#USA / Before Invoking Antisemitism, We Need To Define It
Derek J. Penslar, a William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History and the director of the #Harvard Center for Jewish Studies, is the co-chair of Harvard’s new task force on #antisemitism. Another task force was established to combat #islamophobia.
In an opinion essay from December last year Penslar wrote:
“Conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism magnifies divisions within our Harvard community and stymies a common struggle against hatred.”
Penslar presented the three competing definitions of antisemitism from different Jewish groups - #IHRA, Jerusalem Declaration, and Nexus Document, which agree on core aspects but differ on Israel criticism.
While IHRA sees some criticism of Israel as antisemitic, Jerusalem Declaration and Nexus Document allow more criticism of Israel policies/actions without deeming it antisemitic.
Penslar supports the Jerusalem Declaration and Nexus Document as more conducive to discussions happening at Harvard. Both documents say criticizing Israel policies is not inherently antisemitic, but have examples of criticism that is antisemitic.
[July 2012] [Amira Hass] / The anti-Semitism That Goes Unreported
The daily dose of terror inflicted on these Semites isn't noticed by most Jews - even though the incidents resemble stories told by our grandparents.
[...] The day our grandparents feared was Sunday, the Christian Sabbath; the Semites, who are not of interest to the researchers monitoring anti-Semitism, fear Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. Our grandparents knew that the order-enforcement authorities wouldn't intervene to help a Jewish family under attack; we know that the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Police, the Civil Administration, the Border Police and the courts all stand on the sidelines, closing their eyes, softballing investigations, ignoring evidence, downplaying the severity of the acts, protecting the attackers, and giving a boost to those progromtchiks.
Israeli forces' tanks have reached a cemetery near Maghazi refugee camp that holds graves of World War I soldiers, and captured footage of its soldiers praying near a Jewish soldier's grave. Simultaneously, Israeli forces, using bulldozers, have destroyed many cemeteries of Palestinians, including the historic cemetery in Beit Hanoun.
"As conflation and confusion abound after 7 October, we need clear thinking about antisemitism"
by:
David Feldman, director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism,
Brendan McGeever, senior lecturer at the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism.
Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, who teaches at the University of #Haifa, #israelPalestine, explained the paradox: “One can detest Jews and love Israelis, because Israelis somehow are not Jews. Israelis are colonial fighters and settlers, just like Afrikaners. They are tough and resilient. They know how to dominate. Jews are different. They are, among other qualities, gentle, non-physical, often passive, intellectual. So one can go on disliking Jews while admiring the Israelis.”