Why the “genocide” libel is a personal attack on both Israel and Judaism. And why Mamdani and El-Sayed should avoid the Farrakhanization of their rhetoric and the use of poisonous epithets.
Fascinating column, Rabbi. When I read about Farrakhan I think James Baldwin had it right in his book “Negroes are Antisemitic Because They are Anti White”. It came from the ghetto where there were Jewish exploiters from slum lords participating in the capitalist structure that suppresses black people. For the most part this form of antisemitism seems to have broken now with the election of a black central Democrats over progressives
The other thing about him is that he was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer over 30 years ago so how is it.
Rabbi, I am not Jewish. I am an old white woman who identifies with the values of the Unitarain Universalists. It is wrong for anyone to malign others on the basis of race, religion, sex, etc. So of course, Farrakhan's position is wrong. However, I don't understand what Farrakhan has to do with what Netanayu is perpetrating in Gaza. Are we not to see what we are seeing there? Not to call it out for what it is because of the antisemitic position of Farrakhan? For what purpose do you conflate the two? Antisemitism is wrong. So is denying the wrong of the treatment of the Palestinian people of Gaza by Netanayu. Doing so is not antisemitic.
Thanks for your comment. I'm saying you can call out Netanyahu all your want. I do too. But the specific use of the term "genocide" as a political lance, a taunt, is what I fund t be out of bounds. In part because it distracts from the concerns you state here. Call it out, absolutely. Scrutinize and look for the truth. Don't whitewash but also don't sensentionalize. It's a complicated reality and much of it does not point to genocide. When people jump to use that word, factors are at play that point toward a desire to brand an entire nation rather than seek justice. i'm just saying that we should be careful who we are branding and how we are doing it. Thanks again!
Shalom! The name-calling has to stop, and the rule of law is needed. Not just in Israel, but all around the world. Leaders have to stop using war and violence to gain land and political power. Israel is the birthplace of all three monotheistic religions and should be shared equally and not controlled by any religion, but by a government that is not religiously aligned, called the separation of church and state. At this time, it does not exist in Israel. Far-right and fundamentalist groups believe their religion should be the only religion in power and in control because it is superior to all other religions and they are superior to all others. This is the problem, not Judaism, Islam, or Christianity!
You hear "genocide" but I suspect that for many people they are thinking "ethnic cleansing," which you have acknowledged as a failure by the current Israeli leadership. And are you sure the term "genocide" is only related to the Holocaust? I'm pretty sure its used for colonial elimination of indigenous people and the Armenian persecutions, just to mention a few. It's usage well may be an indicator of broader antisemitism, but to the extent that the term is directly tied to condemnation of the current behavior of the Israeli government to the Palestinians, it should be read as that.
Fascinating column, Rabbi. When I read about Farrakhan I think James Baldwin had it right in his book “Negroes are Antisemitic Because They are Anti White”. It came from the ghetto where there were Jewish exploiters from slum lords participating in the capitalist structure that suppresses black people. For the most part this form of antisemitism seems to have broken now with the election of a black central Democrats over progressives
The other thing about him is that he was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer over 30 years ago so how is it.
Rabbi, I am not Jewish. I am an old white woman who identifies with the values of the Unitarain Universalists. It is wrong for anyone to malign others on the basis of race, religion, sex, etc. So of course, Farrakhan's position is wrong. However, I don't understand what Farrakhan has to do with what Netanayu is perpetrating in Gaza. Are we not to see what we are seeing there? Not to call it out for what it is because of the antisemitic position of Farrakhan? For what purpose do you conflate the two? Antisemitism is wrong. So is denying the wrong of the treatment of the Palestinian people of Gaza by Netanayu. Doing so is not antisemitic.
Thanks for your comment. I'm saying you can call out Netanyahu all your want. I do too. But the specific use of the term "genocide" as a political lance, a taunt, is what I fund t be out of bounds. In part because it distracts from the concerns you state here. Call it out, absolutely. Scrutinize and look for the truth. Don't whitewash but also don't sensentionalize. It's a complicated reality and much of it does not point to genocide. When people jump to use that word, factors are at play that point toward a desire to brand an entire nation rather than seek justice. i'm just saying that we should be careful who we are branding and how we are doing it. Thanks again!
Hi ... I'm guessing you know about this NYT article by a professor from your alma mater:
Opinion | I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It. - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/opinion/israel-gaza-holocaust-genocide-palestinians.html
At some point in your missives I'd be interested to hear your comments on that. Thanks.
Shalom! The name-calling has to stop, and the rule of law is needed. Not just in Israel, but all around the world. Leaders have to stop using war and violence to gain land and political power. Israel is the birthplace of all three monotheistic religions and should be shared equally and not controlled by any religion, but by a government that is not religiously aligned, called the separation of church and state. At this time, it does not exist in Israel. Far-right and fundamentalist groups believe their religion should be the only religion in power and in control because it is superior to all other religions and they are superior to all others. This is the problem, not Judaism, Islam, or Christianity!
You hear "genocide" but I suspect that for many people they are thinking "ethnic cleansing," which you have acknowledged as a failure by the current Israeli leadership. And are you sure the term "genocide" is only related to the Holocaust? I'm pretty sure its used for colonial elimination of indigenous people and the Armenian persecutions, just to mention a few. It's usage well may be an indicator of broader antisemitism, but to the extent that the term is directly tied to condemnation of the current behavior of the Israeli government to the Palestinians, it should be read as that.