Your statement that equality is the opposite of bigotry is powerful. Chuck Schumer's remarks about enforcing a crackdown are concerning. Does he truly support free speech? He should be held accountable for those comments. "Crackdown" evokes the actions of authoritarian regimes. Let classrooms experience disruptions; it's a small sacrifice for those who are suffering.
Keep up the good work. The more people speak out like you do, the more we can inspire change.
I think many of the Jewish organizations are worried that the immense suppression that is happening on campus, and the severe civil rights abuses, are going to bounce back upon the Jews. People will say that the Jews are responsible for this dismal situation. Progressives Jewish groups have been speaking out ever since this malicious, cynical circus began.
I hope that this not happen, Deborah. Certainly, the peace movement leaders are careful to look out for this kind of slippage. We need to fight against that kind of facile slide into discrimination against Jews.
Thanks, Peter. I think the ADL is shedding crocodile tears. They only care about free speech, which favors their point of view. And, why in the first place, should we care about what ADL thinks? The organization that facilitates the training of our police in Israel, so they learn from the apartheid tactics adopted there.
I would take this one step further. The people you are criticizing are in some cases bigots, who ironically think they are holding the high ground when they falsely accuse others of bigotry.
I have read about real examples of antisemitism on campus but antizionism is not antisemitism and anyone who thinks it is must conclude that Palestinians have to endorse their own ethnic cleansing. There are some forms of Zionism which wouldn’t involve forcing Palestinians out of their homes, but the kind of Zionism which produced Israel involved ethnic cleansing.
I have also read countless stores about antisemitism on campus and rarely if ever any reference to anti- Palestinianism, but we know that exists. And the worst campus violence I have read about occurred when a pro- Israel mob in California attacked protestors. People should oppose violence, intimidation tactics, and bigotry on both sides, but that is not what I hear in the press.
I have been to several off- campus pro-Palestinian protests in my local community All of the racism at our tiny events has come from pro- Israel passers-by, and also a very minor act of violence, when one man ripped the sign out of the hands of a much older and smaller woman. ( Our group is mostly too old to be starting physical altercations even if we wanted to.) I seriously doubt that I have seen the only examples of bigotry and bad behavior from the pro- Israel side, but it certainly doesn’t seem to get any attention.
"And the worst campus violence I have read about occurred when a pro- Israel mob in California attacked protestors."
That happened at UCLA last year on May 1. Then on May 13, Sam Harris did an episode of his "Making Sense" podcast talking about the recent campus protests. Harris lives in LA and is an alumnus of UCLA, but he said absolutely nothing about the physical attacks on the protesters at UCLA.
Peter, thank you so much for your frequent commentary and conversations on these critical issues -- I so value your thoughts and your discussions with your timely speakers. And yes, I think Schumer has gone overboard with his suggestion that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism -- it's not. Thank you, thank you.
Peter, I think you should not get all hung up about the terms antisemitism vs. Anti-Zionism. You're falling into a trap laid by your opponents, imho. The main point, the elephant in the room, is that one could substitute the word "antisemitism" for communism as used during the Mccarthyist period and at other times. It's simply an attack on the left and free thought by the right wing. Has nothing to do with antisemitism or Jews. Laying this bare might be helpful.
When discussing antisemitism how can bonafide standards for measuring discrimination including antisemitism be used? Can we use the same yardstick for measuring discrimination across the board based on data?
Let's look at housing discrimination, employment discrimination, cultural barriers or the inability to practice their cultures and rituals. Or are we only measuring "bad thoughts" or feelings. Should those who perpetrate any form of discrimination against non-Jews be deported, too?
Of course, antisemitism exists and creates bad feelings. Jews. Indigenous, Black, Queer, Latino, Arab and Muslim Americans get their share of bad feelings. I have gotten cold states standing next to my blue-eyed husband in Europe, in redneck places in the US-often in national park hiking trails.
How do we measure it all fairly. Data and case studies exit to reveal it in employment, housing, cultural restrictions and other discrimination. Most Palestinians are born into circumstances where bad feelings are all around them anywhere in the world. They are discriminated in housing, employment and cultural/religious practices. Since October 2023 more violent forms of crimes regarding who they are have increased wildly, upwards of 300-500%..
Why can't Ethnic and religious groups express valid feelings of discomfort or isolation alone? Why do they have to back it up with quantifiable facts and narratives. It is not that feelings are not important, but that we are measuring consistently across all groups in all areas of their lives. Feelings count, too but for everyone. The determination of crime and incident have to also be defined across the board. Survey questions have to be carefully composed to reveal the level of discrimination that people are experiencing.
Does my even bringing up defining standards make me antisemitic?
You could have mentioned, even briefly, the parallel between the ADL and the organizations and people that supported Hitler in the mid 1930's, to later find that support misplaced.
Peter,
Your statement that equality is the opposite of bigotry is powerful. Chuck Schumer's remarks about enforcing a crackdown are concerning. Does he truly support free speech? He should be held accountable for those comments. "Crackdown" evokes the actions of authoritarian regimes. Let classrooms experience disruptions; it's a small sacrifice for those who are suffering.
Keep up the good work. The more people speak out like you do, the more we can inspire change.
I think many of the Jewish organizations are worried that the immense suppression that is happening on campus, and the severe civil rights abuses, are going to bounce back upon the Jews. People will say that the Jews are responsible for this dismal situation. Progressives Jewish groups have been speaking out ever since this malicious, cynical circus began.
I hope that this not happen, Deborah. Certainly, the peace movement leaders are careful to look out for this kind of slippage. We need to fight against that kind of facile slide into discrimination against Jews.
Thank you, Peter, very lucid and helpful. A person close to me is a professor at Yale. It is a very difficult time for them.
Thanks, Peter. I think the ADL is shedding crocodile tears. They only care about free speech, which favors their point of view. And, why in the first place, should we care about what ADL thinks? The organization that facilitates the training of our police in Israel, so they learn from the apartheid tactics adopted there.
I think we should care because it reveals cracks in their views; ones we can exploit.
I would take this one step further. The people you are criticizing are in some cases bigots, who ironically think they are holding the high ground when they falsely accuse others of bigotry.
I have read about real examples of antisemitism on campus but antizionism is not antisemitism and anyone who thinks it is must conclude that Palestinians have to endorse their own ethnic cleansing. There are some forms of Zionism which wouldn’t involve forcing Palestinians out of their homes, but the kind of Zionism which produced Israel involved ethnic cleansing.
I have also read countless stores about antisemitism on campus and rarely if ever any reference to anti- Palestinianism, but we know that exists. And the worst campus violence I have read about occurred when a pro- Israel mob in California attacked protestors. People should oppose violence, intimidation tactics, and bigotry on both sides, but that is not what I hear in the press.
I have been to several off- campus pro-Palestinian protests in my local community All of the racism at our tiny events has come from pro- Israel passers-by, and also a very minor act of violence, when one man ripped the sign out of the hands of a much older and smaller woman. ( Our group is mostly too old to be starting physical altercations even if we wanted to.) I seriously doubt that I have seen the only examples of bigotry and bad behavior from the pro- Israel side, but it certainly doesn’t seem to get any attention.
"And the worst campus violence I have read about occurred when a pro- Israel mob in California attacked protestors."
That happened at UCLA last year on May 1. Then on May 13, Sam Harris did an episode of his "Making Sense" podcast talking about the recent campus protests. Harris lives in LA and is an alumnus of UCLA, but he said absolutely nothing about the physical attacks on the protesters at UCLA.
https://www.samharris.org/blog/campus-protests-antisemitism-and-western-values
Peter, thank you so much for your frequent commentary and conversations on these critical issues -- I so value your thoughts and your discussions with your timely speakers. And yes, I think Schumer has gone overboard with his suggestion that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism -- it's not. Thank you, thank you.
Peter, I think you should not get all hung up about the terms antisemitism vs. Anti-Zionism. You're falling into a trap laid by your opponents, imho. The main point, the elephant in the room, is that one could substitute the word "antisemitism" for communism as used during the Mccarthyist period and at other times. It's simply an attack on the left and free thought by the right wing. Has nothing to do with antisemitism or Jews. Laying this bare might be helpful.
When discussing antisemitism how can bonafide standards for measuring discrimination including antisemitism be used? Can we use the same yardstick for measuring discrimination across the board based on data?
Let's look at housing discrimination, employment discrimination, cultural barriers or the inability to practice their cultures and rituals. Or are we only measuring "bad thoughts" or feelings. Should those who perpetrate any form of discrimination against non-Jews be deported, too?
Of course, antisemitism exists and creates bad feelings. Jews. Indigenous, Black, Queer, Latino, Arab and Muslim Americans get their share of bad feelings. I have gotten cold states standing next to my blue-eyed husband in Europe, in redneck places in the US-often in national park hiking trails.
How do we measure it all fairly. Data and case studies exit to reveal it in employment, housing, cultural restrictions and other discrimination. Most Palestinians are born into circumstances where bad feelings are all around them anywhere in the world. They are discriminated in housing, employment and cultural/religious practices. Since October 2023 more violent forms of crimes regarding who they are have increased wildly, upwards of 300-500%..
Why can't Ethnic and religious groups express valid feelings of discomfort or isolation alone? Why do they have to back it up with quantifiable facts and narratives. It is not that feelings are not important, but that we are measuring consistently across all groups in all areas of their lives. Feelings count, too but for everyone. The determination of crime and incident have to also be defined across the board. Survey questions have to be carefully composed to reveal the level of discrimination that people are experiencing.
Does my even bringing up defining standards make me antisemitic?
You could have mentioned, even briefly, the parallel between the ADL and the organizations and people that supported Hitler in the mid 1930's, to later find that support misplaced.
Spot on, AGAIN!
Thank you