The blurry line between fair criticism of behavior and antisemitic focusing on Haredim is causing cognitive dissonance On Here as well as Off Here. It relates to a phenomenon within the Jewish community surrounding the Haredim that is akin to the Madonna complex 1/ https://twitter.com/PopChassid/status/1262624360445235200

The Madonna complex is expounded upon below, but the way I see it relating is the simultaneous Madonna-"True Jew" narrative around Haredim, mixed with the whore-"Shande" narrative around Haredim. I'll explain these in the next two tweets. 2/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna%E2%80%93whore_complex

The "True Jew" narrative is analogous to the Madonna part of the complex. Many see the Haredim as the last bastion of the pure authentic expression of Judaism which has been washed away from non-Haredim to various degrees by assimilation. 3/

The "Shande" narrative is the sense that people see the Haredim as an embarrassing representation of all Jews, and anything "They" do reflects back on the rest of us as if it were us. This goes back to the rift between new Jewish and 2nd/3rd gen immigrants in the 19th/20th c. 4/

Many don't know how to parse the cognitive dissonance of these two extremes residing within one reified version of an actually very diverse group-of-groups, not to mention the fact that each individual is still an individual, and can't be held responsible for the whole. 5/

It's a problem of oversimplification and internalized antisemitism. Many non-Orthodox see themselves as "bad Jews." Therefore the more Orthopractic you are, the "better" you are. Some Orthodox Jews are quick to agree, but this sets up Haredim as unwitting idols of authenticity 6/

Many Jews who live in fear of antisemitism are hyper-reactive to any kind of public criticism of Jews. They demand dirty laundry be aired only inside. The overt public nature of being Haredi undermines this, and the anti-Modern sentiments of Haredim further drive a wedge. 7/

I don't have much of an answer as to how to fix this issue. I, too, struggle with understanding my relationship to Haredim, as they do not view me as a rabbi, and if they knew my familial background, would probably not accept me as a Jew at all. 8/

Further, the ideological misogyny and homophobia across the board amongst Haredim go against my basic values. As does the insularity against non-Jews, the rejection of much (not all!) of Modernity, and often over-the-top valuation of the Rebbes of their various sects. 9/

The way I parse it for myself is that those born into these communities didn't choose them, and the structure of the community prohibits external exploration and dissent. But the leadership has great control and knows what it is doing. So I hold those individuals accountable. 10/

This may be problematic in ways I don't understand, and I'd be happy for a corrective. But I think we need to have a pretty clear and open conversation about this internal dissonance, and also how the non-Haredi Jewish community can and should relate to the Haredim. 11/