How to Dismantle Antisemitism
But Jewish organizers who are working toward a thriving, democratic future for all people are already leading work to end antisemitism. This represents the collective wisdom of those who are dismantling antisemitism together with anti-Black racism, anti-immigrant xenophobia, anti-Muslim bigotry, and every other part of the connected machinery of division and fear that is keeping us from the future we deserve. It is offered to our Jewish and non-Jewish partners with humility and deep love for Jewish people and for the multifaith, multiracial communities in which we live.
1. Learn about antisemitism ⬇
What we can’t see, we can’t change. It is important to be able to recognize common antisemitic tropes and lies that have been used to target Jewish people with violence and about atrocities toward Jews, like the Holocaust. It is important to understand how antisemitism has been used historically and in the many parts of the world where Jews have lived. It is also important to learn about how antisemitism is used today and in our own society. This includes understanding how Jewish people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds experience antisemitism, the important function it fulfills in white nationalist and anti-democratic ideologies, and how it is connected to other forms of oppression like racism, sexism, and Islamophobia. Examine the intersections between antisemitism and Israel and Palestine, understanding that there are many perspectives to consider. See our list of resources to help.
2. Unlearn antisemitism ⬇
The bad news is that noxious stories about Jews have been pumped into our society for generations—like all forms of discrimination or oppression, we’ve all internalized them in different ways. The good news is that we can unlearn them, just as we strive to unlearn the sexist and racist stories we have also internalized. That means it is all our responsibility to examine ourselves, our communities, and our organizations and movements with bravery and humility and work to make changes to our biases, our attitudes, and our actions. This isn’t a one-time project; it is a long-term approach to changing the inequitable society into which we were born and within which we are trying to build a better future. For Jewish people, unlearning antisemitism also means healing from generational and ancestral trauma so that we can move forward into the liberated future we are building.
3. Find yourself and your personal stake in this story ⬇
For Jewish people, this may seem obvious because Jews are the direct targets of antisemitism. For those who are not Jewish, it is important to realize that you are still part of this story. Consider how your own life has been affected by antisemitism. How is your history or culture—including any ways in which you are marginalized or discriminated against because of your race, religion, gender, or any other aspects of your identity—directly connected to antisemitism? How have you been harmed by or benefited from antisemitism? For Christians, it’s important to recognize the role Christianity has played in the perpetuation of countless forms of violence and oppression, including antisemitism, from historical uses of antisemitism by central church authorities through the more contemporary practice of Christian theologically based advocacy around Israel. For those who are working toward an equitable distribution of wealth and power, consider how stories that blame Jewish people can obscure the systems and structures that create inequality and injustice and make it impossible to dismantle those systems. Consider how antisemitism has been used to drive us apart from each other, and imagine how your own life and future would benefit in a society free from antisemitism. It will take all of us—whether we are Jewish or not—to dismantle antisemitism together, so in order to commit to this work, finding your own stake is critical.
4. Articulate and work toward a future of freedom and safety for Jewish people and for all of us ⬇
Jewish people should include people of all religious, ethnic, and racial backgrounds in our positive vision for the future. People who aren’t Jewish should include Jewish people explicitly in your story of who constitutes “us,” among the communities with whom you stand, and in your positive vision of the future. Whether we are Jewish or not, we should throw our communal energy, time, and support into work that builds a future of freedom and safety for all of us together. This necessarily means rejecting isolationist approaches that separate Jewish freedom and safety from that of others. If we can fully embrace the ways in which our futures, our safety, and our thriving are deeply connected to one another, we can achieve the free, joyous future we all deserve.
5. Respond appropriately to antisemitism ⬇
Use the techniques in this guide to help you respond to antisemitic incidents when they happen. Use your informed judgment and the leadership of Jewish partners to assess the situation, including an analysis of the powers at play. If a mistake or misstep has happened, apologize and take steps toward repair. Make sure reactions don’t harm or tarnish Jews or anyone else, and be careful not to overreact as this can diminish trust and make people less likely to listen in the future. Very importantly, include a power analysis when deciding how to respond: not all incidents are the same, and responses should match appropriately. Remember that responses need not always be public, and are best when they lean into and deepen long-term relationships. Orient responses to things that you believe contribute meaningfully to solving the problem—not merely statement-making or grandstanding.
6. Respond appropriately to smokescreen antisemitism ⬇
Recognize and refuse to take the bait when people offer unfair or bad-faith accusations of antisemitism intended to smear someone. The purpose of these smokescreen efforts is to confuse and divide us—it’s our shared responsibility to clear out the smog and keep ourselves focused on real threats to our collective safety and the solutions we know will work. This includes holding responsible those who use these smokescreen tactics.
7. Reject any effort, policy, or leader that weakens multiracial democracy or our fundamental freedoms, ⬇
even if its stated intent is to protect Jewish people or our interests (real or perceived). Democratic freedoms and a thriving multiracial democracy are critical to the safety and wellbeing of everyone in society but are particularly critical for minority groups and those facing oppression or discrimination —including the multiethnic, multiracial Jewish community. Any efforts to damage democratic freedoms must be seen as antithetical to dismantling antisemitism. This includes things like laws that gag people’s ability to engage in consumer boycotts or attempts to codify definitions of antisemitism that damage our freedom of speech.
8. Keep showing up together and refuse to be divided ⬇
If we understand that antisemitism is used to divide us against each other, then part of the solution has to be to refuse to be divided. This goes beyond mutual respect and understanding, and it isn’t easy: there are disagreements in political analysis, tactics, and approach that mean that not every relationship and alliance will last. But we also have to understand that mistakes and missteps will definitely happen, and do everything we can to keep them from being breaking points in important work toward the future we deserve. This means being uncomfortable sometimes and not only for Jewish people: no woman, person of color, transgender or nonbinary person has always felt 100% safe and comfortable in diverse organizations and coalitions, even those working toward a more just and equitable future. Whether we are Jewish or not, we’ve all been exposed to noxious antisemitism in our society, and unlearning it is a process—there will be setbacks. But the only way things get better is when we address and work through them together. Keep showing up.
