Antisemitism 101
Antisemitism is horrible. As with any discrimination, it taps into the worst corner of the human psyche – the dark feeling of control which flickers within a person when they abuse another simply because they are different or unfamiliar. Whilst Wiley was enjoying such crude empowerment when he spent over 12 hours last week bombarding social media with his antisemitic posts, Jewish people all over the world including myself were left bruised. Feeling hurt is one thing, but seeing Wiley's retweeters and reading comments from thousands of strangers which applauded him, which wished that Hitler had "turned up the ovens" and that referred to Jews as "baby eating, hooked nosed, tight fisted golems" did more than hurt. It left me feeling shaken, scared and vulnerable. This isn't unusual though – antisemitism both on and offline is a relatively everyday occurrence. Before society can do something about the problem however, it is important to acknowledge it.
What is Jewishness?
To understand antisemitism, the first thing to get your head around is 'Jewishness' and that is no mean feat. Jewishness is complicated. It is an ethnicity as well as a religion. It is part of a Jewish person's genetic make-up and yet it is not necessarily recognisable from their appearance. It is not understood by many but there are few for whom it does not stir an opinion.
I use the word Jewishness rather than Judaism deliberately. 'Judaism' is the word you draw in bubble writing on page four of your exercise book during a year seven R.S lesson. It is used to describe an Abrahamic religion which believes that G-d (known by Jews as Hashem) presented his laws and commandments to Moses in the form of the Torah (the central Jewish text) and in doing so made them responsible for carrying out his word on Earth. (For those who skived off that particular lesson, you should now be up to date.)
Being Jewish however, does not rely on a person's following of Judaism as a religion – in fact, the question of Jewish identity has been the source of much unsettled academic argument. This is not surprising, given that written records of the Jewish religion and its ancestry date back to 200 BCE. Traditionally, Judaism considers any person born of a Jewish mother to be ethnically Jewish regardless of their beliefs or practices. Certain modern Jewish movements have moved to classify a person with any one Jewish parent as Jewish. Conversion programmes have also been created by rabbinic bodies which, whilst strict and lengthy, will allow a person to convert to Judaism. Conventionally however, one's Jewishness is inherited, and consequently Jewish people have a long and genetic lineage, much like that of a people from an indigenous nation.
What is antisemitism?
Antisemitism is the hatred, prejudice or discrimination of Jewish people. Whilst the term 'Semites' has been used to include other groups, 'antisemitism' specifically refers to the treatment of Jewish people. In the context of ethnic Jewishness, i.e. that a person is Jewish by birth, antisemitism is by definition a form of racism.
Despite this straightforward explanation, there is a societal discomfort in talking about antisemitism directly. Following Wiley's tirade last week, the news stories were typical of mainstream media coverage of antisemitism. Headlines raised the removal of Wiley from Facebook "after abuse of Jewish critics" and highlighted responses to the "antisemitic row." What row? Wiley's string of antisemitic drivel, shared with his 500,000 followers (bear in mind that the Jewish population of the UK is approximately 300,000) was a blatant one-way attack, not a row with his critics. Instead of confronting antisemitism head-on, headlines shroud the issue in subjectivity. Society and the media are becoming quicker to call out racists and will do so without entering into a discussion as to whether the behaviour was racist or not – the same treatment should be afforded to antisemitism.
All racism is abhorrent and should be battled. Pitting one oppressed group against another achieves nothing. That does not mean that all discrimination is expressed in the same way, indeed there are certain particularities in the way that antisemitism manifests.
Whilst certain Jewish people are recognisable due to their religious dress, many of us could trot past the most loathing antisemite without them being any the wiser. This invisibility has fed into deep-seated superstitions around Jewish people. That's right, 'superstitions' in the old-fashioned sense of the word. While some people are triggered when they see a black cat, others apparently tremble in their boots at the idea of crossing paths with Mrs Maisel or Ross Geller. At various points in history (dating back to the Middle Ages and beyond) superstition has led Jews to be characterised as non-human, as snakes, with horns, as bloodsuckers, cannibals and pigs. Many of these ideas still exist, but more modern antisemitic tropes include the myth of a global Jewish conspiracy – that Jews seek world domination, control Wall Street, the law and the media. Jews are stereotyped as rich, stingy, dirty and evil.
Jewish responses to their own discrimination are often weaponised to bolster their critique. If Jews speak up about antisemitism, they are called out as controlling the media. If Jews industrialise and successfully establish a home for themselves within a country, so much so that they experience social mobility, they are shunned for being wealthy and in control of the financial system.
Antisemitism also plays on the manipulation of "Jewish angst" – the very real anxiety and fear instilled within Jewish people that antisemitism could put them in danger. Such a concern is fair enough…the destruction of the Jewish State by the Romans in 70 CE to the full-scale expulsion of Jews across Northern Europe in the Middle Ages, the anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire and the massacre of Jews across the Middle East in the 1800s are just a trailer in the feature that is the persecution of the Jewish people. The history of our world is punctuated with Jewish oppression long before it gets to the Holocaust. Despite this history however, when Jewish people raise antisemitism, they are often penalised for doing so. Worse, they are regularly criticised for using the Holocaust, the annihilation of more than two thirds of the Jewish population of Europe, as nothing more than an "excuse" to further their own interests.
What is the reality?
In 2019, the number of antisemitic incidents reported in the UK rose by 7% to 1805 events – the highest number on record. Across Northern Europe, it rose by 50%.
Whilst I am grateful not to have experienced direct or physical antisemitism, my life has undoubtedly been shaped by a murmuring concern that prejudice could always be just around the corner. Whilst at primary school, I attended a summer scheme at a local school where my friends and I were described by the staff as the 'Jewish kids' and subsequently marginalised. In Sixth Form, one of my friends criticised another for playing "such a Jew goal" when he had hogged the ball during a game of FIFA. When choosing which university to attend, researching the position of the Jewish Society was crucial given that the rise of anti-Zionist sentiment on campus was leading to campaigns to close certain Jewish Societies down completely. When I am asked where I am from and after answering "England" am asked where I am really from, because I "look exotic". I don't know what to say. The need to conceal my Jewish identity is so deep-seated that it is embedded in my intuition – this is both learned and inherited.
Another prevalent concern faced by Jewish people living in the diaspora is the expectation that they are a source of all knowledge with regards to Israeli conflict and politics. I regularly found myself in unsolicited debates at university with students who wanted an outlet for their criticism of the Israeli government. Associating all Jewish people with the actions of the Israeli government is in itself a form of discrimination. That most Jewish people are Zionists does not change this - Zionism is the belief in Jewish self-determination, the belief that Jewish people should have a homeland. It is not an endorsement of every action of the Israeli state and should not lead one to assume that a Jewish person is the right debate partner for this topic.
Unfortunately, violent antisemitism is a rising problem, with attacks on Jewish establishments and on Jewish people becoming more common: What's more, these incidents are reported to spike during periods of particular opposition to the Israeli government. In 2014 four people were shot in the Jewish museum in Brussels; in January 2015 there was an attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris which ended with the death of four hostages; in October 2019 a neo-Nazi attempted to attack the Halle synagogue in Germany during services on Yom Kippur (the holiest day in the Jewish calendar) – this lead to him shooting two passers-by. These are just a few of the attacks which have occurred across Europe in the last 10 years.
So, what should you do?
The Jewish Museum London - based in Camden although currently closed due to COVID - is currently providing a variety of online educational resources. Image: Art UK
Educate yourself – absorb content that takes account of the Jewish experience both historically and culturally.
Abolish stereotypes - this includes removing the assumption that Jews look a certain way and that they are all white. There are groups of Jewish people who originate from China, Uganda, Ethiopia, Iraq and Syria as well as many other countries outside of Northern Europe and the US. It also requires an understanding that people embrace their Jewishness and practice Judaism to very varying degrees. Whilst for one Jewish person, their community, culture, heritage, belief, lifestyle, diet, language, dress, ethics and calendar may all be shaped by their Jewish identity, for another it may be that none of these are affected – both people are equally 'Jewish.'
Learn to recognise antisemitic tropes – amongst other things, be mindful of discourse which implies that Jewish people are in a position of power or control and do not perpetuate that idea. "#JewishPrivilege,' the social-media reincarnation of the Jewish global conspiracy has been trending for months – this needs to stop.
Be sympathetic and not critical of Jewish peoples' fear – do not condemn Jews for defending themselves and do not expect them to prove antisemitism. Be mindful of the history of Jewish persecution and particularly of the atrocities of the Holocaust which for many Jewish people is within the living memories of their family.
Be an ally – don’t stay silent when you witness antisemitism. When you see it online, report it and if faced with it offline, speak up. Jewish people are well versed in raising their voices against their oppressors, but the most powerful force against antisemitism is the sound of non-Jewish voices by their side.
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Words by Lucy Firestone
