Jews get to define Anti Semitism.

[Mindful]

Not Shaun King.

A central tenet of anti-oppression work is that marginalized communities are the authors of their own experiences. Those who experience a specific oppression get to define it, and how it shows up in their daily life in big and small ways. I cannot possibly grasp all of the ways racism shows up throughout the life of a person of color. As much as I may try, my white privilege will inevitably blind me to how simple daily acts like driving my car, walking my baby in the park, or waiting in a Starbucks can quickly become dangerous. Conversely, my husband as well as male friends and colleagues may struggle to understand how gender shows up in my daily life, so they should listen to me when I describe what my experiences are and how they affect me.

Anti-Semitism, like most forms of systemic oppression, is difficult to see if you don’t experience it directly. If you have never been asked to leave an anti-war protest because you were wearing a Magen David necklace, you may not understand how we are pushed out of movements. If your house of worship does not require 24-hour private security, armed guards, and bag searches to enter, you may not understand how we move through the world. If your family doesn’t include people who were ghettoized, beaten, starved, and gassed to death in concentration camps, you probably don’t experience a neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville—or “pro-Palestinian” demonstrators burning the Israeli flag and chanting for the deaths of Jews in Israel—the same way that we do. If a passerby has never screamed at a crowd of worshippers, or drawn swastikas or rats on your spiritual home, or accosted you in your workplace and started screaming about purported Israeli atrocities or “Likudnik” conspiracies, you will not understand our fear of being Jewish in public. If you’ve never spent an afternoon on the phone with an anti-extremism expert discussing whether or not being featured on a neo-Nazi website is cause for alarm, you don’t understand what Jewish writers regularly encounter during their workdays. If you have never been told to tolerate being called satanic or evil, or compared to an insect for the sake of coalition building or political unity, you may struggle to understand why many of us are so angry at the progressive movement. I have experienced all of the above.

Jews Get to Define Anti-Semitism

 

[Mindful]

^ King has justified rhetoric that calls Jews subhuman. So how can we trust his intentions when discussing the nuanced, painful, and volatile situation in Israel? He has room for Farrakhan and BDS in his political life, but no room for Regina Spektor. This furthers the breach in trust and respect between him and many members of the Jewish community and ultimately weakens the cause of combatting white supremacy. This is damage that King has done to work that affects us all, for reasons that are ultimately self-centered and contrary to the basic tenets of anti-oppression work.

King has said he would give his life to fight anti-Semitism. I appreciate the sentiment greatly, but what seems more important at this moment is that he listen to those whose lived experiences he has dismissed and blocked. When I want to better understand and fight police brutality I look to King. When we talk about anti-Semitism and the pain it causes, he should listen to us.

 

[fncceo]

Ironically, the term 'anti-semitism' was coined 150 years ago, not by Jews, but by German Jew-haters who were trying to insinuate that Jews could never adapt to European civilization because of their Semitic blood.

Jew haters today are quick to claim that Jews can't live in Israel because they're too European.

You have to admire the adaptability of their hate and their language.

 

[Mindful]

Ironically, the term 'anti-semitism' was coined 150 years ago, not by Jews, but by German Jew-haters who were trying to insinuate that Jews could never adapt to European civilization because of their Semitic blood.

Jew haters today are quick to claim that Jews can't live in Israel because they're too European.

You have to admire the adaptability of their hate and their language.

Who was that old hag who said some years ago that Jews should go back to Poland?

 

[fncceo]

Ironically, the term 'anti-semitism' was coined 150 years ago, not by Jews, but by German Jew-haters who were trying to insinuate that Jews could never adapt to European civilization because of their Semitic blood.

Jew haters today are quick to claim that Jews can't live in Israel because they're too European.

You have to admire the adaptability of their hate and their language.

Who was that old hag who said some years ago that Jews should go back to Poland?

That was Hearst Newspaper's own Helen Thomas...

Thankfully gone from this earth.

 

[shimon]

Hate comes in many shapes sizes and forms... One thing that people must understand is that these concepts especially antisemitism are constantly evolving and are taking new directions unforeseen or imagined... Antisemitism can be directly in your face or under the radar and missed by most for example in Star Trek one of the races that the star ship came across was called the Ferengi... Most people would just see them as a simple interstellar race but if one were to describe them they would say they were short, rat faced, ugly,business orientated and greedy... is that not how Jewish people are depicted by people who are anti Semitic . certainly they were shown that way by the propagandists of the nazi era... This is just one example... Today however it is uncool to pick on individual Jews instead a whole country is demonized in the form of Israel which can do no right and is accused of every heinous act that the new antisemitites can come up with.... Interesting times we live in interesting indeed,,

 

[Street Juice]

Not Shaun King.

A central tenet of anti-oppression work is that marginalized communities are the authors of their own experiences. Those who experience a specific oppression get to define it, and how it shows up in their daily life in big and small ways. I cannot possibly grasp all of the ways racism shows up throughout the life of a person of color. As much as I may try, my white privilege will inevitably blind me to how simple daily acts like driving my car, walking my baby in the park, or waiting in a Starbucks can quickly become dangerous. Conversely, my husband as well as male friends and colleagues may struggle to understand how gender shows up in my daily life, so they should listen to me when I describe what my experiences are and how they affect me.

Anti-Semitism, like most forms of systemic oppression, is difficult to see if you don’t experience it directly. If you have never been asked to leave an anti-war protest because you were wearing a Magen David necklace, you may not understand how we are pushed out of movements. If your house of worship does not require 24-hour private security, armed guards, and bag searches to enter, you may not understand how we move through the world. If your family doesn’t include people who were ghettoized, beaten, starved, and gassed to death in concentration camps, you probably don’t experience a neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville—or “pro-Palestinian” demonstrators burning the Israeli flag and chanting for the deaths of Jews in Israel—the same way that we do. If a passerby has never screamed at a crowd of worshippers, or drawn swastikas or rats on your spiritual home, or accosted you in your workplace and started screaming about purported Israeli atrocities or “Likudnik” conspiracies, you will not understand our fear of being Jewish in public. If you’ve never spent an afternoon on the phone with an anti-extremism expert discussing whether or not being featured on a neo-Nazi website is cause for alarm, you don’t understand what Jewish writers regularly encounter during their workdays. If you have never been told to tolerate being called satanic or evil, or compared to an insect for the sake of coalition building or political unity, you may struggle to understand why many of us are so angry at the progressive movement. I have experienced all of the above.

Jews Get to Define Anti-Semitism

Anti-Semitism: saying what the Jews did

 

[Sunni Man]

 

[Street Juice]

Ironically, the term 'anti-semitism' was coined 150 years ago, not by Jews, but by German Jew-haters who were trying to insinuate that Jews could never adapt to European civilization because of their Semitic blood.

Jew haters today are quick to claim that Jews can't live in Israel because they're too European.

You have to admire the adaptability of their hate and their language.

Who was that old hag who said some years ago that Jews should go back to Poland?

That was Hearst Newspaper's own Helen Thomas...

Thankfully gone from this earth.

Yes, Helen Thomas. Beloved and respected member of the White House press corps until she exposed herself as a witch, er, anti-Semite, by making it clear she noticed what the Jews were doing in the world.

 

[Street Juice]

Hate comes in many shapes sizes and forms... One thing that people must understand is that these concepts especially antisemitism are constantly evolving and are taking new directions unforeseen or imagined... Antisemitism can be directly in your face or under the radar and missed by most for example in Star Trek one of the races that the star ship came across was called the Ferengi... Most people would just see them as a simple interstellar race but if one were to describe them they would say they were short, rat faced, ugly,business orientated and greedy... is that not how Jewish people are depicted by people who are anti Semitic . certainly they were shown that way by the propagandists of the nazi era... This is just one example... Today however it is uncool to pick on individual Jews instead a whole country is demonized in the form of Israel which can do no right and is accused of every heinous act that the new antisemitites can come up with.... Interesting times we live in interesting indeed,,

Demons come in many shapes sizes and forms... One thing that people must understand is that these concepts especially demon possession are constantly evolving and are taking new directions unforeseen or imagined... demon possession can be directly in your face or under the radar and missed by most for example in Star Trek one of the races that the star ship came across was called the Ferengi... Most people would just see them as a simple interstellar race but if one were to describe them they would say they were short, rat faced, ugly,business orientated and greedy... is that not how priests are depicted by people who are demon possessed . certainly they were shown that way by the propagandists of Hollywood... This is just one example...

 

[Mindful]

Only diseases can have cures, and anti-Semitism is not a disease: It is a perfectly normal human reaction to an anomaly that has persisted for just over 2,000 years, ever since starving Jews migrated in great numbers to food-rich Roman Egypt and its splendid capital of Alexandria, where they quickly outmatched the local Greek-speaking elite not only in Greek philosophy but also in Greek athletics—and in business too, no doubt. The Greeks reacted not by competing harder, but with murderous mob attacks. Thus, anti-Semitism was born, already so fully formed that nothing has been added by all the anti-Semites in history ever since. That the Jewish side of the story is well known through texts by Josephus and Philo, while the original denunciation of the Jews by then-famous philosopher Apion is lost (except for the bits quoted by Josephus as put-downs), proves just how right Apion was: Primitive Hebrew shepherds and peasants arrive, and in no time at all they take over everything, even Greek philosophic literature, in which Philo now occupies 10 volumes in the Harvard’s Loeb Classical Library and Apion has none, zilch, and nada. (Loeb was a Jewish banker, of course.)

What infuriated the Greeks was that the Jews stubbornly preserved their identity, even when they threw away their Bedouin robes to sit in togas to debate Aristotle and “continue” Plato’s writings, even when they abandoned Hebrew for Greek in their daily lives, and even when they exercised in the gym just as naked as the Greeks—and walked off with the prizes. By the time Philo paid a call on the Emperor Gaius—aka the colorfully murderous, pan-sexual Caligula—to ask him to fire his anti-Jewish Governor Aulus Avilius Flaccus and stop the riots, two of the five quarters of Alexandria, the New York City of the Roman world, were mostly Jewish. Gaius, incidentally, joshed Philo about the weirdness of not eating pork, but did recall A.A. Flaccus, who ran into a sword upon his return—an early case of undue Jewish political influence.

A Misunderstanding About Anti-Semitism

 

[Mindful]

Sunni Man.

You would.

 

[Ria_Longhorn]

According to the FBI 2017 Hate Crime Statistics, the number one target of anti-religious hate crimes were Jewish people; 58.1 % of those crimes were "motivated by their offenders' anti-Jewish bias."

In second place, at 18.6 %, were Muslims

Incidents and Offenses

 

[Bush92]

Not Shaun King.

A central tenet of anti-oppression work is that marginalized communities are the authors of their own experiences. Those who experience a specific oppression get to define it, and how it shows up in their daily life in big and small ways. I cannot possibly grasp all of the ways racism shows up throughout the life of a person of color. As much as I may try, my white privilege will inevitably blind me to how simple daily acts like driving my car, walking my baby in the park, or waiting in a Starbucks can quickly become dangerous. Conversely, my husband as well as male friends and colleagues may struggle to understand how gender shows up in my daily life, so they should listen to me when I describe what my experiences are and how they affect me.

Anti-Semitism, like most forms of systemic oppression, is difficult to see if you don’t experience it directly. If you have never been asked to leave an anti-war protest because you were wearing a Magen David necklace, you may not understand how we are pushed out of movements. If your house of worship does not require 24-hour private security, armed guards, and bag searches to enter, you may not understand how we move through the world. If your family doesn’t include people who were ghettoized, beaten, starved, and gassed to death in concentration camps, you probably don’t experience a neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville—or “pro-Palestinian” demonstrators burning the Israeli flag and chanting for the deaths of Jews in Israel—the same way that we do. If a passerby has never screamed at a crowd of worshippers, or drawn swastikas or rats on your spiritual home, or accosted you in your workplace and started screaming about purported Israeli atrocities or “Likudnik” conspiracies, you will not understand our fear of being Jewish in public. If you’ve never spent an afternoon on the phone with an anti-extremism expert discussing whether or not being featured on a neo-Nazi website is cause for alarm, you don’t understand what Jewish writers regularly encounter during their workdays. If you have never been told to tolerate being called satanic or evil, or compared to an insect for the sake of coalition building or political unity, you may struggle to understand why many of us are so angry at the progressive movement. I have experienced all of the above.

Jews Get to Define Anti-Semitism

No such thing as white privilege. Did you get this pissed at Obama when he meddled in Israeli elections? I’m Roman Catholic...many of the various denominations of Christianity say I’m going to hell. Being told to go to hell has never bothered me. Israel is the #1 ally of the United States in that region. I believe so strongly in Israel’s right to exist I would be willing to fight and die for her. Years ago after my infantry service in USMC I contemplated going abroad and joining the IDF...just to give a few years of my time to a beautiful people who must protect their ancient homeland daily.

 

[Augustine_]

Not Shaun King.

A central tenet of anti-oppression work is that marginalized communities are the authors of their own experiences. Those who experience a specific oppression get to define it, and how it shows up in their daily life in big and small ways. I cannot possibly grasp all of the ways racism shows up throughout the life of a person of color. As much as I may try, my white privilege will inevitably blind me to how simple daily acts like driving my car, walking my baby in the park, or waiting in a Starbucks can quickly become dangerous. Conversely, my husband as well as male friends and colleagues may struggle to understand how gender shows up in my daily life, so they should listen to me when I describe what my experiences are and how they affect me.

Anti-Semitism, like most forms of systemic oppression, is difficult to see if you don’t experience it directly. If you have never been asked to leave an anti-war protest because you were wearing a Magen David necklace, you may not understand how we are pushed out of movements. If your house of worship does not require 24-hour private security, armed guards, and bag searches to enter, you may not understand how we move through the world. If your family doesn’t include people who were ghettoized, beaten, starved, and gassed to death in concentration camps, you probably don’t experience a neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville—or “pro-Palestinian” demonstrators burning the Israeli flag and chanting for the deaths of Jews in Israel—the same way that we do. If a passerby has never screamed at a crowd of worshippers, or drawn swastikas or rats on your spiritual home, or accosted you in your workplace and started screaming about purported Israeli atrocities or “Likudnik” conspiracies, you will not understand our fear of being Jewish in public. If you’ve never spent an afternoon on the phone with an anti-extremism expert discussing whether or not being featured on a neo-Nazi website is cause for alarm, you don’t understand what Jewish writers regularly encounter during their workdays. If you have never been told to tolerate being called satanic or evil, or compared to an insect for the sake of coalition building or political unity, you may struggle to understand why many of us are so angry at the progressive movement. I have experienced all of the above.

Jews Get to Define Anti-Semitism

Replace "Jews" with any other minority group. Same shit.

 

[Ria_Longhorn]

Not Shaun King.

A central tenet of anti-oppression work is that marginalized communities are the authors of their own experiences. Those who experience a specific oppression get to define it, and how it shows up in their daily life in big and small ways. I cannot possibly grasp all of the ways racism shows up throughout the life of a person of color. As much as I may try, my white privilege will inevitably blind me to how simple daily acts like driving my car, walking my baby in the park, or waiting in a Starbucks can quickly become dangerous. Conversely, my husband as well as male friends and colleagues may struggle to understand how gender shows up in my daily life, so they should listen to me when I describe what my experiences are and how they affect me.

Anti-Semitism, like most forms of systemic oppression, is difficult to see if you don’t experience it directly. If you have never been asked to leave an anti-war protest because you were wearing a Magen David necklace, you may not understand how we are pushed out of movements. If your house of worship does not require 24-hour private security, armed guards, and bag searches to enter, you may not understand how we move through the world. If your family doesn’t include people who were ghettoized, beaten, starved, and gassed to death in concentration camps, you probably don’t experience a neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville—or “pro-Palestinian” demonstrators burning the Israeli flag and chanting for the deaths of Jews in Israel—the same way that we do. If a passerby has never screamed at a crowd of worshippers, or drawn swastikas or rats on your spiritual home, or accosted you in your workplace and started screaming about purported Israeli atrocities or “Likudnik” conspiracies, you will not understand our fear of being Jewish in public. If you’ve never spent an afternoon on the phone with an anti-extremism expert discussing whether or not being featured on a neo-Nazi website is cause for alarm, you don’t understand what Jewish writers regularly encounter during their workdays. If you have never been told to tolerate being called satanic or evil, or compared to an insect for the sake of coalition building or political unity, you may struggle to understand why many of us are so angry at the progressive movement. I have experienced all of the above.

Jews Get to Define Anti-Semitism

No such thing as white privilege. Did you get this pissed at Obama when he meddled in Israeli elections? I’m Roman Catholic...many of the various denominations of Christianity say I’m going to hell. Being told to go to hell has never bothered me. Israel is the #1 ally of the United States in that region. I believe so strongly in Israel’s right to exist I would be willing to fight and die for her. Years ago after my infantry service in USMC I contemplated going abroad and joining the IDF...just to give a few years of my time to a beautiful people who must protect their ancient homeland daily.

Bush92 wrote:
"... Israel is the #1 ally of the United States in that region. I believe so strongly in Israel’s right to exist I would be willing to fight and die for her. Years ago after my infantry service in USMC I contemplated going abroad and joining the IDF...just to give a few years of my time to a beautiful people who must protect their ancient homeland daily. "

Thank you,
RL

 

[Street Juice]

Not Shaun King.

A central tenet of anti-oppression work is that marginalized communities are the authors of their own experiences. Those who experience a specific oppression get to define it, and how it shows up in their daily life in big and small ways. I cannot possibly grasp all of the ways racism shows up throughout the life of a person of color. As much as I may try, my white privilege will inevitably blind me to how simple daily acts like driving my car, walking my baby in the park, or waiting in a Starbucks can quickly become dangerous. Conversely, my husband as well as male friends and colleagues may struggle to understand how gender shows up in my daily life, so they should listen to me when I describe what my experiences are and how they affect me.

Anti-Semitism, like most forms of systemic oppression, is difficult to see if you don’t experience it directly. If you have never been asked to leave an anti-war protest because you were wearing a Magen David necklace, you may not understand how we are pushed out of movements. If your house of worship does not require 24-hour private security, armed guards, and bag searches to enter, you may not understand how we move through the world. If your family doesn’t include people who were ghettoized, beaten, starved, and gassed to death in concentration camps, you probably don’t experience a neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville—or “pro-Palestinian” demonstrators burning the Israeli flag and chanting for the deaths of Jews in Israel—the same way that we do. If a passerby has never screamed at a crowd of worshippers, or drawn swastikas or rats on your spiritual home, or accosted you in your workplace and started screaming about purported Israeli atrocities or “Likudnik” conspiracies, you will not understand our fear of being Jewish in public. If you’ve never spent an afternoon on the phone with an anti-extremism expert discussing whether or not being featured on a neo-Nazi website is cause for alarm, you don’t understand what Jewish writers regularly encounter during their workdays. If you have never been told to tolerate being called satanic or evil, or compared to an insect for the sake of coalition building or political unity, you may struggle to understand why many of us are so angry at the progressive movement. I have experienced all of the above.

Jews Get to Define Anti-Semitism

No such thing as white privilege. Did you get this pissed at Obama when he meddled in Israeli elections? I’m Roman Catholic...many of the various denominations of Christianity say I’m going to hell. Being told to go to hell has never bothered me. Israel is the #1 ally of the United States in that region. I believe so strongly in Israel’s right to exist I would be willing to fight and die for her. Years ago after my infantry service in USMC I contemplated going abroad and joining the IDF...just to give a few years of my time to a beautiful people who must protect their ancient homeland daily.

"Israel is the #1 ally of the United States in that region. I believe so strongly in Israel’s right to exist I would be willing to fight and die for her."
​

My God, you are an embarrassment. I really hate how ignorant and gullible my people are. So fucking clueless.

Here, you dunce, you know why you think Israel is our "#1 ally"? Is it because of all the great things Israel does for us? The extra safety and security Israel provides? Of course not. You think that because the Jewish press has repeated it over and over and, like a trained monkey, you simply blink and repeat it.

We all know what we do for Israel, don't we. Billions of dollars we send them while our own people can't access decent health care. On top of that, we are building them a shield against nuclear attack, while Jews in this country agitate for war with Russia--a nuclear power. Does that sound like an ally, you buffoon?

You ever hear of the USS Liberty? Israel purposely attacked a US military ship in 1967 in the hope of tricking us into attacking Egypt. The attack lasted for hours. The Israelis STRAFED THE LIFEBOATS. Ironically, it was the "enemy" Russians on a nearby ship who offered to come to our soldiers' assistance to rescue them from the murderous attack by our "ally".

Why do you think we attacked Iraq in 2003? Why are we bombing Syria and obliterating Yemeni sheep herders. Pull your fucking head out of your ass.

 

[Bush92]

Not Shaun King.

A central tenet of anti-oppression work is that marginalized communities are the authors of their own experiences. Those who experience a specific oppression get to define it, and how it shows up in their daily life in big and small ways. I cannot possibly grasp all of the ways racism shows up throughout the life of a person of color. As much as I may try, my white privilege will inevitably blind me to how simple daily acts like driving my car, walking my baby in the park, or waiting in a Starbucks can quickly become dangerous. Conversely, my husband as well as male friends and colleagues may struggle to understand how gender shows up in my daily life, so they should listen to me when I describe what my experiences are and how they affect me.

Anti-Semitism, like most forms of systemic oppression, is difficult to see if you don’t experience it directly. If you have never been asked to leave an anti-war protest because you were wearing a Magen David necklace, you may not understand how we are pushed out of movements. If your house of worship does not require 24-hour private security, armed guards, and bag searches to enter, you may not understand how we move through the world. If your family doesn’t include people who were ghettoized, beaten, starved, and gassed to death in concentration camps, you probably don’t experience a neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville—or “pro-Palestinian” demonstrators burning the Israeli flag and chanting for the deaths of Jews in Israel—the same way that we do. If a passerby has never screamed at a crowd of worshippers, or drawn swastikas or rats on your spiritual home, or accosted you in your workplace and started screaming about purported Israeli atrocities or “Likudnik” conspiracies, you will not understand our fear of being Jewish in public. If you’ve never spent an afternoon on the phone with an anti-extremism expert discussing whether or not being featured on a neo-Nazi website is cause for alarm, you don’t understand what Jewish writers regularly encounter during their workdays. If you have never been told to tolerate being called satanic or evil, or compared to an insect for the sake of coalition building or political unity, you may struggle to understand why many of us are so angry at the progressive movement. I have experienced all of the above.

Jews Get to Define Anti-Semitism

No such thing as white privilege. Did you get this pissed at Obama when he meddled in Israeli elections? I’m Roman Catholic...many of the various denominations of Christianity say I’m going to hell. Being told to go to hell has never bothered me. Israel is the #1 ally of the United States in that region. I believe so strongly in Israel’s right to exist I would be willing to fight and die for her. Years ago after my infantry service in USMC I contemplated going abroad and joining the IDF...just to give a few years of my time to a beautiful people who must protect their ancient homeland daily.

"Israel is the #1 ally of the United States in that region. I believe so strongly in Israel’s right to exist I would be willing to fight and die for her."
​

My God, you are an embarrassment. I really hate how ignorant and gullible my people are. So fucking clueless.

Here, you dunce, you know why you think Israel is our "#1 ally"? Is it because of all the great things Israel does for us? The extra safety and security Israel provides? Of course not. You think that because the Jewish press has repeated it over and over and, like a trained monkey, you simply blink and repeat it.

We all know what we do for Israel, don't we. Billions of dollars we send them while our own people can't access decent health care. On top of that, we are building them a shield against nuclear attack, while Jews in this country agitate for war with Russia--a nuclear power. Does that sound like an ally, you buffoon?

You ever hear of the USS Liberty? Israel purposely attacked a US military ship in 1967 in the hope of tricking us into attacking Egypt. The attack lasted for hours. The Israelis STRAFED THE LIFEBOATS. Ironically, it was the "enemy" Russians on a nearby ship who offered to come to our soldiers' assistance to rescue them from the murderous attack by our "ally".

Why do you think we attacked Iraq in 2003? Why are we bombing Syria and obliterating Yemeni sheep herders. Pull your fucking head out of your ass.

I am aware of the USS Liberty. Why would Israel want us to attack Egypt when the IDF was already kicking their asses across the Sinai? Perhaps United States should have let them know we were there and not a Russian spy ship. Perhaps the Russians put it out over open airwaves that they had a spy ship flying US colors under a guise.I can see you have pro-Russian sentiments. Israeli intelligence has connections in that region that we cannot develop and your a buffoon if you don’t think they share it with us. Iraq 2003 was all Georgie W and the Neo-cons. Iraq invasion was ignorant. Israel is our #1 ally in they region and we have supported them since 1948. So can put your “Illuminati” psychobabble on the fucking shelf Borat.

 

[justinacolmena]

Arabs are Semites as well as Jews. I suppose that's why the Muslims get away with hating Jews without being called Anti-Semitic. They're Semitic themselves.

 

[Bush92]

Only diseases can have cures, and anti-Semitism is not a disease: It is a perfectly normal human reaction to an anomaly that has persisted for just over 2,000 years, ever since starving Jews migrated in great numbers to food-rich Roman Egypt and its splendid capital of Alexandria, where they quickly outmatched the local Greek-speaking elite not only in Greek philosophy but also in Greek athletics—and in business too, no doubt. The Greeks reacted not by competing harder, but with murderous mob attacks. Thus, anti-Semitism was born, already so fully formed that nothing has been added by all the anti-Semites in history ever since. That the Jewish side of the story is well known through texts by Josephus and Philo, while the original denunciation of the Jews by then-famous philosopher Apion is lost (except for the bits quoted by Josephus as put-downs), proves just how right Apion was: Primitive Hebrew shepherds and peasants arrive, and in no time at all they take over everything, even Greek philosophic literature, in which Philo now occupies 10 volumes in the Harvard’s Loeb Classical Library and Apion has none, zilch, and nada. (Loeb was a Jewish banker, of course.)

What infuriated the Greeks was that the Jews stubbornly preserved their identity, even when they threw away their Bedouin robes to sit in togas to debate Aristotle and “continue” Plato’s writings, even when they abandoned Hebrew for Greek in their daily lives, and even when they exercised in the gym just as naked as the Greeks—and walked off with the prizes. By the time Philo paid a call on the Emperor Gaius—aka the colorfully murderous, pan-sexual Caligula—to ask him to fire his anti-Jewish Governor Aulus Avilius Flaccus and stop the riots, two of the five quarters of Alexandria, the New York City of the Roman world, were mostly Jewish. Gaius, incidentally, joshed Philo about the weirdness of not eating pork, but did recall A.A. Flaccus, who ran into a sword upon his return—an early case of undue Jewish political influence.

A Misunderstanding About Anti-Semitism

Thanks for the history.