We’re looking at the vent diagrams @onespacefor created for #UnravelingAntisemitism. A vent is the overlap of 2 statements that appear to be both true & contradictory
We used them to capture the complexity of the multiple truths we want ppl who see & discuss the print to explore
Jewish liberation is critical to unlocking collective liberation, that’s why we should fight for it! AND, Jewish liberation is critical to liberating Jews - that alone makes it important!
Most U.S. Jews today are read as white and benefit from whiteness. AND, the growing white nationalist movement doesn’t believe Jews are white.
When Jews experience a thing as antisemitic we should all take it seriously. AND, people sometimes avoid confronting their privilege and focus on their oppression.
Jews have been targets in the system of white supremacy. AND, white Jews have been complicit in the system of white supremacy.
Jewish observance and practice help us resist Christian hegemony. AND, no single observance or practice defines being Jewish.
All Jews are targeted by antisemitism. AND, being visibly Jewish increases your risk of being targeted by antisemitism.
Jews play a unique role in challenging violence & oppression in Israel Palestine. AND, Jews, like everyone, should challenge militarism & colonialism everywhere.
This poster represents so many Jewish stories! AND, this poster is definitely incomplete - not a whole history of Jews, by far!
Jews hate Nazis. AND, not all Jews reject or understand racist systems.
The past’s rises & falls of antisemitic violence can make Jewish safety feel tenuous. AND, the past doesn’t dictate the future. Liberation is possible.
There are many vibrant centers of Jewish life around the world. AND, when Israel became a state, Jewish geo politics in many places changed.
Antisemitism plays a unique role in upholding capitalism. AND, all oppressions reinforce capitalism - antisemitism is not unique.
Jews can be oppressors of other peoples. AND, Jews can be oppressed by others peoples.
We should hold white Jews accountable when they’re being racist. AND, it’s antisemitic to direct anger at white Jews more than other white people.
Many Mizrahi/Sephardi Jews have suffered from antisemitism in Arab/Muslim countries in recent memory. AND, recent history of Jews in these countries is often projected onto their entire history.
False associations of Jews with $$$. AND, there are wealthy Jews.
Examples of Muslim violence against Jews is often used by the right to fuel myths that Jews & Muslims are enemies. AND, a story of unbroken Muslim-Jewish friendship under Islam is one-dimensional & inaccurate.
Jews of color experience racism in & out of Jewish community. AND, Jews of color experience antisemitism in & out of communities of color.
Under Islam, there were extensive periods of Jewish-Muslim co existence. AND, under Islam, Jews have at times experienced discrimination & violence.
Most people in the U.S. think of all Jews as white. AND, Jews of color have always been part of the U.S. Jewish population.
Singling out & blaming wealthy Jews is antisemitic & dangerous. AND, it’s legit to critique capitalist institutions & the people who uphold them.
The State of Israel systematically oppresses Palestinians. AND, Zionism embodies many Jews’ beliefs that our people deserve self-determination & safety.
No single group controls the planet’s wealth. AND, the wealthiest people on the planet are predominately white Christian men.
Jews deserve allies who stick around when things get hard. AND, Jews need to be allies who stick around when things get hard.
Antisemitism is dangerous & real. AND, false claims of antisemitism are weaponized by the right.
Christian dogma was central to the development of antisemitism. AND, many Christian people were & are active allies to Jews.
Jews must take responsibility for our complicity in & fight against all oppressions. AND, Jews must mourn, heal from & fight against antisemitism.
Vent Diagrams is a social media & art project @onespacefor started in collaboration with educator & fellow JFREJ member E.M./Elana Eisen-Markowitz. Learn more: ventdiagrams.com
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This week we released #UnravelingAntisemitism, a new visual work of art and discussion guide inspired by our 2017 “Understanding Antisemitism” paper. Today we’re breaking down the historical moments captioned in the poster, beautifully collaged by @katzcomics
The Roman Empire saw Jews as a backwards tribe, unwilling to accept Jesus and assimilate into imperial culture. The state made it illegal to convert to Judaism, illegal for Jews and Christians to intermarry, and illegal for a Jew to hold office or testify in court.
Medieval rulers often barred Jews from owning land/joining trade guilds. Jews became overrepresented as tax collectors/money lenders for Christians w/ power. Everyday Christians often blamed Jews for harsh interest rates/taxes. That's where stereotypes of Jews and $ originate.
@FEWCoalition is outside Gov. Cuomo's office in Midtown, celebrating Easter--a holiday of renewal--to ask "What have you sacrificed? While we were expected to sacrifice *everything*, working during the pandemic."
20 days without food; a year without relief. @AndreaSCousins@CarlHeastie we continue to look to you to deliver a fully accessible worker bailout fund.
"I want everyone to close their eyes and imagine what it will feel like when this Excluded Worker Fund is real, when we have won, when families no longer have to kill themselves with work day by day... This is a holiday about hope." - @AngeMariaSolis
Today’s the last day of Passover, which means Mimouna starts tonight! We wish we could all be together for Mimouna this year, but we’ll reminisce on our 2019 Mimouna celebration.
Drawing from the Moroccan and North African tradition of inviting Jewish and Muslim neighbors to celebrate Mimouna, the event included the @ArabAmericanNY and @DesisRisingUp, our partners in the fight against white nationalism.
The evening included an abundance of Arab sweets, mint tea, a live band, and a radical Moroccan DJ.
There's a long history of falsely portraying Jews as disease-carriers. Consider how you may be accepting or even fueling that narrative right now.
But asking people to wear masks during a pandemic is not antisemitic, & making false accusations of antisemitism doesn't help Jews.
The ultimate goal is public health. Whether or not you personally think it’s antisemitic to single out or focus on Orthodox communities, the bottom line is that stigmatizing doesn’t work! We need culturally competent education, community partnerships, testing, and tracing.
From Pro-Trump rallies in Staten Island to partiers in SoHo to the streets of Borough Park, anyone refusing to wear a mask/socially distance is recklessly putting themselves, their community & everyone they come into contact with at risk.
Today, on Tisha B’Av, #JewsAgainstICE are taking action to say #NeverAgainIsNOW. Tisha B’Av is a Jewish day of mourning, and today we mourn for the people rounded up, torn from their families, thrown in cages, and deported by ICE.
We are turning our grief into action and taking to the streets to demand that tech companies stop enabling the deportation machine terrorizing immigrant communities, separating families, and putting children in cages.
We are at @amazon's store because @AWSCloud is vital to ICE’s cruelty.
Without Amazon, ICE cannot round immigrants up to imprison them in concentration camps or deport them. #JewsAgainstICE will not stay silent while tech companies profit off of cruelty.
Antisemitism, like all oppressions, impacts its targets (Jews) most, but it is a problem for all.
The Soros myth fueled the murder of 11 Jews in Pittsburgh. For that alone, it should never get air time. How does this lie and antisemitism broadly also threaten our larger society?