These cases are undeniably sad. Ignorant. Israel's merciless annihilation of Gazans and now, just getting started, citizens of the West Bank, has nothing to do with American Jews - or more broadly, Jews living in America - living their values of Torah, service to God, and Chesed. This last translates as love and kindness between people, as the practice of bestowing tender mercies.
What Israel truly needs to recognize, however, is that their annihilation of Palestinians (I realize there are people among Dumisani's organization who reject that demonym. I beg your pardon, for I can think of no better word) contributes to the peoples of the world taking a hardened stance against Jews in general.
It is a tragic fact of our time - and indeed, of any epoch in human history - that too many of us refuse to see the differences between one group of people and another. The very broadest of similarities is used to justify labeling all who share those similarities as either extoled or evil. Black Lives Matter does this with every breath. So does the LGBTQ movement, which is quite separate from LGBTQ people.
Many of us here who write on Free Black Thought recognize the absurdities promulgated by BLM and the Alphabet Movement. Many of us here understand that the Social Justice Movement is in reality a Social Retribution Movement. We react with righteous condemnation when BLM and the Alphabets dare to group all White heterosexual males as monolithic and hopelessly dangerous. We should do the same when Israelis do this to Palestinians.
Israel does itself no favors by its historical treatment of Palestinians and its current slaughter of tens of thousands of them. Israel's actions toward Palestinians no more represents the beautiful, unassailable, loving, spiritually potent tenants of Judaism then BLM represents Black Americans or the LGBTQ movement represents transexuals.
And we... WE... have a moral obligation to call out our dear Israeli friends when they stray from the tender mercies of HaShem... Elohim... God. Friends are unafraid to hold Friends to moral standards. Christians are unafraid to hold Christians to moral standards.
Reject all forms of ethnic and cultural hatred. If these are our values, we must be eternal and united and persistent in championing them.
Mar 25, 2023·edited Mar 25, 2023Liked by Free Black Thought
These folks are genuine heroes. To them: THANK YOU for speaking up, for your courage and integrity. The issue has nothing to do with any legitimate criticisms of Israeli policy, it has to do with those who seek to annihilate the one Jewish state in the world and the Jews who live in it, as well as the Jews in the diaspora (most of whom support the existence of the state, if not some particular government or policies). Weird that in the 21st century someone can think that "Jewish" refers only to a religion. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. Not all Jewish people observe Judaism (how many non-religious Jews do you know? Probably loads.) Not all who practice Judaism are (originally) ethnically Jewish people. But there is the religion and there are the people. Acknowledge that, then acknowledge the people's right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland, to which the people are collectively indigenous. That leaves loads of room for Palestinians in any number of arrangements, including two states, if the Palestinians should ever choose peace rather than annihilating the Jews and their state.
It's with more than great relief that I read Free Black Thought. It increases my resolve than we can unite on values of the worth of each individual without regard to a person's ascriptive status. People who wish to divide us along race lines do so only for their own power.
Anti-semitism is not okay...but if you don't hate Israel in its current form, you're not paying attention. This piece is just more nonsense conflating anti-Zionism with anti-semitism.
In the public discussion about “Israel & the Jews”there is an enormous lack of nuance in general. Nuance of any kind is typically denounced by all the powerful factions as evidence of some form of racial bigotry toward some group of people.
If someone expresses criticism of Israel, there will be many people who will be enthusiastic to slander them as “anti Semitic”. If someone criticizes Palestinian activists, there will be people who slander that person as being racist against Arabs or apologists for racial genocide.
One of the most overlooked and under-appreciated elements of the discussion is that Jews and Muslims are not racial groups. They are religious tribes. People belong to religious tribes voluntarily. There is nothing wrong with criticizing religious tribes. This can be readily observed by the fact that no one cares but Scientologists when people criticize Scientology or Scientologists.
If someone criticizes Israel or Judaism, it doesn’t logically follow that they are racist toward Hebrews or Europeans or any other genetic lineage. If someone criticizes Palestine or Muslims it doesn’t follow that they are racist toward Arabs or any other genetic lineage. A person can be virulently against policies of Israel and not be “anti semitic.” Unless there is substantial evidence that person is actually racist toward people of “semite” racial origin, because the term has the connotation of racism, the term is simply slander. It isn’t sufficient that *other* people who are against Israeli policies or it’s government are in fact racist toward people of Hebrew ancestry. That is a logical fallacy.
Likewise, unless there is substantial evidence that someone is actually racist toward people of Arab ancestry, suggesting a person is “racist toward Muslims” because a person has critical views of the Hamas, is simply slander.
Muslims are not a race. Jews are not a race. Christians are not a race. Scientologists are not a race. And there is no fundamental sin to criticize religions or members of religious tribes. Scientology should be criticized, and Scientologists should be encouraged to abandon their religious tribe. Other religions are not exempt from that possibility. If a person thinks a particular religion is, they need to argue why, not simply rest on the assumption that they can slander people with irrational accusations of racism.
These cases are undeniably sad. Ignorant. Israel's merciless annihilation of Gazans and now, just getting started, citizens of the West Bank, has nothing to do with American Jews - or more broadly, Jews living in America - living their values of Torah, service to God, and Chesed. This last translates as love and kindness between people, as the practice of bestowing tender mercies.
What Israel truly needs to recognize, however, is that their annihilation of Palestinians (I realize there are people among Dumisani's organization who reject that demonym. I beg your pardon, for I can think of no better word) contributes to the peoples of the world taking a hardened stance against Jews in general.
It is a tragic fact of our time - and indeed, of any epoch in human history - that too many of us refuse to see the differences between one group of people and another. The very broadest of similarities is used to justify labeling all who share those similarities as either extoled or evil. Black Lives Matter does this with every breath. So does the LGBTQ movement, which is quite separate from LGBTQ people.
Many of us here who write on Free Black Thought recognize the absurdities promulgated by BLM and the Alphabet Movement. Many of us here understand that the Social Justice Movement is in reality a Social Retribution Movement. We react with righteous condemnation when BLM and the Alphabets dare to group all White heterosexual males as monolithic and hopelessly dangerous. We should do the same when Israelis do this to Palestinians.
Israel does itself no favors by its historical treatment of Palestinians and its current slaughter of tens of thousands of them. Israel's actions toward Palestinians no more represents the beautiful, unassailable, loving, spiritually potent tenants of Judaism then BLM represents Black Americans or the LGBTQ movement represents transexuals.
And we... WE... have a moral obligation to call out our dear Israeli friends when they stray from the tender mercies of HaShem... Elohim... God. Friends are unafraid to hold Friends to moral standards. Christians are unafraid to hold Christians to moral standards.
Reject all forms of ethnic and cultural hatred. If these are our values, we must be eternal and united and persistent in championing them.
No room for my versions of free black thought in the agenda for colonised spirit and mind as the body tithes
These folks are genuine heroes. To them: THANK YOU for speaking up, for your courage and integrity. The issue has nothing to do with any legitimate criticisms of Israeli policy, it has to do with those who seek to annihilate the one Jewish state in the world and the Jews who live in it, as well as the Jews in the diaspora (most of whom support the existence of the state, if not some particular government or policies). Weird that in the 21st century someone can think that "Jewish" refers only to a religion. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. Not all Jewish people observe Judaism (how many non-religious Jews do you know? Probably loads.) Not all who practice Judaism are (originally) ethnically Jewish people. But there is the religion and there are the people. Acknowledge that, then acknowledge the people's right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland, to which the people are collectively indigenous. That leaves loads of room for Palestinians in any number of arrangements, including two states, if the Palestinians should ever choose peace rather than annihilating the Jews and their state.
This is an article the seems to have forgotten to make a point.
It's with more than great relief that I read Free Black Thought. It increases my resolve than we can unite on values of the worth of each individual without regard to a person's ascriptive status. People who wish to divide us along race lines do so only for their own power.
Anti-semitism is not okay...but if you don't hate Israel in its current form, you're not paying attention. This piece is just more nonsense conflating anti-Zionism with anti-semitism.
In the public discussion about “Israel & the Jews”there is an enormous lack of nuance in general. Nuance of any kind is typically denounced by all the powerful factions as evidence of some form of racial bigotry toward some group of people.
If someone expresses criticism of Israel, there will be many people who will be enthusiastic to slander them as “anti Semitic”. If someone criticizes Palestinian activists, there will be people who slander that person as being racist against Arabs or apologists for racial genocide.
One of the most overlooked and under-appreciated elements of the discussion is that Jews and Muslims are not racial groups. They are religious tribes. People belong to religious tribes voluntarily. There is nothing wrong with criticizing religious tribes. This can be readily observed by the fact that no one cares but Scientologists when people criticize Scientology or Scientologists.
If someone criticizes Israel or Judaism, it doesn’t logically follow that they are racist toward Hebrews or Europeans or any other genetic lineage. If someone criticizes Palestine or Muslims it doesn’t follow that they are racist toward Arabs or any other genetic lineage. A person can be virulently against policies of Israel and not be “anti semitic.” Unless there is substantial evidence that person is actually racist toward people of “semite” racial origin, because the term has the connotation of racism, the term is simply slander. It isn’t sufficient that *other* people who are against Israeli policies or it’s government are in fact racist toward people of Hebrew ancestry. That is a logical fallacy.
Likewise, unless there is substantial evidence that someone is actually racist toward people of Arab ancestry, suggesting a person is “racist toward Muslims” because a person has critical views of the Hamas, is simply slander.
Muslims are not a race. Jews are not a race. Christians are not a race. Scientologists are not a race. And there is no fundamental sin to criticize religions or members of religious tribes. Scientology should be criticized, and Scientologists should be encouraged to abandon their religious tribe. Other religions are not exempt from that possibility. If a person thinks a particular religion is, they need to argue why, not simply rest on the assumption that they can slander people with irrational accusations of racism.
A lot of people need to get the memo.