The Fediverse seems thrilled with Jews leaving the platform through continued widespread antisemitism.
I'm
You're the second person to ask, so now I'm feeling bad. You're on a server run by a good person.
I think my ask for you would when you see antisemitism, say something. Break the narrative without being a Jew.
That's not always easy to do, and I don't expect anyone to do it all of the time.
I'm reminded of a situation that happened about twenty years ago. I was at a gaming event and there were these two guys who I've come to learn (or at least speculate) were actually KKK members, and they talked to my friend and me- clearly looking to see if they had found some sympathizers.
They started talking about how "the Blacks took all the jobs" and how the "real minority in this country are white men". It was me and a white friend of mine.
At the time, I was pretty scared and I just made vaguely disapproving statements without getting specific. I was afraid they'd find out I was a Jew and hurt me.
Looking back, I wish I'd have said something and made a scene.
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I don't think people should put themselves at risk, but if you are part of a conversation and someone talks about the "bloodthirsty Zionists" or whatever, interrupt their narrative.
If more people did that, made it not socially acceptable to be antisemitic, it would go a long way.
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@gqcwwjtg Your answer shows that you know that you only have a vague idea what Zionism is.
Wikipedia would have you covered: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionism
The part you’re missing: "an effort to put a stop to the exoduses and persecutions that have marked Jewish history".
You can criticize some actions done for some concrete variety of Zionism, but by demonizing Zionism in general you deny the right of Israel — and any home for Jews — to exist.
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@gqcwwjtg And a positive interpretation is that you have no idea about antisemitism.
And go on to defend a term even though you know that you do not know what it means.
Saying "bloodthirsty zionists" is similar to saying "child-molesting gays". Except that saying "bloodthirsty" to slander Jews goes back much further.
See i.e.: https://www.abc.net.au/religion/dominant-themes-in-contemporary-antisemitic-discourse/10095908
I hope you understand now why defending this term — even worse: in a thread about antisemitism — gets you blocked.
@gqcwwjtg In general, taking a term of which you know that you don’t really know what it means and prefixing it with "bloodthirsty" is offensive.
Even if you didn’t know how much worse this becomes when it ties into the ages-old blood libel slander against Jews, this general rule should be obvious.
And when a Jew calls you out on that, the right way to act is to pause and do some reading whether there’s something big you missed.
Like centuries of massacres.
Zionism is the belief that Jews deserve the right to self-determination and a Jewish state, in the same way that there are Christian states all over most of the Western world, and there are many Arab states in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
I elaborate more on a blog post I wrote several years ago
If you'd like a "What iz Zionism" that isn't from me, I recommend the Youtube channel Unpackaed, which talks about this and many other Jewish topics.
This video on Zionism gives a longer perspective on Judaism, and while it's longer, it's highly condensed and simplified.
There are many types of Zionists, motivated for different reasons, and with different visions. That's why I consider Zionism to be a religious, rather than a political belief, despite me being a Secular Zionist, there are those that are close to me who have different reasons for their Zionism, and whose politics differ from mine.
Serge from Babka
Heimdall 🏳️🌈
Hawkeye
gqcwwjtg
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