by Moriel Rothman-ZecherMay 2, 201612:30

21 Tweets on antisemitism, anti-Zionism, current UK discourse & more.

I’ve been asked to put some of my tweets on antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and current UK discourse around the issues together into a blogpost or article. I don’t think I have the time or spiritual/mental capacity to make it into a fully-baked piece at the moment, and there is also a part of me that cherishes the off-the-cuffness and wobbliness of Twitter, too. So I’m going to post the tweets, in order, here, and perhaps circle back to this at a later juncture, and turn it into something more textually filled out. In the meantime, though, this:

1. Hello. I’m Mori. I’m Jewish. I do not self-define as a Zionist.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

2. I spent some time in jail for refusing to enlist in the IDF, am currently active in organizing anti-occupation campaigns & groups

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

3. I despise the fact that I felt like I had to write 1 & 2 so certain people would listen to me re: antisemitism.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

4. But I did feel that way.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

5. Antisemitism is a real and severe problem in a lot of Europe, including in the UK (Left & Right, btw). Not just then. Now.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

6. The past doesn’t just disappear. Any serious progressive organizer knows that.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

7. Anti-Zionism need not have anything to do with antisemitism. See, for example: Palestinians.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

8. But saying you are an anti-Zionist does not immunize you against veering into antisemitism. See, for example, Livingstone.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

9. Livingstone: ''Literally, during the 47 years I've been in the Labour Party, I've never heard anyone say anything anti-Semitic."

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

10. That is (literally) something that could be said only be someone who views antisemitism as a myth, ie, who has bought into antisemitism

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

*”by,” not “be”

11. I believe people not only can but should simultaneously oppose antisemitism and oppose Israel’s brutal oppression of Palestinians

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

12. Not just lip service. Actual opposition to both.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

13. Multiple truths can exist one. They do.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

14. Taking one struggle seriously should not mean forsaking the other. Rather the opposite is true.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

15. We are fighting, after all, for a less bigoted and more free world, right?

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

16. That’s all.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

Then, along the way, I forgot how to count, and skipped 17.

18. Actually I'm not done. A few more. If you're a right-winger crowing about how the Left is antitsemitic, kindly shut up.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

19. You're damaging the cause of actually combatting antisemitism.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

20. And don't get me started on your buddies, John Hagee & @CUFI, etc.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

21. If your reaction to bigotry – of any sort – is anything but pain, than you're not actually concerned about the bigotry.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

22. Ok. Now that's actually all for now.

— Mori Rothman-Zecher (@Moriel_RZ) May 1, 2016

10Comments

Add yours

1

Moriel Rothman-Zecher on May 4, 2016 at 15:42

Thank you, Sylvia. Much appreciated, as always.
Warmly,
Mori
2

Moriel Rothman-Zecher on May 4, 2016 at 15:41

Stephanie,

Regarding your initial comment, about “the big bigotry issue,” would you reply to a post about discrimination against Latinos in the US, say, by saying, ‘actually, anti-Black racism is worse?’

Second, never have I argued, nor would I, that people should pay attention to antisemitism instead of Islamophobia, or that it should be given more focus. But that doesn’t mean that there can’t be space to think about antisemitism in its own right, without downplaying it by saying, “but there are far worse problems.” If that were our metric for issues we spoke about, no one would ever be able to speak about anything, no?

Finally, and most centrally: Right-wing bigotry, like Goldsmith’s, does not startle or surprise me. I expect it. It is part of the reason I am so fervently not a member of the right-wing, anywhere, and so dearly cling to my identification with the Left. So too with right-wing antisemitism. I do not feel that right-wingers are my conversation partners, in this discourse or in most.

But – and here, I think, is the crux of it- I expect better from the left, when it comes to bigotry and discrimination, including antisemitism, in all of its obscure forms, as well as its blatant ones. Perhaps my expectation of the Left to be better is naive, but perhaps not. Either way, I am committed to continuing the discourse with my communities on the left, based on the values we share.
3

Moriel Rothman-Zecher on May 4, 2016 at 15:31

Paul,

I don’t claim to be an expert on the backstory, and some of what you say may indeed be background to all of this, and yet: The statements being pointed out, like those by Ken Livingstone, are genuinely filled with antisemitism, and that can not be chalked up to an anti-Labour conspiracy. The bigotry needs to be addressed head on – I think that that would strengthen the left, rather than weaken it.

As to the ‘key tweet’ you recommend, I believe that tweets 18, 19 and 21 directly address any strain of Zionist thinking that thinks in such a way about antisemitism.
4

Stephanie Krayer on May 3, 2016 at 19:16

Paul Seligman speaks a lot of what is in my mind. I’d add that it might be wise to treat reports of antisemitism being a ‘severe problem’ in Europe with great caution. My own perception is that Islamophobia is the big bigotry issue – closely followed by general xenophobia and especially refugee-ophobia. There’s Ken Livingstone – and then, for instance, there’s Zac Goldsmith,Tory candidate for London mayor, whose campaign has consisted largely of smearing the (Muslim) Labour candidate in various ways, but particularly with insinuations of links with terrorism. Having said that, Mori, I fervently support your view that taking one struggle seriously should not mean forsaking the other(s). We are all one race.
5

Moriel Rothman-Zecher on May 3, 2016 at 14:17

David – with your first point, that a Jew shouldn’t have to declare herself as a non-Zionist in order to be heard speaking out against antisemitism: I 100% agree. And your second point also resonates. You’ll find some echoes of that sentiment in my recent piece, on Salonica: https://thelefternwall.com/2016/03/27/reflections-on-bigotry-history-and-decency-from-salonica-ke-fue-la-madre-de-israel/
6

Paul Seligman on May 3, 2016 at 01:45

What’s happening in UK is much more complex and vicious than these ‘tweets’ can reflect. We have a convergence of interests between Israel, which decided some time ago to make defeating Palestine Solidarity and BDS movement here a priority and is now implementing a major initiative to do so (including Mark Regev as Ambassador), AND various people interested in weakening or destroying either the Labour Party as a whole (the Conservative Government, which in February, sent a Minister to Israel to announce the new policy of making ethical procurement effectively illegal in any body receiving public funds), the right wing in general, the right wing in the Labour Party (most of the Parliamentary party) and others who are prepared to do anything to defeat their own leadership, the US which won’t want a Labour Party opposed to Trident to flourish…. and that’s only the start of the story.

A key tweet should point out how much Zionism welcomes real – or imagined/exaggerated – anti-Semitism and historically has at times encouraged it or simulated. Ant-Semitism both validates the Zionist ideology and provides an environment where more Jews can be encouraged to emigrate to Israel with consequences you know.
7

David Goodman on May 2, 2016 at 19:25

Thank you, Moriel. Let me add that a Jew shouldn’t have to declare her/himself a non-Zionist to be heard speaking out against anti-Semitism. Further, while a Jew or a Palestinian labeling him/herself anti-Zionist requires no explanation, a non-Palestinian, non-Jew has to overcome a burden of proof of why Jewish self-determination in part of Israel/Palestine is so offensive to their moral sensibilities.
8

Moriel Rothman-Zecher on May 2, 2016 at 12:54

Thanks, Amber – and for the defense of Twitter. I wobble re: the medium itself, as well, but I think it’s sometimes great.
9

Sylvia Litvack on May 2, 2016 at 12:54

Well said, as usual, Mori. Also liked the blogpost you translated on the myths of the Left. I’m sure you’re tired but don’t give up. We need you.
Best .

Sylvia.
10

Amber on May 2, 2016 at 12:52

Loved this. Thanks for sharing. I agree with you about the wobbliness of Twitter. It’s not my chosen forum, but sometimes, it’s nice reading thoughts in snippets, or in a 21 series of snippets. Keep typing and tweeting. It’s encouraging.

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