US Ed Dept Takes Controversial Definition of "Anti-Semitism"

[Petrasylvania]

Israel doesn't advocate Jewish superiority. Over 1 million Arabs live in Israel with full legal equality. The same cannot be said of Israel's neighbors.

Yes a bastion of equality
That’s why they’ve been charged with committing an ethnic cleansing caimpain

Palestinians aren't human, silly. They're all alien bugs just like in Starship Troopers. *nod*

[Herador]

It's Israel trying to no-platform criticism of its policies in the U.S. and it's made possible by Donnie's eagerness to suck off the Israeli government's kosher dill.

If nobody hears from me in a week, it was Mossad.

Israel would not exist if it wasn't for the United States. The destruction of Israel would, of course, mean the genocide of the Jewish people.

So yeah, it seems pretty important that the US support Israel.

I have a neighbor, and he's an asshole. He drinks too much, screams all night, I'm actually pretty sure he beats his kids, and his property is a ruin.

If that same neighbor was being robbed at gunpoint and I thought it was likely he was going to be harmed, I would help him without a second thought. This doesn't make him any less of a douche.

[Internationalist Bastard]

It's Israel trying to no-platform criticism of its policies in the U.S. and it's made possible by Donnie's eagerness to suck off the Israeli government's kosher dill.

If nobody hears from me in a week, it was Mossad.

Israel would not exist if it wasn't for the United States. The destruction of Israel would, of course, mean the genocide of the Jewish people.

So yeah, it seems pretty important that the US support Israel.

Last I checked the Jewish people didn’t get wiped out after the last time they lost it

[Petrasylvania]

It's Israel trying to no-platform criticism of its policies in the U.S. and it's made possible by Donnie's eagerness to suck off the Israeli government's kosher dill.

If nobody hears from me in a week, it was Mossad.

Israel would not exist if it wasn't for the United States. The destruction of Israel would, of course, mean the genocide of the Jewish people.

So yeah, it seems pretty important that the US support Israel.

You do realize the vast majority of Israeli support in the U.S. come from Evangelicals who only see Israel as a Bat Signal to Jesus that needs to be turned on by immolation.

[Internationalist Bastard]

Yes a bastion of equality
That’s why they’ve been charged with committing an ethnic cleansing caimpain

Palestinians aren't human, silly. They're all aliem bugs just like in Starship Troopers. *nod*

Yeah
That’s why they gunned down tons of unarmed protesters

[Herador]

Palestinians aren't human, silly. They're all aliem bugs just like in Starship Troopers. *nod*

Yeah
That’s why they gunned down tons of unarmed protesters

God bless Yiddish Rico.

[Petrasylvania]

Palestinians aren't human, silly. They're all aliem bugs just like in Starship Troopers. *nod*

Yeah
That’s why they gunned down tons of unarmed protesters

They get too close and they'll rip you to shreds. /s

[Page]

A 2018 Guide to Antisemitism by the US Federal Government:

- Describing Palestinians as human beings with rights, total antisemitism.

- In the instance that an Israeli soldier shoots a supposedly unarmed Palestinian, the assumption that the supposedly unarmed civilian was anything other than a dangerous suicide bomber with a bomb on his chest (even if the Palestinian was not wearing a shirt), and especially any assumption that the dead Palestinian might have actually been unarmed shall be considered antisemitism.

- Criticizing Israel's use of white phosphorous as a chemical weapon against civilians is antisemitism. After all, Israel should not be held to a higher standard than any other democratic nation. The United States also uses white phosphorous as a chemical weapon against civilians and totally gets away with it, after all, so criticizing Israel's use of white phosphorous is antisemitism.*

- If you are one of the numerous Jews who protests the actions' of the Israeli government, you may not think you're an antisemite but you totally are.

- Complaining that Israel blocks food aid from entering Gaza is antisemitism. Vegetables grow in fertilizer and what does fertilizer make... that's right, bombs!


* You may be wondering "Okay, is it antisemitic to criticize the United States using white phosphorus against civilians like in Fallujah? No, it's not antisemitism but don't do it! Everyone knows that what the US does is good by definition!

[USS Monitor]

... well, on the bright side, at least "Trump is an antisemite" is definitely dead and buried.

No. Not with how often he contradicts himself and backpedals and so forth.

[Albrenia]

Hey, I thought changing the definition of words about bigotry was something only the annoying part of my side of politics did.

Now the right are getting in on the party, oh joy.

[Albrenia]

... well, on the bright side, at least "Trump is an antisemite" is definitely dead and buried.

No. Not with how often he contradicts himself and backpedals and so forth.

Bonus points if he breaks his own rules later.

[Cedoria]

I don’t see a problem in the wording per se
It does annoy me we’re doubling down on “none shall oppose Israel”

Call it a slippery slope (cause it is) but I can see this coming to bite someone in the ass for making a fairly benign criticism of Israel at some point in their history and someone taking offense and reporting it.

That already happens. Plenty of people with perfectly valid criticisms of Israeli state violence or occupation have been smeared as anti-semites in response.


Disliking some of the actions of a state and criticising them is different from being a shithead like David Duke. That should be blatantly obvious.

But it doesn't surprise me that Pro-Israel lobby groups are seizing the opportunity to be able to legally smear and silence their critics.

[NeoOasis]

That definition includes examples in which demonizing or delegitimizing Israel, or holding it to a double standard not expected of other democratic nations, are deemed anti-Semitic.

What does that even mean.

[Infected Mushroom]

How controversial, you ask? Let's get down to it with an article from Politico, as shown below:

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/mo ... ism-336946

The Trump administration is changing how the Education Department investigates allegations of discrimination against Jewish students, backing an approach that is favored by pro-Israel groups but that critics worry will stifle free speech on campus.

The policy change was outlined in a letter last month by Kenneth Marcus, who leads the department’s Office for Civil Rights, in which he re-opened a 2011 investigation into Rutgers University about alleged discrimination against Jewish students. Marcus wrote that the Education Department, in its investigations into discrimination, would adopt the “working definition” of anti-Semitism that is “widely used by governmental agencies” including the State Department. That definition includes examples in which demonizing or delegitimizing Israel, or holding it to a double standard not expected of other democratic nations, are deemed anti-Semitic.

The Obama administration closed the Rutgers case in 2014 citing insufficient evidence of discrimination. Marcus' letter says the department will now reevaluate the evidence “in light of the definition of anti-Semitism.” Investigators will seek to determine, Marcus wrote, “whether a hostile environment on the basis of national origin or race existed at the University for students of actual or perceived Jewish ancestry or ethnic characteristics.”

Congress has debated the definition over the past several years. In 2016, the Senate overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation that would have forced the department to use the State Department definition in evaluating discrimination complaints. But the bill hit a snag in the House over concerns that it could interfere with students’ free speech rights. The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill earlier this year, but the legislation so far hasn’t gone anywhere in this Congress.

But civil liberties and free speech groups have opposed the definition. The groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and PEN America, argue that the definition of anti-Semitism is too broad and would threaten political speech, such as criticism of Israel policy, on college campuses.

“It’s certainly something that we feared would happen,” said Dima Khalidi, director of Palestine Legal, adding that the new definition “opens the door to equate any criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.” Khalidi also criticized the Education Department for adopting the definition “without any process or public input.”

Several pro-Israel groups, meanwhile, including the American Jewish Committee, praised the Trump administration’s move. The Zionist Organization of America, which filed the original complaint against Rutgers and appealed, praised the Education Department’s “landmark” decision to adopt the definition.

... well, on the bright side, at least "Trump is an antisemite" is definitely dead and buried. On the not-so-bright side, though?

It's a no-brainer to say that criticism of Israeli policy does not automatically mean bigotry against Jews in general -- that some Jews will do bad shit does not mean every Jew is evil, let alone be part of a malevolent hive mind that feeds on the helpless and whose utter elimination is the only solution.

However, as much as I would love to append "(conspiracy theorists, antisemites, and other fuckups aside)", I can't, due to this development. The limited subject of college free speech aside (and with Trump who knows where this will end?), the implications from hereon are terrifying, not least for those lobbying on Israel's behalf. I mean, really, you really want to fuel the flames of bigotry by implicitly endorsing the nonsense that has gotten untold millions of whoever the Nazis called Jews murdered in Europe more than 7 decades ago? For political gain? Are you fucks this fucking shortsighted?

Anyway, guys, your thoughts and all.

Why do we even need an official definition for “anti-semitism”?

Sounds like special treatment

There’s no word or official government approved terminology for discrimination against blacks, Asians or native Americans.

Throw out the word anti-semitism.

[Washington Resistance Army]

That definition includes examples in which demonizing or delegitimizing Israel, or holding it to a double standard not expected of other democratic nations, are deemed anti-Semitic.

What does that even mean.

It means the Jewish lobby has too much power in our nation.

[Vassenor]

It's Israel trying to no-platform criticism of its policies in the U.S. and it's made possible by Donnie's eagerness to suck off the Israeli government's kosher dill.

If nobody hears from me in a week, it was Mossad.

Israel would not exist if it wasn't for the United States. The destruction of Israel would, of course, mean the genocide of the Jewish people.

So yeah, it seems pretty important that the US support Israel.

How? Would the destruction of the Israeli state cause every single member of the diaspora to immediately commit seppuku or something?

[Dahon]

Israel would not exist if it wasn't for the United States. The destruction of Israel would, of course, mean the genocide of the Jewish people.

So yeah, it seems pretty important that the US support Israel.

How? Would the destruction of the Israeli state cause every single member of the diaspora to immediately commit seppuku or something?

As much as Israel is understood to be the locus of the Jewish people, the dim reward of diaspora? Yes, effectively -- one must not underestimate the devastating psychological impact of Israel destroyed, its Jewish population culled without mercy.

[Katganistan]

As I said, "bright side".

The same guy who said there were Good People On Both Sides at Charlottesville, one of which consisted of a Polo Shirt brigade waving Tiki torches and talking about Jews like they were body snatching alien vegetables.

All you need to understand the inconsistency is that whatever he does is designed to line his pockets and/or promote his brand. Whomever brings future opportunities is the "very fine people" of the hour, whether actually fine or not. If ten minutes from now turning on his current darlings improves his bottom line, they will be vilified across the twitterverse and whatever media will publish it.

[Dumb Ideologies]

This is bad, but American candidates should learn from recent British political experience and be very cautious about criticising any definition of "anti-semitism", no matter how...hmmm..."extensive". The lobby will pelt them with repeated allegations. The media supporting the other side will repeat these in juicy detail until something entirely different to the reality of what the candidate actually criticised "sticks" in the minds of the electorate.

It's not quite political suicide but it would definitely be an act of profound campaigning self-harm.

[Knask]

One can defend Israel without insisting on a de facto definition of that same Israel as "that Jewish ethnostate that serves Jews and only Jews and that none shall oppose, especially those fucking 'Nakba!'-hollering Palestinian bastards and their supporters".

I mean, tying the existence of one state to the continued supremacy of one people (and the implied and explicit oppression of all others) is a really shitty tactic.

Israel doesn't advocate Jewish superiority. Over 1 million Arabs live in Israel with full legal equality. The same cannot be said of Israel's neighbors.

This is so very true. You have to be an anti-semite to interpret a law saying that Israel is a jewish state, that national self-determination there is unique to the Jewish people, that the jewish language has primacy, and that Jewish immigration should have special status compared to others, and that the (jewish) state shall take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of the members of the Jewish people, as advocating for jewish superiority. Just because Israel views jews as inherently suprior doesn't mean they're advocating for it.

[Unstoppable Empire of Doom]

Anti Zionism =/= Anti Semitism

I hate that US politics consider welfare to Israel a priority while screaming that we cannot afford any social services.

Criticizing Israel is now antisemetism?

I thought it was Liberal SJWs that were supposed to come up with shit like that.

Nah, right wing religious groups love banning free speech too.

[Uxupox]

Israel would not exist if it wasn't for the United States. The destruction of Israel would, of course, mean the genocide of the Jewish people.

So yeah, it seems pretty important that the US support Israel.

Last I checked the Jewish people didn’t get wiped out after the last time they lost it

The Romans did certifiably try to go full delenda est on them however.

[Caracasus]

That definition includes examples in which demonizing or delegitimizing Israel, or holding it to a double standard not expected of other democratic nations, are deemed anti-Semitic.

What does that even mean.

It means that if you want to criticise the Israeli government for mass internment of its own people who protest its actions, use of white phospherous on civilians, use of disproportionate deadly force on civilians, illegally occupying other territorries, sterilizing black women without their knowledge or consent, shelling civilian occupied areas, restricting access to humanitarian aid etc. You also must be willing to criticise other democratic countries that do the same sort of thing.

[Uxupox]

Israel would not exist if it wasn't for the United States. The destruction of Israel would, of course, mean the genocide of the Jewish people.

So yeah, it seems pretty important that the US support Israel.

How? Would the destruction of the Israeli state cause every single member of the diaspora to immediately commit seppuku or something?

They wouldn't commit suicide. They would just be thrown into the sea by their neighbors. Ever since the war in mandatory Palestine in 1948 pogroms have been conducted on the Jewish in the Arab-majority world. Not to mention that in the Palestinian Legislative Council still has Hamas majority (a group that has stated for the complete extinction of Jews).

[Internationalist Bastard]

How? Would the destruction of the Israeli state cause every single member of the diaspora to immediately commit seppuku or something?

They wouldn't commit suicide. They would just be thrown into the sea by their neighbors. Ever since the war in mandatory Palestine in 1948 pogroms have been conducted on the Jewish in the Arab-majority world. Not to mention that in the Palestinian Legislative Council still has Hamas majority (a group that has stated for the complete extinction of Jews).

That doesn’t really answer for Jews living else where
It’d be a humanitarian crisis no doubt but if there’s one thing the Jewish people have proven it’s resilience