve the land they were given", and that "these people (Muslims) bring their values to the West, and everyone stays silent about terrorists in our midst." One of those individuals works for the Federal government, the other was a high-level Vice President at a bank.

There has been a growing conflation over the last two months between criticism of the State of Israel and antisemitism and it's reaching a fever pitch. Antisemitism is serious, it is dangerous, and it should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. However, criticism of Israel's policies of oppression and apartheid are not antisemitic if they are rooted in calls for the liberation of oppressed people. I will not go into the details of how horrific the conditions in Gaza were before October 7, but you are welcome to read the reports by Oxfam , Amnesty International , the United Nations , the World Food Programme , Save the Children , and many other international aid organizations on this subject.

The conflation between criticism of Israel's policies and government and antisemitism is intentional and it is dangerous . When the Israeli government weaponizes one of the darkest parts of Jewish history to deflect responsibility and blame, it creates an impenetrable shield. It is a way to terrify those with limited knowledge of the history into staying silent. It is a way to bolster Christian Zionists and right-wing activists in defense of the indefensible.

This tactic is not new. In 2014, Jewish author, professor, and philosopher Judith Butler created the hashtag #NotAllJews, in response to Israel's policies of illegal settlements in the West Bank. In response to the claim that an attack on Zionism was antisemitic, she wrote the following :

… [T]he Jewish people extend beyond the state of Israel and the ideology of political Zionism. The two cannot be equated. Honestly, what can really be said about “the Jewish people” as a whole? Is it not a lamentable stereotype to make large generalizations about all Jews, and to presume they all share the same political commitments? They — or, rather, we — occupy a vast spectrum of political views, some of which are unconditionally supportive of the state of Israel, some of which are conditionally supportive, some are skeptical, some are exceedingly critical, and an increasing number, if we are to believe the polls in this country, are indifferent.

Butler is right. The most dangerous part of Zionism is that it creates a culture of "with us or without us" with no room for debate. There is no space for nuance, no room for political analysis. When the State of Israel's actions are conflated with all Jewish people there is no room for an ounce of informed criticism. This is intentional and it is toxic. It creates a dangerous dynamic and it is fostering a culture of fear amongst Israel's most ardent critics.

This climate has also silenced many of the liberal-leaning Jews in my network. Many of them still have family members who survived the Holocaust. For many, they are concerned about being deemed "self-hating Jews." Some work for Jewish organizations and would run the risk of being fired. Many - understandably - are concerned about contributing to growing antisemitism in their communities. Generational trauma is playing a significant role in why they remain silent.

Antisemitism is not an excuse for Islamophobia and racism. Some people have come to my comments section to tell me how horrible I am. Some claim to want to "educate me" about Palestine, but they also send me videos and articles that are filled with Islamophobic and hateful rhetoric. They are so deeply afraid of the "other" that they cannot see how incredibly racist their commentary is.

In addition to this, there are many who are claiming efforts to boycott Israeli owned businesses are wholly antisemitic. This same non-violent form of protest was used to push South Africa out of the apartheid system . Boycotting companies that blindly support any form of systemic oppression is a worthy cause.

In 2013, Judith Butler spoke about the boycott, divest, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel at Brooklyn College. The origins of this talk are eerily familiar, even a decade later. In her speech, Butler stated, "why would a non-violent movement to achieve basic political rights for Palestinians be understood as anti-Semitic? Surely, there is nothing about the basic rights themselves that constitute a problem. They include equal rights of citizenship for current inhabitants; the end to the occupation, and the rights of unlawfully displaced persons to return to their lands and gain restitution for their losses."

I would ask the same question now.

The most disturbing part of how the conflation between antisemitism and criticism of Israel is playing out has been the open attacks on Black, Indigenous, and people of colour who stand in solidarity with Palestine.

One most only look to the recent case of former Harvard University president Claudine Gay . Gay was the first Black female president of Harvard and her tenure was wrought from the start. She was deemed a "diversity hire" by some, and like many Black women who enter the highest levels of leadership, her qualifications and abilities were questioned. When Gay found herself in the crosshairs of a congressional hearing about the rise of antisemitism on college campus, she failed to adequately respond to the trap laid before her (and her counterparts) by Senator Elise Stefanik (a woman who currently refers to the January 6 rioters as "political hostages ). This was a calculated use of the rightful fears of rising antisemitism to attack the first Black woman at an Ivy League institution and to bring about her resignation. When that didn't work, the anti-DEI movement took to accusing her of plagiarism to ultimately force her to resign.

She was pushed right off the glass cliff.

And as if this isn't obvious to you, please take a moment to read this utterly racist diatribe from lawyer Howard Levitt about Gay's resignation. Please note that Mr. Levitt is the same lawyer representing Jordan Peterson , a man so utterly fragile, he cannot stand the idea of using people's actual pronouns. Mr. Levitt is not even hiding his distain for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and is weaponizing antisemitism as a way to attack a Black woman and supposedly wants to re-instate a "culture of meritocracy" in academic institutions.

How far are the Zionists (both Jewish and Christian) willing to push this? It appears as far as they can possibly go.

The purpose of my article is not to sow more division or to create more controversy. In fact, what I want is the opposite. What I want is for people to see how conflating criticism of Israel and antisemitism is creating harm - in particular, harm for the Jewish community. We will never be able to move forward if every report, every institution, every single critic of the State of Israel is instantly an enemy. We must look to the many Jews who stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

In 1965, when Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marched with Martin Luther King Jr., he said, "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." What Rabbi Heschel understood is that the oppression of people anywhere will be a threat to our own freedom. We must seek justice for all, no matter how afraid we may feel.

I hope that some of you will find a way to see this for what it is - a profession of my love and a call for peace.

In love and solidarity my friends.