Blow By Blow

This past month was stressful for Jews everywhere. Beginning with a skirmish we never asked for, there’ve been a rise in Antisemitic attacks on people who don’t live in Israel. It’s made me worried. So while I normally don’t write two serious pieces back-to-back, I figured it was worth double-dipping. I hope you’ll forgive me.

I’d like to clarify something upfront: attacks against Muslims, be they online or in-person, have also increased. But I’m only covering Jews here. I know that sounds selfish, but I can’t advocate for them because I’m not Muslim. I’ll leave it to any Muslim who wants to add to the conversation. I owe them that much.

Anyway, back on topic.

The situation between Israelis and Palestinians is sensitive. I get it. I don’t get, however, why everyone else has to suffer. Jews live all over the world. And while roughly half are Israeli, many, for a variety of reasons, aren’t. Some of have even made Yerida, or emigration, from Israel for a variety of reasons. Assuming this gives people justification to take it out on them is a problem.

But it’s happening. And it’s happening a lot more than my fellow Jews would like. All over Europe and North America, Jews are being accosted on the streets. Synagogues and Jewish stores are being vandalized. In Toronto, review bombs online are impacting Kosher restaurants and butcher stores, as well as non-Kosher ones that Jews frequent, in an attempt to hurt them. This is all real, and, in some cases, dangerous.

It doesn’t stop there. Non-Jewish individuals have also been targeted for “looking Jewish”. In Belgium, an athlete made a statement that he’d rather die than be a Jew. Ignoring the obvious joke there, it’s scary witnessing the spill-over. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable. And I’m not alone.

And yet, gentile “allies” have been gaslighting us. Whether online or in person, we’re being made into hypochondriacs by the people who we want to look to for support. It’s gotten so bad that those with power who’ve spoken up have received hate for it. I’m sorry, how is calling this out a problem?

What’s not helping is Jewish voices using this situation to spread agendas. I’m, referring to people like Eve Barlow, the originator of an “online pogrom” against Jews. Ignoring the charged language, her article in Tablet Magazine became so notorious that Seth Rogen’s response, a fart emoji, led to it becoming muddied. Within days, Eve Barlow became “Eve Fartlow”, and the discussion transformed into a game of “mocking Jews for having funny names”. Again, how does this help anything?

I don’t want to make this a “let’s hate on the Palestinians in revenge” situation. Palestinian voices have long been marginalized, such that many countries don’t recognize their existence. That’s wrong. It’s wrong because it robs them of their stories, and it’s wrong because it makes them look irrelevant. Most-importantly, it’s wrong because acknowledging them is the first step to peace.

And yeah, this means that some of them won’t be acting in good-faith. But guess what? There are many Jews who don’t act in good-faith too! I recently had words to say to one of them on Twitter, which you can find here. But the bad-faith Palestinian voices should be called out by Palestinians, similarly to how the bad-faith Jewish voices should be called out by Jews. It’s not complicated, even if it seems that way.
Ultimately, this is what Jews have to waddle through. Yes, some non-Jews/institutions have spoken out. And yes, many of them have real power and influence. But it’s not enough. Like the hatred against Asians and Pacific Islanders, we Jews can only do so much. What we need is our gentile friends to amplify our voices. This means listening to our concerns and taking them seriously, not simply brushing them off because it’s easy to ignore them.

I get it: this is a complicated issue in general. Antisemitism is a long-running hatred that goes back thousands of years. Every time we Jews think it’s gone, it resurfaces as something different. Battling it, therefore, requires due diligence and real attempts at dialogue. It’ll be messy, it’ll be awkward, it’ll even be uncomfortable! But like with any discussion worth having, it’s worth the time and effort.

Finally, I want to address those who think that attacking Jews is the answer. It’s not. I get that there are issues between Israelis and Palestinians, and that they need resolving. I’m not even against showing solidarity for Palestinians! But when that solidarity involves targeting people physically and verbally, as well as making those people feel unsafe? When I can’t openly express my Judaism in public, lest I become a target? When the Jewish liaison to President Biden, Aaron Keyak, has to remind people (with permission from their Rabbis) to hide their Kippot or Magen David necklaces if they’re concerned for their safety?

Well then, you’re doing solidarity wrong. And that’s not the answer. Take this as you will.