Consider this from NPR: NPR

Koby Talmud, 16, left, a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Md., appears before the Count Montgomery (Md.) Board of Education after a Congressional hearing on anti-Semitism in Kentucky. Talk to Carla Silvestre, chair of the committee. There are 12 public schools.

Jacqueline Martin/Associated Press

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Jacqueline Martin/Associated Press

Koby Talmud, 16, left, a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Md., appears before the Count Montgomery (Md.) Board of Education after a Congressional hearing on anti-Semitism in Kentucky. Talk to Carla Silvestre, chair of the committee. There are 12 public schools.

Jacqueline Martin/Associated Press

The marked rise in anti-Semitism in the United States over the past few years has been shocking to some.

But for journalist Julia Ioffe, this was not a surprise and a reminder of the long history of persecution of Jews around the world.

“We were second-class citizens,” Ioffe says, recalling her childhood in the Soviet Union.

“We were excluded from university, work, and international travel, where we were called names by teachers and mere passersby on the street.”

She said the relative safety of Jews in the United States over the past few generations has been an anomaly in the larger context of history.

franklin fore atlantic Share that feeling. The title of the latest work is “The Golden Age of American Jewry Comes to an End”

“Like many American Jews, I once thought of anti-Semitism as a threat emanating primarily from the right,” he wrote.

One of the most vivid examples came in 2017 when white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, chanting “Jews will not replace us.” That year, Jewish cemeteries were destroyed. There was a bomb threat against a Jewish community center.

And in 2018, a man entered Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue during Shabbat services and killed 11 people.

“In every generation, someone rises up to kill us.'' That's what we say at the Seder,'' Ioffe says.

This context helps explain why there is currently so much debate about demonstrations in support of the Palestinians – about how to define anti-Semitism and what to do about it. useful for.

You're reading this newsletter, which reveals one major news story every day. Subscribe here You can hear more messages delivered to your inbox. consider this podcast.

politics and antisemitism

Both Democrats and Republicans say they want to combat anti-Semitism, but the agreement may end there.

House Republicans held a hearing on anti-Semitism in schools, and the House voted on a bill that would adopt a legal definition of anti-Semitism to enforce civil rights laws in schools. President Biden also gave an important speech on this topic.

For Foer, the fact that politicians are even talking about anti-Semitism is important. “But on the other hand, it's inevitable that it will be highly polarized, and there are some Republicans in Congress who are trying to score political points,” he says.

Ioffe similarly sees many of these efforts as disingenuous. She describes the political exchange around anti-Semitism as “cynical opportunism.”

“For me, one of the most dangerous things for Jews is for both our needs, our safety, our humanity to be completely erased and become a political football,” she says.

Anti-Zionism vs. Anti-Semitism

Amid demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people, many are currently grappling with the question of when, or if, anti-Zionism becomes anti-Semitism.

“It's absolutely possible to be anti-Zionist without being anti-Semitic,” Yoffe said. “One of the main ways to do that is to be Jewish.”

Those who are understandably “outraged and horrified” by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza may have noble intentions, but when they talk about anti-Zionism they veer into anti-Semitic territory. she says.

“Then you have the problem of double standards,” she says. “If Palestinians have the right to self-determination, why don't Jews have it? If so, why don't they?”

Foer agrees it's complicated.

“I know a lot of people who are anti-Zionist,” Foer said.

”[anti-Zionism is] That's not something I agree with…but I don't think they're inherently anti-Semitic. ”

However, there is a line. For Foer, when people use the word Zionist, it is often synonymous with Jewish.

“It becomes a way to express socially unacceptable ideas about Jewish evil, Jewish domination, Jewish cabals,” he says.

Listen to the full episode of “Consider This,” where host Ari Shapiro takes a closer look at anti-Semitism with Julia Ioffe and Franklin Foer.

This episode was produced by Connor Donevan. Edited by Courtney Dorning. The executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

Summarize this content to 100 words

Koby Talmud, 16, left, a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Md., appears before the Count Montgomery (Md.) Board of Education after a Congressional hearing on anti-Semitism in Kentucky. Talk to Carla Silvestre, chair of the committee. There are 12 public schools.

Jacqueline Martin/Associated Press

hide caption

toggle caption

Jacqueline Martin/Associated Press

Koby Talmud, 16, left, a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Md., appears before the Count Montgomery (Md.) Board of Education after a Congressional hearing on anti-Semitism in Kentucky. Talk to Carla Silvestre, chair of the committee. There are 12 public schools.

Jacqueline Martin/Associated Press

The marked rise in anti-Semitism in the United States over the past few years has been shocking to some. But for journalist Julia Ioffe, this was not a surprise and a reminder of the long history of persecution of Jews around the world. “We were second-class citizens,” Ioffe says, recalling her childhood in the Soviet Union. “We were excluded from university, work, and international travel, where we were called names by teachers and mere passersby on the street.” She said the relative safety of Jews in the United States over the past few generations has been an anomaly in the larger context of history.

franklin fore atlantic Share that feeling. The title of the latest work is “The Golden Age of American Jewry Comes to an End” “Like many American Jews, I once thought of anti-Semitism as a threat emanating primarily from the right,” he wrote. One of the most vivid examples came in 2017 when white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, chanting “Jews will not replace us.” That year, Jewish cemeteries were destroyed. There was a bomb threat against a Jewish community center. And in 2018, a man entered Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue during Shabbat services and killed 11 people. “In every generation, someone rises up to kill us.'' That's what we say at the Seder,'' Ioffe says. This context helps explain why there is currently so much debate about demonstrations in support of the Palestinians – about how to define anti-Semitism and what to do about it. useful for. You're reading this newsletter, which reveals one major news story every day. Subscribe here You can hear more messages delivered to your inbox. consider this podcast. politics and antisemitism Both Democrats and Republicans say they want to combat anti-Semitism, but the agreement may end there. House Republicans held a hearing on anti-Semitism in schools, and the House voted on a bill that would adopt a legal definition of anti-Semitism to enforce civil rights laws in schools. President Biden also gave an important speech on this topic.

For Foer, the fact that politicians are even talking about anti-Semitism is important. “But on the other hand, it's inevitable that it will be highly polarized, and there are some Republicans in Congress who are trying to score political points,” he says.

Ioffe similarly sees many of these efforts as disingenuous. She describes the political exchange around anti-Semitism as “cynical opportunism.” “For me, one of the most dangerous things for Jews is for both our needs, our safety, our humanity to be completely erased and become a political football,” she says. Anti-Zionism vs. Anti-Semitism Amid demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people, many are currently grappling with the question of when, or if, anti-Zionism becomes anti-Semitism. “It's absolutely possible to be anti-Zionist without being anti-Semitic,” Yoffe said. “One of the main ways to do that is to be Jewish.” Those who are understandably “outraged and horrified” by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza may have noble intentions, but when they talk about anti-Zionism they veer into anti-Semitic territory. she says. “Then you have the problem of double standards,” she says. “If Palestinians have the right to self-determination, why don't Jews have it? If so, why don't they?”

Foer agrees it's complicated. “I know a lot of people who are anti-Zionist,” Foer said. ”[anti-Zionism is] That's not something I agree with…but I don't think they're inherently anti-Semitic. ” However, there is a line. For Foer, when people use the word Zionist, it is often synonymous with Jewish. “It becomes a way to express socially unacceptable ideas about Jewish evil, Jewish domination, Jewish cabals,” he says. Listen to the full episode of “Consider This,” where host Ari Shapiro takes a closer look at anti-Semitism with Julia Ioffe and Franklin Foer. This episode was produced by Connor Donevan. Edited by Courtney Dorning. The executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

https://www.npr.org/2024/05/16/1198912317/understanding-antisemitism-zionism-israel-gaza-protests Consider this from NPR: NPR