Merchant of Menace: Trump and the Jews. The unholy alliance between history's antisemites, Netanyahu, and Trump.

[Celerity]

https://prospect.org/politics/2025-03-25-merchant-of-menace-trump-and-the-jews/



In 1791, Russian leaders invited Jews to live in what came to be known as the Pale of Settlement, under terms that were regularly made more restrictive and often led to pogroms. It did not end well. When you find yourself love-bombed by your enemies for entirely opportunistic reasons, it seldom ends well either. Today, the menace of antisemitism is being used to restrict academic freedom at a heavily Jewish university (Columbia) and will be further used to assault the liberal professions that have historically been hospitable to American Jews.

This bizarre twist is the work of an alliance of convenience between Trump, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, all of whom find it expedient to define any criticism of Israel’s brutal actions in Gaza as antisemitism. Right-wing extremists with no love of Jews relish this ploy.

Some mainstream American Jewish congregations helped set the trap. For decades, many synagogues have displayed a sign long promoted by Zionist groups, We Stand With Israel, often festooned with U.S. and Israeli flags. Let’s see, does that refer to the biblical land of Israel, the Israel of 1948, or the Israel that is obliterating civilian Gaza? Conveniently, the slogan blurs all three. One of the ancient slanders against Jews is the charge of “dual loyalty.” Jews may pose as loyal citizens, but they really have a deeper loyalty to their tribe. Slogans like these serve to volunteer all Jews as pleading guilty to the charge of dual loyalty. But, hey, no problem. Trump is determined to root out antisemitism.This will not end well.

snip

This week, Netanyahu is hosting a global conference on antisemitism. His featured speakers are Europe’s worst right-wing leaders, who have no love of Jews but opportunistically embrace Israel. The whole idea smelled so bad that several of Europe’s mainstream leaders pulled out. Even the ADL bailed. But this is exactly what Trump is doing at home.

snip

[RussellCattle]

1. Best post on DU today.

[Drum]

3. Seconded!

[no_hypocrisy]

2. This chapter of the tragedy of the Jews is almost biblical.

[RussellCattle]

4. Very true, and almost funny. Is anyone writing a "New Old Testament" recording the trials and....

…….travales of the tribes? Where are the New Prophets? This is personal to me.

[Beastly Boy]

5. It took a lot of willful ignorance and heavy cojones to publish an article like this.

Out of the gate, Mr. Kuttner shows off a remarkable ignorance of history: no one invited the Jews into the Pale of Settlement. It was Russia's annexation of Polish territories in 1792 that created the Pale. Np Jew was previously permitted to permanently reside in the Russian Empire, and after the annexation no Jew was permitted to reside outside of the Pale of Settlement. Calling this a "love bomb" just so the author can use his strawman argument to draw non-existing parallels between it and the Trump-Netanyahu alliance is the height of intellectual dishonesty.

The menace of antisemitism has existed before, during and after the Pale of Settlement, and as we witness today, it never went away. There are no professions that have "historically been hospitable to American Jews", and to state the contrary is to advance certain backhanded stereotypes that are absent of any semblance of accuracy. The American Jews earned their place in the liberal professions, as they did in other professions, with hard work, not any particular hospitality.

And now that the permissibility of fudging history and narrow-minded stereotyping had been established as a legitimate foundation for faulty arguments, we can paint the menace of antisemitism, which is very real indeed, as an instrument in a conspiracy between right wingers like Trump and Netanyahu to undermine academic freedom. Never mind that the definition of antisemitism has been in place since 1879, and a cursory reference to it would make the distinction between it and whatever Netanyahu thinks it is rather clear.

But wait, there is more! It turns out that not only is there a the bizarre right-wing plot to undermine academic freedom (in itself, this claim can possibly make a halfass compelling argument), but this conspiracy extends to ADL, "some" mainstream American Jewish congregations and many synagogues, who "have displayed a sign long promoted by Zionist groups, We Stand With Israel, often festooned with U.S. and Israeli flags". How dare they to exercise their freedom of speech! Unacceptable!

And why is their protected speech so dangerous? Let's see: the author is confused: "Does that refer to the biblical land of Israel, the Israel of 1948, or the Israel that is obliterating civilian Gaza? Conveniently, the slogan blurs all three." Which makes me wonder how much he knows about Israel, or how much he is interested in what he is talking about. Of course, the sentiment which confuses him refers to Israel in all its entirety and diversity, which includes tens of thousands Israelis protesting the actions of their government, as well as dozens of hostages held in Gaza, not just the author's choice of isolated instances the author chooses to push.

And then, there is this kicker:

One of the ancient slanders against Jews is the charge of “dual loyalty.” Jews may pose as loyal citizens, but they really have a deeper loyalty to their tribe. Slogans like these serve to volunteer all Jews as pleading guilty to the charge of dual loyalty.

But, hey, no problem. Trump is determined to root out antisemitism.

This will not end well.

AMERICAN JEWS HAVE A RANGE of complex feelings about Israel. They range from the “Israel right or wrong” view held by AIPAC and the ADL, to criticism of Netanyahu’s policies combined with support for Israel’s right to defend itself, to anti-Zionism. And despite the attempt to brand it as such, anti-Zionism is not per se antisemitism, unless the charge of dual loyalty is literally true.

Bingo! Doublespeak at its best. "I march for Ireland" or "I stand with Ukraine" or "I love the Pope" are not signs of dual loyalties, but, unless you are an anti-Zionist, "I stand with Israel" is.So according to the author, I cannot be a Zionist and a loyal American at the same time.

Sorry, pal, I find this kind of crap pretty offensive.




Garbage in, garbage out.