Well written and agree on many points. I however have been targeted by a local cantor and congregation for old facebook posts that stated the atrocities that have been going on in Gaza and the West Bank that I witnessed first hand when I was there on multiple medical missions. The congregation who also was involved in local politics screamed at me and my wife when we tried to tell our story and we have been ostracized by both the Democrats and the congregants.
I don’t think I ever was antisemitic and I do share the same criticism that you have concerning the state of Israel. Now however I am suspect of having anything to do with someone who is Jewish as I am not sure how they will react. I would advise not calling someone an antisemite a good start. I still have friends who are Jewish and their religion and race doesn’t both us as we have known them for many years. Yes, it is a conundrum for anyone who is Jewish as well as supporters of the Palestinian people.
It can't be easy being a Jew in America today. It might be helpful if Jews make a clearer distinction between themselves and Zionism as it is currently practiced in Israel today. Israel has become the Golden Calf that Moses found Jews worshipping when he descended from the mountain with the Ten Commandments in hand.
You're proving my point. Zionism means for many Jews the belief that Jews have a right to live in the ancient land of Judea. It does not mean that Palestinians don't.
As a Jewish American, I disagree with your definition of Zionism. If you read the writings of the founders of Zionism (Herzl, Jabotinsky, Ben Gurion) you would see that it was conceived as a colonial project.
Judaism is an ancient, venerable religion.
Zionism is a modern, nationalistic ideology.
As long as Zionism disregards, disrespects, disempowers and dispossesses the Palestinian people, it is immoral, unjust and cruel.
Zionism at this point covers a spectrum of opinions. Right-wing Zionists want "from the river to the sea," no differently than do people chanting at pro-Palestine rallies. I've never called myself a Zionist, nor identified as one. But many people I know who do call themselves Zionists are proponents of a two-state solution. For me, no one who is standing for justice should be shouting "from the river to the sea," for either people. To me, both belong there and both deserve to be there.
Marianne, this is so beautifully written and resonates so deeply with me. Thank you so much, as always, for your wisdom and for everything you do. You are such an inspiration!
And I don’t say that as a credential. I say it because antisemitism is not an abstract subject to me. It lives in history. It lives in memory. It lives in the body.
Antisemitism is expected. Not accepted. Expected.
It is embedded. Reinforced. Recycled. Dressed up in new language every generation, but the machinery is old.
When people suffer, they look for someone to blame. That is not noble, but it is human. Pain wants a target. Fear wants a story. Resentment wants a face.
And Jews have been made that face for a very long time.
Since life includes suffering — and it does, despite our impressive attempts to outsource it, medicate it, or explain it away — the algorithm keeps running:
Suffering produces fear.
Fear seeks blame.
Blame looks for a target.
And historically, Jews have been convenient.
So how do we counter antisemitism?
Not by pretending it is irrational and therefore will disappear with better information. It won’t.
We counter it by naming it clearly, refusing to normalize it, and not allowing our own fear to make us reactive, tribal, or blind.
We counter it by standing as Jews without apology and as human beings without hatred.
We counter it by refusing the old game: victim on one side, enemy on the other.
There are not 56 countries where 80% of people who are not Muslim are declared not a citizen because if they were citizens, it would mess up their Muslim demographics. There are not 56 countries that declared themselves an incipient Muslim state by when the population was 5% Muslim (at least not in the past 5 centuries). There are not 56 countries where non-Muslims are given a different color license plate and banned from walking down streets their families have lived on for millennia and where there is a death penalty for non-Muslims and all non-Muslims are tried in military courts for the most minor infraction. There are some Muslim theocracies, and people who oppose ethno-states oppose their theocratic nature. There are many countries where Christianity is the official religion, but for some reason you bring up a religion that is far more stigmatized in America than Judaism to imply that people who criticize Israel's extreme ethnic discrimination are prejudiced against Jews. Your argument is in bad faith. Ethnostates are a bad idea, and Israel is a very awful one, even excluding its worst violent abuses.
This is so interesting to me. I went to school with lots of Jewish kids. The girls called themselves JAPs. They had the best clothes, shoes, and handbags. Their fathers were doctors. Every year the packed their big trunks so they could go to their fancy Jewish camps for the summer. The mothers hoped they’d meet other rich boys planning on becoming doctors tied or lawyers. They all did in fact. They girls became doctors and lawyers too. They had fancy houses and nannies. They were our friends. Nobody once said anything negative. A friend of mine lives in Israel. She’s married to a doctor of course. His three brothers are also doctors. When I think of a Jewish person, I think of a smart, rich person. And if I wanted a lawyer, I’m sure I’d look for a Jewish one.
Thanks for speaking your truths, Marianne. I admit that it has become more difficult for me sometimes to be able to attend Jewish spaces since Trump 1 and now Trump 2. I would say I'm a Jew who never felt comfortable always in more "tradional" spaces, but it attend enough to feel a right-learning trend when I do.
I am surprised that you are not spelling out clearly that what most people are enraged about (including many Jews) is watching Israel's historic and ongoing murderous destruction of Palestinians and occupation of their land - (and previously Syria, now Lebanon and Iran) -only possible because backed and protected by USA. Netanhayu's policy of conflating any criticism of that horror with antisemitism/hatred of Jews/ is what has made all Jews around the world much more unsafe. If people believe that he is acting on behalf of all Jews - which is what he says - then we will be enraged at all Jews. If we intelligently do our research and realise that Zionism is a political movement currently committing terrible war crimes and that it is NOT representative of the ancient Jewish religion and people -then we wont be pulled into his antisemetic story...which most Western governments have been are buying into and promote - especially USA . Surely you can see that??
Dear Marianne- I seriously did read your article...I was simply adding to it, because I care about the safety of Jewish people around the world- including the ones on the anti war marches in London here in UK - who are called 'self hating Jews' by Netanhayu because they strongly criticise his governments war crimes . Surely we all want life and humanity upheld equally for all?
Thanks. Very important piece. I don't know how you'll feel about me doing the following, but I really couldn't help it. I was in a service with members of my church (Episcopalian.) I volunteered to do one of the scripture readings. I read it as it was written and afterward I blew up and told them that I would never read scripture that way again. What bothered me was that I was reading verses about the trial and consequent crucifixion of Jesus and it very clearly said "the Jews" as it has said all my life. I said (hollered?) that from now on if I found myself reading that passage, or a similar one, out loud I would say instead of "Jews" the "Temple Authorities" which, I maintained, was 1. More accurate and 2. Had not been used for centuries as an excuse for anti-Semitism. Was that useful? Probably not, but it blurted itself out and, I hope, made a point.
What to do with this, that was started before the attack on Gaza and became suspect afterwards? Any way you can see this 3-minute animation helping get us some love for Jews now?
Thank you, again and again. Keep it up. 👍
Well written and agree on many points. I however have been targeted by a local cantor and congregation for old facebook posts that stated the atrocities that have been going on in Gaza and the West Bank that I witnessed first hand when I was there on multiple medical missions. The congregation who also was involved in local politics screamed at me and my wife when we tried to tell our story and we have been ostracized by both the Democrats and the congregants.
I don’t think I ever was antisemitic and I do share the same criticism that you have concerning the state of Israel. Now however I am suspect of having anything to do with someone who is Jewish as I am not sure how they will react. I would advise not calling someone an antisemite a good start. I still have friends who are Jewish and their religion and race doesn’t both us as we have known them for many years. Yes, it is a conundrum for anyone who is Jewish as well as supporters of the Palestinian people.
I hear you. I'm sorry about your experience.
It can't be easy being a Jew in America today. It might be helpful if Jews make a clearer distinction between themselves and Zionism as it is currently practiced in Israel today. Israel has become the Golden Calf that Moses found Jews worshipping when he descended from the mountain with the Ten Commandments in hand.
You're proving my point. Zionism means for many Jews the belief that Jews have a right to live in the ancient land of Judea. It does not mean that Palestinians don't.
As a Jewish American, I disagree with your definition of Zionism. If you read the writings of the founders of Zionism (Herzl, Jabotinsky, Ben Gurion) you would see that it was conceived as a colonial project.
Judaism is an ancient, venerable religion.
Zionism is a modern, nationalistic ideology.
As long as Zionism disregards, disrespects, disempowers and dispossesses the Palestinian people, it is immoral, unjust and cruel.
Zionism at this point covers a spectrum of opinions. Right-wing Zionists want "from the river to the sea," no differently than do people chanting at pro-Palestine rallies. I've never called myself a Zionist, nor identified as one. But many people I know who do call themselves Zionists are proponents of a two-state solution. For me, no one who is standing for justice should be shouting "from the river to the sea," for either people. To me, both belong there and both deserve to be there.
Marianne, this is so beautifully written and resonates so deeply with me. Thank you so much, as always, for your wisdom and for everything you do. You are such an inspiration!
I, too, am Jewish.
And I don’t say that as a credential. I say it because antisemitism is not an abstract subject to me. It lives in history. It lives in memory. It lives in the body.
Antisemitism is expected. Not accepted. Expected.
It is embedded. Reinforced. Recycled. Dressed up in new language every generation, but the machinery is old.
When people suffer, they look for someone to blame. That is not noble, but it is human. Pain wants a target. Fear wants a story. Resentment wants a face.
And Jews have been made that face for a very long time.
Since life includes suffering — and it does, despite our impressive attempts to outsource it, medicate it, or explain it away — the algorithm keeps running:
Suffering produces fear.
Fear seeks blame.
Blame looks for a target.
And historically, Jews have been convenient.
So how do we counter antisemitism?
Not by pretending it is irrational and therefore will disappear with better information. It won’t.
We counter it by naming it clearly, refusing to normalize it, and not allowing our own fear to make us reactive, tribal, or blind.
We counter it by standing as Jews without apology and as human beings without hatred.
We counter it by refusing the old game: victim on one side, enemy on the other.
There are not 56 countries where 80% of people who are not Muslim are declared not a citizen because if they were citizens, it would mess up their Muslim demographics. There are not 56 countries that declared themselves an incipient Muslim state by when the population was 5% Muslim (at least not in the past 5 centuries). There are not 56 countries where non-Muslims are given a different color license plate and banned from walking down streets their families have lived on for millennia and where there is a death penalty for non-Muslims and all non-Muslims are tried in military courts for the most minor infraction. There are some Muslim theocracies, and people who oppose ethno-states oppose their theocratic nature. There are many countries where Christianity is the official religion, but for some reason you bring up a religion that is far more stigmatized in America than Judaism to imply that people who criticize Israel's extreme ethnic discrimination are prejudiced against Jews. Your argument is in bad faith. Ethnostates are a bad idea, and Israel is a very awful one, even excluding its worst violent abuses.
This is so interesting to me. I went to school with lots of Jewish kids. The girls called themselves JAPs. They had the best clothes, shoes, and handbags. Their fathers were doctors. Every year the packed their big trunks so they could go to their fancy Jewish camps for the summer. The mothers hoped they’d meet other rich boys planning on becoming doctors tied or lawyers. They all did in fact. They girls became doctors and lawyers too. They had fancy houses and nannies. They were our friends. Nobody once said anything negative. A friend of mine lives in Israel. She’s married to a doctor of course. His three brothers are also doctors. When I think of a Jewish person, I think of a smart, rich person. And if I wanted a lawyer, I’m sure I’d look for a Jewish one.
Thanks for speaking your truths, Marianne. I admit that it has become more difficult for me sometimes to be able to attend Jewish spaces since Trump 1 and now Trump 2. I would say I'm a Jew who never felt comfortable always in more "tradional" spaces, but it attend enough to feel a right-learning trend when I do.
I am surprised that you are not spelling out clearly that what most people are enraged about (including many Jews) is watching Israel's historic and ongoing murderous destruction of Palestinians and occupation of their land - (and previously Syria, now Lebanon and Iran) -only possible because backed and protected by USA. Netanhayu's policy of conflating any criticism of that horror with antisemitism/hatred of Jews/ is what has made all Jews around the world much more unsafe. If people believe that he is acting on behalf of all Jews - which is what he says - then we will be enraged at all Jews. If we intelligently do our research and realise that Zionism is a political movement currently committing terrible war crimes and that it is NOT representative of the ancient Jewish religion and people -then we wont be pulled into his antisemetic story...which most Western governments have been are buying into and promote - especially USA . Surely you can see that??
You did not seriously read my article, therefore i don't feel the need to seriously respond.
Dear Marianne- I seriously did read your article...I was simply adding to it, because I care about the safety of Jewish people around the world- including the ones on the anti war marches in London here in UK - who are called 'self hating Jews' by Netanhayu because they strongly criticise his governments war crimes . Surely we all want life and humanity upheld equally for all?
618798
Thanks. Very important piece. I don't know how you'll feel about me doing the following, but I really couldn't help it. I was in a service with members of my church (Episcopalian.) I volunteered to do one of the scripture readings. I read it as it was written and afterward I blew up and told them that I would never read scripture that way again. What bothered me was that I was reading verses about the trial and consequent crucifixion of Jesus and it very clearly said "the Jews" as it has said all my life. I said (hollered?) that from now on if I found myself reading that passage, or a similar one, out loud I would say instead of "Jews" the "Temple Authorities" which, I maintained, was 1. More accurate and 2. Had not been used for centuries as an excuse for anti-Semitism. Was that useful? Probably not, but it blurted itself out and, I hope, made a point.
What to do with this, that was started before the attack on Gaza and became suspect afterwards? Any way you can see this 3-minute animation helping get us some love for Jews now?
IF THERE WEREN'T ANY JEWS: https://iftherewerentanyjews.com/index.html
Hello Marianne - It's been a long time since I've watched your videos. Just checking in to say Hello and much love. peace and happiness to you : )
https://www.facebook.com/robert.cerreta.3/. Friend me?
Robert Cerreta 615-762-0665 c robert_cerreta@hotmail.com