Antisemitism online

[serenada]

Isn't there something we can do? I remember a post on here, years ago, by a mum who was very frightened and her post stood out to me.

It isn't right that the Jewish community have to defend themselves alone here - can't we do something to show support and let people know they are not alone in this?

@AnnaJKing

To be fair, Anna there is a line between walking away from a man with a baseball bat and 'accepting' it. I know it is not right and would defend and support (and do so myself) anyone in civil company saying something AS, but this guy was looking for trouble and my friend has the maturity ususally to walk away.

But, I get the point you are making and I do regret that when confronted with the real thing, I didn't show more support to him. I have no intentions to become that person.

Yes, sorry, I meant the pressure is there to not react or respond to any kind of anti-Semitic comment or actions, or we get criticised for “victim mentality”. The pressure to “be the bigger person” which really just means “put up with poor treatment and don’t ever say anything, as that’s most comfortable for everyone else”. Self-preservation in the face of violence is obviously most sensible, but supporting someone is better than just flossing over it.

glossing, not flossing 🙄

The pressure to “be the bigger person”

Yes. always.

Totally agreed. I'm not going to reason or try and debate with people who want me dead. You can't. I've tried arguing with Holocaust deniers and the like. It just left me feeling drained. I'm sick of being expected to be nice to arseholes like that all the time.

www.pbs.org/newshour/world/holocaust-survivors-urge-facebook-to-remove-denial-posts

@TheRealMcKenna Universities, yes. It was a problem when I was a student, as I've said elsewhere in this thread. But we can't ignore the fact that the far right are dangerous. I remember a teenage Nazi in Newcastle got arrested for plotting to blow up a synagogue and he's not the only one out there by a long shot. The likes of National Action are out there too and it only takes one nutter with a weapon for the bodies to pile up. And I'm not gonna lie, it bothers me that so many people only seem bothered about far left anti-Semitism. Nick Griffin wasn't a fan of Jews either, and neither is Nigel Farage (who a good few posters on here like, I've noticed).

www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jun/28/jewish-groups-and-mps-condemn-nigel-farage-for-antisemitic-dog-whistles

I hate the way the Jews were treated in WW2 and have visited Normandy to visit the Graves and pay respects to all those who died during the War. But I don't personally know any Jews so haven't a clue on the issues. I do not in any way agree with Kosher/Hallal killing of animals as it's barbaric and cruel but that's separate to the Religion.

Are you vegetarian?

I am appalled currently by the NBA and the NFL, doing their song and dance about BLM while some of their stars are spewing absolute racist garbage about Jewish people. And they are not fired, get a slap on the wrist, and basically repeat like the cunts they are Nation of Islam propaganda. NoI is a POS rotten organisation that has gotten a free pass for far too long. They are fostering antisemitism and hatred toward a community that historically was an ally to black people.
And yet it is almost mainstream.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has some eloquent words about it:
www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kareem-abdul-jabbar-is-outrage-anti-semitism-sports-hollywood-1303210

Seems to me that as a species we love to hate. And when one group are victims they often will turn to the next group in the hate hierarchy to abuse. I have a polish friend who works in a London Irish pub where she gets abuse from the Irish punters for being polish. It is so depressing. And the hate begets hate. Hitler apparently studies the way native Americans were put in concentration camps and saw it as a model. The enslavement of so many African people showed how to dehumanise people.

I worked with someone years ago who was a strict Catholic and he calmly told me the Jews killed Jesus. I was flabbergasted! I mean he actually believed it. I challenged him but he just looked at me as if I was a silly girl and that I would learn.

How does it happen how do kids grow up to hate this group or that group? Look how quickly people started being hateful to Chinese people because of Corona. I don't know the answer other than to call it out and to teach our kids to respect people.

In the early 1980s, I shared an office with a visiting Israeli professor who was a Holocaust survivor
He had a great influence on my views that has lasted to this day.

He supported the state of Israel as the final refuge of Jewish people everywhere,
but not the actions of rightwing govenrments that came after Golda Meir.
He used to call the then PM Menachem Begin a Nazi - anyone else would have been called out for it, but not a Holocaust survivor.

He told me about the Battle of Cable Street, when the authorities and police wanted to let Mosely's fascists march through East London,
but anti-fascist groups - Jews, Communist, Socialists etc - blocked the march and fought them off.

He said it's no use being debating with fascists and Holocaust-deniers, because they know the Holocaust happened and they approve of it;
they just don't dare to say so in public.

Don't look the other way like too many ordinary Germans did, because they were angry about their WW1 humiliation and their economy collapsing
There's always an excuse why some people think their grievances are so important that fascism is the answer

We saw counter-demonstrators at the BLM marches giving Nazi salutes, because they were angry about some fucking statues - hardly enough reason to salute the murderers of 6 million defenceless civilians.

A few posters on MN push the alt-right agenda and the AfD fascists in Germany

• the AfD are people who keep trying to celebrate infamous SS officers and who condemn the German Chancellor for apologising for the concentration camps where Germans murdered so many Jews. One of the AfD leaders is on an official terrorist watch list in Germany, regarding fascist attacks on synagogues and refugee hostels.

I've come across some ignorant Christians who used the term "christ-killer"
In the late1990s a Pope finally apologised for some of what the Catholic church has done to Jews and their lack of action during the Holocaust

Anti-Semitism in the UK has been going on through many centuries of pogroms to the present day
There was disgusting anti-semitism in the UK before and during WW2, including at the highest levels of society and government,
which often blamed the Jews for anti-Semitism e.g.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-holocaust-raged-uk-officials-blamed-jews-for-rising-wartime-anti-semitism/

“regard it as quite beyond argument that the increase of anti-Semitic feeling was caused by serious errors of conduct on the part of Jews.”

I surprised by all these people saying they don’t know any Jews. I bet you do, but they just don’t talk about it.

@FRUMAF joined or name changed just to post this. I have never met anyone who thinks any of that, I’m calling troll.

Agreed, I’ve never heard such nonsense. Indeed, it goes completely against the teachings of Jeremiah.

So there we go - on a thread about anti-Semitism, we get an anti-Semitic troll. Thanks for dealing with it so fast, MNHQ.

Phew, thanks MNHQ.

He said it's no use being debating with fascists and Holocaust-deniers, because they know the Holocaust happened and they approve of it;
they just don't dare to say so in public.

This.

Would someone from MNHQ care to explain why my reply was deleted?

Am I not allowed to say that anti-Semitism is racism?

I also posted that I am concerned by the anti-Semitism from BLM UK. Is this not allowed? Or, as a Jew, am I expected to not call out anti-Semitism, as it is 'acceptable' racism to many?

The mind boggles here.

MNHQ please explain yourselves.

I've always been confused by the Christ killer accusation. I thought it was the Romans who killed him. We were taught that in school. Jesus was Jewish wasn't he.

I feel uncomfortable with that sort of Guardian article. It claims antisemitism if someone doesn't like a particular bank or individual, who happen by coincidence to be Jewish. Is Goldman Sachs solely Jewish? I bet most employees including the senior ones aren't. In a way, the article is itself antisemitic. In a very subtle way. It plays into the myth that these companies or individuals, clearly very unpopular with many people, represent all Jews. It associates in people's minds Jewish people with them.

If someone criticises Tony Blair, we don't claim that's anti catholism.