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On the Frontlines of Progressive Anti-Semitism

(New York Times) Blake Flayton - Many young Jews, myself included, can't imagine being anything other than political progressives. My place in such circles has always been welcomed and accepted - until now. As a sophomore at George Washington University, I now find myself pushed to the fringes of a movement I thought I was at the heart of because I am a Zionist. It is because I, like 95% of American Jews, support Israel. I didn't think there was a conflict between being both a progressive and a Zionist, given that progressives have long championed the liberation movements of downtrodden minorities. I view the establishment of the State of Israel as a fundamentally just cause: the most persecuted people in human history finally gaining the right of self-determination after centuries of displacement, intimidation, violence and genocide. But the progressive activist crowd I encountered on campus have made it abundantly clear to me that any form of Zionism - even my own liberal variant - is a political nonstarter. Given that almost all American Jews identify as "pro-Israel," this intolerance affects huge numbers of young American Jews. On May Day, I attended a student rally for higher wages for the university's custodial staff. Then the organizers invited speakers from Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine. The gathering suddenly transformed from a "fair wages" rally to a "Free Palestine" rally. This is our new normal. While white supremacists plot to murder Jews across this country, "anti-Zionists" on college campuses seek to marginalize us as white supremacists. Casting Jews as white supremacists is call-out culture at its worst: Dare to disagree and you're denounced as your greatest domestic enemy. Progressives believe that words matter, and that words can soften the ground for violence.
2019-11-15 00:00:00
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