Anti-Semitism on the left

[benko12345678]

I think this is a serious concern. It seems to me that with the rising popularity of Maoist third-worldist movements a lot of self-labeled communists and socialists seem to really hate Jews (though they do conceal it. After all, it's not anti-Semitic if you say Zionist instead of Jew, right?!)

Is it just because of the horrible ideological flaws in Maoism or is it just because bigots want to find a platform where their opinions are accepted by a larger percentage of the population. Because more and more you see these third-worldists on the streets carrying pictures of Yasser Arafat, Hamas or Hezbollah flags etc.
It's scary, it's legitimately scary. For many Jewish workers Europe no longer seems safe.

[Sasha]

dont think its so much a maoist 3th worldist thing, many left groups with an anti-imperialist foundation have some very iffy positions on "zionism" that easily veer into anti-semitic conspiracy crap
and this is nothing new either, from very anti-semitic positions in the former official CP's (esp in the Eastblock) since their inception to urban guerrilla groups like the RAF, the RZ and the japanese Red Army in the 70's till 90's that even bombed synagogues during the kristal nacht remembrance and separating jewish hostages to be shot first during joint operations with the PFLP.
most "left" anti-semite groups are completely insignificant though now, my biggest worry is the anti-semitic currents/tolerance in those groups that do happen to attract young immigrant/arab youth (esp several groups in france but also the SWP in the UK).

but this

For many Jewish workers Europe no longer seems safe
is false too, certain parts of europe never been safe for jews but in most parts of western europe jews are certainly safer than in israel and i would say even safer than in most of the US (excluding the newyork ghetto obviously)

[blake 3:17]

I very much appreciate Sasha's comments. I'd also appreciate comments and observations from the OP. While I have on occasion heard anti-Semitic comments from comrades from Middle East, I've tended to hear more of that crap from white ex-leftists who've gotten into conspiracy theory stuff. Generally I just tell them to fuck off, but that doesn't really solve it. I suspect there are a fair number of alienated angry young people looking for scape goats and will take whatever they can get.

In many senses we're lucky in Canada (and this is due to a lot of hard work) in that Palestine solidarity movement is extremely multiracial and is intolerant of anti Semitism. Some of those challenges have been harder than others.

There's been some terrible anti-Semitic attacks here and a lot of anti-Muslim ones. Following the terror attacks in Paris a mosque was torched in a small town in Ontario, and a lot of community support came out against the attack, but a local synagogue has opened its doors to provide prayer space. Small positive steps.

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

Opposition to certain strains of nationalism often becomes a cover for bigotry against that national group. I think this is reflected both by opposition to Arab nationalism as well as Islamism, and opposition to Zionism. The problem when you criticize people who articulate such views is that they invariably accuse you of being a supporter of that form of nationalism. Thus, when you call someone out for an an antisemitic statement made in supposed opposition to Israel, you get called a Zionist. Likewise, when you call someone out for making an Islamophobic comment, you end up getting accused of being an apologist for or supporter of Islamic terrorism (at best, they will accuse you of being "blind to the threat").

Basically, it is difficult to stake out a principled anti-nationalist political position.

[Comrade Jacob]

Has nothing to do with Maoism and not even third-worldism. I haven't seen any Maoist being anti-Semitic.

[Homo Songun]

false too, certain parts of europe never been safe for jews but in most parts of western europe jews are certainly safer than in israel and i would say even safer than in most of the US (excluding the newyork ghetto obviously)
What the fuck are you talking about? New York 2015 is not Poland 1939. There haven't been Jewish ghettoes in the US in probably a century, if there ever truly were European-style ghettoes for Jews there, ever.

Jews have the highest standard of living of any ethnicity in the USA. Hard to take your other comments seriously in the face of such a ridiculous claim.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I think (I hope) he was being sarcastic with that "ghetto" remark. NYC was one area of the country I lived in where I didn't really experience any antisemitism.

[Tim Cornelis]

Ghetto doesn't necessarily mean slumish or poor area, it can simply be a highly segregated area. Apparently, there's a place in NYC where Jews native to the USA speak English with an accent because they are so segregated from the rest of society. Maybe that's what he meant. Although I don't see how that would make you safe from anyone, it's not as if there's Jewish self-defence groups guarding the area.

[Sasha]

yeah, was just a small joke on the fact that there are some large but very segregated communities in newyork, esp the ultra-orthodox. who are by the way incredibly poor in big parts. And the word ghetto has it origins in Venice, not warsaw, it just means segregated jewish neighborhood.

but i was being rather serious about the US not being that safe for jews, im not saying its extremely dangerous there but "europe is not safe anymore for jews" remarks always make me cringe, when it comes to armed attacks (bombings and shootings) on jews and jewish institutions the US extreme right has been at least as deadly as those in europe in the last few decades. And anti-semitic conspiracy crap is far more common in the US than in europe.

[PhoenixAsh]

Hmm. I don't know if you can compare the US with Europe in general along these lines without acknowledging the influence of different countries.

While it is definitely true that anti-Jewish violence rose 21% in 2014 in the US and rose again in 2015....the violence in France doubled from 200+ incidents to 500+ incidents since Charlie Habdo alone. Germany, France and a large part of eastern Europe traditionally have a high number of anti-Jewish sentiments. It is equally true that The Netherlands and Belgium have the highest acceptance of Jews.

The ADL (anti defamation league) done this survey (please do take a look at the specific questions):

http://global100.adl.org/?_ga=1.70702167.697607035.1449226208#map

When it comes to the left it is however certainly true that there is more anti-Jewish sentiment in the US than in Europe in general...and that is even considering the fact that it is already rather high in Europe.

IMO the explanation can be found in what Katz said...non Orthodox Jews often are a highly economically and social developed group. And anti-capitalist groups tend to falsely correlate these two based on how socialism developed here and the tendency to equate Jews with banking and finance.Just look at Marx to see what I mean.

[Sasha]

sure, but what do you count, yes a jew in europe you have a bigger chance to get spit on by some arab youth when walking your walking around with a yarmulke through the neighborhood you share, until recently it was rather unthinkable someone would show up with a assault rifle and a pipe bomb at a synagogue though, this has been a stable in the US for a lot longer. obviously this is all connected to the level of weapon possession and other cultural and societal factors but my point stands, the US, esp outside newyork is not Zion either when it comes to jewish safety even when a lot of yanks love to present it that way, not only the FOX watching right who want to scare european jews to move to israel but also many bourgeois progressive US jews and philosemites who like to present the US as a sort of "3th way" away from any danger and anti-semitism.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Well I don't know how it's presented in Europe, but a lot of antisemitism in the USA is "crypto-antisemitism". Very rarely are Jews actually called out as being the cause of some problem, as this is linked politically to far right "blood and soil" nationalism and Nazism, neither of which are particularly popular in the USA (for whatever it's other faults may be, and there are quite a few!). I don't know if the USA has a higher degree of antisemitism than Europe. I don't know enough about the topic to comment. I'd imagine it varies by locale, though. I have a hard time believing that NYC is per capita more antisemitic than, say, Budapest for example.

[PhoenixAsh]

In 2014 the ADL reported 230+ attacks in NY the highest in the country...and about 25- 30% of the total attacks in 2014
Compare that to the French totality

[Os Cangaceiros]

^ was that directed at me?

I was curious about this so I took a look at their website. According to their survey, 9% of people in the usa hold anti-Semitic beliefs, which is about what I'd guess and isn't as high as many other places...

http://global100.adl.org/?_ga=1.12849719.1459525104.1449232752

[PhoenixAsh]

I know....I posted that link previously

However...in NY there are 8.5 million people and in the state there are 19 million. Yet the totality of the anti-Jewish attacks is as high as in the totality of France before 2015....which has a population of 65 million. 30% of anti Jewish violence is concentrated amongst a population that is roughly 10-11% of the US population. The next contender is California which has the second highest rate of anti-Jewish attacks with ~160 40% less than NY

Anti-Semitic sentiments says nothing about the propensity for violence...which is much much higher in NY.

[Os Cangaceiros]

OK. Why do you think that is

[PhoenixAsh]

I think before you can say anything coherent about this we need to establish the totality of religious and politically motivated attacks on others...as well as examine culture....especially the role of violence in a culture.

Right now I am thinking/venturing a hypothesis along the lines of:

* Role of catholicism (NY ties first place with 36%)
* Population density and correlation to increase in violence
* Culture of violence
* Availability of target population
* Anti-Jewish sentiment being disguised as something else and socially accepted answers (political correct bias in survey answers)

[Red Red Chile]

If we approach Judiasm as just another religion then any criticism against it is no different to a criticism of Christianity. We seem so delighted to trash Christianity and Islam but when it comes to Judiasm we are silent.

I don't think any religion is inherently bad. But when it is used to justify terrorism (a la Zionism) then we have a duty to point it out.

[Rafiq]

If we approach Judiasm as just another religion

And what you amply fail to understand is that Judaism is seldom approached as 'just another religion'. In fact, the only people who criticize Judaism as "just another religion", tend to be themselves Jews. Of course, we do criticize Judaism as a superstition, but that is a problem for the Jews themselves.

Islam, conversely, is different, becasue Islamism has an effect on Western politics, in fomenting reaction and hostility towards Muslim immigrants. The difference with Judiasm is that, Judaism is only partially a target of anti-semitism - antisemitism extends far beyond the particularities of Jews insofar as they are a distinct religion. Hitler did not criticize Judiasm, he said "Judaism was an instrument through which the Jews preserve their racial purity" and so on. This is what you amply fail to understand: Insofar as Judaism is even relevant, it is only relevant in the wider expression of anti-semitism, irreducible to it. No one really cares about the Rabbi. What they care about, is the cynical Rabbi, the Rabbi that is secretly expressing some wider external phenomena (the racial purity of hte Jews, the financial dominance of the Jews, whatever you like).

As far as demographically, the Jewish religion is not that much of a problem for Jewish proletarians (which is not that significant as a demographic, compared to before, with the exception of Israel itself). I would expect that more than any other religious group, relative to their population, Jews are the most secular and non-religious. I heard that 52% of Jews are self-proclaimed atheists. Half of Israelis call themselves secular.

Where it counted, the Left was never 'soft on Judaism'. In the Soviet Union, temples were closed down, Rabbis arrested, special cultural organs were created to combat Jewish backwardness, and so on. The special organ that dealt with the Jewish masses, was usually run by Jews themselves.

[Red Red Chile]

And what you amply fail to understand is that Judaism is seldom approached as 'just another religion'. In fact, the only people who criticize Judaism as "just another religion", tend to be themselves Jews. Of course, we do criticize Judaism as a superstition, but that is a problem for the Jews themselves.

Islam, conversely, is different, becasue Islamism has an effect on Western politics, in fomenting reaction and hostility towards Muslim immigrants. The difference with Judiasm is that, Judaism is only partially a target of anti-semitism - antisemitism extends far beyond the particularities of Jews insofar as they are a distinct religion. Hitler did not criticize Judiasm, he said "Judaism was an instrument through which the Jews preserve their racial purity" and so on. This is what you amply fail to understand: Insofar as Judaism is even relevant, it is only relevant in the wider expression of anti-semitism, irreducible to it. No one really cares about the Rabbi. What they care about, is the cynical Rabbi, the Rabbi that is secretly expressing some wider external phenomena (the racial purity of hte Jews, the financial dominance of the Jews, whatever you like).

As far as demographically, the Jewish religion is not that much of a problem for Jewish proletarians (which is not that significant as a demographic, compared to before, with the exception of Israel itself). I would expect that more than any other religious group, relative to their population, Jews are the most secular and non-religious. I heard that 52% of Jews are self-proclaimed atheists. Half of Israelis call themselves secular.

Where it counted, the Left was never 'soft on Judaism'. In the Soviet Union, temples were closed down, Rabbis arrested, special cultural organs were created to combat Jewish backwardness, and so on. The special organ that dealt with the Jewish masses, was usually run by Jews themselves.

I'm not really interested in the historical treatment of the Jews in either a positive of negative light. Anti-Semitism (better termed anti-Judaism) should be given no more exceptional consideration than 'anti-Christianity' or 'anti-Islam.' It is somewhat more complex because 'Jew' is used in some contexts with an ethnic connotation and so can easily spill over into racism. Insofar as Judaism is secular it is benign and irrelevant (or should be). Zionism is at base a religious zealotry so mere cultural Jews are not a concern. The Ahad Ha'am's of the world can be discredited for their Nationalism.

[Rafiq]

I'm not really interested in the historical treatment of the Jews in either a positive of negative light.

Thankfully it has little even to do with the 'historical treatment' of the Jews as some kind of historical baggage society cannot get over. Anti-semitism has nothing to do with some kind of critique of Judaism, and it never did, as I thorouhgly explained - an anti-semitic critique of Judaism, whether we are talking about 50 years ago, or in 2016, has its basis not in any theological criticism of Judaism, but in the conference towards Judaism of special properties that extend beyond its theological constitution - in other words, Judaism as a 'front' for Jewish racial purity, a 'front' for Jewish financial supremacy, a 'front' for Jews thinking they are the chosen people, wanting to 'enslave all the goyim', and so on.

And you claim "you're not interested in the historical treatment of Jews" - well, bless you, thank you for sharing your professed dis-interest, meanwhile, anyone who wants to justify making pretenses toward antisemitism or the Jews is going to have to do this.


Anti-Semitism (better termed anti-Judaism) should be given no more exceptional consideration than 'anti-Christianity' or 'anti-Islam.'

You would love this, wouldn't you - the shameless opportunism is appalling. Ladies and gentlemen, according to Red red Chile, opposition to Christianity and Islam should now be qualified on the same terms as anti-semitism. You amply have no idea what antisemitism is, it is irredicuble toward even hatred of individual Jews. It is pathological, and it is exploding today. Where can you go on the internet without hearing talk about the 'goyim' or 'oy vey' and whatever? It is SPONTANEOUS too. It has little even to do with the physical safety of Jews themselves, the dangers of antisemitism in 2016 largely do not concern individual Jews, it is a reactionary pathology that underlies every Fascism, it misdirects the anger of the working people and reproduces their condition. Plainly, it is laughable to think that individual Jews today are victimized or are an oppressed national group. They plainly are not, that is not controversial - the point is that antisemitism remains, and it remains just as potent, just as much of a problem that we must confront and deal with. It is a means by which the present social antagonism is displaced on some alien other, bust most of all, antisemitism is uniquely problematic because it alone encapsulates the general cynical misanthropic cannibalism, barbarism, racial oppression, national chauvinism and rabid filth that is present in our society. So to the Jew, the Fascist to himself. The Fascist adopts, literally, exactly the same thing he attributes to the Jew, because it then becomes, 'this (filth) is inevitable', it is "them or us".

It is appalling that someone calls themselves a Leftist, and has no notion of antisemitism. JJ Abrams was a recent victim of antisemitic attack, JJ Abrams, who wants to 'defile' the white races by encouraging them (that is, white women) to fuck black people (i.e. black men), JJ Abrams who is not only irreligious, but is married to a non-Jew. You want to tell me antisemitism has its basis in a critique of the Jewish religion? Islamophobia never has, and cannot, extend to non-Muslim Arabs. Surely racism can, but a criticism of Islam cannot extend to them. The point is that antisemitism today, underlies every outward racism, forms the 'ontological' basis of it.

What you fail to understand is that historically, and today, there is no shortage of Jews who are willing to criticize and attack Judaism as a religion. Are they, in your mind, 'anti-semitic'? No, they are not. There is no Christian or Muslim equivalent to anti-semitism, first of all, the notion that Christians outside of the middle east, i.e. on a global level, are some oppressed religious demographic is no different than saying white people are. It is laughable and it is baseless. Secondly, there is not even an equivalence between anti-semitism and Islamophobia that is pervading the west, because underlying this Islamophobia are anti-Semitic conspiracies about how the Jews are responsible for the "waves of Muslims" bombarding Europe.

'Anti-Islam' and 'anti-Christianity' he sais. This literally would make me chuckle if it wasn't so opportunistically and abominably pathetic. Every Communist is 'anti-islam' and 'anti-Christianity', just as we are 'anti-Judaism'. The point, which I outlined earlier, is that often times the connotations of "anti-Judaism" are different, because unlike Islam and Christianity, the Jewish religion does not have a serious demographic existence, or impact on our societies. An attack on Judaism, is usually antisemitic, not because the religion is superstitious, stupid, or even backward (as it is with a criticism of all other religions), but because this criticism usually takes the form of "their torah tells them they are better than all the goyim!" and so on. There is no comparison. Furthermore, there is nothing contradictory about Jews themselves being antisemitic in 2016. Zionist antisemitism is real, because antisemitism is a universal pathology that is irreducible to Jews, it relates to the figure of the subverting intruder, who is behind the scenes, who is disloyal, the CONCRETE fantastical figure that which an opposition to capital is displaced upon. The TRUE Jew of today, the TRUE Jew of 2016, is the Jew who is critical towards Israel in some way (or even the Palestinian who is both critical towards Israel, as well as Islamism and the backwardness of Palestinian life), THIS is the 'scary Jew' who has no home, has no loyalty, who embodies a universality, who has no roots, and insofar as he has roots, they are there to embody his universalism. In that sense, as Communists, we must all become Jews.


Zionism is at base a religious zealotry so mere cultural Jews are not a concern.

And a basic grasp of the relationship of Zionism to Jews is clearly lacking here. It is astonishing. Any rudimentary understnding of Israeli politics, and Israeli Jews, allows one to understand that often times the most rabid Zionists are actually atheists. Do you think Benjamin Netenyahu actually buys into the Torah and the Talmud? He doesn't, he values Judaism's rituals insofar as it serves as cultural relics of the nationality of Jews. Any idiot who has just a small grasp of Jewish history even, should know that the Jewish identity is irreducible to the religious tenets of Judaism, in fact, they often collide with each other so much that many an orthodox rabbi will rail against the sins of his people, many of whom even oppose the existence of Israel.

Often times, anti-Zionism DOES embody an antisemitism. If a criticism of Zionism is not coupled up, with a criticism of all nations, then yes it is antisemitic. Zionism is nothing more than the crude honesty that sais "This is the barbarism that underlies the existence of every nation state, of every STATE", and it always must rivet between this antagonism. Criticism towards Israel's policies is not the same as anti-Zionism, either. All bourgeois anti-zionism is reactionary and should be opposed.