Efforts to counter antisemitism - both on the right and the left - must be targeted and thoughtful, or they risk deepening the problem not alleviating it.
Thank you, Jeremy. That was a fine article indeed. I really admired the way it genuinely addresses the real issue of anti-Semitism that exists and should be countered with speech that seeks to overcome ignorance with education. Loved the Brandeis quote. I also admired the way the article made the case in a way that doesn't retreat into old, tired, inaccurate narratives of perpetual historical victimhood that merely self-reinforce that communal retreat, but rather ties the struggle to counter anti-Semitism to the wider, broader objective of defending democracy and liberties for all, captured most succinctly in the final 3 paragraphs of the article. Fabulous piece of writing, sir!!
Great piece. When Wikipedia announced it no longer considers the ADL a reliable source, it struck me that the ADL was losing connection with the many liberal Jewish voices, and your article underscores that gap perfectly.
I keep coming back to what I think of as a triad of practical attacks on antisemitism.
From the left, we need to recognize when antisemitism hides behind the language of social justice or anti-Zionism and call it out consistently. Concerning are efforts to exclude progressive Jews from liberal spaces.
From the right, we must reject conspiracies, coded tropes, and silence in the face of white-nationalist rhetoric — all of which betray true conservative values. The constant targeting of the “Jewish donor class,” and especially the fixation on George Soros as some kind of all-powerful villain, is a perfect example.
And within Jewish movements, we need to strengthen our own community through pluralism, humility, and honest self-reflection, ensuring that fighting antisemitism never becomes a shield against legitimate debate. We mustn't hide who we are out of fear, but learn to speak out with confidence and compassion.
I think your first paragraph is correct. Whether it's the State of Israel, the ADL, AIPAC, or the IDF, there has been a toxic conflation so that any criticism of Israel or what it does is expanded to be interpreted as antiSemitism. None of those sources is reliable any more.
And your last paragraph is correct, too. Jews need to understand what their "community" is. They will learn a lot from Niemoller's famous poem. Among other things, they will learn that "never again" has to mean more than never again to THEM.
Jeremy, these are important points. For some time now, along with reading your substack regularly and supporting J Street and our Cleveland chapter, I have been delaying publishing an essay concerning several types of discriminatory practices we see in 2025.
As you point out, we can't separate the struggle against antisemitism from the overall struggle for civil rights. Accordingly, I've been reading and collecting dozens and dozens of pieces related to specific form of left antisemitism I call anti-ZionISTism and an accompanying Zotero database of many more. By this I do not mean opposition to the ideology of Zionism or criticism of Israel, but in-your-face discrimination against Jews and supporters of Zionism or even supporters of the of the mere existence of the State of Israel.
I have paired it explicitly with the struggle against Islamophobia and anti-Arab Chauvinism. It is one of my several dozen "Beats" on my free Speaking from the Heart substack, but I couldn't bear to write an essay based on it, until there was something close, at least, to a ceasefire.
However, after two years of turning my political life inside out in a way I'd like to think is consistent with your call to look at ourselves in the mirror, I have had to reduce my activity and focus unfinished academic work. Thus, that substack is now private; but I will approve a subscription to anyone who requests and subs to your substack. Edit: Also, I've turned that post into a "stub" rather than share the entire thing, even privately. This is not a time to open old wounds.
I would like to see efforts at developing curriculum that pairs education and advocacy on these two linked forms of discrmination and harassment. Given that one of the 20 points of the Trump plan is interfaith dialogue, I am thinking we need to think that was here in the US. But this kind of approach could be one avenue to achieve that.
I also think we need to know Where to fight the lies. The lies are coming through social media content, distorted “scholarship” in the academic world, and biased journalism.
This is a huge undertaking but unless we get a handle on it through promoting honest truthful information— especially on X Tik Tok and other social media platforms, we are going to keep being the victims of the consequences of lies.
I think it all starts with the lies. The hatred follows once the lies begin to be believed.
You are really correct in pointing out the deep problems that social media has caused in our political and communal discourse. These media enable dis- and mis-information to circle the globe at the speed of light and undercut core foundations of functional democracy.
Thank you for your principles on a morning with so much division around the world under the pretense of religion and god. The beauty of the American Constitution is that it guarantees freedom from religion. Our founders knew that religious freedom is the foundation of peace and harmony. The Jewish people have thrived through community support and educational opportunities. Once again religion is being weaponized by those in power to create a religious state, particularly white Christian nationalism. We must insist on separation of church and state. Atheism is growing in the Jewish community and in the USA. It is a reaction to all the killings and murders under the name of god and religiousness.
Around the world this problem is being addressed through more violence. Nigeria is experiencing massacres and theft of land and property by Fulani jihadists. Trump announced that he will send in troops to stop the killings and displacement of Christians. The Nigerian government has been silent as the President and Vice President are Muslims.
These divisions will continue as long as rulers use religion to divide and conquer in the guise of creating order.
While I agree with you that we cannot and shout not fight antisemitism in isolation, I also believe that involves calling out the blatant antisemitism among those who hide behind a smoke screen of "social justice," several of whom you have platformed on your podcast without truly challenging them.
Well said. Anyone who platforms Peter Beinart, a man who believes in egregiously antisemitic double standards against Jews, is in no position to lecture anyone else about how to fight it.
Sadly, Jeremy, J Street and the programs it sponsored, especially platforming and normalizing the most radical Palestinian spokespeople without counterbalancing, has groomed young Jews to empathize and identify with the "oppressed minority"....(which for the record is pure unmitigated rubbish). 7million Jews vs 300 million Arabs is a bit of inversion of minority:majority. Your determination to view this conflict through a Western Liberal lense of "Oppressor/Oppressed" has not inched this conflict forward. It has. however, given platform and normalized those spewing Jew hatred. So congratulaions, job well done.
Mr Ben-Ami, back in the '60s, there was a Lieber and Stoller (both Jewish) song, "Charlie Brown." It was sung by the Coasters, and it had a refrain line which was "why's everybody always pickin' on me?" During the same decade, Tom Lehrer (a Jewish MIT professor, who was also a pianist and entertainer), had a song called "Brotherhood Week." That song was about various groups that hated other groups, and it contained the line "everybody hates the Jews."
Jews never ask the question about why everybody's always pickin' on them (I was born Jewish, but I gave it up, because I never believed there was any such thing as "god"), and why everybody hates them.
I have an Israeli friend who is a fierce advocate of Israel, even though he lives here now, and I've pointed this out to him. He said everybody hates the Jews because Jews are smarter (he thinks higher IQ) than non-Jews, and the Jews are smart enough to separate everyone else from their belongings, leading the non-Jews to be resentful and hostile. I told him this didn't sound very smart to me. You make people so mad that they hate you, beat you up, make you leave, and kill you? And that's smart?
My point is that when you entitle a post "Can We Do Better At Fighting AntiSemitism," you sort of structure the question as if you were blaming everyone else for antiSemitism, and wondering if we could do better at changing their views. Maybe the cause of antiSemitism is Jews, and you would have more success intervening with them. After all, Jews famously categorize themselves as the "chosen people," as if they were telling the rest of the world that "god"/daddy preferred them and loved them more. That's no way to make friends.
Jews have been hated for millennia by lots of groups in lots of places, and thrown out of several, including Judea and Samaria more than once, and killed in genocidal ways. That's too much for coincidence, and somehow to be a commentary on everyone else. My daughter likes to quote my late father as having said that when you think everyone else is the problem, then you're the problem.
Interesting point about the title. And thanks for two great song references.
I do think Jeremy did highlight several ways that we Jews are contributing to the problem - and yes, he could have added the deeply problematic theology of chosenness to the list.
First - he critiques the Jewish leadership of ADL for separating antisemitism from other forms of defamation
Second he criticized us (ADL and others) for conflating criticism of Israel and antisemitism broadly. Etc. yes we’re very much part of the problem.
Interesting....so we Jews contibute to the "problem" by:
Being Jews; Not going quietly into the night? Demanding the same protections as other minorities (blacks, LBGTQ's)? Calling out Jew hatred?
Perhaps, just perhaps, the problem is that JStreet and its enablers have spent so much effort to lionize the Palestinians that too many, within the community, have come to believe the Jew as oppressor; the Jew as the entitled and the Jew as mass muderer. All of which flies in the face of 2,000 years of history and counting, to this date.
Sadly, Jeremy and his minions have succeeded in driving another wedge in a community that now, as ever needs unity.
Mr Goldstein, you mention 2000 years of history, and you're right in ways you probably don't want to be. What group of people is hated by lots of people in many countries, and thrown out of them, for 2000 years for absolutely no reason?
As for your reference to JStreet (I don't know if you mean that you think JStreet doesn't like Jews or is critical of Israel: it seems to me like the latter), you jump immediately to the idea of lionizing Palestinians. It is rampant that Israel supporters talk about 10/7/23, as if it came from nothing except senseless and baseless Hamas hatred. As if Hamas, or Palestinians, had no reason to complain about Israel. I mentioned my Israeli friend. He used to debate with my late brother about Israel, and now, he likes to debate with me. When we first talked, for example, about Israel's unchallenged (by any Israeli government) illegal West Bank settlements, from which Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians (there is no Hamas in the West Bank), my friend said he was opposed to those settlements. He told that to me, but not to the Israeli government. Now, he's not opposed. On 10/7/23, Hamas killed 1200 Israeli civilian and took hostages. A month and a half later, Israel agreed to a ceasefire, during which it got back half of the hostages. If Israel had cared about its own citizens, who were held hostage, it would have extended the ceasefire, and gotten back the rest. It chose not to do that, and at last estimate, has killed about 68K Palestinian civilians, including sick people, women, children, and babies. The Gaza Strip is rubble, and hospitals were singled out for destruction, as they also were, for who knows what reason, in the West Bank. If you have a different word to describe this than genocide, you can tell me what it is. Israel blocks food and medicine, too.
I said I gave up being Jewish because I don't believe there's such a thing as "god." And that's true. I don't have the entry criterion to be part of any religion. But I will also say that during my years in Hebrew school, Saturday school, through my Bar Mitzvah and Confirmation, it was conspicuous and disturbing how much the focus was on the Holocaust (I was born in 1950.) Between that and several Jewish holidays, it felt like being Jewish meant feeling like a victim. You reference that in a different way. I don't feel like a victim, and I'm not interested in that kind of identity.
Shakespeare, in "The Merchant of Venice," characterized the Jew as victimizer. There's little difference between the Jewish lender and Bernie Madoff.
Jackie Mason was on track to be an Orthodox rabbi, until he decided to be a comedian instead. He had stand-up routines in which he comically described Jews as demanding and -- the word you used was -- entitled.
I will return to my original point: Jeremy Ben-Ami and his followers and readers aren't driving a wedge into a community that needs unity. He's describing a problem. If you identify anything he said that you believe to be factually incorrect, and can offer references for support of your argument, you should say so.
I just told someone a couple of days ago that I don't read Mary Trump's posts, because as much as I agree with her, it's just endlessly repetitive whining. That's what you're doing, and with no substance.
Hmmm, so you read The Merchant of Venice, however you understood it, not at all. The Gentile is refusing to pay a proper debt...to you that makes him a victim? Actually the story is a metaphor of the treatment of Jews over the centuries. The Jews were invited into European countires to jump-start their economies and finance various causes, including the Monarchs of England & Spain (among others) to finance wars and explorations.When the loans/debts came due, the Jews were murdered and communities exiled to avoid repayment.
In terms of JStreet, I cannot fathom the reason of its being. The organization platformed and normalized Palestinians' hatred to naiive Jewsih youth. These are the Jews who chanted "From the River to the Sea..." & "Globalize the Intifada"....I need no further proof than that.
Mr Goldstein, I don't know enough European history to judge whether you're right or wrong about what you say. The Jews have certainly been thrown out of many places, including European countries (and even Judea and Samaria). You're proposing that the reason is that everyone else is a greedy thief who doesn't want to repay debts to generous and helpful Jews. As I said, it's not my area of best knowledge. I just apply some reasoning, to consider how likely it is that the Jews are always right, and everyone else is always wrong. There were people who were badly scammed by Bernie Madoff, but who themselves refused to believe that Madoff was anything but a wonderful man, a close friend, and essentially like family. Those people take your kind of view.
As for "The Merchant of Venice," it's been way too long since I read it, and I don't remember whether the borrower refused, as you say, to repay the loan, or couldn't repay it. If you're sure you're right, I'll defer to you. The detail you left out was that Shylock, the lender, wanted either a pound of flesh or the money repaid. When the money wasn't repaid, for whatever reason, he wanted his pound of flesh. A judge ruled that his deal had been for the pound of flesh, and he could have it. But he couldn't have any blood, since that wasn't part of the deal. You can form your own opinion about someone who loans money, and wants in return either the money or a pound of flesh.
As for JStreet, I don't read their stuff, so I don't know their angle. It is the current Israelis who are on a rampage "from the River to the Sea."
You are clearly very devoted to Israel. You understand and interpret things in what turns out to be Israel's favor. As the old saying goes, you're entitled to your own opinion, but you're not entitled to your own ("alternate") facts.
Well you might do well to understand European history as your comment about expulsion of Jews is at best naive. Judea & Samaria...please! Further, you don't seem to understand metaphors. Last but not least, I am devoted to the Jewish People...Israel like every country has its power politics. To my mind Bibi is a twin of Trump and hopefully both will be history at the next election.
Globalize the Intifada & From River to the Sea is absolutely the eradication of the Jewish People. If you believe otherwise, you are not as well read as you imply.
Rabbi Arnold, Jeremy did toward the end note some ways that Jews contribute to the problem about which they complain.
I don't understand your "For the critiques..." sentence.
As for conflating antiSemitism and antiZionism, you're right, and Jews can make a better argument about that when they stop supporting the bad behavior of Israel. It's true that most Israelis do not approve of Netanyahu, but they don't get rid of him. (I know that Israeli politics are structured differently from American politics, but they need to try harder. And they have the avid and generous backing from Jews around the world, like AIPAC, to keep that distinction blurred.)
I mentioned my Israeli friend, who has been here for decades, and doesn't want to move back to Israel. I've stopped communicating about Israel's treatment of Palestinians with him, because I get back "lies, lies, nothing but lies," and journalists killed by Israel are really Hamas operatives.
Again, it's potentially important to note the distinction between Jews and Judaism, and Israel, but anyone who wants to draw that distinction has to do more than shake a finger.
With all due respect to Jeremy, I listened to the "Lioness" Leah Rabin speak at the National Press Club in Washington about her husband Yitzhak's tragic assassination. She blamed Benjamin Netanyahu in no uncertain terms, and believed that a two-state "solution" was impossible.
In his book, Jeremy echoed such sentiments when he wrote: "Is this how I wanted to be treated when I was a minority in another people's country?" He was right then, and his words were prophetic.
What Netanyahu, the "Settlers" and rabid Zionists have done to non-Jews has given rise to anti-Semitism globally, which is likely to get far worse before it subsides.
IfNotNow has reported that more and more Israelis are refusing to enlist or serve in the military, despite facing prison and public backlash. At some point, Netanyahu and his Israeli butchers need to be tried for their many crimes, like Adolf Eichmann was, with a similar result.
Belatedly Jeremy admitted what the world knows: Israel has been engaged in Genocide since 1948. Tragically; it has given rise to anti-Semitism, which affects every Jew in the world, even those with no ties to Israel.
Free speech is a sacred gift from God, not anything that Jeremy, J Street or anyone else has control over. J Street U students should never doubt that. They should be free to speak out vigorously against Israel's multi-decade atrocities and yes Genocide, and not be intimidated by Jeremy or anyone else. They are Americans; and efforts to quash free speech on college campuses or anywhere else are blatantly repugnant.
You seem to have missed a critical point: criticizing anti-Semites. This entire article is criticism of the Jewish people and not the people who hate them. We can start with the so-called "pro-Palestine" movement, who were willing to admit there was a problem (checks notes) nine years ago:
Thank you! Right on point and thoughtfully articulated.
Thank you, Jeremy. That was a fine article indeed. I really admired the way it genuinely addresses the real issue of anti-Semitism that exists and should be countered with speech that seeks to overcome ignorance with education. Loved the Brandeis quote. I also admired the way the article made the case in a way that doesn't retreat into old, tired, inaccurate narratives of perpetual historical victimhood that merely self-reinforce that communal retreat, but rather ties the struggle to counter anti-Semitism to the wider, broader objective of defending democracy and liberties for all, captured most succinctly in the final 3 paragraphs of the article. Fabulous piece of writing, sir!!
Thanks so much! Appreciate that... Please feel free to share in your networks!
Great piece. When Wikipedia announced it no longer considers the ADL a reliable source, it struck me that the ADL was losing connection with the many liberal Jewish voices, and your article underscores that gap perfectly.
I keep coming back to what I think of as a triad of practical attacks on antisemitism.
From the left, we need to recognize when antisemitism hides behind the language of social justice or anti-Zionism and call it out consistently. Concerning are efforts to exclude progressive Jews from liberal spaces.
From the right, we must reject conspiracies, coded tropes, and silence in the face of white-nationalist rhetoric — all of which betray true conservative values. The constant targeting of the “Jewish donor class,” and especially the fixation on George Soros as some kind of all-powerful villain, is a perfect example.
And within Jewish movements, we need to strengthen our own community through pluralism, humility, and honest self-reflection, ensuring that fighting antisemitism never becomes a shield against legitimate debate. We mustn't hide who we are out of fear, but learn to speak out with confidence and compassion.
Very nicely said. Nice to have a cogent and thoughtful comment left here!!
I think your first paragraph is correct. Whether it's the State of Israel, the ADL, AIPAC, or the IDF, there has been a toxic conflation so that any criticism of Israel or what it does is expanded to be interpreted as antiSemitism. None of those sources is reliable any more.
And your last paragraph is correct, too. Jews need to understand what their "community" is. They will learn a lot from Niemoller's famous poem. Among other things, they will learn that "never again" has to mean more than never again to THEM.
Brilliantly laid out! And I just see that the prior comment said exactly the same thing using different words - so it must be so!
Thanks so much, Lorraine!
Jeremy, these are important points. For some time now, along with reading your substack regularly and supporting J Street and our Cleveland chapter, I have been delaying publishing an essay concerning several types of discriminatory practices we see in 2025.
As you point out, we can't separate the struggle against antisemitism from the overall struggle for civil rights. Accordingly, I've been reading and collecting dozens and dozens of pieces related to specific form of left antisemitism I call anti-ZionISTism and an accompanying Zotero database of many more. By this I do not mean opposition to the ideology of Zionism or criticism of Israel, but in-your-face discrimination against Jews and supporters of Zionism or even supporters of the of the mere existence of the State of Israel.
I have paired it explicitly with the struggle against Islamophobia and anti-Arab Chauvinism. It is one of my several dozen "Beats" on my free Speaking from the Heart substack, but I couldn't bear to write an essay based on it, until there was something close, at least, to a ceasefire.
It is titled Anti-ZionISTism and Anti-Palestinianism: The growth of anti-ZionISTism and Anti-Palestinianism is troublesome. It can be found here: https://michaelalandover.substack.com/p/anti-zionistism.
However, after two years of turning my political life inside out in a way I'd like to think is consistent with your call to look at ourselves in the mirror, I have had to reduce my activity and focus unfinished academic work. Thus, that substack is now private; but I will approve a subscription to anyone who requests and subs to your substack. Edit: Also, I've turned that post into a "stub" rather than share the entire thing, even privately. This is not a time to open old wounds.
I would like to see efforts at developing curriculum that pairs education and advocacy on these two linked forms of discrmination and harassment. Given that one of the 20 points of the Trump plan is interfaith dialogue, I am thinking we need to think that was here in the US. But this kind of approach could be one avenue to achieve that.
Thanks as always for your thoughtfulness on these difficult issues. I look forward to reading what you share with me.
I also think we need to know Where to fight the lies. The lies are coming through social media content, distorted “scholarship” in the academic world, and biased journalism.
This is a huge undertaking but unless we get a handle on it through promoting honest truthful information— especially on X Tik Tok and other social media platforms, we are going to keep being the victims of the consequences of lies.
I think it all starts with the lies. The hatred follows once the lies begin to be believed.
You are really correct in pointing out the deep problems that social media has caused in our political and communal discourse. These media enable dis- and mis-information to circle the globe at the speed of light and undercut core foundations of functional democracy.
Thank you for your principles on a morning with so much division around the world under the pretense of religion and god. The beauty of the American Constitution is that it guarantees freedom from religion. Our founders knew that religious freedom is the foundation of peace and harmony. The Jewish people have thrived through community support and educational opportunities. Once again religion is being weaponized by those in power to create a religious state, particularly white Christian nationalism. We must insist on separation of church and state. Atheism is growing in the Jewish community and in the USA. It is a reaction to all the killings and murders under the name of god and religiousness.
Around the world this problem is being addressed through more violence. Nigeria is experiencing massacres and theft of land and property by Fulani jihadists. Trump announced that he will send in troops to stop the killings and displacement of Christians. The Nigerian government has been silent as the President and Vice President are Muslims.
These divisions will continue as long as rulers use religion to divide and conquer in the guise of creating order.
Let freedom of worship be the guiding principle.
While I agree with you that we cannot and shout not fight antisemitism in isolation, I also believe that involves calling out the blatant antisemitism among those who hide behind a smoke screen of "social justice," several of whom you have platformed on your podcast without truly challenging them.
Well said. Anyone who platforms Peter Beinart, a man who believes in egregiously antisemitic double standards against Jews, is in no position to lecture anyone else about how to fight it.
Sadly, Jeremy, J Street and the programs it sponsored, especially platforming and normalizing the most radical Palestinian spokespeople without counterbalancing, has groomed young Jews to empathize and identify with the "oppressed minority"....(which for the record is pure unmitigated rubbish). 7million Jews vs 300 million Arabs is a bit of inversion of minority:majority. Your determination to view this conflict through a Western Liberal lense of "Oppressor/Oppressed" has not inched this conflict forward. It has. however, given platform and normalized those spewing Jew hatred. So congratulaions, job well done.
Timothy D Naegele's fourth paragraph says what I said.
I’m much more frightened of right wing anti semitism.
Thank you! Agreed on all four points.
Mr Ben-Ami, back in the '60s, there was a Lieber and Stoller (both Jewish) song, "Charlie Brown." It was sung by the Coasters, and it had a refrain line which was "why's everybody always pickin' on me?" During the same decade, Tom Lehrer (a Jewish MIT professor, who was also a pianist and entertainer), had a song called "Brotherhood Week." That song was about various groups that hated other groups, and it contained the line "everybody hates the Jews."
Jews never ask the question about why everybody's always pickin' on them (I was born Jewish, but I gave it up, because I never believed there was any such thing as "god"), and why everybody hates them.
I have an Israeli friend who is a fierce advocate of Israel, even though he lives here now, and I've pointed this out to him. He said everybody hates the Jews because Jews are smarter (he thinks higher IQ) than non-Jews, and the Jews are smart enough to separate everyone else from their belongings, leading the non-Jews to be resentful and hostile. I told him this didn't sound very smart to me. You make people so mad that they hate you, beat you up, make you leave, and kill you? And that's smart?
My point is that when you entitle a post "Can We Do Better At Fighting AntiSemitism," you sort of structure the question as if you were blaming everyone else for antiSemitism, and wondering if we could do better at changing their views. Maybe the cause of antiSemitism is Jews, and you would have more success intervening with them. After all, Jews famously categorize themselves as the "chosen people," as if they were telling the rest of the world that "god"/daddy preferred them and loved them more. That's no way to make friends.
Jews have been hated for millennia by lots of groups in lots of places, and thrown out of several, including Judea and Samaria more than once, and killed in genocidal ways. That's too much for coincidence, and somehow to be a commentary on everyone else. My daughter likes to quote my late father as having said that when you think everyone else is the problem, then you're the problem.
Interesting point about the title. And thanks for two great song references.
I do think Jeremy did highlight several ways that we Jews are contributing to the problem - and yes, he could have added the deeply problematic theology of chosenness to the list.
First - he critiques the Jewish leadership of ADL for separating antisemitism from other forms of defamation
Second he criticized us (ADL and others) for conflating criticism of Israel and antisemitism broadly. Etc. yes we’re very much part of the problem.
Interesting....so we Jews contibute to the "problem" by:
Being Jews; Not going quietly into the night? Demanding the same protections as other minorities (blacks, LBGTQ's)? Calling out Jew hatred?
Perhaps, just perhaps, the problem is that JStreet and its enablers have spent so much effort to lionize the Palestinians that too many, within the community, have come to believe the Jew as oppressor; the Jew as the entitled and the Jew as mass muderer. All of which flies in the face of 2,000 years of history and counting, to this date.
Sadly, Jeremy and his minions have succeeded in driving another wedge in a community that now, as ever needs unity.
Mr Goldstein, you mention 2000 years of history, and you're right in ways you probably don't want to be. What group of people is hated by lots of people in many countries, and thrown out of them, for 2000 years for absolutely no reason?
As for your reference to JStreet (I don't know if you mean that you think JStreet doesn't like Jews or is critical of Israel: it seems to me like the latter), you jump immediately to the idea of lionizing Palestinians. It is rampant that Israel supporters talk about 10/7/23, as if it came from nothing except senseless and baseless Hamas hatred. As if Hamas, or Palestinians, had no reason to complain about Israel. I mentioned my Israeli friend. He used to debate with my late brother about Israel, and now, he likes to debate with me. When we first talked, for example, about Israel's unchallenged (by any Israeli government) illegal West Bank settlements, from which Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians (there is no Hamas in the West Bank), my friend said he was opposed to those settlements. He told that to me, but not to the Israeli government. Now, he's not opposed. On 10/7/23, Hamas killed 1200 Israeli civilian and took hostages. A month and a half later, Israel agreed to a ceasefire, during which it got back half of the hostages. If Israel had cared about its own citizens, who were held hostage, it would have extended the ceasefire, and gotten back the rest. It chose not to do that, and at last estimate, has killed about 68K Palestinian civilians, including sick people, women, children, and babies. The Gaza Strip is rubble, and hospitals were singled out for destruction, as they also were, for who knows what reason, in the West Bank. If you have a different word to describe this than genocide, you can tell me what it is. Israel blocks food and medicine, too.
I said I gave up being Jewish because I don't believe there's such a thing as "god." And that's true. I don't have the entry criterion to be part of any religion. But I will also say that during my years in Hebrew school, Saturday school, through my Bar Mitzvah and Confirmation, it was conspicuous and disturbing how much the focus was on the Holocaust (I was born in 1950.) Between that and several Jewish holidays, it felt like being Jewish meant feeling like a victim. You reference that in a different way. I don't feel like a victim, and I'm not interested in that kind of identity.
Shakespeare, in "The Merchant of Venice," characterized the Jew as victimizer. There's little difference between the Jewish lender and Bernie Madoff.
Jackie Mason was on track to be an Orthodox rabbi, until he decided to be a comedian instead. He had stand-up routines in which he comically described Jews as demanding and -- the word you used was -- entitled.
I will return to my original point: Jeremy Ben-Ami and his followers and readers aren't driving a wedge into a community that needs unity. He's describing a problem. If you identify anything he said that you believe to be factually incorrect, and can offer references for support of your argument, you should say so.
I just told someone a couple of days ago that I don't read Mary Trump's posts, because as much as I agree with her, it's just endlessly repetitive whining. That's what you're doing, and with no substance.
Hmmm, so you read The Merchant of Venice, however you understood it, not at all. The Gentile is refusing to pay a proper debt...to you that makes him a victim? Actually the story is a metaphor of the treatment of Jews over the centuries. The Jews were invited into European countires to jump-start their economies and finance various causes, including the Monarchs of England & Spain (among others) to finance wars and explorations.When the loans/debts came due, the Jews were murdered and communities exiled to avoid repayment.
In terms of JStreet, I cannot fathom the reason of its being. The organization platformed and normalized Palestinians' hatred to naiive Jewsih youth. These are the Jews who chanted "From the River to the Sea..." & "Globalize the Intifada"....I need no further proof than that.
Mr Goldstein, I don't know enough European history to judge whether you're right or wrong about what you say. The Jews have certainly been thrown out of many places, including European countries (and even Judea and Samaria). You're proposing that the reason is that everyone else is a greedy thief who doesn't want to repay debts to generous and helpful Jews. As I said, it's not my area of best knowledge. I just apply some reasoning, to consider how likely it is that the Jews are always right, and everyone else is always wrong. There were people who were badly scammed by Bernie Madoff, but who themselves refused to believe that Madoff was anything but a wonderful man, a close friend, and essentially like family. Those people take your kind of view.
As for "The Merchant of Venice," it's been way too long since I read it, and I don't remember whether the borrower refused, as you say, to repay the loan, or couldn't repay it. If you're sure you're right, I'll defer to you. The detail you left out was that Shylock, the lender, wanted either a pound of flesh or the money repaid. When the money wasn't repaid, for whatever reason, he wanted his pound of flesh. A judge ruled that his deal had been for the pound of flesh, and he could have it. But he couldn't have any blood, since that wasn't part of the deal. You can form your own opinion about someone who loans money, and wants in return either the money or a pound of flesh.
As for JStreet, I don't read their stuff, so I don't know their angle. It is the current Israelis who are on a rampage "from the River to the Sea."
You are clearly very devoted to Israel. You understand and interpret things in what turns out to be Israel's favor. As the old saying goes, you're entitled to your own opinion, but you're not entitled to your own ("alternate") facts.
Well you might do well to understand European history as your comment about expulsion of Jews is at best naive. Judea & Samaria...please! Further, you don't seem to understand metaphors. Last but not least, I am devoted to the Jewish People...Israel like every country has its power politics. To my mind Bibi is a twin of Trump and hopefully both will be history at the next election.
Globalize the Intifada & From River to the Sea is absolutely the eradication of the Jewish People. If you believe otherwise, you are not as well read as you imply.
Rabbi Arnold, Jeremy did toward the end note some ways that Jews contribute to the problem about which they complain.
I don't understand your "For the critiques..." sentence.
As for conflating antiSemitism and antiZionism, you're right, and Jews can make a better argument about that when they stop supporting the bad behavior of Israel. It's true that most Israelis do not approve of Netanyahu, but they don't get rid of him. (I know that Israeli politics are structured differently from American politics, but they need to try harder. And they have the avid and generous backing from Jews around the world, like AIPAC, to keep that distinction blurred.)
I mentioned my Israeli friend, who has been here for decades, and doesn't want to move back to Israel. I've stopped communicating about Israel's treatment of Palestinians with him, because I get back "lies, lies, nothing but lies," and journalists killed by Israel are really Hamas operatives.
Again, it's potentially important to note the distinction between Jews and Judaism, and Israel, but anyone who wants to draw that distinction has to do more than shake a finger.
Forgive the typo. It should have read “first he critiqued ADL …”
With all due respect to Jeremy, I listened to the "Lioness" Leah Rabin speak at the National Press Club in Washington about her husband Yitzhak's tragic assassination. She blamed Benjamin Netanyahu in no uncertain terms, and believed that a two-state "solution" was impossible.
See, e.g., https://www.jweekly.com/1998/01/16/leah-rabin-calls-netanyahu-all-political-manipulation/ ("Leah Rabin calls Netanyahu all political manipulation")
In his book, Jeremy echoed such sentiments when he wrote: "Is this how I wanted to be treated when I was a minority in another people's country?" He was right then, and his words were prophetic.
What Netanyahu, the "Settlers" and rabid Zionists have done to non-Jews has given rise to anti-Semitism globally, which is likely to get far worse before it subsides.
See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/at-least-77-years-of-nonstop-butchery/ ("At Least 77 Years Of Nonstop Butchery") and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/is-israel-doomed/ ("Is Israel Doomed?") and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/04/dick-cheneys-tragic-legacy-wars-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/ ("Dick Cheney's Tragic Legacy: Wars In Afghanistan And Iraq")
IfNotNow has reported that more and more Israelis are refusing to enlist or serve in the military, despite facing prison and public backlash. At some point, Netanyahu and his Israeli butchers need to be tried for their many crimes, like Adolf Eichmann was, with a similar result.
Belatedly Jeremy admitted what the world knows: Israel has been engaged in Genocide since 1948. Tragically; it has given rise to anti-Semitism, which affects every Jew in the world, even those with no ties to Israel.
See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2023/10/31/americas-jews-are-americans/ ("America’s Jews Are Americans")
Free speech is a sacred gift from God, not anything that Jeremy, J Street or anyone else has control over. J Street U students should never doubt that. They should be free to speak out vigorously against Israel's multi-decade atrocities and yes Genocide, and not be intimidated by Jeremy or anyone else. They are Americans; and efforts to quash free speech on college campuses or anywhere else are blatantly repugnant.
See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2025/07/29/j-streets-jeremy-ben-ami-engages-in-cowardly-censorship/ ("J Street's Jeremy Ben-Ami Engages In Cowardly Censorship")
You seem to have missed a critical point: criticizing anti-Semites. This entire article is criticism of the Jewish people and not the people who hate them. We can start with the so-called "pro-Palestine" movement, who were willing to admit there was a problem (checks notes) nine years ago:
https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2016-07-23/ty-article/.premium/we-in-the-palestinian-solidarity-movement-have-a-problem-with-anti-semitism/0000017f-e75a-d62c-a1ff-ff7bba430000