I was scrolling through LinkedIn recently and came across two posts that highlighted a familiar phenomenon. The first was from a conflict resolution expert who posted that in the wake of the Gary Lineker story, we ought to avoid hate speech to ensure that no one slips into the murky waters of antisemitism when discussing Israel. The only comment on this post was from someone who wrote, "Well, Israel are behaving like Nazis." I replied to his comment with, "This is literally the main example of antisemitism disguised as anti-Israel. Congrats on proving our point so effortlessly."
The second Lineker-themed LinkedIn post covered a number of points for non-Jewish and non-Israeli people who insist on commenting on Judaism and/or Israel. The poster wrote, "Did you ask a Jewish person to look at that first?" I have to roll my eyes that the bar is this low, but yes, it would be nice if people would consult a Jewish person before sharing a video comparing us to vermin. It would indeed be nicer if people didn't need to consult anyone to understand that this comparison comes straight from the Nazi playbook of antisemitism.
On this LinkedIn post, a woman, who of course works as a diversity consultant, commented that one mustn't confuse anti-zionism with antisemitism. A sentiment shared by many, I'm sure, but my Jew-dy senses were tingling and I had to keep reading the comments to find out more. The first reply to her comment was, "By talking so authoritatively here I assume you're Jewish?" to which she replied, "Does it matter?" Well, yes, it does. I won't give you all a play-by-play of the entire conversation, but it followed the usual whimsical pattern of, "I don't hate Jews, I hate Israel, and here is a list of antisemitic reasons why..."
I don't know of any other minority who is so constantly gaslit by their adversaries’ insistence on telling them what is and isn't hateful. Criticism of the Israeli government is not antisemitic. Congrats on figuring that out. Questioning whether the state of Israel has a right to exist? Definitely not okay. Comparing Zionism with Nazism? Very much antisemitic. It's as if they can't quite let the pesky Jews be comfortable shredding the trauma of the Holocaust. They have to bring it back to us in this ugly comparison of a totally incomparable situation.
I’m growing tired of reminding people that Zionism means Jewish self-determination in Israel, and therefore “antizionism” means denying Jews the right to their ancestral homeland. As much as you scream and shout, you can’t change the definition of Zionism or antisemitism to fit your antisemitic narrative. Calling yourself “anti-zionist” or putting “Zionists not welcome” on the doors of your “safe spaces” is not the same as disagreeing with the Israeli government, or even being “anti-Israel” – it’s antisemitism, pure and simple.
Online and in real life, I've been told by people who are not only not Jewish but very much antisemitic, that what they were saying wasn't antisemitism. All you need is two seconds on the internet to see some of the people defending Gary Lineker claiming that he has been ousted by the “powerful lobby” for speaking up against genocide. In the same way we’re told the group of masked thugs chanting for Intifada on the streets of London mean no harm, “resistance by any means necessary” is subjective, Kneecap are speaking up for the underdogs, and the shooting of a Jewish couple in Washington is justified.
I could not imagine, from the deepest pit of my being, telling a black person or an Asian person who has experienced racism that they are mistaken, let alone if that racism came from me. It's unfathomable. So why, as Jews, are we so often expected to accept the judgement of what is offensive to us from other people? Not just other people but people who actively seek us out, offend us, murder us, and then tell us we have no right to be offended. Does any other ethnic minority have the definition of the hatred they face debated by outside groups? Does any other ethnic minority have to essentially lobby institutions to accept their definition of what that hatred looks like? The answer is a resounding and blood-boiling no.
To those who keep lying to themselves in an attempt to justify their hateful views, telling themselves that they’re doing the right thing as they hide behind virtue-signalling activism and words of nothingness, in time you'll find out just how far off the “right side of history” you are. I'd suggest a trip to any Jewish museum to try and assemble some understanding of Jewish history and persecution, but I'm afraid that empathy and decency cannot be learned, and hatred cannot be removed. So I despair, and hope I don't have to encounter you too often.
Josh Rose is a writer from Manchester living in London. He wrote the short film “Sinnerman”, which was featured in six film festivals, including the BAFTA-accredited UK Jewish Film Festival. His Instagram @joshrosewrites features his articles and opinion pieces on Jewish and gay life in the UK.
