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Why I don’t love ‘Jew hate’ as a substitute for ‘antisemitism’
(JTA) — I read a lot about antisemitism — as a professor researching prejudice, as a former fellow at a Holocaust memorial center, as a blogger for The Times of Israel, as the son of a Jewish father who was so grateful to get to live in the United States and as the father of a Jewish son in that same country, but with antisemitism on the rise.
I’ve noticed a shift in what I’m reading. The media, especially social media, are increasingly replacing the term “antisemitism” with a new term: “Jew hate.”
“Simply put, antisemitism is Jew hate,” Richard Lovett, co-chairman of Creative Artists Agency, the world’s leading entertainment and talent agency and a marketing and branding powerhouse, remarked last month in an address encouraging his industry to fight antisemitism. Also last month, the governor and attorney general of Massachusetts, the mayor of Boston and other state leaders launched a campaign to “#StandUpToJewishHate,” an effort bankrolled by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Brooke Goldstein, the founder of the pro-Israel Lawfare Project and author of the book “End Jew Hatred,” has started an organization with the same name. The nonprofit JewBelong launched the #EndJewHate billboard campaign in 2021 in cities around the country.
London’s Jewish Chronicle — the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world — has now run several articles using “Jew hate” in addition to or instead of “antisemitism.”
I have asked colleagues who work on Holocaust remembrance, fighting antisemitism and promoting tolerance why they now prefer “Jew hate” to “antisemitism.” They consider it strong and clever branding, jarring and unapologetic, and I can’t argue with that. The phrase packs a punch. And it aligns Jewish groups with a larger social phenomenon: the various efforts to study and stop the menacing resurgence of hate groups. There are new university centers for the study of hate, new hate-focused conferences and several journals dedicated to hate studies. Hate is hot. Branding antisemitism as “Jew hate,” it is hoped, will help to mainstream concern about antisemitism.
The popularity of “Jew hate” coincides with concerns about the term “antisemitism.” Once usually spelled “anti-Semitism,” the term is increasingly spelled without the hyphen and with a lowercase first “s.” This change was made out of concern that the former spelling reinforced the pseudo-scientific, long-discredited idea that Jews are members of the “Semitic” race.
Nevertheless, adopting “Jew hate” in place of “antisemitism” is a big mistake. It misses way too much.
A JewBelong bus ad in downtown San Francisco, part of a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of antisemitism. (Gabriel Greschler/J. Jewish News of Northern California)
The term “antisemitism” — like the reality it describes — encompasses not only hate, but also fear and envy. People can fear or envy Jews without hating them. True, these biases can lead to stereotypes about Jews and the negative consequences of those stereotypes. People with preconceived notions about Jews are likely to notice and remember selectively or simply hear and believe whatever supports their biases while disregarding, disbelieving or downplaying information to the contrary. One Jewish head of a major newspaper or movie studio, according to this thinking, shows that Jews control the media. In this way, antisemitism can be self-perpetuating even when not powered by outright hatred.
“Jew hate” does not take into account apathy, the lack of concern that throughout history has allowed the actual haters to get away with much more than they would have otherwise. Nor does “Jew hate” take into account a dangerous kind of admiration. Well-meaning people may have positive stereotypes about Jews being intelligent and good in certain professions. These biases are not hateful, but they do reduce Jews to stereotypes.
“Jew hate” does not adequately capture antisemitism born of ignorance — not only of Jewish history and culture but also of the history and effects of antisemitism. Ignorance about Jewish culture, history and traditions can contribute to discrimination against Jews, thus perpetuating antisemitism even when there is no hate. The rising and amazing ignorance of the facts of the Holocaust, for example, sets the stage for more people to dismiss or downplay its severity. That, in turn, will breed resentment — or worse — toward Jews, who are increasingly being cast as obnoxious and self-pitying for insisting that the Shoah happened and seeking to remind the world how bad it was.
If it irritates people when a Jew doesn’t care to join them in singing Christmas carols or to buy the annual Christmas stamp, that’s not necessarily hatred. It’s probably just ignorance of what it means to be in the minority versus the majority. Nevertheless, such ignorance, like ignorance of the Holocaust, can have an antisemitic effect.
Most alarming, the concept of “Jew hate” undermines the fight against antisemitism by — and this was supposed to be a point in its favor — making antisemitism just one instance of a broader category: hate. It should go without saying that one should be against most forms of hate. “Hate has no home here” lawn signs are admirable. But there are essential differences between each form of hate. They are not simply flavors to be served up when the media or a corporation wants to take a popular position. Diseases of the society, like diseases of the body, need to be understood and combatted on their own specific terms. Antisemitism has its own distinct history and pathology. The fight against antisemitism is not just the fight against white supremacy or misogyny or Islamophobia with a different name on the tee shirt.
Ultimately, what worries me most is that the concept of “Jew hate” lets people off too easily. Most people aren’t going to defend hatred, but having disavowed hatred, there’s still a lot to answer for. Antisemitism is real and there seems to be no end in sight. The digital age has amplified the speed and spread of anti-Jewish tropes, extremist ideologies and antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Metal detectors and armed guards are now common at major Jewish gatherings. That’s a sign of real sickness in the culture, but rebranding antisemitism to fit more neatly into the “fight hate” agenda isn’t the cure.
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The post Why I don’t love ‘Jew hate’ as a substitute for ‘antisemitism’ appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Gershon Weiss’ poetic surprises
פֿאַראַיאָרן האָט דער תּל־אָבֿיבֿער „ה. לייוויק־פֿאַרלאַג‟ אַרויסגעגעבן אַ לידער־זאַמלונג פֿונעם דיכטער גרשון ווײַס. דאָס בוך, „אַלט־נײַע לידער פֿאַר דעם איין־און־צוואַנציקסטן יאָרהונדערט‟, איז בלויז 28 זײַטלעך, נאָר האָט אַן אוניקאַלן טעם, באַגלייט מיט דעם מחברס אייגענע אילוסטראַציעס.
ווען איך האָב צום ערשטן מאָל געעפֿנט די דאָזיקע אויסגאַבע, האָט מיך גלײַך פֿאַרחידושט דער אימאַזש, אַז דער באַראַן (אַן ער־שעפּס), וועלכער פֿיגורירט אין דער מעשׂה וועגן דער עקידת־יצחק, ווי ער דערקלערט אינעם ליד אַליין, איז „חנום דער ווידערמענטש־אָפּגאָט‟. אַ פּלוצעמדיקע אַסאָציאַציע… און נישט קיין צופֿעליקע!
אינעם אַלט־מיצרישן פּאַנטעאָן איז טאַקע דאָ אַזאַ פֿיגור, וואָס זײַן נאָמען לייענט זיך ווי „כנום‟. גרשון ווײַס האָט פֿאַרשריבן זײַן נאָמען אויף אַ כּמו־לשון־קודשדיקן אופֿן, כּדי אונטערצושטרײַכן די אוראַלטקייט פֿונעם דאָזיקן אָפּגאָט, אַ מענטש אַ באַראַן. באַקומט זיך, לויט דעם דיכטערס רעיון, אַז בעת דער עקדה האָט אַבֿרהם אָבֿינו מבֿטל געווען די דאָזיקע עבֿודה־זרה… צי נישט? זײַן ניט־לאַנגע פּאָעמע „עקדה־צײַטן‟ שליסט זיך מיט די ווערטער „און זיי זײַנען געגאַנגען ווײַטער‟. טאַקע געגאַנגען, אינעם בוכשטעבלעכן היסטאָרישן זין. די אַרכעאָלאָגן האָבן באַשטעטיקט, אַז בערך מיט 2,500 יאָר צוריק איז אין דער מיצרישער אינדזל־שטאָט עלעפֿאַנטינע אָנגעגאַנגען אַ סיכסוך צווישן די אָרטיקע דינער פֿונעם שעפּס־קולט און ייִדן, וועלכער האָבן דאָרט אויפֿגעשטעלט אַן אייגענעם בית־המיקדש.
אין „פּרקי־אָבֿות‟ שטייט געשריבן, אַז יענער באַראַן איז געווען צווישן די זאַכן און באַשעפֿענישן, וואָס זענען באַשאַפֿן געוואָרן בײַם סאַמע סוף פֿון די ששת־ימי־בראשית. אויב אַזוי, ווערט ער אין דער ייִדישער טראַדיציע טאַקע באַטראַכט ווי עפּעס אַ מיסטישע חיה. די פֿאַרבינדונג מיטן באַראַן־מזל טלה (Aries), אויך דערמאָנט אינעם ליד, איז גענוג גוט באַקאַנט. ס׳איז פֿאַראַן אַ דעה, אַז די עקדה־מעשׂה איז פֿאָרגעקומען אינעם חודש ניסן, אונטער דעם דאָזיקן הימלישן סימן.
אָט אַזעלכע קייטן פֿון היסטאָרישע און סימבאָליש־פֿילאָסאָפֿישע פֿאַרבינדונגען בויען זיך, ווען מע לייענט גרשון ווײַסעס דיכטונג. זײַן פּאָעזיע איז פֿול מיט ניט־טריוויאַלע קבלה־אַסאָציאַציעס און אויך, ווי עס וואַרפֿט זיך אין די אויגן, מיט פּסיכאָ־אַנאַליז: „אַ לולבֿ און אתרוג טרעפֿן זיך… ער גרין מיט חשק, זי העל און רונד‟. אינעם נאָכוואָרט דערציילט דער דיכטער, אַז אין די לעצטע דרײַסיק יאָר האָט ער געאַרבעט ווי אַ „פּסיכאָטעראַפּיסט אין פֿאַרשידענע געביטן‟. אויפֿגעוואַקסן איז ער אין די 1970ער יאָרן אין אַ ניו־יאָרקער פֿאָרשטאָט.
אין ווײַסעס וועלטלעכער משפּחה האָט מען אויף ייִדיש נישט גערעדט. אינעם יאָר 1977 האָט ער זיך געלערנט אין דער אינטענסיווער ייִדיש־פּראָגראַם פֿון ייִוואָ און קאָלומביע־אוניווערסיטעט, אָנגעהויבן כּסדר פֿאַרבעסערן זײַן שפּראַך־קענטעניש און אין 2008 אָנגעהויבן פּובליקירן זײַנע ייִדישע לידער אינעם זשורנאַל „אויפֿן שוועל‟. גיטל שעכטער, איינע פֿון די רעדאַקטאָרן פֿונעם דאָזיקן זשורנאַל, האָט מיר איבערגעגעבן, אַז דער דיכטער וווינט אין איר שטאָט טינעק, ניו־דזשערזי, האָב איך זיך מיט אים פֿאַרבונדן.
גרשון ווײַס האָט מיר איבערגעגעבן, אַז איצט איז ער אויף פּענסיע און האָט אַ סך צײַט אויף צו שרײַבן לידער. איז גאַנץ מעגלעך אַז ער וועט אַרויסגעבן נאָך אַ זאַמלונג. איידער ער האָט זיך אויסגעלערנט ייִדיש, האָט ער געשריבן פּאָעטישע ווערק אויף ענגליש, אָבער הײַנט וויל ער שאַפֿן פּאָעזיע דווקא אויף דער ייִדישער שפּראַך, און דווקא צונויפֿשמעלצן זײַנע „צוויי אָבסעסיעס – רעליגיע און פּסיכאָלאָגיע‟.
אין עטלעכע לידער, דערקלערט ווײַס, האָט ער געוואָלט אויסשילדערן די תּנ״כישע פּערסאָנאַזשן ווי קאָמפּליצירטע עמאָציאָנעלע מענטשן, נישט סתּם „מאָראַלישע אַרכעטיפּן‟. ווי אַזוי? האָט מיר דער דיכטער דערקלערט אויף ייִדיש: „דאָס ליד פֿליסט אַרויס פֿון דעם דיכטערס אומוויסיקייט אין אַן אומסטרוקטורירטער פֿאָרעם, געמישט מיט פּערזענלעכע געדאַנקען און פֿראַגמענטן פֿון דעם דיכטערס קולטורעלער (מסתּמא, פֿילקולטורעלער) ירושה‟. זײַנע באַליבטסטע דיכטער זענען יעקבֿ גלאַטשטיין און דער ענגלישער פּאָעט ט. ס. עליאָט.
ווײַס האַלט, אַז „אַ ריינע ייִדישקייט איז אוממעגלעך‟. פֿון קדמונים אָן האָבן ייִדן זיך פֿאַרבונדן מיט די מיצרים, כּנענים, גריכן און אַנדערע פֿעלקער, זענען געווען באַקאַנט מיט זייערע רעליגיעס און ממילא עפּעס דערפֿון געשעפּט. פּערזענלעך בין איך אויך מסכּים. הלוואַי זאָלן אַרויס מער אַזעלכע ביכער אויף ייִדיש, וואָס זענען גובֿר פֿאַרשפּרייטע קולטורעלע סטערעאָטיפּן, און העלפֿן שאַפֿן בריקן צווישן פֿאַרשיידענע קולטורן און צוגאַנגען צו דער מענטשלעכער עקזיסטענץ.
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First-ever empirical study of US rabbinate finds ‘shortage’ is more about fit than numbers
(JTA) — For years, synagogue leaders have said they can’t find enough clergy to fill their pulpits, leading to warnings of a nationwide rabbinic shortage. At the same time, openings for campus rabbis at Hillel chapters draw an average of 19 applicants each.
This mismatch between what rabbis want to do and the kinds of jobs available is among the many findings in the first-ever empirical study of the American rabbinate across denominations, released this week by the Atra Center for Rabbinic Innovation.
The study also examines the so-called “rabbinic pipeline” — the concern that declining enrollment at seminaries means too few people want to become rabbis. Here, too, the findings challenge conventional wisdom.
Surveying 450 people who considered the rabbinate but chose other careers, the study finds that lack of motivation was not a deciding factor. The most common barriers cited were the cost and duration of rabbinical school, the need to relocate, and concerns about the practicality of such a career.
In addition to these “would-be” rabbis, researchers surveyed nearly 1,500 others — including working and retired rabbis, current students, and seminary dropouts. They also interviewed leaders of rabbinical schools and associations, along with representatives of a wide range of rabbinic employers, while collecting recruitment and enrollment data.
Almost as notable as the findings is the diversity of those who took part. Participating organizations include every rabbinic institution from Reconstructionist and Reform to Conservative and Modern Orthodox, as well as all major non-denominational programs. Participation also came from umbrella groups representing Jewish summer camps, community centers, federations, and Hillel chapters. (Haredi Judaism was outside the study’s scope.)
“It’s a groundbreaking effort because there’s never been a comprehensive study of the rabbinate before, but it didn’t take much persuasion to get broad participation,” Atra’s executive director, Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein, said in an interview.
She described an eagerness to get involved that was motivated by years of debate about the issues addressed in the study. In one breakthrough, Atra convened dozens of leaders of institutions and programs that cultivate Jewish leaders and ordain rabbis, spanning the denominational range, for a brainstorming session about tackling the rabbinic pipeline.
“Everyone’s been trying to address the problems and the challenges, and we haven’t actually had any shared good information and data to help us do that,” Epstein said. “People actually want to work together on this, because they recognize that no one can do it alone.”
The study does not offer hard and fast solutions, instead positioning itself as a “mirror and a map” for collective action. Here are some of the highlights.
1. Only about half of all rabbis work in synagogues.
Those who do tend to find their job overly stressful and exhausting. Other kinds of rabbinical jobs offer much higher job satisfaction.
About 56% of rabbis are in pulpit jobs. The rest work for nonprofits, as chaplains, for day schools and universities or as independent entrepreneurs. The researchers spoke to 222 people who have held jobs in both categories. They said that working for a synagogue pays better but that, by every other metric of job satisfaction, working outside the synagogue is significantly better.
The study highlights this difference but also notes with a tone of reassurance and awe that 97% of all rabbis said their jobs are rewarding.
2. After years of decline, rabbinical school enrollment appears to be stabilizing.
The widespread perception that the major denominational seminaries are graduating fewer students while newer and non-denominational schools are growing is validated in the study. The latter are now producing slightly more rabbis than the former. Over the past five years, enrollment declines at Conservative and Reform seminaries have stopped, suggesting that they’ve reached a new normal.
3. Most rabbinical students are women and most are LGBTQ. Many are converts.
Rabbinical students today reflect a far more diverse cohort than in the past. According to the Atra report, 58% identify as women, 30% as men, and 12% as nonbinary.
An estimated 51% identify as LGBTQ, a contrast made starker with survey data collected in the same study showing that only 15% of rabbis ordained 10 to 20 years ago are LGBTQ.
Meanwhile, 16% of rabbinical students are Jews by choice and 12% identify as a race other than white.
Both Atra and the researchers they commissioned to carry out the study caution against drawing sensational conclusions about the growing diversity. “There’s no data-driven evidence as to why it’s happening and what the implications of it are yet to be known,” Wendy Rosov, the study’s lead researcher, said in an interview.
4. Views about Israel or Zionism don’t factor heavily into decisions about whether to become a rabbi.
The past few years have seen some students drop out of rabbinical school in protest of what they say is anti-Zionism in the student body and dozens of students signing on to petitions that are harshly critical of Israel.
Atra didn’t collect data on how current and future rabbis feel about Israel. But it did check how whatever view they held factored into their motivation for the job. Only a small minority said they wanted to become rabbis as a way to promote Israel and an even smaller minority said they were worried of being silenced regarding their criticism of Israel.
The motivating factors people most often checked often were “a desire to serve others,” “I felt called by my love of Judaism,” “An interest in deepening their knowledge of Jewish text and traditions,” and “a desire to teach.”
5. A wave of rabbinic retirements is looming.
The Atra report estimates there are about 4,100 rabbis currently working across congregations, schools, nonprofits, campuses, and chaplaincies. But the profession is getting older only 6% are under 35, while a quarter are over 65.
With most rabbis ordained in their mid-30s and many staying in their roles for decades, the report warns that retirements may soon outnumber new entrants unless younger Jews are drawn into the field.
The report closes on a note of cautious optimism, calling for collective action rather than quick fixes. It outlines nine areas where collaboration could make the biggest difference — from easing the financial burden of rabbinical training to modernizing education, expanding non-congregational careers, and improving mentorship. Epstein is hopeful that the collaborative spirit embodied in the summer gathering could translate into shared solutions.
“This is a surmountable challenge,” she said.
The post First-ever empirical study of US rabbinate finds ‘shortage’ is more about fit than numbers appeared first on The Forward.
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Trump formally requests pardon in Israeli legal system for Benjamin Netanyahu
(JTA) — President Donald Trump has made official a suggestion that he first issued on the floor of Israel’s parliament: that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be pardoned preemptively for his alleged crimes.
Trump made the case in a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Herzog’s office released on Wednesday. In it, Trump calls Netanyahu a “formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister” and characterizes his prosecution as “lawfare,” a term that when used pejoratively refers to the misuse of legal systems to achieve ideological ends.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has stood tall for Israel in the face of strong adversaries and long odds, and his attention cannot be unnecessarily diverted,” Trump writes.
He adds, “While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System and its requirements, I believe that this case against Bibi, who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against the very top adversary of Israel, Iran, is a political unjustified prosecution.”
The letter represents the kind of insertion into Israeli domestic politics that would have drawn ire in the past but have become relatively commonplace during Trump’s norm-busting second term. It follows Trump’s successful push for Israel to strike a ceasefire deal with Hamas that freed the Israeli hostages and suspended the two-year war in Gaza, and comes as Trump is seeking to safeguard the peace. Trump says in the letter that Netanyahu’s leadership is essential for allowing Israel to move forward.
“Now that we have achieved these unprecedented successes, and are keeping Hamas in check, it is time to let be reunite Israel by pardoning him and ending this lawfare, once and for all,” Trump concludes, ending with one of his signature signoffs. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Unlike in the United States, where Trump has pardoned a number of political allies, including this week, Israel does not typically grant preemptive pardons. Netanyahu has not been convicted of any crimes.
Netanyahu has three legal cases open against him, on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. They relate to allegations that he accepted lavish gifts in exchange for political favors and that he used his position to secure positive media coverage. The trial in the cases began in 2020 and has proceeded in fits and starts, with hearings routinely canceled as Netanyahu attends to Israel’s affairs, including the multi-front war and a protest movement that Netanyahu and his allies allege has been stoked through foreign interference.
Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition, dismissed both the prospect of a pardon and Trump’s letter. On X, he said that Israeli law required those receiving pardons to admit guilt and show remorse — neither of which Netanyahu has yet done. In the Knesset, he said, “We are a sovereign state. There is a limit to intervention.”
Herzog’s office issued a statement praising Trump’s efforts in the Middle East but emphasizing that requests for pardons must come through Israel’s official process, which requires that people directly implicated in the case, or their immediate family members, must file a formal request.
“The president holds great respect for President Trump and repeatedly has repeatedly expressed his appreciation for Trump’s unwavering support of Israel and his tremendous contribution to the return of the hostages, the reshaping of the Middle East and Gaza, and the safeguarding of Israel’s security,” the president’s office said in a statement. “Without detracting from the above, as the president has made clear on multiple occasions, anyone seeking a pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures.”
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