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Since Oct. 7, antisemitism has exploded online in China. Here’s why.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (JTA) — Growing up as a Bukharian Jew in China, Uriah was always told by his parents to hide his Jewishness in public and to try to assimilate into the greater Chinese population.

Uriah — who asked to be identified only by his Hebrew name to ensure the safety of his family — said that when he began publicly talking about his Jewish identity, people told him that he would “never be one of us [Han Chinese].”

But Uriah had never felt physically or personally threatened until the aftermath of Oct. 7, when Hamas killed over 1,400 Israelis in an incursion, sparking a war with Israel that has killed thousands in Gaza.

Online, he saw people taunting the parents of Noa Argamani, the half-Chinese Israeli-born captive who was seen being kidnapped by Hamas in a viral video. People cursed her Chinese-born mother for asking China for help.

Then friends and acquaintances started taunting Uriah and his family members, sending them antisemitic social media posts and messages saying Argamani was rightfully captured by Hamas fighters, he said.

“Is China even going to be a safe place for, say, Jewish businessmen who are known to be Jewish? Will there be hostility verbally, or even physically? In the past, my answer was no, but now I’m not sure,” he said.

After Oct. 7, China’s internet — from message boards to video platforms to social media — suddenly flooded with viciously anti-Israel and antisemitic comments. Pointing to Israel’s actions against the Palestinians, people have said things ranging from support for Hitler and Nazi Germany to the idea that oppressed Jews have become oppressive Nazis.

Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust classic “Schindler’s List,” which has been widely loved in China, was review-bombed so heavily on the video platform Bilibili that its rating declined from 9.7 to 4.3. “Where is the Palestinian Schindler?” read one highly-rated comment.

Commenting became so intense that Israeli and German embassy accounts on Weibo, China’s popular microblogging platform, began filtering responses to some posts.

“We believe in the power of free speech and rational debate… But all this is not without limitations: invective that is degrading to human dignity will be deleted,” the German embassy wrote. “We also want to make it clear that those who deliberately combine the Israeli flag with Nazi symbols in their profile pictures are either ignorant idiots or shameless bastards! Such accounts will be permanently blocked by us.”

It’s not just a phenomenon on social media. State media, such as the Chinese Communist Party-backed national news broadcaster CCTV, claimed that “Jews represent just 3% of the American population but control 70% of its wealth … these factors can be used to exert incomparable influence on politics.” The CCTV video has since been removed, but the hashtag “Jews represent just 3% of the American population but control 70% of its wealth” became a “hot topic” on Weibo, and that unfounded statistic has appeared numerous times in other social media posts seeking to pin the responsibility for the current war against Hamas on a global Jewish conspiracy.

How “philosemitism” can turn into antisemitism

Judaism is not one of China’s five recognized religions, meaning the identity of Chinese Jews like Uriah or the historic community in Kaifeng is not recognized as legitimate. But Jews — who in China are closely associated with the West, especially America — have long been revered in China, where centuries-old stereotypes are common — such as the conspiracy theory that Jews have control over American institutions from Wall Street and the media.

It’s not just about money and power: the Chinese have historically looked to Jews as a sort of mirror of themselves, a down-and-out nation that survived extreme adversity and rose to a position of power and prominence against the odds.

These stereotypes are portrayed in a positive light and are often referred to as “philosemitic.” Jews here have talked about getting everything from free taxi rides to compliments about their intelligence. Bookstores carry self-help books about how to be more like the “successful” Jews. Chinese philosemitic sentiment has been embraced by both Israeli and Chinese governments throughout the development of diplomatic relations, scholars have noted.

But the line between philo- and antisemitism can be thin. Unlike in the West, where antisemitism is a centuries-old, deeply ingrained tradition, Jewish conspiracy theories are a relatively new phenomenon in China. Even “positive” racial stereotypes have the potential to turn negative, especially in the context of heightened anti-Western sentiment in China in recent decades, says Mary J. Ainslie of the University of Nottingham at Ningbo.

As influencer Lu Kewen described in a viral 8,000-word WeChat post in 2021: “The image of Jews in China was once that of saints preparing to save the common people: firm, holy, intelligent, rich and kindhearted while full of trauma.” Though after learning more about the history of “various countries,” Lu wrote, “Jewish names kept coming up … after classifying them and analyzing their behaviors, my impression of Jews slowly changed.” His screed included passages copied and pasted from Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”

The free propagation of Jewish conspiracy theories despite China’s powerful censorship machine indicates an endorsement by the party-state, which has been hurling blame at the United States for the war in Israel through its state media.

“There is a notice here that stereotyping of Jewish people, particularly negative stereotyping of Jewish people, is actually quite a force online. And because conspiratorial discourses are encouraged by the state and are often actually connected to the state, this is something that [authorities are] not willing to perhaps challenge,” Ainslie said.

At a press conference last week, in response to a question on reports of antisemitism on Chinese social media, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reiterated China’s stance on the conflict — which calls for a two-state solution — adding that “China’s laws unequivocally prohibit disseminating information on extremism, ethnic hatred, discrimination and violence via the internet.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, June 14, 2023. China has sought to play a larger role in Middle East peace negotiations. (Palestinian Presidency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

China-Israel ties are at a low

China has cultivated a strong economic relationship with Israel since establishing ties in 1992, often referencing the “1,000-year” friendship between the Chinese and Jewish people and the thousands of Jewish refugees who found refuge in Shanghai during World War II. China today remains Israel’s second-largest trading partner behind the United States.

In June, in a sign of warming ties, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. politicians that he planned to visit Beijing in the near future. He felt compelled to issue a statement emphasizing that “the US will always be Israel’s most vital ally and irreplaceable ally.” (That visit now seems unlikely.)

But China has historically also had a close relationship with Palestinian leaders dating back to the Mao era. The country has shown that it additionally wants to play a bigger role in the Middle East peace process in recent years.

Since Oct. 7, China has not specifically condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel or labeled it as terrorism, leading to deep disappointment and frustration from Israel. Unlike many Western nations, China does not categorize Hamas as a terrorist organization.

On Thursday, Israel’s representative to Taiwan called China’s hesitance to condemn Hamas’ attack “very disturbing.” China has also released little information about the stabbing of an Israeli diplomat’s spouse in Beijing, though police said the attacker was a foreigner.

Instead, China has repeatedly called for restraint on both sides and for a two-state solution to be reached with the help of the United Nations. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has also said Israel had gone “beyond self-defense.”

China has additionally courted support in the Arab League, to the extent that several countries in it have begun rejecting international concerns about human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum said the Chinese government “may be committing genocide” in the region, where the Uyghurs have reportedly been subject to mass imprisonment and forced labor.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in June that China’s actions in Xinjiang are aimed at combating terrorism and have “nothing to do with human rights” abuses.

Plenty of Chinese still support Jews and Israel

Viral social media posts do not necessarily determine the public opinion of the average Chinese, and the topic of antisemitism in China remains understudied. Condemnations of antisemitism in response to the recent phenomenon in China’s cyberspace do exist — many users have condemned Hamas’ terrorism and questioned their government’s response to the conflict.

Pro-Israel sentiment exists, too. Israel has also long been a subject of admiration in China for its rich culture and strong educational and tech sectors that many entrepreneurs have tried to buy into or replicate.

Many Chinese express their support for the Jewish state on the Israeli embassy in China’s Weibo posts. “Support Israel! Annihilate the terrorist organization!” one recent comment reads.

In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Ping Zhang, a professor of East Asian studies at Tel Aviv University, said his attempts to explain to Israeli friends that “‘there are still many Chinese who support Israel’ basically received little response.”

“The goodwill caused by 1,000 Chinese voices friendly to Israel is not worth the damage caused by one antisemitic statement,” he wrote. “Simply put, the foundation of the good relationship built between the two sides over the past three decades has been shattered.”


The post Since Oct. 7, antisemitism has exploded online in China. Here’s why. appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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Pro-Hamas Activists, Groups Turn Against Progressive Lawmakers, Allies as Anti-Israel Movement Shows Cracks

Pro-Hamas activists gather in Washington Square Park for a rally following a protest march held in response to an NYPD sweep of an anti-Israel encampment at New York University in Manhattan, May 3, 2024. Photo: Matthew Rodier/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

A slew of anti-Israel groups and activists have turned on left-wing Democratic lawmakers and allies, dismissing them as “enemies” and calling into question their support and loyalty to the Palestinian cause. 

In recent weeks, anti-Zionist organizations and public figures have taken to social media to lash out at high-profile left-wing politicians and activists for criticizing their methods of opposing the Jewish state. Staunchly anti-Israel groups such as Within Our Lifetime (WOL) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) have expressed outright indignation at allied lawmakers and activists for suggesting their extreme, sometimes violent tactics are counterproductive and risk cannibalizing the movement against the Jewish state. 

SJP, which promotes anti-Israel propaganda on college campuses, lambasted US Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) for criticizing a mob of pro-Hamas protesters who demonstrated outside an exhibition in New York City that commemorates the victims of the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel. The group asserted that any public disapproval of pro-Palestinian activists is tantamount to enabling “genocide” in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by the Hamas terrorist group.

“We are not loyal to our oppressors; elected officials who choose to enable genocide, endorse the architects of said genocide, or otherwise stand in the way of Palestinian liberation will face the political consequences of those choices,” SJP wrote. 

“Figures like AOC and Jamaal Bowman have utility insofar as they leverage their positions within the belly of the beast to shield the masses and our righteous struggles for liberation, directly challenge white supremacist power structures, and stand firmly against Zionism and all manifestations of US imperialism,” SJP continued. “Without these tangible actions, we regard these elected officials as our enemies.”

Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman have been among the US Congress’s most vocal critics of Israel, falsely accusing the Jewish state of “genocide” and “white supremacy,” relentlessly castigating its American supporters, and claiming that the charge of antisemitism has been weaponized for political purposes.

However, their anti-Israel comments and policy proposals haven’t seemingly gone far enough for SJP, which has been behind many of the pro-Hamas demonstrations that devastated universities this past academic year.

Within Our Lifetime (WOL), an organization that promotes the eradication of Israel and Zionism as its central goal, similarly condemned Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez for not taking maximalist stances against the Jewish state. The group criticized the two lawmakers for “sanctioning Palestinian resistance” by voting in favor of a resolution which strengthens the authority of the US president to levy sanctions against entities that use human shields in conflict. Hamas has been widely criticized for its military strategy of embedding its terrorists within Gaza’s civilian population and commandeering civilian facilities like hospitals, schools, and mosques to run operations and direct attacks against Israel.

WOL also blasted the two lawmakers for perpetuating “debunked Zionist propaganda about sexual violence” by voting in favor of another resolution that condemned Hamas’ systematic use of rape and other forms of sexual violence against Israeli women during its Oct. 7 onslaught.

Nerdeen Kiswani, the founder of WOL and a prolific organizer of anti-Israel demonstrations, reprimanded Ocasio-Cortez for calling out her group’s protest of the exhibit honoring victims of the Nova Music Festival massacre.

“You are a genocide apologist,” Kiswani wrote, dismissing the display as a “zionist [sic] exhibit used to manufacture consent for genocide.”

“You are worse than any openly fascist politician. At least we know they are our enemies. Liberals like you will smile in our face as you lie to and backstab our communities,” Kiswani continued

The WOL leader then fired shots at US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the first Palestinian American woman elected to Congress, for issuing a statement criticizing protests of Bowman’s reelection campaign rally. The congresswoman wrote that members of WOL harbor “unrealistic expectations of political perfection.”

“You think we care about Palestinians who repeat Zionist agenda and lies? Unfortunately Rashida Tlaib repeated the lies about Palestinians committing sexual violence on Oct. 7, the same lies used to manufacture consent for genocide. She needs to be called out too,” Kiswani wrote. 

Kiswani also took aim at Rafael Shimunov, a Jewish activist and leader of the anti-Israel organization IfNotNow, for criticizing WOL’s decision to protest a rally supporting Bowman’s failed reelection campaign

“Weren’t you already called out for being a liberal Zionist? Do you need to be dog walked again?” Kiswani wrote. 

“Do you really think Palestinians have so little agency that we wouldn’t on our own volition protest politicians backing genocide Joe who we’ve chanted against for months?” Kiswani continued, using a nickname that pro-Hamas activists have given to US President Joe Biden due to his overall support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Beyond Congress, even avowed anti-Israel activists who have been at the front lines of the movement against the Jewish state have come under fire.

Ali Abunimah, director of the anti-Israel outlet Electronic Intifada, attacked Women’s March leader and progressive activist Linda Sarsour for criticizing the divisive tactics of pro-Palestinian organizations. 

“Calling us ‘purists’ or accusing us of ‘demanding perfection’ from ‘progressives’ who pander to ‘Israel’ devalues lives of Palestinian genocide victims. These ‘progressives’ reap huge rewards from being ‘pro-Palestine’ while doing NOTHING to actually help Palestinians. Enough!” Abunimah wrote. 

Sarsour has been among the most prominent anti-Israel voices in the US for several years.

Meanwhile, Abunimah has repeatedly called for the destruction and replacement of Israel with a Palestinian state. He regularly accuses Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and “apartheid” in the West Bank. Abunimah has also compared Israel to Nazi Germany, posting on X/Twitter that “supporting Zionism is not atonement for the Holocaust, but its continuation in spirit.”

Abunimah has dismissed Zionism as “one of the worst forms of antisemitism in existence today,” disregarding the fact that the vast majority of Jews self-identify as Zionist and believe in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish, democratic state in the ancient homeland of the Jewish people.

The post Pro-Hamas Activists, Groups Turn Against Progressive Lawmakers, Allies as Anti-Israel Movement Shows Cracks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Over 300 Social Media Influencers Unite to Strategize on Combating Antisemitism, Misinformation About Israel

Bravo TV host Andy Cohen (far right) hosting a discussion with (from left) Joseph Yomtoubian, Melinda Strauss, and Lynn Shabinsky. Photo: Ohad Kab

More than 300 leading social media influencers gathered in New York City for a two-day event that organizers described as the largest global influencer summit against antisemitism, misinformation, and hate.

The summit “Voices for Truth: Influencers United Against Antisemitism” took place on Sunday and Monday at The Glasshouse in New York City and was hosted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) in collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Center for Jewish Impact, and The Jewish Agency for Israel. A diverse group of influencers — including chefs, cookbook authors, artists, musicians, and athletes — united to share their experiences with antisemitism and strategize on how to use their online presence to fight hatred.

Since the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, many Jewish influencers have faced an increase in antisemitic bullying across all social media platforms and have also lost brand partnerships and contracts for standing in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish community. Nevertheless, these influencers continue to use their platforms to raise awareness about antisemitism, to express solidarity with Israel, and to counter misinformation about Israel and the Jewish people.

At the two-day summit, attendees included US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), rapper Kosha Dillz, professional basketball player Ryan Turrell, reality star and entrepreneur Julia Haart, Holocaust survivor Tova Friedman, dancer and activist Montana Tucker, and judoka Yael Arad, who was Israel’s first ever Olympic medalist.

Grammy-nominated reggae singer and songwriter Matisyahu, who released a song in March about antisemitism, joined a discussion on stage about antisemitism impacting his career before performing live for the audience. The “Jerusalem” singer talked about being dropped by his manager and having a number of his scheduled concerts cancelled after he expressed solidarity with Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

During the summit there were other discussions on stage about debating misconceptions and misinformation regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas war; building interfaith alliances; “navigating the science of social media to maximize impact”; being “united in diversity” with Jews of color; and “fighting antisemitism with comedy,” the latter of which featured comedians Yechiel Jacobs, LE Steiman, and Josh Zilberberg. Pro-Israel student activists participated in a panel discussion about fighting antisemitism on college and university campuses, and Zionist LGBTQ+ community members led a discussion titled “Proud in Pride: Breaking Down the Queers for Palestine Movement.”

At the event’s opening gala on Sunday night, New York City Mayor Eric Adams talked about the need to stop college campuses from “breeding hatred” against Jews and the dangerous dark corners of social media, where antisemitism and misinformation flourish and “truth no longer matters.” He also told the influencers in the audience they have the means to change history.

“You are now on the precipice to decide which direction we’re going in move in, not only as a country but as a globe. You only have to pick up your device to change the course of history,” said Adams. “This is your moment to use the tools you have — your platforms. Your platforms can actually change the course of what we are experiencing across the globe. There’s no room for hate in this city [or] on our globe and together we can turn it around.”

“Doesn’t matter where you go, where you come from,” he added. “If you wear a hijab or yamulke, kufi, turban … doesn’t matter where you go to worship or pray or not at all. It doesn’t matter. I know we are members of the greatest race alive, and that’s the human race. Let’s lift each other up.”

Bravo producer and television and radio host Andy Cohen spoke at the opening gala about being a “proud American Jew” and told the crowd: “For me, flying the flag of who I am culturally is the greatest thing I can do right now and and I think continuing to celebrate what we love about being Jewish is actually more of a political statement than people realize. Many of you have large social media platforms, and that just by representing Jewish culture with pride to your followers, you will have a far-reaching impact more than you may even realize.”

“Be proud of being Jewish and don’t shy away from showing it publicly,” the host of “Watch What Happens Live” added. “And sometimes the simplest displays or gestures are the strongest and most effective.”

Cohen also moderated a panel discussion at the summit about using social media to combat hate and foster understanding. When he asked one of the panelists, influencer Lynn Shabinsky, about losing thousands of social media followers after sharing content that called for the release of the Hamas hostages, Shabinsky replied, “We don’t need them. We’re here as people. We need to survive. The money will come later.”

The summit further drew attention to the hostages still being held captive by Hamas terrorists since Oct. 7 by welcoming rescued hostages to the stage as well as a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, Natalie Sanandaji. She shared her first-hand account of surviving the Nova massacre and the importance of resilience in the face of hate. Sanandaji additionally presented Tucker with the CAM Impactful Activism Award.

“Jews today have a voice, we are strong, we are powerful, and we are resilient,” Tucker said in her acceptance speech. “We are fortunate to have social media to use our platforms to reach people all the around the world. We have experienced brand deals fall through, death threats, but we’ll continue to fight every single day, and we will not give up.”

The summit ended on Monday night with a call to action that encouraged attendees to continue using their social media platforms to educate, inspire, and combat antisemitism.

“We live in a world in which lies become truth, truth becomes a lie, victims become aggressors, and aggressors become victims,” said Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis. “But know this: Those who started this war will be defeated. We will not be victims of violence anymore. Enough. Enough.”

“This is our chance to make a difference. To stand up for Jewish people and our values and the protection of minorities,” said CAM CEO Sacha Roytman. “To stand by is not an option anymore. Bring back activism and community leadership as a way of life.”

The post Over 300 Social Media Influencers Unite to Strategize on Combating Antisemitism, Misinformation About Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Students of Columbia University Affiliate School Petition Administration to Hire Pro-Hamas Professor

The “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University, located in the Manhattan borough of New York City, on April 25, 2024. Photo: Reuters Connect

Students of the Union Theological Seminary (UTS), an affiliate school of Columbia University, are pushing the institution to hire an academic who was just terminated for defending the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.

Dr. Mohamed Abdou, a visiting professor in modern Arab studies who defended Hamas after the terrorist group slaughtered over 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 others during its Oct. 7 onslaught, was reportedly relieved of his duties at Columbia University as of Sunday. Following Abdou’s firing, UTS students circulated a petition calling on the seminary to extend the anti-Israel academic an offer of employment.

“We condemn Columbia University’s efforts to stifle any mobilization around [the Palestinian] cause and its repressive, anti-Palestinian victimization of Dr. Abdou,” the petition reads. 

“We ask the UTS administration to hire Dr. Abdou for the 2024-2025 academic year,” the petition continues. 

During a US congressional hearing on campus antisemitism in April, Columbia President Minouche Shafik promised lawmakers that the university would terminate Abdou at the conclusion of the school year, citing his repeated public endorsements of violence against Israel and endorsement of terrorist groups.

During a Jan. 5 interview with Revolutionary Left Radio, Abdou heaped praise on Hamas, referring to the terrorist organization as a “resistance” and dismissed criticism of the terrorist organization as “white supremacy.” In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, many pro-Palestinian groups have similarly defended Hamas a a “resistance” group and referred to the Oct. 7 atrocities as “self-defense.” 

On Jan. 16. the Columbia Middle East Institute tapped Abdou to serve as lead instructor for a course on “Decolonial-Queerness & Abolition.” According to the course description, students analyzed “Euro-American informed modernity animated by (neo)liberal-Enlightenment values (free will/humanity, secularism, racial capitalism)” and “contemporary conceptualizations of family, kinship, and friendship in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities within the context of settler-colonial societies (as the U.S./Canada) as well as in postcolonial nations and regions (as Southwest Asia, Africa, and the Middle East) that arguably never underwent adequate decolonization.”

Abdou faced intense criticism after a student recorded and circulated a course lecture in which he denounced Israel as a “settler colonial” entity that was inspired by American-style beliefs on private property, gender, and sexuality. 

Following Shafik’s congressional testimony, Abdou claimed that the Columbia president “lied” about his firing and accused her of “misrepresenting” his opinions. He reiterated his support for Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which are backed by Iran.

Abdou’s public support for terrorism has caused a firestorm of controversy with Columbia students and alumni, calling into question the university’s commitment to fostering a tolerant and safe environment for Jewish and Israeli students. 

Abdou indicated gratitude for the petition on X/Twitter, saying that he is “indebted for this generous initiative.” He called on his supporters to sign and spread the petition “as far [and] as wide as possible.”

The post Students of Columbia University Affiliate School Petition Administration to Hire Pro-Hamas Professor first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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