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Anti-Semitism bad https://twitter.com/icecube/status/1283458390790828032
I really don't even know what to say anymore.
"The black community isn't saying anything about the anti-Semitism within it!" -- Ice Cube is QTing an article Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (I'm not a sports person and even *I* know who that is) discussing the phenomenon. There are two other great pieces I'll link as well.
This is @jemelehill in the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/desean-jacksons-blind-spot-and-mine/614095/
And this is @Yair_Rosenberg discussing sports personalities pushing back against it as well. https://yair.substack.com/p/the-right-way-to-respond-to-racism
Yair's piece is excellent because we shouldn't be playing a victimhood game between the black and Jewish communities. He highlights the very important words from @ZBNFL about how we cannot just play volleyball with condemnations of bigotry and issuing supportive statements.
There is a very present undercurrent of anti-Semitism in the black community. The fact that these prominent athletes and entertainers feel no shame in trafficking in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and the countless assaults in Brooklyn and NJ, make that clear.
This anti-Semitism has real-life consequences, as evidenced by those assaults. But let's not put a halo on our own heads about bigotry either. The Jewish community has its own racism problem. Ask any Jew of color and they have SOME STORIES.
In a pre-COVID world I dreamed about picnic table Shabbat dinners on the streets of Boro Park and Crown Heights; entire streets shut down and our communities sitting down together to actually talk and make connections.
It's impossible to believe wacky conspiracy theories about your Jewish neighbor after you have a meal or two with them; we're actually very boring people who could not agree on anything and could not possibly operate a worldwide conspiracy together.
Same concept reversed with the Jewish community not forming meaningful connections with neighbors of color. Anyway, I'm sick of this back and forth bullshit.
It’s frustrating hearing “I don’t hear anyone from the black community speaking out about anti-Semitism!” When prominent people have been doing it for days. When I’ve heard it from friends as well. If you’re not hearing condemnation it’s because you don’t listen to black voices.
Try getting some black friends. Try openly communicating with them about bigotry of all kinds. Don’t expect it to be a one way street with them only apologizing to you about anti-semitism. If that’s what you expect, well, your lack of black friends isn’t exactly inexplicable.
Inbox. Hell yes I love my community.
