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Even in a Catch-22, some responses are mistaken

The Catch-22 on anti-Semitism:

Call it out and risk more anti-Semitism — or keep quiet and risk more anti-Semitism.

The latter seems on its face the worse choice. It makes obvious sense to call out bad behavior, no? But the Jewish community has learned over millennia that any strategy, including protest, can be used to fuel more anti-Semitism.

Take the current cases of Kanye West and Kyrie Irving. Both celebrities have faced repercussions, from the minor, being (temporarily) banned from Twitter, to losing multi-million dollar sponsorship deals. A Jewish person may feel gratification that Kanye and Kyrie face consequences for their anti-Jewish language.

Yet, it is frightening to see how much these consequences foment further anti-Semitism. Punishment of West and Irving confirms the anti-Semitic worldview that Jews control everything. So Kyrie loses a Nike deal because Jews control commerce; Kyrie is suspended because NBA commissioner Adam Silver is Jewish; black basketball players criticize Kyrie because they’re “bought and paid for” by Jewish overlords — and so on.

Punishment boosts the Black Nationalist bigotry as preached by Louis Farrakhan, such as his rant (disproved by well-regarded historians) that it was Jews who were the primary operators of the transatlantic slave trade, and the owners of most cash crop plantations that used black slave labor. Shall we push back and advocate for Kyrie’s suspension? That’s taken as just the latest way Jews have tried to keep blacks down. The damage to black-Jewish relations from Kanye and Kyrie is another tragedy of this saga.

That’s the conundrum: Call out anti-Semitism, force consequences, and it “validates” the anti-Semite. But stay silent? That makes anti-Semitism OK, leading to its proliferation. Catch-22.

Here is a less fraught case: Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover. Some say that his softer content moderation will lead to the dissemination of more hate speech. So there’s an organized effort to sway advertisers away from Twitter. ADL is one of the groups thas joined #StopToxicTwitter. The reasoning — profound concern about anti-Semitism — comes from a good place. Who in the Jewish community doesn’t want to stop anti-Semitism? But is calling for a boycott of Twitter — especially before Musk has actually done anything —wise? Surely not. Financially to hurt a business and generally to undercut a person who has not espoused anti-Semitism is inherently wrong, and could come to endanger Jews. A boycott without evidence cancause people to say, “Look, Jews control the media to stop any criticism of themselves.” Don’t jump on the boycott bandwagon so fast.

As soon as ADL joined the boycott in its tweet thread, it was then retweeted by some accusing ADL of politicization — and worse, it was retweeted by others spreading pure anti-Semitic vitriol.

It may not stop at words. When Kyrie gets suspended for his anti-Semitic words, or when the ADL calls for an advertiser boycott of Twitter, it may lead to violent harm to Jews in the street. When Jews are already the most targeted religious group, is it wise, unwittingly, to stoke anti-Semitism? We fear for the religious Jews who, because they are easily identifiable as Jewish, are the most targeted for anti-Semitic hate. There are scores of examples, but to point to one: The observant Jewverbally harassed on Oct. 12 on a New York City subway by a man parroting Kanye West’s language about Jews. Others have not been so “lucky.” They have been physicallly attacked!

With more and more anti-Semitism, combatting it becomes ever more important. But with more and more anti-Semitism, the Jewish response can put more Jewish lives at risk.

Combatting anti-Semitism versus securing Jews: ironically, these two critical efforts do not always mesh. This isn’t about kowtowing to the haters; it’s about protecting Jewish lives.

Yair Rosenberg put it best in an October article for the Atlantic: “For Jews, this is a no-win scenario: If they stay silent, the anti-Semitism continues unabated; if they speak up, and their assailant is penalized by non-Jewish society, anti-Semites feel affirmed. Heads, the bigots win; tails, Jews lose.”

Copyright © 2022 by the Intermountain Jewish News




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