The British Left’s ‘Jewish Problem’

[cali]

— It has, admitted Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party’s candidate in the election this week for London mayor, become “more difficult for Londoners of Jewish faith to feel that the Labour Party is a place for them.”

In recent days, the Labour Party has been embroiled in a furious dispute over the attitudes of some members toward Jews. Two leading figures, Naseem Shah, a member of Parliament for a Bradford constituency, and Ken Livingstone, a former London mayor and a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee, were suspended from the party for what were condemned as anti-Semitic remarks. Ms. Shah had suggested in a social media post that Israel be “relocated” to the United States, while Mr. Livingstone had tried to defend her by claiming that Adolf Hitler had been a Zionist.

It is not the first such uproar: In February, the party was forced to open an investigation into the Oxford University Labour Club, and in March to suspend some councilors and activists accused of anti-Semitism. All this has led a number of prominent Jews — including the novelist Howard Jacobson, the former senior BBC executive Danny Cohen and The Financial Times’s managing editor, Robert Shrimsley — to withdraw support from Labour.

<snip>

Identity politics has made it easier to hold all Jews responsible for the actions of the State of Israel and to go after Jews simply for being Jews. As the distinction between criticizing ideas and fingering a group has eroded, there has been a slippage from anti-Zionist activism into outright anti-Semitism. Many who support the Palestinians now seem genuinely unable to distinguish between criticizing the policies of the Israeli government and sowing hatred against a people.

<snip>
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/opinion/the-british-lefts-jewish-problem.html?_r=0

[T_i_B]

1. It also feeds into the British Left's relevence problem

The Israel / Palestine conflict is not high on my list of priorities for local and national government.

[Hortensis]

8. T i B, not sure about that. They are certainly alienating

people, but seems to me they're about as irrelevant as all those people who cheer Trump for promising to stop Muslims from entering our country are.

Antisemitism is on the rise again around the world. Much of our own far left feels Bernie Sanders is not nearly far left enough for them, but I am wondering if his ascendance on the national scene has helped hold off stronger manifestations of it in our left so far.

In our social/religious right, of course, antisemitism has always been very strong, steaming restlessly under the surface for the past couple decades while Christian zionism promoted unity with Israel and the Jews. Armageddon didn't come, though, and for some pretending to love Jews is getting pretty old.

Of course the rise of antisemitism is just another manifestation of the rise of bigotry in general, against any group defined as "other." On a planet with over 7 billion people. With many more forced migrations of large populations, wars, economic troubles, etc., due to global warming, this is only the beginning of some really challenging times for basic human decency. Not exactly an argument for irrelevance, or complacency.

Wife of a Jew

[T_i_B]

9. Totally agree about bigotry in general rising

Politics in 2016 seems to be far more about spitefulness towards anyone different than serving the common good.

[Hortensis]

10. Well, certainly it is for the noisiest voices.

If only goodness and decency burned with the same passion.

[6chars]

11. difference between rw and lw anti-Semitism

It has been said conservative anti-Semites hate individual Jews but love the manifestation of the Jewish People, while progressive (?) anti-Semites like individual Jews but hate the manifestation of the Jewish People.

[auntpurl]

2. Yeah, not brilliant choices for the mayoral election today.

Zac Goldsmith is a racist and Khan's party is currently imploding.

Still think Khan will pull it out though.

[T_i_B]

4. Khan comes across well

But yes, Labour are a total basket case at present.

To say Zac Goldsmiths campaign has been a disappointment would be the understatement of the century.

[auntpurl]

6. I loved this tweet:

[6chars]

3. British?

[pampango]

5. Weird. Anti-semitism on the left; Islamophobia on the right. What is going on in the UK? n/t

[auntpurl]

7. Oh, we've got loads of racists over here.

Not as many as the US, but plenty for the country's small size.

[PaulaFarrell]

12. it's pretty much a stitch up

A way to attack corbyn

[Behind the Aegis]

13. There are those who have known about this for a long time.

Good to see it coming to light. Also as interesting is watching people defending it and making excuses for it.

[mr blur]

14. Anti-Israel is NOT the same as anti-Jewish.

Who in their right mind isn't anti-Israel?

[cali]

15. Of course not. And I'm not anti-Israel.

I am opposed to the occupation. I am opposed to all West Bank Settlements. I am opposed to Netanyahu and right wingers. I do NOT oppose Israel.

No, that is not insane. Your comment is shit.

[Warren DeMontague]

16. "Who in their right mind isn't anti-Israel?" ....uh, I'm not.

I'm certainly opposed to the policies of Likud and I think the decades of Occupation have been a disaster for both the Palestinians and the soul of the State of Israel- that said, it (like the '67 war which preceded it, etc) didn't pop out of the vacuum like a pair of virtual quantum particles. The current situation is the result of a boatload of bad decisions- and they sure as shit weren't all Israel's.

Beyond that, you're kidding yourself if you haven't recognized the massive amounts of anti-Semitism munged up with "anti-Israel" sentiment on the left.

[cali]

17. The denial that anti-semitism exists on the left and that it's just anti-occupation or

anti-Israel, is alarming.

[boston bean]

18. Me. I'm not anti israel.