You may have heard about the many interviews by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) in which he has proudly established himself as promoting antisemitism. Perhaps you’ve read or watched them yourself. More likely (if you’re reading this), you’ve participated in conversations about them.
For many (Jews especially), this is all old hat. The same things in roughly the same way in the same venues to the same responses, and the only change is the figures and determining whether people have decided to care this time or not (as of this writing, he has lost an estimated 75% of his net worth, which he has determined an acceptable trade). For others, this may all be a new experience. Either new to the conversation on antisemitism, new to recognizing you’re in a cycle of the same conversations, or new to deciding to get involved. This article is primarily about people in the latter group.
Very likely, the Jews who have looked to these people for help don’t do so anymore. After all, there are very few Jews who, when guards are down and they speak freely, speak of a world bereft of open and violent antisemitism. Maybe these people got in a fight with their Jewish friends (definitely unrelated to them being Jewish), and by coincidence just no longer talk with Jews anymore (or at least avoid “controversial” subjects). Maybe their region doesn’t have many Jews in it still (definitely unrelated to how welcoming and safe it is for Jews, a people who notoriously fled persecution throughout the last century). Maybe their political coalition advocates the best interests of Jews, even if Jews refuse to join them regardless (definitely unrelated to what the best interests of Jews are).
Whatever has resulted in their previous absence, those entering the fight against antisemitism will wind up choosing their path.
Those who will fight antisemitism will struggle with a difficult task. For those who haven’t been in regular contact with Jews, it’s difficult to know how and where we need help. In this, they will need to meet Jews where they are at, both literally and figuratively. Volunteering and donating to local Jewish aid organizations is easy for those who spent a lifetime working with JFS, Federations, Synagogues, and advocacy and aid organizations. If not, it can be a lot of work finding who is in their area, getting in contact with them, and finding out how they need help.
But even more, getting answers that require a personal sacrifice puts a large burden on them to overcome. Whether the sacrifice is their Friday night to volunteer helping at the local synagogue, swallowing their pride to apologize and make amends even when they feel they didn’t cross the line with a friend, covering shifts for a co-worker so they can take a holiday off (or offering their employee holidays off even if it costs the company money), supporting a politician who will make their friend feel safer even if they don’t see how, or directing donations to the local Jewish elder care community instead, it can be difficult to overcome and an emotionally burdensome set of actions.
Those who will become better antisemites will find their task easier and more satisfying. A path littered with people who will meet them where they’re at and require little in the way of personal sacrifice. They will empathetically listen and learn: to ensure they don’t accidentally defend the wrong Jews, that they don’t completely dismiss the legitimate concerns, and to ensure they can still trace a connection to a Jewish community for legitimacy. After all, there is no shortage of Bad Jews, and people willing to helpfully explain why they’re unworthy of defense. Intelligent, well-read people are good at finding whatever connection is necessary to make a concern legitimate, no matter how tenuous the connection or how lacking in relevance to a particular antisemitic incident. And Jews will never be short people eager to delegitimize their existence in favor of whomever is in vogue.
For those who decide to become better antisemites, they will come away with a better list of Good Jews and Bad Jews, and justifications for each. They will know that the Good Jews suffer from antisemitism and that Bad Jews are the reason antisemitism is so bad for the Good Jews. They will learn more about the arguments, histories, stereotypes, and rhetoric so that they can be invoked to either prove bonafides, or for use as the need arises.
For those who decide to fight antisemitism, they will come away knowing living and breathing Jews. They will develop real connections to us and the Jewish community. They will have found themselves struggling alongside a Bad Jew and struggling against the efforts of a Good Jew. They will know antisemitism is what hurts us now. It is not what defines us, or what would have hurt 1500 years ago.
And most of all, I hope they both groups come away knowing that I am absolutely on their list of Bad Jews.