Israel is flirting with WWIII. Sometimes it’s better not to poke the bear so often.

This is why antisemitism is growing and becoming accepted among those who claim otherwise.

Jews around the world are not responsible for the actions of Israel and any action of Israel does not justify ANY act of antisemitism.
It is a sad statement that this even needs to be said.

But Israel is a country not a religion...and thus we must separate the two.

.".. then by all means organize an event at a U.S. federal building or nearest Israeli consulate". Israel is in the OP, and is bound to be brought up in replies.

and the first reply is about 'Israel poking the bear', it is impossible to not draw the obvious point that antisemitism is "Israel's fault" which is just a slight rewording of an old antisemitic trope.

Y'know, the OP that mentioned Israel more than once?

You should be applying your criticism to the OP themselves, rather than someone who replied to an OP that was talking about antisemitism and Israel.

- people who are otherwise progressive are embracing antisemitism

- Israel has committed acts that are worthy of being protested
-- the protests should be directed at Israeli associated locations
--- Jewish places of worship, homes and businesses should not be sites of protests
---- protests against Jews is antisemitic

They didn't. The OP did.

To intercept the argument by assertion that any criticism of Israel will be called antisemitic.

I'm impressed that you have a direct line to the motivations of the OP. I don't, which is why I asked them questions about what criticism of Israel they consider acceptable. I mention this because I saw them appear in a thread not long ago about the Israeli soldier who sledgehammered White Jesus status saying something along the lines that we must be very, very careful with any criticism and we must think about how this will impact on Jews etc. I suspect that may be a lot of ultra-sensitivity where anything but the mildest and most weak words about Israel eg 'I may have to grudgingly say that Israel was wrong, but they will fix it and then all the Israel-haters and antisemites will ignore it!!!' is considered to be related to antisemitic tropes and antisemitism. I've seen some at DU claim that referring to the Nakba and referencing Israeli historians like Ilan Pappe is antisemitic. So, there is a whole lot of intentional overlap between Judaism and Zionism carried out by American 'supporters' of Israel as well as blatant attempts by the Israeli government. I'm sure you won't dispute that Netanyahu himself tries extremely hard to equate Judaism with Zionism, and to portray any criticism of Israel by the international community to be antisemitic. Not all that long ago he accused the leaders of Canada, France and Australia of antisemitism because they dared to recognise a Palestinian state. Fuck him and the horse he rode in on.

For your consideration:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/netanyahu-frequently-makes-claims-of-antisemitism-critics-say-hes-deflecting-blame

The first amendment doesn't limit where people can protest Israel's apartheid/genocide. Call me antisemitic if you want. I'm sick of Israel's crimes and American support for them.

But I think you meant synagogues not Jewish synergies.

it is a relationship that has gone public.

This is not accidental. They've been conditioned to hate. Right now, they hate immigrants. Tomorrow, it will be black people and Jews. Not that they don't hate everyone outside their own group right now, but I think you get what I'm saying.

They pretend otherwise. Note how Trump always calls black people "low IQ". Using codewords. They openly despise immigrants. Soon it will be others.

got donations for losing her job. I think MAGA is pretty open about hating black people.

They did it so that they could use the cudgel of "antisemitism!!" to deflect from any criticism of their violence against their neighbors. And it's worked. With Judaism paying a steep price in being associated (even unwillingly) with the war mongers.

Yeah, people who think about it will.see the distinction. But not everyone makes that effort.

Wasn't the original point of the post that there is a big difference between Zionists and Jews? Yet here you are doing exactly what the OP was complaining about.

Also, they didn't say the ugly thing you implied with yr 'question'. Why would you do that?

I'd like to thank whoever it was who brought my attention to the post mcar is replying to. I would never have seen this thread otherwise and not been able to add my 0.02 cents worth to it

Not economically, militarily, or technologically. It goes against our traditional human rights and democratic principles.

Because the US taxpayer is contributing to the actions of the Israeli government instead of focusing on their policies and political behavior, it is leading to ethnic criticism that targets Jewish people.

But if said synagogues, Jewish community centers, Yeshivas, or businesses are promoting things that exacerbate the situation in Israel such as hosting a real estate company that sells land in the west bank they are open to being protested. No one should be met with protesting or discrimination based on their race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, or age.

💔💙💔☮️🌻🕯️🕊️💜

Last edited Sat Apr 25, 2026, 02:11 AM - Edit history (1)

And none of them are meant to divert from the message of yr post, in which I agree* with more than I disagree.

'And what I mean by "we" is not Democratic Underground or even the Democratic Party, but we as the greater progressive movement in America.'

Just a question here. What is meant by progressive in the US? Is it further to the Left and more aligned with the Left in other countries? Because I don't think there's much support for Israel's actions amongst progressives.

'we've neglected to check the discord surrounding Israel's actions in Gaza and it's nearing the point where those less sophisticated or more unhinged equate Jew = Zionist = genocide and people who have no involvement are bearing the brunt.'

How do we 'check the discord'? I'm really curious to know. Does it mean we shouldn't treat Israel the same as any other country that occupies territory that doesn't belong to it, and that commits war-crimes and genocide with impunity? Does it mean we shouldn't criticise Israel lest some antisemite thinks we're on the same page and uses that criticise to bolster their hatred? Do we as progressives tell everyone that saying that Israel is committing war-crimes and genocide is antisemitic and we should from now on call them 'actions' to be safe?

Here's two ways two state premiers (equivalent of governors in the US) have attempted to 'check the discord'. The conservative premier of Queensland called for two sayings to be criminalised. 'From the river to the sea' and 'Globalise the intifada'. Since then, there's been massive pushback, and those terms are getting a massive working out from people who object to speech being criminalised. I'll post a video at the end to show one of the protests that's using a song with a line that talks about from the river to the sea. The other is the premier of New South Wales (where the Bondi massacre happened) banning all protests if he or the police decide they're not in the best interests of society. That law just got struck down. So both those things are 'checking the discord' but both are infringing on peoples rights. For the record, I don't use either phrase. I don't like it when the Israeli govt uses similar sentiments to the first, and I don't like it for the Palestinians.

Now, for the Jews= Zionist = genocide bit. I've been at DU for many years and for a lot of them I argued down in the I/P forum. Many times I've had to explain to both pro-Isaael and pro-Palestinian DUers that attempts to conflate Zionists with Jews is dangerous. Zionism is a political/national movement and Judaism isn't.

' Leave synagogues, Jewish community centers and Yeshivas out of it. Don't vandalize your local deli.'

Couldn't agree more on that one.

Rather than banning things and trying to shut down other things, isn't the best solution to educate, educate, educate? Tell people why a particular term or thought is incorrect. Discuss it with them and walk away if it becomes clear nothing's going to budge. I'm not talking about hardcore folk, mainly on the right. I'm talking about people who should know better and who sometimes have been fed a pile of crap through a one-sided prism. This happens on both sides, btw.

Poor kid. That's an obvious case of bullying and harassment that the school should be held accountable for. If anything, it's a great example of a situation in an educational* institution where education should have been used on the bullies and their parents and it should have been nipped in the bud.

Not really sure what it's got to do with what I posted.

*I use the word 'educational' very loosely when it comes to US schools nowadays. American schools are where children go to be shot, not so sure there's any real education going on. Apologies, that was probs painting a broad brush

Antisemitism isn't limited to the fringe anymore (not that it ever was but most people kept their feelings silent) but we are seeing antisemitism creeping into institutions where it is not only tolerated but condoned and supported.

I have a child graduating this year, neither of my children were shot while attending American schools and received very comprehensive educations so yes, that is a very broad brush.

Because my post responded to the OP and I recall there were questions there, none of which you engaged with, and none of my comments should have led anyone to the conclusion that I need to be given an example of what the OP is about. Where did I give you the impression I needed an example from what I posted?

and I hold Netanyahu responsible for what is happening in Gaza the same way I hold TSF responsible for what is happening in Iran. Bibi maybe pushed him toward it, but TSF made the call.

He wants to create a luxury resort in Gaza for wealthy people. But construction would be targeted by Iran for attacks because of Iran's support of Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza. . They would not accept a luxury resort further displacing Palestinians and preventing them from having their own homeland state.

Trump wants to eliminate any threat that Iran could pose to his Gaza project.

…toward attacking Iran. But you are correct… he’s all in on destroying Gaza for his stake in the real estate possibilities.

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Jewish from protester's and from harassment by those protesters, yet support a buffer zone from protesters at places such as Planned Parenthood, or other places that are not Jewish, there is a double standard going on, and it might be constructive for some to do some critical thinking on what is happening.

I wonder how many people felt that way when the anti-gay fred phelps and his flock picketed the funerals of U..S. service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It prompted federal and state legislation to establish "buffer zones" to restrict picketing times and locations around funeral services, in spite of the Supreme Court ruling 8-1 that since those protests were on PUBLIC lands it was free speech for the anti-gay protesters.

Of course the difference in these cases and the protests around synagogues and Jewish schools, is those weren't public lands.

Its unfair. Its ugly. Its stupid. But its true. So many people refuse to acknowledge that Jewish identity and Israeli politics as 2 separate things. Netanyahu/Likud/IDF has put Jews all over the world in danger with their reckless and evil behavior.

We need to stop the crazies,

Are you saying that being against the Israeli war on Gaza is the same as being antisemitic? Can you explain what Dems are doing that you say is antisemitic?

I'd suggest not holding your breath waiting...

Also, I'm wondering how anyone who would consider themselves pro-Israel as opposed to pro-Palestinian can honestly view themselves as progressives.

public lands are subject to free speech, but the same thing DOES NOT APPLY to buildings on private areas such as synagogues, Jewish community centers,etc.

when the policies and actions of Israelis are criticized.

It is not only antisemites who conflate Israel/Zionists and Jews. Those seeking by to silence criticism of Israel do so as well.

By all means, let us be vigilant in combating that conflation. And let us employ that vigilance consistently.

as in vandalizing Jewish property etc. is just an antisemite. Hopefully lecturing would help, but I have my doubts.

Not agreeing with Netanyahu’s genocide should not damn the Jewish people just his cabal, Just like Trump's racist, misogynistic, war mongering shouldn't damn the American people just the MAGATS.

Specific case: "I'm not antisemitic, BUT (antisemitic blood libel, repeating the same Big Lies)."

Painfully obvious, really.

I am not antisemitic.

I am not anti-Israel.

I am anti-Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is an absolute monster. He's a fucking psychopath. The United States enabled him by giving him everything that he wants and then some. He helped flip the election to Trump with the aide of Rupert Murdoch and Elon Musk.

His illegal genocide and this insane end times conquest that he's on must stop. And he must be brought to justice. The democratic party platform going forward must be to stop this fucking monster and cut his stash off completely.

According to some of the, let's say, super educated replies... your OP was misconstrued?
Yeah, no. You came through clear to me.
Let's skip the vitriol of some responses, it's a triggering subject for many.
I don't get how anyone can't be upset by a house of worship attacked. Jews on the street assaulted. No, fuck all the way off! None of this shit is okay!!
The shit going down in Iran, Lebanon, etc.. NOT FN OKAY
The people blaming every American and Jew, Also Not Okay!!

Fuck both these incompetent blood thirsty pieces shit that are in charge. But, the blood thirsty pieces of shit who are murdering, vandalizing others who have nothing to do with any of this horror of trump and net, FUCK ALL THE WAY OFF

Okay, I guess that's off my chest.

To associating rising antisemitism to progressives and acting as if they are not Democrats or part of the Democratic Party.

I've been here for 20 years and I came to terms a long time ago that progressive Democrats are looked down on this website.
I'm sick and fucking tired of progressives getting the shit end of the stick and always couched as being bad for the Democratic Party. Progressives like Mayor Mamdani or AOC or Bernie Sanders or Kat Abughazaleh or Abdul El-Sayed are sandbagged and treated like lepers. Laughed at for caring and wanting to help people that were left brutalized by the system when all they want to to do is help people to live without constant fear of starving or being preyed apon by corporations and to just be given a fair chance.

People, no matter their political party, now believe in most of our ideals of universal healthcare and paid family leave, no billionaires and standing with the people of Palestine and Lebanon and the genocide being waged against innocent women and children.

I find the attacks on progressives to be intolerable and I'm no longer going to bite my tongue about it anymore.

And message me when anyone gives you shit!

The Bernie attacks I somewhat justified, his age, etc.

The AOC ones boggle the mind. Aggressive but not overly, with that smart and the future, a true WTF.

Mamdani, see AOC, too progressive, the dude is Mayor of NYC!!!!!

We can be opposed to the actions of the government of Israel but at the same time support everyone of Jewish heritage or faith in their basic rights!

There are an estimated 6 million to 7.5 million Jews in the U.S. Fuck around with anti-semitism and the Party isn't going to like the results (which likely will be Jewish Americans either sitting on the sidelines or actually switching parties). Think it can't happen? FAFO.

I'm talking in the past few years, obviously. Because if such a thing exists, that's not the Party I think it is.

I'm all ears. From where I'm sitting I can't spot any instance of the Party fucking around with antisemitism, whatever that means.

I don't believe in collective guilt, collective punishment, or blame by race, religion, ethnicity.

Tragically, others do, out of ignorance, immaturity, group think, deep seated cultural anomosity, etc.

People in the progressive left are not immune from that, but should we paint ourselves with a collective brush of blame?

To answer the question in my subject title, I will say YES, up to a point. Knowing how easily rage can be sparked, and our own emotional investment, we should take a deep breath and be judicious and specific with our criticism of the Israeli government.

Up to the point of self censorship - a point we should not cross. Some accusations of antisemitism are legitimate, but let's be honest here. Too often that accusation is false, used as a cudgel to silence legitimate criticism.

I realized he wasn't joking after a second, and our conversation went a bit downhill after that. He "compromised" by suggesting carpet moving Tel Aviv.

This is one of the much more liberal coworkers of mine too. Like WTF man?

and hide behind the Star of David ✡️ or your temple of worship or a term like antisemitic. What happened in Gaza to innocent people is absolutely unacceptable and there were Hassidic Jews who protested against those actions. Same goes with Christianity and the crimes associated with the Church.