• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    I am Jewish and I am concerned, although the harassment I’ve gotten so far has not been much and only online. It is, at least in part, Israel’s fault by suggesting that it’s the only place for Jews despite the fact that fewer Jews live in Israel than Jews who don’t live in Israel.

    I do not support Israel’s apartheid or genocide. I don’t even really want to visit the place unless it was part of a Middle Eastern archaeology tour or something. And yet, more than once, at least once I can recall on Lemmy, I have had to not just justify that (in the same “but do you condemn Hamas” manner), my justification was not accepted.

    One person here on Lemmy, a person who I’m fairly certain was not a Jew themselves, actually declared me not Jewish because I live in the U.S. Which is just another form of antisemitism.

    Regardless, I’m not apparently allowed, by a significant number of people, to identify as a Jew and not support Israel. And that includes a significant number of Jews who I have to deal with as an internal problem. But at least they aren’t also saying overtly antisemitic things.

    Now… that said:

    This goes way beyond Israel. A significant number of white people (by no means a majority) do not consider Jews white. Jews are an “other.” You need look no further than Elon Musk’s “you have said the actual truth” reply to the person saying that Jews oppressed white people. It’s “the actual truth” because I’m not white to someone like Elon.

    I’m white. I benefit from every bit of white privilege every other white American benefits from. No cop is ever going to pull me over on suspicion of being white. No hiring manager is going to turn me down because I have a name that doesn’t sound white. My skin is practically lighter than Morticia Adams’. But to Elon, and others, I am not white.

    And all of this concerns me. A lot. It didn’t used to much. Then Charlottesville happened and I found out that “Jews will not replace us” was considered by a lot of people to be an acceptable thing to chant in America.

    • bartolomeo@suppo.fi
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      3 days ago

      a person who I’m fairly certain was not a Jew themselves, actually declared me not Jewish because I live in the U.S. Which is just another form of antisemitism.

      Antisemitism (or, more accurately, ‘Judeophobia’) is being bigoted against someone because they are Jewish. What that person said to you was not antisemitism, it was just stupid.

      Overusing and misusing (sometimes intentionally- à la Israel) that accusation dilutes it’s severity and makes people more likely to handwave actual incidents of discrimination and bigotry, which is not good my Squid.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        I don’t think you understand what bigotry is.

        You certainly do not get to tell me what I consider to be a bigoted slur against me.

        And don’t make it sound like I’ve never experienced worse. I’ve experienced far worse.

        But yeah, sure, I own a home so that makes it all fine (I don’t own a home, my non-Jewish wife does).

        Edit: By the way, trying to invalidate my experiences by only addressing one small issue in my post and acting like that means it’s all in my head is fucking rude.

        • bartolomeo@suppo.fi
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          3 days ago

          You ok? You jumped straight into imagined victim mode. I never said or implied any of the things you’re defending yourself against, and I don’t believe they are true.

          I read and generally like your comments, and I don’t think you think that your personal experience invalidates statistics. Are you stressed out or something?

          No harm meant.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            imagined victim mode

            Thank you for proving my point.

            No harm meant

            And yet you think my experiences were imaginary.