I'm Jewish, and I'm here to tell you that antisemitism exists on the left.

I get it. Israel has a lot of power and influence, and antisemitism was used against Corbyn as a smear. That doesn't mean that antisemitism on the left isn't also a real thing, and I'm tired of being regarded with suspicion as a Zionist stooge every time I bring it up.

I'm sick of being grilled by strangers about Palestine as soon as they find out I'm Jewish. You wouldn't get in a Sunni's face about the ongoing Saudi genocide in Yemen, so why do I have to answer for a whole country I'm not from? Why am I a "suspect" until I can prove my credentials?

I'm sick of being regarded as just a (((white person from Brooklyn))), as one poster on here put it. White people from Brooklyn don't get their places of worship shot up at random, or called k*kes everywhere online, or get assaulted if dressed traditionally.

I'm sick of making friends in left spaces IRL, to later hear them regurgitate Rothschild conspiracies or tell racist jokes about the Hasidic communities nearby. Big noses! Love of money! We have sex through a hole in a sheet! It never gets old! This shit people say about Jews would never get said about any other minority. I've even seen a "left" (ex)-friend from school say that "the only good jew is a dead jew" in messages (which apparently was "fine because she's Lebanese and it's a cultural thing and she doesn't really mean it").

There are many problems on the left, including racism and sexism, and it doesn't get better if we just pretend they don't exist. Jewish leftists are your allies, please treat us as such. We want the same goals as you. If we bring up that we feel uncomfortable, PLEASE do not just write us off. It's heartbreaking to raise the issue of the racism that you're experiencing in a supposedly inclusive space, just to be accused of being a shifty wrecker working for a foreign state.

This post was inspired by this one, where a random Jewish person (with "free palestine" on their page, no less) is implied to be a paid Israeli troll just for bringing up that anti-Semitism is a problem on our side too.

Edit: I’d just like to say thank you all for the overwhelmingly positive response to this post. It’s really great to know your comrades have got your back. I also appreciate how those with questions have (mostly) been open minded and engaged in good faith. It makes a difference.

  • Bonescape [he/him]
    23·
    4 years ago

    First off, absolute support for Jewish comrades, and absolutely fuck Isreal. But I don't really see any serious antisemitism on the left at all, there might be isolated cases of antisemtism, but there it's usually just ignorance and misunderstanding. Whereas antisemtism on the right often stems from actual hatred of Jewish people. And hating a group based on ethnicity or religion is incompatible with beeing a leftist. Equating these two forms of antisemtism does more damage than good. Wanna fight antisemtism? Fight the right wing. The constant bad faith antisemitism allegations against the left made me no longer care about fighting antisemitism on the left.

      • Bonescape [he/him]
        12·
        4 years ago

        did you read my post or just that sentance.

        • the_river_cass [she/her]
          ·
          4 years ago

          the rest of it is minimizing the actual antisemitism that exists on the left and dismissing the OP's concerns with no understanding of them. quoting myself from upthread:

          when you’re attacking the bare claim that our side might have problems, what you have a problem with is self-crit. get the fuck over yourselves. we all have problems. we collectively have problems. and it’s only through honest introspection and dialogue that we will ever solve any of them. calling every attempt to do so an op is just a lame way to paper over deficiencies.

          you almost certainly do not have the best eye for antisemitism - it's not directed at you. try listening to the people who are directly impacted by it and offer them good faith and empathy.

    • jewishleftist [none/use name]
      ·
      4 years ago

      The constant bad faith antisemitism allegations against the left made me no longer care about fighting antisemitism on the left.

      :agony-deep:

    • aaro [they/them]
      ·
      4 years ago

      How can you read a post in which an actual Jewish person cites many specific examples of serious anti-semitism, and then respond with

      I don’t really see any serious antisemitism on the left at all, there might be isolated cases of antisemtism, but there it’s usually just ignorance and misunderstanding

      like you "get" antisemtism better than someone who is actually on the receiving end of it?

      • Bonescape [he/him]
        8·
        4 years ago

        Because the anti-semitism in the post is either not serious or not comming from a leftist. But unfortunately it doesn't seem possible to discuss this in good faith.

        • aaro [they/them]
          ·
          4 years ago

          Okay, let's discuss it in good faith.

          What's your evidence for either of those claims?

          The OP talked about how someone thought it was okay to say "the only good jew is a dead jew", so that sounds serious.

          The OP talked about making friends in leftist spaces, so they're probably a leftist.

          Sounds to me like you're totally wrong and either didn't read the full OP or are calling them a lair. That's my good faith two cents.

          • Bonescape [he/him]
            4·
            4 years ago

            Sure, if someone says “the only good jew is a dead jew”, this is serious. And this person is not a leftist. In this instance id assume it's a language error, they probably meant zionist. If you say the only good zionist is a dead zionist it'd make a whole lot more sense, and not be considered antisemitism.

    • Rodentsteak [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      The fact that leftists get slandered as antisemites by the media and right wing Jews does not make antisemitism a fake problem. Like imagine applying that logic anywhere else.