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THREAD: Over the last week there has been a lot of confusion around antisemitic statements from athletes and entertainers that are being referred to by some as “Black Antisemitism.” In a moment when the Jewish community is reacting to and anticipating antisemitic violence, (1/xx)
we have to take rhetoric seriously, but this characterization erases the experiences & existence of Black Jews, and it doesn’t help us understand or fight antisemitism. So let’s stop for a moment and listen to our Black Jewish (and some non-Jewish) siblings: (2/xx)
First, let’s start off with a breakdown of both the historic origins of several antisemitic tropes & how they intersect with the forms of oppression & racialized marginalization that Black people face globally with this thread from @MalanasQueendom (3/xx) https://twitter.com/MalanasQueendom/status/1283403163681390604?s=20
It’s also vital to keep in mind that Black communities have been subjected to repeated very real conspiracies that targeted entire communities, while government bodies pretended otherwise. (4/xx) https://twitter.com/mordkhetzvi/status/1283010552340652039?s=20
There’s also been some historical revisionism within white Jewish spaces about the size & scope of Jewish community participation in the Civil Rights movement, which unfortunately creates even more confusion. @MaNishtana outlines this here (5/xx) https://twitter.com/MaNishtana/status/1283498599914131456?s=20
In addition to the way any antisemitism lands with any Jews, there has been a layer of confusion because many white Jews, who benefit from white privilege, still experience our whiteness as conditional. (6/xx)
That conditional whiteness many Jews experience adds additional shock at seeing antisemitism come from people in marginalized communities that many Jews view as potential allies. (7/xx) https://twitter.com/Freeyourmindkid/status/1283403244207775744
Next, lets think about the consequences of antisemitic rhetoric - who gets the most media attention & who loses jobs over it, who apologizes & whose apologies are accepted, who is allowed to make teshuvah, & who will always be viewed with suspicion (8/xx) https://twitter.com/telushk/status/1283225248800935940?s=20
Thankfully @EvanTraylor has put together a fantastic set of questions that white Jews (and white folks in general) should ask themselves when looking at the public discourse around instances like Nick Cannon, DeSean Jackson, and others (9/xx) https://medium.com/@EvanTraylor/questions-for-white-jews-on-desean-jacksons-comments-799a4ea8d31b
Think about power dynamics of who's spreading the rhetoric, who benefits, & how we react. Look to experts on antisemitism - remember it's a machine used by those w/power (or seeking it) to target Jews *and to* discourage & distract from solidarity (10/10) https://twitter.com/homeandfreedom/status/1283434700179042309?s=20
Thanks for following & be sure to follow Black Jews & Jews of Color!
@aptly_engineerd
@yumcoconutmilk
@telushk
@AngryBlackLady
@EvelKneidel
@evantraylor
@MaNishtana
@MalanasQueendom
@KendraElWa
@drkoach
@hudawebs
@GraieEmet
@ShoB
@JoyousJustice
@ShahannaMB
@LeoFergusonnyc
@aptly_engineerd
@yumcoconutmilk
@telushk
@AngryBlackLady
@EvelKneidel
@evantraylor
@MaNishtana
@MalanasQueendom
@KendraElWa
@drkoach
@hudawebs
@GraieEmet
@ShoB
@JoyousJustice
@ShahannaMB
@LeoFergusonnyc
