Stop Antisemitism

[Sixties Fan]

Antisemitism as an ancient, toxic, resilient virus, mutated over millennia, in accordance with guiding social pillars or constructs of each century: from religion to race to nationality, now full cycle back to religion. It is the mainstreaming and normalization of this ancient hatred that is most alarming.


For antisemitism can be seen as a predictive example for other forms of hate and racism, rendering the tracking, understanding and addressing of its unique mutation important not only for Jews or their nation state, Israel – as a proverbial canary in the mineshaft – but for all concerned and committed to identify and combat all forms of hate and racism.


The intersection between religion and universal values of human rights – developed as a secular religion – harbors the opportunity and responsibility for vital collaboration in the 21st century: to identify and combat the appropriation and weaponization of those universal principles for political ends. Such appropriation and weaponization undermine the very commitment of “Never Again” that the international-rules-based order was intended to ensure and secure, even as, instead, we face the devastating reality of “Again and Again” – in Iran, China, Ukraine, etc.

An antisemitic hit list​

BDS has made no secret about its ultimate agenda: demonizing, delegitimizing and singling out Israel, with the ultimate goal of destroying it. In an Orwellian inversion, it appropriates universal values and rhetoric, weaponizing them against Israel, a lawful and human-rights abiding state. This interactive map is but a recent, escalating and visual manifestation of a “clear and present danger.”


Many in the Boston community view this map for precisely what it is: an antisemitic hit list. This one example is replicated in a plethora of insidious manifestations, on digital platforms and on the streets, echoing toxic antisemitic tropes as defined in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition of antisemitism, the result of a long democratic process, which includes the 3 Ds – the demonization, delegitimization and double standards – towards Israel.

The mutation of antisemitism back into the mainstream - opinion

BDS has made no secret about its ultimate agenda: demonizing, delegitimizing and singling out Israel, with the ultimate goal of destroying it.

www.jpost.com

 

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https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/italian-israeli-journalist-defines-modern-antisemitism-in-jewish-lives-matter/2022/07/18/

 

[Sixties Fan]

We've discussed Columbia University professor Joseph Massad before and noted his antisemitism and bigotry since this blog began in 2004.

In an article for Arabi21, Massad strongly indicates that he subscribes to the discredited Khazar theory. While it is not the main point of his article, he writes, "The Zionists of European Jews claimed that they are the descendants of the ancient Palestinian Hebrews and that their settlement project is nothing more than a 'return' to their ancient country, Israel....The pan-Jewish nationalism of European Zionism, which sought to re-establish the glories of the 'Jewish' kingdoms of the Palestinian Hebrews (who were appropriated by the Zionists as ancestors of Europeans who had converted to Judaism), was portrayed as 'progressive' and socialist."

This is similar to what he wrote in English for Electronic Intifada in 2017, saying that European Jews were converts to Judaism.

The Wikipedia entry on the genetics of Ashkenazic Jews shows that nearly all studies find their origin is in the Middle East. So Massad, in the 2017 article, makes his argument that most European Jews as converts by calling it "an established historical fact."

That is "proof by assertion."

The usual version of the theory that Jews are converts is the Khazar theory, which has also been repeatedly debunked from genetic, historical, linguistic and other perspectives. It is embraced by Palestinians because their entire claim of indigeneity is destroyed when another people were there first and most Palestinian Arab families proudly trace their ancestry to Arabia. (The Palestinian Christians, on the other hand, seem to be descended from Jews.)

Since the truth is not on their side, they need to push the Khazar lie. And that lie is meant to say that Jews don't have any historic ties to the Jewish homeland.

Denying Jewish history is just as antisemitic as denying the Holocaust.

Columbia professor Joseph Massad espouses discredited - and antisemitic - Khazar theory

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

Police in Goshen, New York are searching for a man who harassed congregants of a synagogue attending a talk by a Holocaust survivor.

The man was speaking about the horrors of the Holocaust and calling for an end to hatred on Thursday night when the incident occurred.

According to police, a suspect in a red car twice drove by the Chabad of Orange County screaming obscenities.

(full article online )

NY police searching for man who harassed Jews at Holocaust event

Man who drove by Goshen, NY synagogue spewing hatred during talk by Holocaust survivor wanted by police.

www.israelnationalnews.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

To understand the connection to Southeast Asia, however, requires understanding how European colonialism spread antisemitism, particularly around Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This led first to Arab Christians adopting antisemitic ideas, which seeped into secular Arab nationalism then into Islamic Arab nationalisms, and into a full-blown Islamic antisemitism. This latter move came during the 1930s, and two key figures were the mufti of Jerusalem Hajji Amin Al-Husseini and Syed Qutb of the Muslim Brotherhood. Qutb wrote a tract called Our Struggle With the Jews in in 1950 which still circulates in Southeast Asia today and defined an eternal enmity between Jews and Muslims, but drew on Western antisemitic tropes.

The prominence of antisemitism in recent times, particularly in Malaysia, where we have noted the endogenous Jewish community has disappeared, may seem puzzling. But attention to the discursive function of the trope of “the Jew” and how antisemitism operates makes it clear.

Firstly, it was arguably under Prime Minister Mohamad Mahathir that antisemitism gained a major public profile there, a discourse he has repeated in recent years. He was instrumental in turning towards a Muslim identity in the political sphere and away from a secular framing. As such, given Wahhabi-Salafi infiltration and the prominence of Palestine-Israel as a point of identity for a global Muslim ummah (community), it was a natural discursive trope to help found arguments for a beleaguered and oppressed Muslim identity that would bind group identity and garner support.

Secondly, within Malaysia’s context, as Mary Ainslee has argued, antisemitism without Jews has been a cipher for a different group: the Chinese. In other words, antisemitic discourse about Jews as a minority but yet a prosperous and controlling group (playing on old antisemitic tropes noted below), has acted as a code to criticise and stir up resentment against local Chinese, perceived as a successful business community which prospers at the expense of Malays. A similar pattern has also been observed in Indonesia.

It has been noted that copies of Henry Ford’s deeply antisemitic text The Universal Jew were handed out at Mahathir’s political rallies in the 2000s. This points to the ongoing Western influence. Moreover, the conception of controlling and prosperous Jews plays upon tropes developed through European history, but very particularly on a nineteenth century forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which allegedly records a secret meeting of Jewish leaders discussing their plot for world domination. Originally a scene from a novel, it has taken on a life of its own and has the passage we have discussed: from Europe (both France and Russia were posited origins), to MENA where it influenced Qutb’s writings, and now to Southeast Asia in the Islamic ideological framing of antisemitism.

All this brings us back to the context of the detained 20-year-old Singaporean youth. While actual violence, or planned violence against Jews is rare in Southeast Asia—though a planned (Jemaah Islamiyah) JI attack in 2001 on Singapore targeted not just the US but also the Israeli embassy—antisemitic sentiment clearly festers regionally.

This is particularly tied to anti-Israeli sentiment. Amongst the countries surveyed here, only Singapore has close ties with Israel, and Malaysia in particular has had sometimes tense relations. But anti-Israeli sentiment can be separated from antisemitism (many Israeli and non-Israeli Jews criticise the government’s harsh policies towards the Palestinians). Therefore, while many Muslims regionally may criticise Israel, certainly not all are antisemitic. Muslims and Jews sit side-by-side in the Interreligious Organisation of Singapore and other platforms. In Indonesia, for example, some have stressed kinship. Respect for Jews, as People of the Book, is integral to Muslim identity for many.

As such, it was no surprise that Singapore’s Mufti and others expressed their outrage at the planned crime. Indeed, Jewish and Muslim leaders united together to condemn it. It may be said that it was not Islam that gave this young man these ideas, but a politicised hatred learnt via colonial imposition and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Nevertheless, like synagogues globally, those across Southeast Asia have security in place, and the need for reviewing security across places of worship in Singapore has been noted. Although Singapore’s Chief Rabbi has contrasted the safety felt here compared to Europe, there is no room for complacency given regional discourses on antisemitism.

Read article in full

(full article online)

Point of No Return

Jewish Refugees from Arab and Muslim Countries

www.jewishrefugees.org.uk

 

[Sixties Fan]

[ The irony of "it could/should happen to you" is lost on this Iranian ]

The project classified Jewish schools, synagogues, nonprofits, businesses and media as “being complicit” in what it considered to be societal ills, including Zionism, U.S. imperialism, policing, militarization, ethnic cleansing, harm to the environment, colonialism and other social “harms.”

Jewish groups, including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, condemned the project for championing antisemitic tropes, such as myths of overarching Jewish influence in society, and making Jews and Jewish communal organizations scapegoats for society’s troubles. Others expressed concerns about the safety and security of the organizations named.

The project has caused such backlash that the Palestinian BDS National Committee wrote a letter to its Boston branch demanding that it either close down the project or “remove the BDS acronym” from its name, saying that “the association of the BDS name with such groups and activities hurts our entire movement.”

Rahimi, the Iranian TV anchor said that the “best response” to critics of the project is “to intensify the targeting of Zionist and pro-Israel groups so they can be more effectively seen and held accountable.”

“The project should be rolled out in all 50 U.S. states, as well as internationally,” she said. “In the end, of course, like all other racist groups, each one will have to be dismantled as part of the process of liberating Palestine.”

(full article online)

Iran Endorses BDS ‘Attack’ Map Targeting Jews | United with Israel

'The project should be rolled out in all 50 states, as well as internationally,' said news anchor Bianca Rahimi.

unitedwithisrael.org

 

[Sixties Fan]

That original campaign, called “Deadly Exchange” was launched in 2017 by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) to target both Israelis in Israel and Jews living outside Israel who support the Jewish state. In this way, it seeks to deny Jews and Jewish organizations their freedom of speech and freedom of association – and is typical of BDS campaigning in general. Singling out exchange programs between American police, the FBI, ICE, and Israeli law enforcement agencies, among all other police exchange programs – for example, those with Mexico and European countries – “Deadly Exchange” attacks Israel alone for allegedly advancing racist policies in the US. According to the campaign, the Jewish state serves as the evil role model for Americans. It demands exchange programs with Israel be cancelled and calls on people to “hold accountable the Jewish institutions that run and fund the deadly exchange.” A visual graph that accompanies the campaign shows the mainstream Jewish organizations that are allegedly “complicit” in promoting racism in America — AIPAC, Taglit Birthright, JINSA, the ADL and the AJC.



The campaign evoked the standard anti-Semitic trope of Jews spreading their tentacles to encompass the world and corrupt others with their evil. It’s classic anti-Semitism.

Anti-Semitic cartoon by Seppla (Josef Plank)
Nazi Germany, circa 1938
(vide online)

The Boston mapping project’s launching point echoes the “Deadly Exchange” campaign with its first item cited being “policing” — to demonstrate the “institutional support for the colonization of Palestine.” And beyond those allegations, the mapping project connects the Jewish community to “white supremacy,” “colonization,” “US imperialism,” and “vast theft” – the central crimes of Marxist ideology that echo the most radical themes of today’s turbulent politics. With its stated goal of “visualizing connections,” the mapping project expands the Deadly Exchange graph to include a wider range of Jewish targets — a council of synagogues, schools, a disability group, an artist collaborative, unions, and others associated with being Jewish or with incorporating Jewish belief, history or culture, of which the Land of Israel has always been a central component. It names communal leaders, philanthropies, and board members of some groups.




(full article online)

Boston Mapping Project: An Anti-Semitic Campaign Goes Awry

The Boston Mapping Project, launched on June 3, 2022, is the latest variant of BDS poison and reflects the movement's anti-Jewish bigotry. The sinister

www.camera.org

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

Antisemitism is on the rise and attacks of all kinds are becoming more commonplace in the United States.

Over the weekend, a group of young men placed Patriot Front stickers on signs and light posts in Chicago, promoting the the white supremacist group.

Residents of the area were furious and one Jewish man took matters into his own hands, chasing the hatemongers out of his the community.

(vide video online)

WATCH: Jewish Man Chases Neo-Nazis Out of His Neighborhood | United with Israel

A Chicago man chased men out of his neighborhood who were placing stickers from the white supremacist group Patriot Front on signs and light posts.

unitedwithisrael.org

 

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[Sixties Fan]

This TikTok video shows a large assembly at the Anata Secondary School east of Jerusalem, where students play-acted a kidnapping of religious Jews.

Palestinian high school stages kidnapping of religious Jews to adoring audience (video)

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

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[Sixties Fan]

Amnesty-UK issued a press release linked to a 19-page paper on Wednesday warning the UK to ensure that a proposed expansion of its free trade agreement with Israel doesn't include any business in the territories nor include any dealings with companies that they claim are violating human rights.

Has Amnesty-UK ever gone through a similar amount of effort to sabotage a UK trade agreement with any other country?

You know the answer.

I found some blog posts questioning trade with Colombia in 2009 and one blog post from 2013 questioning trade with Mexico because of human rights issues. That's it.

Amnesty-UK has no campaigns, no reports, no press releases warning about UK (or, pre-Brexit, EU) free trade agreements with any nations besides Israel.

Yet the UK has an extensive free trade agreement with Turkey that was updated only last year. The same Turkey that occupies lands and has built settlements in Northern Cyprus and in Syria.

Amnesty-UK is silent.

The UK has trade agreements with the Palestinian Authority. The same government that pays salaries to terrorists and teaches children to hate Jews.

Amnesty-UK is silent.

The UK has trade agreements with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon. Not a word of objection from Amnesty-UK.

The UK is currently negotiating a trade agreement with Algeria. Amnesty knows quite well the depth of human rights abuses there. But Amnesty-UK is not campaigning to stop that agreement.

No, Amnesty-UK chooses to campaign against UK trade with one and only one country. The one that happens to be Jewish.

Amnesty-UK will claim that their campaign is simply meant to support human rights. But somehow Israel always gets far more attention than any other country.

Their "Get Involved/Issues" section includes only four country-specific sections: Israel, Syria, North Korea and the US(!). In those sections, it lists over 60 issues with Israel, but only ten entries on Syria, nine for North Korea, and ten for the United States. There is far more effort and money spent on attacking Israel than any other country, by far.

That is modern antisemitism. It hides behind "human rights" but it abuses the issue of human rights as a club to attack only Israel.

Antisemitism by omission: Amnesty-UK only opposes trade agreements with one country

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

Arabic media is reporting that the Bahraini minister for Culture and Antiquities has lost her job because she refused to shake hands with the Israeli ambassador to Bahrain.

According to the story, on June 16, US Ambassador to Bahrain Steven Bondy held a special memorial service at his home on the occasion of the death of his father. He invited some ambassadors and officials, including the Israeli ambassador to Bahrain, Eitan Naeh, and the Bahraini minister (and member of the royal family) Sheikha Mai bint Mohammed.

During the ceremony, the officials were shaking hands as they were introduced to each other. When Sheikha Mai was told she was about to shake hands with Naeh, she withdrew her hand and refused to shake his hand. She then left the house of the American ambassador and asked the embassy not to publish any picture of her in the memorial service.

Previously, in her position, she refused to recognize various Jewish landmarks in Bahrain.

Bahraini minister fired for refusing to shake hands with Israeli ambassador

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

• • His claim that there is a “fascist” system of “Jewish supremacy” within Israel ignores that two million+ Israeli-Arabs have full and democratic right alongside the Jewish majority in Israel. Israeli Arabs can vote and be elected to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. They have served on Israel’s supreme court, and are active in business, diplomacy, media and more within Israel. Clearly, then, Waters’ attempted portrayal of Israel as being under a “system of Jewish supremacy” is fanciful, and based in nothing more than ideology, not facts.
  • Comparing Israeli polices to the Nazis by insinuating that Israel is carrying out a “Holocaust” of Palestinians is antisemitic according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.
  • Saying that Israel was founded by “settler colonialists” denies 3,000 years of Jewish indigeneity.
  • His claim that wealthy donors put pressure on McGill University to oppose pro-Palestinian policies a) has not been substantiated and b) insinuates that wealthy pro-Israel donors, Jews implied, control McGill University. This reeks of the antisemitic trope and conspiracy theory from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Roger Waters, made famous from his band Pink Floyd, was given an undue platform to spread disinformation, lies and to make unsubstantiated allegations, which has the potential to fan the flames of hatred towards Jewish Canadians, who continue to be disproportionately the victims of hate crimes in Canada.

(full article online)

Roger Waters Bashes Israel In Support Of Pro-Palestinian Students At McGill University

On July 14, Roger Waters performed in Montreal and spoke at an anti-Israel event called: “Standing Up For Student Solidarity

honestreporting.ca