About 10 years ago, I found myself countering a young journalist who was framing the BDS movement in antisemitic terms. I used an analogy that showed that being Jewish didn't mean uncritical support of Israel, and that in equating the two, he was crossing that line into antisemitism. He (who was incredibly condescending anyway) didn't believe me. But I've been thinking about that conversation, because my argument has been totally undercut since Oct. 7, as so many American Jews (and now Congress?) have identified criticism of Israel AS antisemitism. I still hold that that is an antisemitic stance. But when you think about how Israel needs antisemitism in order to have a righteous enemy, it makes more sense.
Rabbi Sandra, thank you as always for your timely and perceptive teaching. In every instance, those who seek to divide us along lines of race, color, religion, ethnicity, or anything else always have a bad agenda. Only solidarity and mutual respect are the way forward.
Thank you, from a brown Jew. That final paragraph is gold: This is what solidarity actually looks like—not ignoring each other's struggles or competing for who has it worse, but doing the hard work of building trust across difference. When we challenge antisemitism while also confronting our own complicity in racism, we're modeling the kind of mutual accountability that real coalition work requires. We're showing that fighting for Jewish safety and fighting for racial justice aren't competing goals—they're part of the same struggle for a world where all of us can be free.
Rabbi, I appreciate your perspective on this and many other issues.
That said, when I read your assertion that we can hold our fellow progressives accountable for their antisemitic actions, I found myself thinking “can we though?” I’ve been a proud progressive for more than 20 years, but over the last 8 I’ve been more and more concerned. I’ve never once been successful in convincing someone who was engaging in antisemitism that they were doing so. Instead, my Jewish neighbors and I are continually pushed out of progressive spaces. In some cases harassed thereafter.
I remain committed to the fight for social justice, but I am afraid to show up as myself.
We ought to be clear-eyed that antisemitism is never Israel’s fault. Historically, you’re right but today in 2025 Jews are attacked all over the world by left-wingers and the synagogue nearest me was vandalized with “Free Palestine…” and “Globalize the Intifada…”
I am striving to listen to understand and not to respond. Before saying anything more I want to acknowledge my positionality: Socialized white, straight cisgender male, Jewish-adjacent (my wife is Jewish)/Lapsed Lutheran. I understand that these words take up a lot of space. And, for that, I ask the grace of Rabbi Sandra. My intention is not to take up the space of the mediocre white man, but to truly understand what it is that I am supposed to be doing. And maybe this is like asking Blacks to teach me about my own racism. And if that's true, I want to hear that and I will continue my own research.
I've been thinking about these issues and the division the current U.S. administration and those advising it want to sow on the left in the U.S. The conflation of Israeli governmental actions(with U.S. governmental support. It's always important to remember that Israel cannot do this without the U.S. and others, like Germany who just cut off their sending of weapons) with Judaism or Jewishness is clear cut as antisemitic and treats Jews as monolithic in the same way that all hatred conflates and does not acknowledge nuance. This I understand. 100%.
I have some questions that I am not asking Rabbi Sandra to answer, but perhaps some of y'all who are reading this. These are not rhetorical questions. I have a point of view, for sure, and that will inevitably come through, but I am asking to understand not to troll or assert:
- Rabbi Sandra writes above that "Antisemitism is a persistent hatred of the Jews that has manifested in different forms throughout history and across the political spectrum." I find nothing to disagree with in that definition which hinges on "persistent hatred." And, with that, if we were to go a step further and frame antisemitism in progressive circles the way anti-Black racism is framed in antiracist teachings (racism = prejudice + power), what is the "power" in the antisemitism equation? I see it unequivocally in the rise of White Christian Nationalism within the government. Power defined in all sorts of ways there. Is the power in progressive movements the power of turning away? Excluding? Not acknowledging the pain, grief, and horror of October 7th? What actions are progressive allies, especially (in largely Ashkenazi white-presenting spaces) what actions are Black progressives, supposed to take to care for and remain in community with Jewish allies?
- Working as a white and Jewish-adjacent antiracism co-conspirator I have personally encountered and been, if not attacked, then forcefully and angrily confronted with the narrative embraced by many white-presenting Ashkenazi Jewish progressives that antisemitism is the "first and worst" form of prejudice and oppression. This claim is not without historical evidence, of course, and I have tried to educate myself regarding this narrative. Antisemitism stretches far back into recorded history - Ancient Greece and Egypt, for instance, where monotheism itself created a distrust and hatred of Jews. So, I may even be able to agree with the statement that antisemitism is the oldest surviving form of out-group hatred in human history. My question on being confronted with this is always, why is being first in the hierarchy of oppressions desirable or necessary to be acknowledged? The question itself often becomes weaponized in response as evidence of my own antisemitism. And so the narrative is reinforced and I am identified as an antisemitic progressive. Is the question regarding the hierarchy of oppressions antisemitic? Can it be asked in a way that is more curious and compassionate to emphasize that while I have not inherited the generational trauma of that oppression and hatred through history, I am an ally and denounce antisemitism and am sincerely trying to understand the impulse on the part of white-presenting Ashkenazi American Jews to assert their out-group status, first of all, and have it acknowledged each and every time, especially by Blacks in antiracism spaces, before American white-presenting Ashkenazi Jews can move forward with taking action or even engaging in discussion of anti-Black racism. Is the question about the hierarchy of oppressions itself antisemitic?
- Is questioning Zionism and the absolute need for an exclusively Jewish state antisemitic? Am I conflating things by asking that question at all? The absolute need for a Jewish state, an essentially theocratic democracy, expressed among the Jews I am most in relation with, white-presenting Ashkenazi, is also weaponized so that questioning it becomes proof of my antisemitism or the antisemitism of would-be allies in progressive spaces. What other group would we progressives or American white-presenting Ashkenazi Jews advocate as needing their own theocratic state?
Thank you, as always, Rabbi Sandra, for your words and your wisdom and the inclusion of music in your posts which becomes a way to breathe into the ideas you've presented.
Just viewing the title invoked an immediate emotional response. However, after actually reading what you had to say, I can see your position more clearly.
Not that my opinion matters in the greater scope of things, but I get it. I would like to offer a small but significant log for this fire. Misdirected loyalties and a one sided media dialogue have pushed many to a blanket rejection. Let me explain...The mainstream media has not once mentioned the large population of Jewish people actually inside of Israel who were solidly and consistently outspoken against the genocidal agenda of Bibi aka the state of Israel. That representation alone could have shifted the tone of the dialogue from faith, JUDAISM, to a very unpopular political agenda. Simultaneously, the public steadfast embrace of the state of Israel's actions by American Jews constantly tied to the Oct 7 violation by Hamas has rendered the needed dialogue not only impossible but undesired because people on both sides are emotionally driven and locked in. Without the release of that embrace of the Palestinian genocide, most people are never going to talk again.
Now, there's an alligator in the backyard of the cookout complicating matters: tRump administration's constitutional violation of free speech in support of the state of Israel, though those misinformed may see it as help, it is, in fact, a cancer of the worse kind. As a Black man I can not tell you the levels of angst and violation this incites in me, much of which has NOTHING TO DO with Judaism per sé🫤, but can you see the cancer analogy now? It's poisoning your cause. Nothing this man touches is healthy. I've seen younger progressive Jews speak up against it, but their task is mighty and they need the old guard to echo their statements to move the dial. That action by the administration is literally the equivalent of using Jeffrey Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell as the pitchmen for your adolescent sleepaway camp. At one time in America our communities stood united in agendas because our societal positioning was similar.
But it changed, although both communities elevated, the Jewish communities were able to elevate all the way to the other side of the table. Your societal elevation included assimilation. That was NEVER and still isn't available for Black America. The comparably disproportionate (by per capita) legislative influence ( I'm a NYer) has also contributed to some disinformative and some realtime reactive energy within my community that will not die without outreach and genuine dialogue. The history wasn't healed or complete before this issue rose. Accountability and acknowledgement for all sides in this climate is a needed but huge ask. The longer a disease festers, the more difficult the process of curing. And again, this climate is exactly what this administration wants. There is ALWAYS profit to be found in chaos. Nothing more chaotic then blind emotionally fueled hate. The patient (a democratic nation) is dying and our unbridled emotions are spreading the disease. Where do we place the IV?
I am really not trying to argue or start an argument here. I honestly don't understand this issue. Am I just blind to it? I was raised as a Catholic, and my ancestry is Irish and Eastern European. I'm old, and I certainly remember anti-Catholic sentiment as I was growing up, surrounding JFK's election for example. I also remember the first time I saw illustrations of the British comparison of the Irish to monkeys.
I'm really confused by these claims of anti-semitism from progressive thinkers. I hear this refrain, but I just don't see it. I try to stay informed, particularly on Substack, and I try to remain aware of my "silo." Perhaps I should say that I just don't see enough of it that it even deserves a response. I was a child when JFK was elected, but I knew enough to know that the Pope was not going to run the US, and nobody was going to be forced to become Catholic.
Netanyahu's behavior in Palestine is reprehensible. I understand that it's a nuanced situation, but I cannot see a perspective where the October 7, 2023, attacks explain or justify the starving and bombing of thousands of Palestinians--hospitals, women and children, any noncombatants. And I am especially concerned by the Trump administration's stance of attacking and deporting students, and penalizing universities for student protests.
From my perspective, the mainstream Democrat's response to Mamdani is a better example of a worrisome progressive response.
Of course we need to be united in our support of each other across race and creed, and many other parameters. But is the anti-semitism from progressives really significant? The attacks from the right are so egregious. I understand the inclination to clarify that antisemitism, bigotry, and racism are damaging and morally reprehensible from anyone. But when Goliath is in the room, is it important to complain about David's foibles?
It seems to me a lot like the constant complaining about Democratic inaction in the face of nonstop falsehoods and autocratic behavior on the right. The right's behavior is so anti-democratic, monstrous, and cruel, is it important to focus on a vanishingly small group of progressive antisemites--is there even a "group" of progressive antisemites? I'm more inclined to think that they are mistaken or misled than dangerous. Any progressive who thinks that "all" Jews are responsible for the disaster in Israel and Palestine surely doesn't give today's issues enough thought to even deserve the progressive descriptor.
Thank you, I appreciate you putting this so concretely. If a leftist space will tolerate anti-Blackness or anti-Semitism it will not a safe space when the fash show up.
When the fash show up, I want people to know that my dignity is entwined with theirs, and that starts with standing up for others before I stand up for myself.
It’s taken finding a deep well of bravery to speak up for a group I’m not a part of - what if I misunderstood the space and I’m laughed out of the room, or if I get the particulars wrong, or if I say something I picked up online that shouldn’t have been applied to a space where I’m a guest - and what I’ve found is that the worst thing that happens in the rooms I want to be in is the best thing I could hope for: space gets made for the person with the most wisdom to clarify quickly, and we move on.
It’s worth standing up for everyone, and it works. 💜
I agree that reaching out and having discussions to build allies among marginalized groups is essential. Confronting any racism in the Jewish community, too.
However, the argument that antisemitism in progressive spaces is related to right wing antisemitism seems spacious and inaccurate. The most heinous crimes of hate have been from the "Free Palestine" factions including the shootings in DC and the attack in Boulder CO. This hatred has been the result of the far lefts' wholesale swallowing of Hamas and radical Islam propaganda that has taken over university Middle Eastern Studies programs and has perversely hijacked American Civil RIghts language and twisted it, as if it applies to Israel as the White Colonizer Bigot to be taken down in the name of the defenseless Palestinians who hold no responsibility or agency in decission they have deliberately made.
I am going to express an unpopular opinion (and disagree with a rabbi, go figure). But I think it’s more nuanced than the notion that it’s antisemitic to say Jews are responsible for the ongoing genocide in Israel. We are - we have enabled this through ascribing to the supremacy ideology of Zionism. The same way white supremacy ideology is baked into our foundations of the U.S. We can agree that antisemitism is a serious & real issue. And yet I agree with the commenter above who questions where power fits into this equation, and feel that’s missing from this commentary.
Without help, Jews cannot stand alone against right-wing antisemitism.
So the way to fight right-wing antisemitism is to fight left-wing antisemitism, where it is easier because there is at least the declared basis of anti-bigotry, and then with a strong faction, to fight the right.
a Republican candidate for governor of California called Auschwitz a "solution to homelessness.":
1. I have no expectations from his side
2. How do I convince people like him not to be antisemitic?
Criticizing the left, at least there is a glimmer of hope that they will listen. With the right, they will not listen, so you have to fight them, and Jews cannot fight them alone.
and about the race issue: So the harsh criticisms can be directed at white leftists.
to white leftists: i have the expectation from them to work hard on their antisemitism. regarding non white leftists - that's an issue for non white passing jews to deal with.
About 10 years ago, I found myself countering a young journalist who was framing the BDS movement in antisemitic terms. I used an analogy that showed that being Jewish didn't mean uncritical support of Israel, and that in equating the two, he was crossing that line into antisemitism. He (who was incredibly condescending anyway) didn't believe me. But I've been thinking about that conversation, because my argument has been totally undercut since Oct. 7, as so many American Jews (and now Congress?) have identified criticism of Israel AS antisemitism. I still hold that that is an antisemitic stance. But when you think about how Israel needs antisemitism in order to have a righteous enemy, it makes more sense.
Rabbi Sandra, thank you as always for your timely and perceptive teaching. In every instance, those who seek to divide us along lines of race, color, religion, ethnicity, or anything else always have a bad agenda. Only solidarity and mutual respect are the way forward.
Thank you R’ Sandra. You continue to be a powerful voice holding the and naming the complexity.
Thank you
Thank you, from a brown Jew. That final paragraph is gold: This is what solidarity actually looks like—not ignoring each other's struggles or competing for who has it worse, but doing the hard work of building trust across difference. When we challenge antisemitism while also confronting our own complicity in racism, we're modeling the kind of mutual accountability that real coalition work requires. We're showing that fighting for Jewish safety and fighting for racial justice aren't competing goals—they're part of the same struggle for a world where all of us can be free.
Rabbi, I appreciate your perspective on this and many other issues.
That said, when I read your assertion that we can hold our fellow progressives accountable for their antisemitic actions, I found myself thinking “can we though?” I’ve been a proud progressive for more than 20 years, but over the last 8 I’ve been more and more concerned. I’ve never once been successful in convincing someone who was engaging in antisemitism that they were doing so. Instead, my Jewish neighbors and I are continually pushed out of progressive spaces. In some cases harassed thereafter.
I remain committed to the fight for social justice, but I am afraid to show up as myself.
We ought to be clear-eyed that antisemitism is never Israel’s fault. Historically, you’re right but today in 2025 Jews are attacked all over the world by left-wingers and the synagogue nearest me was vandalized with “Free Palestine…” and “Globalize the Intifada…”
I am striving to listen to understand and not to respond. Before saying anything more I want to acknowledge my positionality: Socialized white, straight cisgender male, Jewish-adjacent (my wife is Jewish)/Lapsed Lutheran. I understand that these words take up a lot of space. And, for that, I ask the grace of Rabbi Sandra. My intention is not to take up the space of the mediocre white man, but to truly understand what it is that I am supposed to be doing. And maybe this is like asking Blacks to teach me about my own racism. And if that's true, I want to hear that and I will continue my own research.
I've been thinking about these issues and the division the current U.S. administration and those advising it want to sow on the left in the U.S. The conflation of Israeli governmental actions(with U.S. governmental support. It's always important to remember that Israel cannot do this without the U.S. and others, like Germany who just cut off their sending of weapons) with Judaism or Jewishness is clear cut as antisemitic and treats Jews as monolithic in the same way that all hatred conflates and does not acknowledge nuance. This I understand. 100%.
I have some questions that I am not asking Rabbi Sandra to answer, but perhaps some of y'all who are reading this. These are not rhetorical questions. I have a point of view, for sure, and that will inevitably come through, but I am asking to understand not to troll or assert:
- Rabbi Sandra writes above that "Antisemitism is a persistent hatred of the Jews that has manifested in different forms throughout history and across the political spectrum." I find nothing to disagree with in that definition which hinges on "persistent hatred." And, with that, if we were to go a step further and frame antisemitism in progressive circles the way anti-Black racism is framed in antiracist teachings (racism = prejudice + power), what is the "power" in the antisemitism equation? I see it unequivocally in the rise of White Christian Nationalism within the government. Power defined in all sorts of ways there. Is the power in progressive movements the power of turning away? Excluding? Not acknowledging the pain, grief, and horror of October 7th? What actions are progressive allies, especially (in largely Ashkenazi white-presenting spaces) what actions are Black progressives, supposed to take to care for and remain in community with Jewish allies?
- Working as a white and Jewish-adjacent antiracism co-conspirator I have personally encountered and been, if not attacked, then forcefully and angrily confronted with the narrative embraced by many white-presenting Ashkenazi Jewish progressives that antisemitism is the "first and worst" form of prejudice and oppression. This claim is not without historical evidence, of course, and I have tried to educate myself regarding this narrative. Antisemitism stretches far back into recorded history - Ancient Greece and Egypt, for instance, where monotheism itself created a distrust and hatred of Jews. So, I may even be able to agree with the statement that antisemitism is the oldest surviving form of out-group hatred in human history. My question on being confronted with this is always, why is being first in the hierarchy of oppressions desirable or necessary to be acknowledged? The question itself often becomes weaponized in response as evidence of my own antisemitism. And so the narrative is reinforced and I am identified as an antisemitic progressive. Is the question regarding the hierarchy of oppressions antisemitic? Can it be asked in a way that is more curious and compassionate to emphasize that while I have not inherited the generational trauma of that oppression and hatred through history, I am an ally and denounce antisemitism and am sincerely trying to understand the impulse on the part of white-presenting Ashkenazi American Jews to assert their out-group status, first of all, and have it acknowledged each and every time, especially by Blacks in antiracism spaces, before American white-presenting Ashkenazi Jews can move forward with taking action or even engaging in discussion of anti-Black racism. Is the question about the hierarchy of oppressions itself antisemitic?
- Is questioning Zionism and the absolute need for an exclusively Jewish state antisemitic? Am I conflating things by asking that question at all? The absolute need for a Jewish state, an essentially theocratic democracy, expressed among the Jews I am most in relation with, white-presenting Ashkenazi, is also weaponized so that questioning it becomes proof of my antisemitism or the antisemitism of would-be allies in progressive spaces. What other group would we progressives or American white-presenting Ashkenazi Jews advocate as needing their own theocratic state?
Thank you, as always, Rabbi Sandra, for your words and your wisdom and the inclusion of music in your posts which becomes a way to breathe into the ideas you've presented.
Just viewing the title invoked an immediate emotional response. However, after actually reading what you had to say, I can see your position more clearly.
Not that my opinion matters in the greater scope of things, but I get it. I would like to offer a small but significant log for this fire. Misdirected loyalties and a one sided media dialogue have pushed many to a blanket rejection. Let me explain...The mainstream media has not once mentioned the large population of Jewish people actually inside of Israel who were solidly and consistently outspoken against the genocidal agenda of Bibi aka the state of Israel. That representation alone could have shifted the tone of the dialogue from faith, JUDAISM, to a very unpopular political agenda. Simultaneously, the public steadfast embrace of the state of Israel's actions by American Jews constantly tied to the Oct 7 violation by Hamas has rendered the needed dialogue not only impossible but undesired because people on both sides are emotionally driven and locked in. Without the release of that embrace of the Palestinian genocide, most people are never going to talk again.
Now, there's an alligator in the backyard of the cookout complicating matters: tRump administration's constitutional violation of free speech in support of the state of Israel, though those misinformed may see it as help, it is, in fact, a cancer of the worse kind. As a Black man I can not tell you the levels of angst and violation this incites in me, much of which has NOTHING TO DO with Judaism per sé🫤, but can you see the cancer analogy now? It's poisoning your cause. Nothing this man touches is healthy. I've seen younger progressive Jews speak up against it, but their task is mighty and they need the old guard to echo their statements to move the dial. That action by the administration is literally the equivalent of using Jeffrey Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell as the pitchmen for your adolescent sleepaway camp. At one time in America our communities stood united in agendas because our societal positioning was similar.
But it changed, although both communities elevated, the Jewish communities were able to elevate all the way to the other side of the table. Your societal elevation included assimilation. That was NEVER and still isn't available for Black America. The comparably disproportionate (by per capita) legislative influence ( I'm a NYer) has also contributed to some disinformative and some realtime reactive energy within my community that will not die without outreach and genuine dialogue. The history wasn't healed or complete before this issue rose. Accountability and acknowledgement for all sides in this climate is a needed but huge ask. The longer a disease festers, the more difficult the process of curing. And again, this climate is exactly what this administration wants. There is ALWAYS profit to be found in chaos. Nothing more chaotic then blind emotionally fueled hate. The patient (a democratic nation) is dying and our unbridled emotions are spreading the disease. Where do we place the IV?
🤔(That was a lot, sorry)
🖤🫵🏿😎☕️...
I am really not trying to argue or start an argument here. I honestly don't understand this issue. Am I just blind to it? I was raised as a Catholic, and my ancestry is Irish and Eastern European. I'm old, and I certainly remember anti-Catholic sentiment as I was growing up, surrounding JFK's election for example. I also remember the first time I saw illustrations of the British comparison of the Irish to monkeys.
I'm really confused by these claims of anti-semitism from progressive thinkers. I hear this refrain, but I just don't see it. I try to stay informed, particularly on Substack, and I try to remain aware of my "silo." Perhaps I should say that I just don't see enough of it that it even deserves a response. I was a child when JFK was elected, but I knew enough to know that the Pope was not going to run the US, and nobody was going to be forced to become Catholic.
Netanyahu's behavior in Palestine is reprehensible. I understand that it's a nuanced situation, but I cannot see a perspective where the October 7, 2023, attacks explain or justify the starving and bombing of thousands of Palestinians--hospitals, women and children, any noncombatants. And I am especially concerned by the Trump administration's stance of attacking and deporting students, and penalizing universities for student protests.
From my perspective, the mainstream Democrat's response to Mamdani is a better example of a worrisome progressive response.
Of course we need to be united in our support of each other across race and creed, and many other parameters. But is the anti-semitism from progressives really significant? The attacks from the right are so egregious. I understand the inclination to clarify that antisemitism, bigotry, and racism are damaging and morally reprehensible from anyone. But when Goliath is in the room, is it important to complain about David's foibles?
It seems to me a lot like the constant complaining about Democratic inaction in the face of nonstop falsehoods and autocratic behavior on the right. The right's behavior is so anti-democratic, monstrous, and cruel, is it important to focus on a vanishingly small group of progressive antisemites--is there even a "group" of progressive antisemites? I'm more inclined to think that they are mistaken or misled than dangerous. Any progressive who thinks that "all" Jews are responsible for the disaster in Israel and Palestine surely doesn't give today's issues enough thought to even deserve the progressive descriptor.
Thank you, I appreciate you putting this so concretely. If a leftist space will tolerate anti-Blackness or anti-Semitism it will not a safe space when the fash show up.
When the fash show up, I want people to know that my dignity is entwined with theirs, and that starts with standing up for others before I stand up for myself.
It’s taken finding a deep well of bravery to speak up for a group I’m not a part of - what if I misunderstood the space and I’m laughed out of the room, or if I get the particulars wrong, or if I say something I picked up online that shouldn’t have been applied to a space where I’m a guest - and what I’ve found is that the worst thing that happens in the rooms I want to be in is the best thing I could hope for: space gets made for the person with the most wisdom to clarify quickly, and we move on.
It’s worth standing up for everyone, and it works. 💜
I agree that reaching out and having discussions to build allies among marginalized groups is essential. Confronting any racism in the Jewish community, too.
However, the argument that antisemitism in progressive spaces is related to right wing antisemitism seems spacious and inaccurate. The most heinous crimes of hate have been from the "Free Palestine" factions including the shootings in DC and the attack in Boulder CO. This hatred has been the result of the far lefts' wholesale swallowing of Hamas and radical Islam propaganda that has taken over university Middle Eastern Studies programs and has perversely hijacked American Civil RIghts language and twisted it, as if it applies to Israel as the White Colonizer Bigot to be taken down in the name of the defenseless Palestinians who hold no responsibility or agency in decission they have deliberately made.
Thank you for this very straightforward and intersectional reminder that progressives' work is never finished like they sometimes think it is.
I am going to express an unpopular opinion (and disagree with a rabbi, go figure). But I think it’s more nuanced than the notion that it’s antisemitic to say Jews are responsible for the ongoing genocide in Israel. We are - we have enabled this through ascribing to the supremacy ideology of Zionism. The same way white supremacy ideology is baked into our foundations of the U.S. We can agree that antisemitism is a serious & real issue. And yet I agree with the commenter above who questions where power fits into this equation, and feel that’s missing from this commentary.
Without help, Jews cannot stand alone against right-wing antisemitism.
So the way to fight right-wing antisemitism is to fight left-wing antisemitism, where it is easier because there is at least the declared basis of anti-bigotry, and then with a strong faction, to fight the right.
a Republican candidate for governor of California called Auschwitz a "solution to homelessness.":
1. I have no expectations from his side
2. How do I convince people like him not to be antisemitic?
Criticizing the left, at least there is a glimmer of hope that they will listen. With the right, they will not listen, so you have to fight them, and Jews cannot fight them alone.
and about the race issue: So the harsh criticisms can be directed at white leftists.
to white leftists: i have the expectation from them to work hard on their antisemitism. regarding non white leftists - that's an issue for non white passing jews to deal with.
Thank you Rabbi