Dinner-party anti-Semitism?
Writing in the New Statesman, Rhoda Koenig, a transplanted New Yorker now living in London, finds "dinner-party anti-Semitism" is on the rise:
The moment the icy splinter of fear entered my heart, four years ago, occurred, as it has for so many of us, at a dinner table. “Don’t you think that Israel is becoming very unpleasant?” said one deep thinker. “We used to be on their side because they were the underdog, but now they’re so aggressive.” That was not the moment. It was the next comment, made as I was taking a deep breath, by another guest. “Well,” he said, “I never thought about that before, but, yes, you’re right.”
That person was someone who had for several years been a good friend, good not only to me but in general. He is a kind, compassionate man, quick to offer practical help and moral support to his friends. He does a great deal of unpaid work for charity. His words took me back to a time when the same sort of mindless verbal ping-pong was played over other tables, when Gentiles in England dismissed reports from central Europe as hysteria or propaganda. I later said to my friend, who never reads a newspaper, that he shouldn’t comment on topics he didn’t understand. He protested that he wasn’t commenting: he was “just agreeing”...
It was not the first time my friend had startled me with a remark of this kind. We had met not long before 11 September 2001. About a week after the World Trade Center was destroyed, he said to me, “I don’t mean to offend you by saying this: I just wonder if you think this could be true. Someone told me there was a rumour that the Israelis were responsible.”...
My friend and I remained on good terms until last year, when he asked if I would join him on a trip he was very eager to take – to Syria.
While criticism of Israel often is a thin veneer for anti-Semitism, and while dinner-party anti-Semitism doubtless is a real phenomenon in Europe (remember the French ambassador who called Israel "that shitty little country"?), I'm not sure the examples Koenig brings meet the standard.
The argument against anti-Semitism is weakened if we cry wolf and label all criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism.
Aside from Koenig's friend's remark about 9/11, which shows ignorance and credulity more than anything else, I'm not sure I see anti-Semitism here. I'd like to visit Syria, too; does that make me anti-Semitic?
Perhaps talking patiently and persistently with people like Koenig's friend about the righteousness of Israel's cause will win Israel and the Jewish people more friends, rather than disassociating with such people and leaving them to the influence of real anti-Semites.
Meanwhile, Ha'aretz tackles the fallacy that if Israel were nicer there would be no anti-Semitism.
Share
8 Comments
anti-Semitism
Comments RSS Feed Reader Comments
Yes, yours is a “rubric” to be sure, Why don’t you just take an honest look at how we could be making the problem worse by not addressing the underlying abuses (water for one) of the West Bank settlements. Palestinians cannot even drill a well on their own land, whilst we take out all the water we need for the settlements. Answer that instead of trying to avoid with cleverness.
The reason “why Israel” is selected has nothing to do with my friends’ prejudice. I am not embarrassed or taken aback by such comments because I see MUCH room for fairness that is always shoved aside by our constant defense of “anti-Semitism”.
How about we drop that defense long enough to take an honest look at how our occupation of land that was never part of our country will cause problems worldwide?
Nobody cares as much about the other problem areas you raised since they are not the source of the world’s number one powder-keg.
Uriel Heilman, please forgive my error: the above post was in response only to that of Elizabeth Schwartz.
I should have made this comment to your post first. I agree with your comment:
“The argument against anti-Semitism is weakened if we cry wolf and label all criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism.”
I believe we are all the STRONGER when we WELCOME criticism of Israel, and even agree with it. Look, we are just too defensive to admit gross error.
It is akin to my traveling to Canada and hearing attacks vs. the USA. I feel a bit defensive, just as we feel defensive when we hear attacks upon the abuses made by Israel.
My country is capable of error, and we are stronger and better when we admit it. Our problem when it comes to Israel is that we are so sensitive that we all tend to become defensive and hence we block out the legitimate criticism.
Does anyone else do that and later at home come to admit to yourself that the criticism was probably well-placed? I know I do it, and I wish there were a comfortable way to address criticism without my becoming overly defensive. For that is the only way to peace: all sides have something they have done wrong, and our side will just keep on doing it until “we” (and I am in the USA, so maybe others may not agree) insist that our government withhold its payments to Israel until the abuses of the West Bank are stopped.
My dear Ms. Jacobsen: You certainly are entitled to your own opinions,but Not your own facts. Please provide references to your statement regarding “ Palestinians can not even drill a well on their own land, whilst we take out all the water we need for the settlements.” Sincerely Ned Jacobson
It’s anti-semitism. Don’t be cowered. Point it out if anyone focuses the “tiny” amount of violence and injustice found in the Arabs conflict with the state of Israel when compared to Darfur, Somalia, Mexican drug trade...Israel pales in comparason to just about every other hot spot on the face of the Earth! So what is it if it’s not an intellectually legitimate argument? Could it be...an undefinable hatred of Jews...anti-semetism.
I was going to write a comment, but I agree with Morgan Jacobsen 100%, so I’m going to add to her 2 comments.
There is no anti-semitism.... there is anti-bullying… and Israel is just a bully. Thanks to the US money for defence, Israel is more powerful than any of this neighbours, and now they think they can get away with anything. Whenever there is a criticism somebody yells “Anti-Semitic!!!” and everything is just fine.... not!
N Jacobson: you want references? Read the news: Israel doesn’t allow construction material inside Gaza, so they can’t rebuild their houses, or any kind of well to obtain water. Maybe you think that Palestinians collect rain water in buckets because they prefer that method. When you have a green land beside a brown land, there will be violence.
Steven M: you think that cutting water and medicine and almost anything other resource to Gaza is not a violent act. I do. If somebody cuts the water supply to my mother, brothers, sons and daughters, you better believe that violence is going to come out from me, a non-violent guy.
As both the cocktail party Israel bashing and some of the comments here demonstrate, the $25 million per year plus which Hamas spends on propaganda in the U.S. has been very effective. Anti-semites and Israel bashers now feel that they can justify their prejudices and false accusations by spouting even more false accusations. But in some senses, it’s nothing new. The water comments above are reminiscent of the false accusations in the middle ages that Jews poisoned the wells, which incited the killing of thousands of Jews.
The real problem is still anti-israel terrorism and the Hamas/Fatah/Hezbollah/Iranian goal of destroying Israel, America, Jews, Christians, and anyone who does not believe as they do. Hamas has been shooting thousand of rockets at Israeli kindergardens, synagogues and homes over an eight year period - and it still has not stopped. Fatah and Hamas continue to demand Israel’s destruction and the release of convicted murderers from jail. Meanwhile, Israel cares for ill and injured Palestinians in Israeli hospitals. During the Gaza war, Israel did everything imaginable to avoid harming civilians, including warning Palestinians with flyers and hundreds of thousands of phone calls before attempting to destroy rocket launching sites. Israel has proven time and time again that she is humane to those attempting to destroy her. We need to keep reiterating this at cocktail parties and anywhere else we meet the dupes and purveyors of Hamas’ destructive propaganda.
Leave a Comment
To leave a comment, you must first be logged in to JTA. If you are not registered, please click here.
Already a JTA member?
Need to know? Get JTA's free e-newsletters!
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Jonathan on Is Tel Aviv or Jerusalem the real Israel?
- Don on Time cover mashup: Suckling Bibi
- Terry N. Gardner on Israeli para-Athlete Moran Samuel wins gold, saves the day with her own rendition of 'Hatikvah'
- Michael Poppers on Israeli para-Athlete Moran Samuel wins gold, saves the day with her own rendition of 'Hatikvah'
- Ed Greenberg on Israeli para-Athlete Moran Samuel wins gold, saves the day with her own rendition of 'Hatikvah'
Elizabeth Schwartz
03/05/09 05:53 PM
I have a very simple rubric I use when trying to analyze someone’s deeper (and perhaps unconscious) motivations: Just ask them if they’ve ever protested South Africa, Darfur, China or the myriad human rights abuses and murders throughout the Middle East… because more often than not, those picketers or critics have not—and then it’s legitimate to ask “so why Israel?” On the other hand, if they have been active in other political efforts, you should have an open dialogue (both sides may learn something). But what about those Jews who are highly critical because they feel Israelis/Jews should have a greater ethical compass than gentiles? Aren’t they reverse-racist and thus, by extension… contributing to anti-Semitism?