It’s time to talk about antisemitism against Orthodox Jews, particularly Haredi (traditionalist Orthodox) Jews. How Orthodox Jews are getting blamed for the rise in COVID in NY, and why that’s bad for all of us. It’s time to destigmatize: Thread. [1/9]

First: Orthodox, particularly Haredim (traditionalist Orthodox Jews), *are* a stigmatized population. They are subjected to regular antisemitic harassment and violence. Last year there were antisemitic assaults throughout Chanukkah. They culminated in armed killings. [2/9]

This didn’t come out of nowhere. One Haredi acquaintance of mine told me last year, “I’ve had it good compared to others, baruch hashem. Only spit on a couple times, shoved and threatened at the subway, at the beach. Called names, sure. Nothing really.” [3/9]

I want you to think about what it means for him, a Haredi Jew, to feel that being spat on, shoved, and threatened is “nothing really.” How commonplace it must be for Haredim to be threatened, demeaned, or attacked. How awful that is, and how resilient he & they must be. [4/9]

*Most* of us don’t feel safe on the streets. Women, queer people, Muslims, immigrants, BIPOC, all get regularly harassed/attacked. Our best protection is solidarity: neighbors looking out for one another. Haredim deserve that protection, too (and owe it to their neighbors).[5/9]

The problem is, antisemitism teaches us to see Haredi Jews as the perpetrator, not the victim. It dehumanizes Jews and says that if you’ve got a problem, the Jews are to blame. And no one is more easily identified as Jewish than Haredim. [6/9]

Haredi Jews are easily identified & dehumanized because they do not consistently conform to dominant-society culture. @BenLorber8 relates anti-Haredi antisemitism to anti-Asian xenophobia or Islamophobia: portrayed as a faceless, invading collective. [7/9] https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-primitive-diseased-invaders-scapegoating-ultra-orthodox-jews-mirrors-islamophobia-1.8819971

Health justice (ACT UP etc) teaches us to move beyond the perpetrator/victim binary, to one of destigmatization & responsibility. Haredi Jews (like many others) must take responsibility for masking & distancing, & gvt must offer culturally competent test & tracing. [8/9]

At the same time, we are all responsible for protecting Haredi Jews against antisemitic scapegoating. For their sake, and for all of ours. Because when all the attention is on a handful of Jews, the machinery really responsible for the tragic mess we’re in gets a free pass [9/9]