I truly wish I knew the mechanism to make that happen. I do tell anyone who will listen to read your articles. I know Eve Barlow is trying to find a way to reach university students and Brianna Wu who has a real platform is a pretty outspoken ally. Now, how to get all of you to Wonder Twins activate?!
Can you imagine the pro genocide for Jews education system twisting themselves into knots, nickers in a twist, absolutely apoplectic over Pats logical writing?
Yet another brilliant column, Pat. How do you do it?
Three comments.
1. Nirenberg‘s book on anti-Judaism: essential reading for anyone who wants to delve a bit more deeply.
2. "... that’s what “anti-Zionism” means: No Israel. No Jewish state. Jewish statelessness." In addition, for many or most anti-Zionists, it also means the outcome of a lot of dead Jews.
3. "Jewish people“: you Pat of all people mean well about us Jews. But this phrase is unnecessary in most contexts except where it’s singular, i.e. “the Jewish people“. Some people mistakenly think that the words "Jew" or "Jews" are derogatory, which they are not. "Jewish people“ is required by the New York Times style book, apparently, but “Jew“ and “Jews“ are just fine. But (and it isn’t there always a but?), “Jew" as a verb is very derogatory. Jon Stewart doesn’t say “I’m Jewish“, which he says is too indefinite-sounding; he says rather "I’m Jewy“.
Thanks! Wow -- this piece was going to have a whole thing addressing the idea that "jew" has been turned into a bad word, just as Zionist has been misdefined. But I decided to address it separately! You are exactly right, of course. Do you know the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" piece on this? It's hilarious. I'll include it when I address the topic.
On second thought, scrub my observation about Jon Stewart. A long time ago he was Jewy and funny. Now he’s Jewy but kinda antithetical to Israel and Zionism.
No Antisemites” …& I was very confused. I wanted to tell them that I think they meant “AntiZionists”, but I realized they were probably just hateful fools. Thank you for this amazing post!
Pat, I absolutely love your article. My only nit to pick with you is where you describe Israel as a "secular democracy with legal equality for minorities." Israel is a democracy with legal equality for minorities, but it is not secular. Consider transportation. The buses in Jerusalem do not operate on the Jewish sabbath, nor does the flag carrier of Israel (ElAl). Of course, this is not terribly different from the Canada I grew up in, where stores had to be closed on Sundays. But I would not class either one as secular.
Interesting clarification. I'm also Canadian -- does the fact that Christmas is a statutory holiday make us not secular? Maybe there is some debate. If so, there is probably no such thing as a secular state.
The United States is and has always been secular but for a long time stores were closed on Sunday. Deference to the Jewish religion in Jerusalem does not mean the state isn't secular. The vast majority of Jews in Israel do not follow Jewish religious law at all.
Thank you for your words! You say it all so succinctly! Not only was I confronted with 'anti-Zionism isnt anti-Semitism', but was then told after i stated, 'I am Jewish.', 'Well, most Jews don't believe in Zionism!'
Such hate, and they think they are loving and kind. You are 100% that Anti-Zionism is essentially the lack of a solution and a denial of any semblance of coexistence.
It is remarkable how free people feel to tell Jews who they are, what they believe and whether their feelings are valid. Here in Canada, we have had a superb survey this year that indicates 91% of Jews are Zionists and 3% are not. So yeah. https://cjs.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/cjs/jewsandisrael2024
It is so crazy. I live in San Francisco, so I am getting the US version, but the First Amendment is really preventing us from doing what Canada and the UK are doing to make antisemitism the norm. I hope Poilievre bets Trudeau and brings y'all back to center. Although, it is so much easier to spell Trudeau, I will learn!
I am fairly convinced that intersectionality and the concept of Positionality is the culprit. It allows those further from the current cultural center (white, straight, male, able) to have say over everyone else. So, because they believe Israel is an oppressor, and therefore Jews are oppressors, they can 'accurately' tell you how it is. That is why the wretches that confronted me began with, 'we are here to reeducate you.' They actually believe this stuff. It doesn't matter that Jews are a global minority. That is also why they believe all Jews are white, etc. Reality doesn't factor into ideology.
First, I want to thank you once again for sticking your neck out for the Jewish community, in an attempt to talk some sense into the haters. I admire your commitment to justice. Also, when you, a non-Jew, defend Zionism, it means far more than when any Jew does it, because everyone knows Jews are liars and swindlers.
> Now, imagine a huge swath of the world jumping on a bandwagon, catapulting the cause of “anti-Zionism” to the forefront of global concern, with a smaller cohort of this global obsession taking this to an extreme where it becomes practically their entire identity.
I have given this "anti-Zionism" notion a lot of thought, and I don't think it means "I don't think Jews deserve self-determination." I think it means, "I don't think a cabal of Jews should run the world. I don't think they should have all the power and all the money, it's not fair. I don't think they should be belligerently making war on every country around them, especially since every country around them is just minding its own business. I don't think they should be killing the Muslims around them, especially since the Muslims are also just minding their own business, and since the Jews stole the Muslim land anyway, because we all know Jews are cheats."
And if that is indeed what the knee-jerk anti-Zionist means when they say, "I'm an anti-Zionist," what they mean is they believe all the Medieval tropes that date from the Jewish/Christian turf war, and they believe all the _Protocols of the Elders of Zion_ tropes that derive from the tantrum of a Russian publisher who was angry that his sister married a Jew so he published a fiction of all manner of accusations against Jews to get back at the guy. And they may have been inculcated with the Muslim version of Nazi ideology that says that Jews, who think they're better than you, weaken the population with their pathetic holier-than-thou morality that has taken over the world via the Jewish heresy called Christianity.
In our western culture, we breathe in these tropes with the air; antisemitism is in our literature and in our news coverage. You really can't look anywhere without seeing it; recently I've noticed that in the TV series about Sherlock Holmes, _Elementary_, maybe 70% of the villains have Jewish names. It's everywhere. How could anyone growing up in our culture not be fundamentally antisemitic? You have to make a mindful, concerted effort (as you have obviously done) to question this conditioning. Otherwise, it's your foundation. You will not question it. They got you young, and they confirm it and confirm it every day.
Probably 99% of the Jews in the world would agree that the world shouldn't be run by a cabal of Jews and that Jews shouldn't own most of the world's wealth. It isn't and we don't. The fact that people think we have all the power and all the wealth provides terrific cover for the people who actually do.
Frankly, Jewish money can't compete by many orders of magnitude with the Qatari money that bought our educational system in order to indoctrinate the west's young. That alone, combined with the fact that Jews everywhere are now in danger, should alert the haters that we don't control the world.
But then they would have to question, and they'd have to think, and if they did that, they would lose their friends, lose their community, and be ostracized.
You've done it again, Pat! 👏🏻 How do we get your Substack to be required reading at schools?
Hahaha. YOU tell ME. Thanks for your kind words.
I truly wish I knew the mechanism to make that happen. I do tell anyone who will listen to read your articles. I know Eve Barlow is trying to find a way to reach university students and Brianna Wu who has a real platform is a pretty outspoken ally. Now, how to get all of you to Wonder Twins activate?!
Funny one Wolf Girl
Can you imagine the pro genocide for Jews education system twisting themselves into knots, nickers in a twist, absolutely apoplectic over Pats logical writing?
Yea, and im winning the Max tonight.
Excellent analysis as usual.
Fantastic. Ignorant Gen Z types need to be forced to read this.
Yet another brilliant column, Pat. How do you do it?
Three comments.
1. Nirenberg‘s book on anti-Judaism: essential reading for anyone who wants to delve a bit more deeply.
2. "... that’s what “anti-Zionism” means: No Israel. No Jewish state. Jewish statelessness." In addition, for many or most anti-Zionists, it also means the outcome of a lot of dead Jews.
3. "Jewish people“: you Pat of all people mean well about us Jews. But this phrase is unnecessary in most contexts except where it’s singular, i.e. “the Jewish people“. Some people mistakenly think that the words "Jew" or "Jews" are derogatory, which they are not. "Jewish people“ is required by the New York Times style book, apparently, but “Jew“ and “Jews“ are just fine. But (and it isn’t there always a but?), “Jew" as a verb is very derogatory. Jon Stewart doesn’t say “I’m Jewish“, which he says is too indefinite-sounding; he says rather "I’m Jewy“.
Thanks! Wow -- this piece was going to have a whole thing addressing the idea that "jew" has been turned into a bad word, just as Zionist has been misdefined. But I decided to address it separately! You are exactly right, of course. Do you know the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" piece on this? It's hilarious. I'll include it when I address the topic.
Here it is ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLIS7qAWeaA&t=22s
Funny!
On second thought, scrub my observation about Jon Stewart. A long time ago he was Jewy and funny. Now he’s Jewy but kinda antithetical to Israel and Zionism.
I recently read on a dating app,
“No Zionists
No Antisemites” …& I was very confused. I wanted to tell them that I think they meant “AntiZionists”, but I realized they were probably just hateful fools. Thank you for this amazing post!
If only Chad could respond with something other than TLDR, he could lift the burden of his ignorance
Thank you again
Pat, I absolutely love your article. My only nit to pick with you is where you describe Israel as a "secular democracy with legal equality for minorities." Israel is a democracy with legal equality for minorities, but it is not secular. Consider transportation. The buses in Jerusalem do not operate on the Jewish sabbath, nor does the flag carrier of Israel (ElAl). Of course, this is not terribly different from the Canada I grew up in, where stores had to be closed on Sundays. But I would not class either one as secular.
Interesting clarification. I'm also Canadian -- does the fact that Christmas is a statutory holiday make us not secular? Maybe there is some debate. If so, there is probably no such thing as a secular state.
The United States is and has always been secular but for a long time stores were closed on Sunday. Deference to the Jewish religion in Jerusalem does not mean the state isn't secular. The vast majority of Jews in Israel do not follow Jewish religious law at all.
Pat this is for you. I read the Journal De Montréal every day. I wish you could as well. In many ways they are your ally.
It points to a society, both Canadian and Quebecois that have lost their moral compass.
Not just in terms of religion, but crime and punishment, immigration, education system....
The list goes on. This country needs a reset, badly, and very quickly, it took October 7th to bring that into the open
Thank you for your words! You say it all so succinctly! Not only was I confronted with 'anti-Zionism isnt anti-Semitism', but was then told after i stated, 'I am Jewish.', 'Well, most Jews don't believe in Zionism!'
Such hate, and they think they are loving and kind. You are 100% that Anti-Zionism is essentially the lack of a solution and a denial of any semblance of coexistence.
Thank you, thank you! 🙏
It is remarkable how free people feel to tell Jews who they are, what they believe and whether their feelings are valid. Here in Canada, we have had a superb survey this year that indicates 91% of Jews are Zionists and 3% are not. So yeah. https://cjs.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/cjs/jewsandisrael2024
It is so crazy. I live in San Francisco, so I am getting the US version, but the First Amendment is really preventing us from doing what Canada and the UK are doing to make antisemitism the norm. I hope Poilievre bets Trudeau and brings y'all back to center. Although, it is so much easier to spell Trudeau, I will learn!
I am fairly convinced that intersectionality and the concept of Positionality is the culprit. It allows those further from the current cultural center (white, straight, male, able) to have say over everyone else. So, because they believe Israel is an oppressor, and therefore Jews are oppressors, they can 'accurately' tell you how it is. That is why the wretches that confronted me began with, 'we are here to reeducate you.' They actually believe this stuff. It doesn't matter that Jews are a global minority. That is also why they believe all Jews are white, etc. Reality doesn't factor into ideology.
First, I want to thank you once again for sticking your neck out for the Jewish community, in an attempt to talk some sense into the haters. I admire your commitment to justice. Also, when you, a non-Jew, defend Zionism, it means far more than when any Jew does it, because everyone knows Jews are liars and swindlers.
> Now, imagine a huge swath of the world jumping on a bandwagon, catapulting the cause of “anti-Zionism” to the forefront of global concern, with a smaller cohort of this global obsession taking this to an extreme where it becomes practically their entire identity.
I have given this "anti-Zionism" notion a lot of thought, and I don't think it means "I don't think Jews deserve self-determination." I think it means, "I don't think a cabal of Jews should run the world. I don't think they should have all the power and all the money, it's not fair. I don't think they should be belligerently making war on every country around them, especially since every country around them is just minding its own business. I don't think they should be killing the Muslims around them, especially since the Muslims are also just minding their own business, and since the Jews stole the Muslim land anyway, because we all know Jews are cheats."
And if that is indeed what the knee-jerk anti-Zionist means when they say, "I'm an anti-Zionist," what they mean is they believe all the Medieval tropes that date from the Jewish/Christian turf war, and they believe all the _Protocols of the Elders of Zion_ tropes that derive from the tantrum of a Russian publisher who was angry that his sister married a Jew so he published a fiction of all manner of accusations against Jews to get back at the guy. And they may have been inculcated with the Muslim version of Nazi ideology that says that Jews, who think they're better than you, weaken the population with their pathetic holier-than-thou morality that has taken over the world via the Jewish heresy called Christianity.
In our western culture, we breathe in these tropes with the air; antisemitism is in our literature and in our news coverage. You really can't look anywhere without seeing it; recently I've noticed that in the TV series about Sherlock Holmes, _Elementary_, maybe 70% of the villains have Jewish names. It's everywhere. How could anyone growing up in our culture not be fundamentally antisemitic? You have to make a mindful, concerted effort (as you have obviously done) to question this conditioning. Otherwise, it's your foundation. You will not question it. They got you young, and they confirm it and confirm it every day.
Probably 99% of the Jews in the world would agree that the world shouldn't be run by a cabal of Jews and that Jews shouldn't own most of the world's wealth. It isn't and we don't. The fact that people think we have all the power and all the wealth provides terrific cover for the people who actually do.
Frankly, Jewish money can't compete by many orders of magnitude with the Qatari money that bought our educational system in order to indoctrinate the west's young. That alone, combined with the fact that Jews everywhere are now in danger, should alert the haters that we don't control the world.
But then they would have to question, and they'd have to think, and if they did that, they would lose their friends, lose their community, and be ostracized.
As if they were Jews.