Link: How to Criticize Israel Without Being Anti-Semitic

[sonia]

How to Criticize Israel Without Being Anti-Semitic by this-is-not-jewish via sovay.

4. Don’t say “the Jews” when you mean Israel. I think this should be pretty clear. The people in power in Israel are Jews, but not all Jews are Israelis (let alone Israeli leaders).
5. Don’t say “Zionists” when you mean Israel. Zionism is no more a dirty word than feminism. It is simply the belief that the Jews should have a country in part of their ancestral homeland where they can take refuge from the anti-Semitism and persecution they face everywhere else. It does not mean a belief that Jews have a right to grab land from others, a belief that Jews are superior to non-Jews, or any other such tripe, any more than feminism means hating men. Unless you believe that Israel should entirely cease to exist, you are yourself Zionist.

I feel like I cave in around my heart when I think about the people being hurt and killed right now, Palestinians and Jews (and Palestinian Jews). It's all so complicated, and yet this latest flare-up is sickeningly simple, Netanyahu's bid to stay in power. I've been emailing with my aunt in Tel Aviv, who keeps having to run for the basement bomb shelter in the middle of the night.

Comments

[minoanmiss]

Thank you for signal boosting that, and yes, so utterly heartbreaking.

[sonia]

Yeah. It just amazes me how cruel people get into power and keep power and keep doing harm.

[suncat]

Thank you for sharing this. I have long struggled to express my dislike of what a particular other country's government is doing vs. being mistaken for criticizing the Israeli people or hating on the Jewish population worldwide.

[sonia]

I'm glad it's helpful!

[jesse_the_k]

Oh, that was an excellent summary.

/goes back to hiding.

[sonia]

Thanks!

[silveradept]

It certainly seems to be a banner decade so far for authoritarians to try and keep themselves in power through appeals to nationalism, xenophobia, and the idea that The Other is responsible for all the problems someone is suffering.

[sonia]

There sure is a lot of it going around.