1/ The politicization of #Antisemitism is one of the most dangerous things that can happen to the Jewish community. In recent years it has been used as a club by both the left and right to smear others with whom they disagree. I'm not sure which side is more guilty of it.
https://twitter.com/WFLAJB/status/1488256043335438340
2/ So I wanted to make this thread to go through some of the major problems this has created for the #Jewish community. First, throwing around the word #antisemitism has watered down the word. Maybe you didn't mean for this to happen, but it seems it has. 
3/ If everyone is an antisemite, nobody is an antisemite. That means that this word has been used and abused to the point where it's starting to have no real meaning. And don't get me started on issues about using the term 'Racism' for the hatred of Jews.
4/ Second, people (intentionally or not) tend to erase Jews when they're talking about antisemitism. Much like the direct political attacks, so many people point to those hold Nazi flags or attending tiki torch rallies but never talk to actual Jews about antisemitism.
5/ When you talk about antisemitism in the abstract, as if it is some form of generalized, unacceptable hatred, but never talk to Jews about how it impacts them on a DAY TO DAY basis (and it does) you're erasing Jews from the conversation because it's uncomfortable to talk about.
6/ Third, tweeting about antisemitism, whether it's the #TruckersForFreedom2022 in Ottawa or the #BlackLivesMatter movement (whose organizers have been accused of antisemitism) but never when it's someone "on your side" it's not about fighting hate.
7/ If I only condemn #Islamophobia, #antiblackracism or any other form of hatred, discrimination or racism only from someone who I disagreed with politically you'd say that I don't truly care about those people & that I'm doing it to score political points because it'd be true!
8/ You're not oblibated to stand up for us, I and many other Jews do so proudly every day, I can think of many (@HenMazzig @Eve_Barlow @BenMFreeman) just to name a few. But don't hold up the genocide & hatred of my people as proof of your goodness.
https://twitter.com/ilhanmn/status/1354473459414396933
9/ Fourth, stop pretending that you can simply ignore antisemitism because you heard the word "Israel" as part of the conversation. I can guarantee that if this thread reaches far enough it'll attract some Jew-hate, but that doesn't mean we ignore the seriousness of the topic.
10/ Nobody who you should listen to about antisemitism EVER says that all criticism of Israel is antisemitic. In my experience that's something people say when they either want to hide their antisemitism (because it's so frequent) or because they want to silence you.
11/ There's a CLEAR intersection between anti-Israelism & antisemitism. Ignoring that only fuels hatred of Jews. Yes, It's a long and serious conversation on where the touch points are, but when someone says they "hate Israelis," you know they're not talking about Israeli Arabs.
12/ Lastly, and most importantly, political polarization of our culture means that people now lump causes or issues together as Right or Left wing. It's gotten so bad that if you ask some people about where they stand on only one or two issues you can guess how they'd vote.
13/ And so, if someone perceives support for Jews (or Israel for that matter) as a Right or Left wing cause, they may be automatically against it because it's "on the other side." This brings me back to the video of @RonDeSantisFL. I'm not American and I don't live in #Florida.
14/ If you hate @RonDeSantisFL & the #Republicans, if you're a a #democrat or #Progressives you might oppose everything he says. So how likely is it you'd investigate the antisemitism (& Israel) talking about before making up your mind? Not very likely.
https://twitter.com/WFLAJB/status/1488253919721574409
15/ And this is where we come to. Jews once again thrust into the centre of the political debate, abused by some, blamed by many and ignored by others. If you truly care about #antisemitism, talk to a real Jewish person about their lived experiences of hatred and discrimination.
16/ If you can't find a real life Jewish person, there are only 15 million of us in the ENTIRE WORLD (did you know that?) then reach out to people like me on twitter or try the closest Synagogue or Jewish group/organization. You might be surprised about what you learn.
@threadreaderapp unroll please
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