Blow your shofar at antisemites, but be strategic

Ever been confronted by antisemitism, and instead of arguing logically, simply kept quiet out of shock or for fear of responding inadequately?

As the piercing sounds of the shofar mark the approach of Rosh Hashanah, we’re reminded that we have a voice that cannot be silenced. But tackling antisemitic comments starts with learning how and when to respond.

“For Jews, the most important part of speaking up in the face of antisemitism is to make sure you’re educated,” says Ben Freeman, the founder of the modern Jewish Pride movement, and an educator of Jewish identity, combatting Jew-hatred, and raising Holocaust awareness. “There’s a vast amount of information out there, some of it false, so it can be hard to decipher fact from fiction. It’s crucial that we arm ourselves with knowledge and truth.”

When we’re confronted by antisemitism, it’s important to navigate the fine line between facts and emotion that naturally arises.

Says Freeman, “Though we want to avoid getting angry and shouting at people, we’re allowed to demonstrate that this is an emotional issue for us, and one that has a direct impact on us. It helps to understand the key myths propagated by those who wish to malign us, for example, the false maps of Palestinian land being stolen from Israel. We have to know what’s being said about us, and be able to counter it factually.”

Yitz Santis, a senior writer and analyst at StandWithUs, an international Israel advocacy organisation which educates people about Israel and fighting antisemitism, echoes Freeman’s call to steer away from anger in such situations.

“Always avoid making personal insults. Don’t call someone ‘ignorant’, ‘stupid’, or ‘uneducated’, even if they are. Your target audience isn’t the person you’re arguing with. Rather, you’re trying to reach those witnessing the discussion. Generally, the person who resorts to name calling does so because they don’t have an argument.”

Rather than responding to antisemitism or anti-Israel propaganda, he suggests reframing the discussion. One tactic is the “ARM” method in which you:

• Briefly and honestly address their point;
• Reframe it by structuring the issue on your own terms; and
• Constructively reinforce your message.

Though we can and should defend ourselves when faced with antisemitism, we must assess the situation to establish how and whether to respond. “If it’s clear that you’re confronting a malicious antisemite, arguing is a waste of time,” says Santis. “They’re baiting you and claiming a right to interrogate you. Don’t fall into that trap. Be strategic, and choose your battles wisely.”

Freeman says you shouldn’t respond to someone who doesn’t approach the conversation with openness and respect. Should you feel at physical risk, he says, definitely don’t engage. It also depends on the context in which the conversation occurs.

Sixteen-year-old King David Victory Park student, Liana Wes, is rarely at a loss for words, but she says she was too shocked to respond eloquently when a debating coach from a rival school made a blatantly anti-Israel comment. Though it wasn’t necessarily antisemitic, it made Wes very uncomfortable.

“As debating is quite a formal extracurricular activity, we wear our blazers, and on mine, I have a badge that says ‘Israel Quiz’ because that’s an activity I participate in,” she says. “One day, I was at a debate early, and we were talking to the coaches of other teams and one of them asked what Israel Quiz was. While I was explaining, another coach said, ‘Is it not called illegally-occupied Palestine quiz?’”

“I was flabbergasted that a professional debating coach, an adult teacher, said this to me. I was stuttering a bit, and explaining that they try to teach us as much of both sides as possible, and I tried to disengage from the conversation. I thought afterwards of all the [more confrontational] ways I could have responded, but I didn’t want to get myself or my school into trouble by starting a fight with a coach from another school.”

“Ultimately, you have to know that even if you’re a passionate Jew with Jewish Pride, you’re allowed not to participate in difficult conversations all the time,” says Freeman. “You must always take care of yourself.”

In general, though, an overarching code of silence in the face of antisemitism isn’t the answer. “Jews are often taught to keep their heads down and downplay our differences,” says Freeman. “This is false. Jews are allowed to talk about Jew-hate whenever and wherever it appears. If we choose not to, then the lies told about us go unchallenged, we further embed the idea that we should keep our mouths shut in our own minds, and we fail to stand up and reclaim our dignity.”

We also need to consider the underlying causes of antisemitic rhetoric, says Santis. “Don’t assume everyone is a malicious antisemite. Many people are simply ignorant, and can change if you engage them constructively about antisemitism.”

A common issue that comes up when discussing antisemitism is anti-Zionism – something South African Jews often encounter – and to what extent the two are aligned. “Avoid labelling all critics of Israeli policies as antisemites,” says Santis. “Criticism of Israel isn’t necessarily antisemitic. But, when it’s obvious that someone is using antisemitic tropes, call it out, and explain why.”

Addressing a question on this at his recent talk at Limmud Johannesburg, American journalist Yair Rosenberg, a frequent commentator and speaker on the issue of antisemitism in the modern era, suggested ways to establish when anti-Zionism enters antisemitic territory. “You have to judge in the moment by determining what the person’s intent is,” he said.

Though it’s hard to respond in the moment, having arguments at the ready gives you confidence, especially when it comes to establishing when anti-Zionism is antisemitic. “Everyone will say, ‘I’m the good kind of anti-Zionist, I’m just a principled anti-nationalist, and I don’t think any nation state should exist’,” he said. “In response to this, ask, ‘Are you interested in any other state being disestablished other than the Jewish one?’”

A clear-cut example, he said, is when anti-Zionists compare Israelis to Nazis. Respond by saying, ‘So you think that whatever Israel is doing to the Palestinians is equivalent to the Nazis? Then you must definitely think that Bashar al-Assad, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-Un are Nazis. Yet, you haven’t called any of those people Nazis, the only people who you call Nazis are the people who were murdered by the Nazis, and their descendants. That’s really weird.’

“Almost every person who does this,” says Rosenberg, “calls only Jews Nazis. It’s clearly about brutalising Jews with their own trauma. So, though one must acknowledge that anti-Zionism isn’t always antisemitism, it’s also important to be able to show people when it’s becoming antisemitism, and explain why.”

Tackling an antisemitic incident is a complex issue without a “one-size-fits-all” response, says Professor Karen Milner, the Gauteng chairperson of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD). “However, should any member of our community be on the receiving end of any form of antisemitism, they should immediately get in touch with the SAJBD which is here to offer appropriate support and resolution.”