Jews today are not a systemically oppressed group; they are extremely privileged. Antisemitism is not systemic oppression. This narrative only serves Zionism.

Prominent media and institutional voices often cite explicitly pro-Zionist sources without critical examination. Organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and American Jewish Committee (AJC) in the U.S., the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) and Board of Deputies of British Jews in the UK, and the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and European Jewish Congress (EJC) in Europe are advocacy groups that use the pretext of combating antisemitism to advance Zionist agendas. These groups frequently commission surveys and reports claiming a global “rise in antisemitism.”

  • Armand1@lemmy.world
    173·
    10 days ago

    Two things can be true. Antisemitism can be broadly present, and criticism of Israel can be legitimate.

    That said, those crying about antisemitism nowadays are often close friends with closeted antisemites or authoritarians who just happen to support Israel for weird Christian or financial reasons.

    • dogbert@lemmy.zipOP
      45·
      10 days ago

      Fine, I will spoon feed you:

      [A] phenomenon that is often pointed to as a sign of rising danger for Jews, and why antisemitism is treated as uniquely important, is the supposed increase in far-right rhetoric and politics becoming public, including among mainstream politicians in the West. But the reality is that this fascist revival directs its actual structural power elsewhere. In the United States, top-down rhetoric from political leaders and right-wing media targets immigrants, especially those from Latin America, and Muslims, often framing them as cultural threats or security risks. These narratives translate directly into policy: immigration enforcement that tears families apart, mass deportations, detention centers, and the 2017 “Muslim Ban” barring entry from several Muslim-majority countries. Training for the New York Police Department categorized the Keffiyah and watermelon as “antisemitic symbols.”

      Jews, by contrast, are primarily targeted by racist individuals and small extremist groups on the far-right fringes, actors who operate largely outside of formal politics and hold little to no systemic power. While antisemitic rhetoric can and does surface in speeches or coded references to “globalists,” this remains qualitatively different from the institutional, top-down marginalization inflicted on Muslims, immigrants, and other minorities. Random social media influencers do not have the same structural reach as a government writing discrimination into law. For Jews, far-right hostility is mainly a matter of words; for others, it is a matter of law.

      Jews do not suffer from police brutality, housing discrimination (redlining), employment bias, underfunded public services, wage gaps, mass incarceration, an unjust legal system, etc.

      Modern antisemitism primarily exists as rhetorical criticism and occasional violent attacks like synagogue shootings. These incidents, while tragic, do not equate to systemic oppression. True antisemitism is a minor issue compared to the structural racism faced by Black people, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, Muslims, Palestinians, and other racial minorities and colonized peoples worldwide.

      Some people point to FBI statistics that show Jewish people over-represented in religion-based hate crimes as evidence of widespread antisemitism and systemic oppression. But a few key things need to be clarified as this is not a strong argument for antisemitism supposedly being a rampant, pressing issue as it may seem.

      First, religion-based hate crimes make up only about 20% of total reported hate crimes between 2020 and 2025. Race / ethnicity-based hate crimes make up over 55% of the total.

      Second, this is just ‘reported’ hate crimes. Studies have shown that trust of the police differs significantly among different groups of people, with white people being far more likely than Black or Hispanic people to initiate contact with the police. Within the US, a staggering 92% of Jews identify as white; with a significant portion of the remainder still identifying as white and another race. Other religious minority groups largely belong to non-White demographics, hence they’re less likely to approach the police than White people.

      It should be noted that this same FBI data also shows that there are more cases of Anti-White hate crime reported than Anti-Hispanic / Latino hate crime within the same period, which further proves that this data is heavily skewed and that white people are more comfortable engaging with law enforcement. It should also be noted that for Anti-Black and Anti-Hispanic / Latino hate crimes, assaults make up 34% and 53% of total reported crimes by type respectively, compared to only 10% for the reported Anti-Jewish hate crime incidents, with the vast majority being destruction / damage / vandalism of property and intimidation. In a document from November 2024, the explicitly Zionist WJC stated that “While not explicitly adopting the IHRA definition, the FBI classifies antisemitism under the broader category of bias-motivated hate crimes, aligning with the principles of the IHRA definition.”

      • Armand1@lemmy.world
        2·
        10 days ago

        I should have read the article before commenting. The title is a little misleading / click-baity but I guess that’s to be expected in the modern climate.

        The content you’ve quoted seems reasonable. It more or less aligns with my limited knowledge on the matter. It’s not my area of expertise.

        • dogbert@lemmy.zipOP
          15·
          10 days ago

          Sorry if it’s annoying that I keep pushing back, but the title really isn’t misleading or clickbait. It perfectly reflects the contents within.

          I understand we as leftists want to be good allies to those we perceive as marginalized, but we need to come to grips with the fact we have been propagandized our whole lives about this nonsense.

            • dogbert@lemmy.zipOP
              14·
              10 days ago

              I’m in my early 30s, so the propaganda has been a part of my whole life. Unless you’re trying to suggest there was systemic oppression of Jewish people in the early 2000s, which doesn’t really add up. The points of this article would apply just as equally to that era. There certainly was systemic discrimination of Jews at certain points of history. I never implied otherwise and I’d suggest you be careful with this insinuation if you expect to be taken seriously.

              • TheAlbatross@lemmy.blahaj.zone
                21·
                10 days ago

                It’s one thing to have a point and argue it fervently. It’s another to willfully ignore the points of others to adhere to your vitriol. I see I’ve made a mistake interacting with you. Good luck and good riddance.

                • dogbert@lemmy.zipOP
                  12·
                  10 days ago

                  Genuinely sorry if I offended you. Learning that you were wrong about something can be difficult.

    • dogbert@lemmy.zipOP
      49·
      10 days ago

      Two things can be true. Antisemitism can be broadly present, and criticism of Israel can be legitimate.

      Uh, did you even read the article?

      It’s an extremely thorough and extensive analysis that debunks many narratives regarding “Jewish oppression”. It’s genuinely not broadly present…

      I’d hope you can provide some real arguments if you disagree.