[Peace-discuss] Fighting anti-Semitism

[David Green]

I don't necessarily agree with these tactics, but food
for thought.

Renew the struggle against anti-Semitism

By  Emile Schepers

This article was reprinted from the October 26, 2002,
issue of the *People's Weekly World*. For subscription
information see below. All rights reserved - may be
used with PWW credits.
_________________

The most myopic U.S. supporters of Ariel Sharon have
launched a Campaign to smear all who criticize Israeli
and U.S. policy in the Middle East as anti-Semitic.
They argue that Israel represents the crystallization
of the aspirations of Jews as a people and that,
therefore, questioning 
The idea of Israel as an exclusively Jewish state is
intrinsically anti-Jewish.

Elected officials, academics and activists have been
subjected to charges of anti-Semitism for their
comments on the Middle East crisis. Lives and careers
have been, and are being, damaged.

These charges must be challenged, and not only because
they slander many excellent people. Anti-Semitism,
defined as hatred and prejudice directed against
Jewish people in thought, word and deed, is still a
problem and could grow. But people calling for a
settlement of the Middle East crisis that recognizes
Palestinian rights to nationhood are not the people
who should be charged with anti-Semitism.

Most of the anti-Semitism in the U.S. is, and has
been, generated by the ultra-right – by neo-Nazis,
xenophobic anti-immigrant groups and some embittered
Christian fringes. In many cases, those who hate Jews
also hate Arabs and all foreigners.

Nor can it be denied that some anti-Jewish tendencies
exist among conservative Islamic elements in the U.S.,
manifesting itself in such things as Holocaust denial.
But this should not be exaggerated. Most Arab-American
and Muslim leaders and activists I know fall over
backward to disassociate themselves from anti-Semites,
Muslim or Christian. Here in Chicago, I witnessed a
demonstration of over 3,000 Arab-Americans on the
Palestine issue. There was nothing said about Jews as
Jews (most of the speeches were in English), but one
solitary person held up a sign which equated a star of
David with a swastika. All the TV cameras zoomed in on
that one sign among the multitude of other signs, and,
of course, that is what was seen on the evening news.

The fear of being labeled anti-Semitic has led people
I know, who feel outraged at the oppression of
Palestinians, to keep silent on the whole Middle East
crisis.

What to do? In my opinion, there needs to be a new
campaign against anti-Semitism, and that campaign
should be integrated with the struggle for a just
solution of the Palestine/Israeli conflict. This is
the correct thing to do, not only for its own sake,
but for the sake of bolstering arguments on Palestine.
The Jewish organization "Not in my Name" has played a
valuable role by presenting Jewish voices in favor of
the rights of the Palestinians. In the same manner,
non-Jews, including Arab-Americans and Muslims, need
to have an organized means to speak out against
anti-Jewish prejudice in the U.S.

Such a campaign would educate the public on the
history of anti-Semitism. For example, while schools
in the U.S. often teach about the Holocaust, few, if
any, mention the fact that while that ghastly crime
was being plotted and implemented anti-Semites in the
U.S. government blocked immigration of Jewish refugees
to our shores. The degree to which governments like
ours saw the channeling of Jewish refugees toward
Palestine as a way of keeping our country "Christian
And white" was actually a manifestation of "our own"
anti-Semitism, and certainly contributed to today’s
Middle East confrontation.

There is nothing to lose by creatively combining the
struggle against anti-Semitism with the struggle for
the rights of the Palestinian people, and a whole lot
to be gained.

People's Weekly World
235 W. 23rd St.
New York, NY 10011



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