Can we please define 'Anti-semitism'!

"nickers in a knocking shop"?
Are they the blokes who nick the punter's wallet when - er, um - his back's turned?
Antisemitism is believing in/stoking/speading deleterious stereotypes about Jews (like Spinning Jenny did when she trundled out a version of the Blood Libel) or denying Jews (and Israel) the rights all other people/states are accorded, and denying Jews/Israel the right to exist with their Jewish identity intact and holding that Israel's existence is not absolute (as that of other nations is) but contingent upon that country's behaviour.

You raise some interesting and valid points. As we all saw from the increase in antisemitic acts and vandalism in the wake of Operation Cast Lead, some people - who in some cases are antisemitic and in others merely misinformed - have difficulty in understanding that Jews do not equal Israelis nor vice versa: not all Jews support Israel's policies, and those of us that do do so to a certain extent with that extent depending largely on the individual's political beliefs with very few supporting Israel in everything it dies simply because it is Israel. Similarly, not all Israelis are Jews - some can claim to be Jews only through ancestry and have no religious affiliation whatsoever and some are not Jewish by any definition, as is the case with those Palestinians who choose to live according to Israeli law within Israel and in some cases even fight in the IDF.

However, this tendency appears to work both ways on occasions - it's not only antisemites and non-Jews who display it, we sometimes do as well. Combine that with the over-sensitive Jewdar that many of us have (mine could often do with being turned down a notch or two) and we often interpret anti-Israeli sentiment as anti-Jewish when the two can be as separate as anti-British can be from anti-Christian. I'm slowly learning that I need to unlearn this tendency and step back and think before immediately labeling all criticism of Israel as antisemitic, because when we do that as a knee-jerk reaction we're making the same cardinal error as those who go and paint antisemitic graffiti on a synagogue in response to Israeli foreign policy.

Jews don't need a definition of anti-semitism; they can smell it coming a thousand yards away.

Non-Jews like yourself, would be better off distancing themselves from the subject, not buzzing around it like flies.

Your intention here is for Jews (this is The JC website, even if JC also stands for J*sus Chr*st) to assist you in identifying ways to attack Israel without being accused of anti-semitism.

With such chutzpah you could almost be accused of being Jewish - watch out for anti-semitism ...

Yvetaa.

But when you quote Jews that are antisemites - are you saying that they hate Jews? (themselves)?

Avraham.

Talking of buzzing around like flies, you seem to have a bee in your bonnet :-)

You seem to be hostile in some of your comments towards people in these blogs, maybe from serving as a soldier? I think it's great that now days soldiers can seek post war therapy...

"You seem to be hostile in some of your comments towards people"

- people who are anti-Israel, sure.

- and as I keep on pointing out, as a Christian who refuses to admit to his religion, you are hostile towards the State of Israel.

The big giveaway is that all of your ideas reek of Christianity, chiefly the 'turn the other cheek' syndrome.

who are you moshetzarfati2? i like you! i've just registered on the JC, and posted a few items. from what i have seen, there are not many who deviate too far from the israel right or wrong line, or the anti-israel = antisemitism line. do you read the guardian btw? i have just been advised by a jewish friend that the guardian is a 'known' anti-semitic newspaper???? can anyone confirm that?

Avraham Reiss 24 feb

i notice that you are steadfast in your defence of israel - to the point of some hostility to people who you deem are 'anti israel'.

what does one have to do or say to be anti israel? if you start from a position of acceptance of the state of israel, and approve of, like, respect, admire some of the things israel does, but then disapprove of or even deplore some of the other things israel does - does that make you anti-israel?

Steveabbott:
"if you start from a position of acceptance of the state of israel, and approve of, like, respect, admire some of the things israel does, but then disapprove of or even deplore some of the other things israel does - does that make you anti-israel?"

- that is a fair - but superbly naive - question. In an ideal world, one could criticize. But the world is far from ideal. I for example, don't get into blogs run from Zimbabwe, Ireland, New Zealand etc and comment on their affairs.

So why do non-Jews like Gold and yourself interfere with our State?

Anti-semitism is a special force in this world; when you see skinheads desecrating graves, i.e. hatred even of the dead, obviously there is some unusual here. In this blog I just label it anti-semitism. We know how to deal with it. Other places leave room for more discussion.

But why are you involved here? Even if you were Jewish, you would have no moral right to criticize, in the same way that I, possessing a British Passport (not recently used ..) have no moral right to criticize Britain because I don't live there or pay taxes there. (Unless, of course,, they do something involving me).

Anti-Semitism, some communal wags say, is hating Jews more than is absolutely necessary. I've even heard that some esteemed members of staff in the Jewish media use that definition, too.
A favourite ploy is to shout Auschwitz at any critical mention of Israel, as if that terrible place is the sum of Jewish experience, culture and religion.
But seriously, folks, anti-Semitism is basically hating Jews and blaming them for all the world's ills.
Just pouncing on any criticism of Israel's actions and claiming it to be anti-Semitic is a cop-out. It just gives those who believe criticising Israeli actions is anti-Semitic can absolve themselves and Israel of any need to discuss these actions.