People from many different political perspectives all contribute to a dominant narrative
about antisemitism: a deep, fundamental story that we tell in many ways and through many
means. This dominant narrative isn’t the story we necessarily believe is true, or one that
aligns with our political analysis—indeed, in many ways, it contradicts that analysis.
The dominant story says that:
Antisemitism is...
a timeless, static force that has existed throughout time and will exist in perpetuity;
Antisemitism targets...
Jews as the root cause of society’s problems;
Anyone could be...
a source of antisemitism, so vigilance and mistrust—especially of non-Jewish people—is warranted and even necessary; and
Antisemitism is a unique form of...
oppression that is fundamentally different from and disconnected from all others, and therefore must be addressed in isolation from all other forms of oppression.
Beyond a Personal Trait
Sometimes we refer to antisemitism as a binary personal trait—a person either is an antisemite or is not one. And sometimes we refer to antisemitism as a form of “hate.” Both of these linguistic patterns presume that antisemitism is primarily an interpersonal problem—something that is in someone’s heart, with no particular motivation except interpersonal animus. Of course, this also suggests that someone cannot “be antisemitic” if they do not hold personal animus toward Jewish people. This is a dangerous misstatement of the nature of antisemitism because it reduces a historic, politicized, and violent system of oppression to something that is merely a matter of how individuals personally feel toward Jews.
Antisemitism as Agent
Antisemitism is often given agency and described as causing problems itself, absent the need for any human actors. For example, “The job of antisemitism is . . .” or “Antisemitism has found a home in . . .” This contributes to the feeling of helplessness among anyone who wishes to address antisemitism: when problems are not caused by people, it is very difficult to believe that people are capable of solving them. Further, it presumes that there is no reason for antisemitism to exist: it simply exists. This obscures the political and systemic nature of antisemitism and shields those individuals and movements who use antisemitism for specific political, material, or spiritual gain.
By presenting the problem as if it has neither a clear purpose nor a solution, this dominant narrative and the language that contributes to it leaves Jewish audiences feeling afraid, isolated, frustrated, mistrustful, and hopeless, and therefore less likely to join together with people across lines of difference to end antisemitism together with other forms of oppression.
What We Know To Be True
It is often a form of conspiracy theory used to generate fear and division;
It is distinct but connected to other forms of identity-based oppression and present in all sectors of American society;
It harms Jewish people and all of us; and
We can and must dismantle it as part of our struggle for collective liberation.
It is a form of systemic oppression with a specific function—usually to deflect blame for hardships, to discredit leaders or institutions, or to create an imagined “enemy from within” used to justify removing or damaging fundamental freedoms and democratic institutions (like freedom of speech or the right to vote);
