By Zohran Madani, Democratic Party candidate for New York City Mayor
New York, July 9 - Every right-thinking person understands the distinction between Judaism and Zionism, and only propagandists try to blur that distinction by framing every criticism of, or action against, efforts to dismantle Zionism, as antisemitic, such as when pro-Palestine activist firebombs a synagogue during services. What could such a person have against Jews? It's clearly just an anti-Zionist act.
Debate all you want about the legitimacy of violence against Zionists - My allies and I have an entire arsenal of whataboutist responses to denunciations of such behavior - you cannot escape the hard fact that there is a difference between antisemitism - hatred for, or discrimination against - Jews, and the denial of the right to Jewish peoplehood and sovereignty in their ancestral homeland. Let me be clear: when we deny that Jews have a right to self-determination in the place where Jews came from in the first place, we're not being anti-Jewish! How could that me anti-Jewish?
Now, if you were to say the same thing about Palestinians, that would obviously be Islamophobic. Everyone knows that.
Whenever you see reports of someone attacking Jews or Jewish institutions, in the name of a Free Palestine, or Globalize the Intifada, or whatever slogan is in vogue among my peeps next week, you must resist the attempts of Zionist agitators to conflate those attacks with attacks on Jews. It should be plain as day that their being Jews has nothing to do with it. Most Zionists aren't even Jewish! But we only attack the Jewish Zionists because reasons.
Same thing with attacks on kosher or Jewish restaurants. How hard can it be to grasp that it's not being targeted because it's Jewish, but because Jews are overwhelmingly Zionists, and Zionism is evil? This is an easy distinction to make, and it's dishonest to pretend otherwise.
Like when visibly-Jewish people get harassed or attacked - it happens a lot in this great city - in the name of Palestine, or not in the name of Palestine, but trust me, it's in the name of Palestine, it's not because they're Jewish. Far from it! It's to free Palestine, because Jews! This isn't hard to understand. Who cares that most of the frock-wearing, stereotypically-dressed Jews aren't even Zionist. What does that have to do with anything? Free Palestine!
I hope this has been clarifying for everyone. Especially Jews, who should stop accusing people of antisemitism when they're attacked for being of the same ethnic group as the people opposing Palestine.
Please support - our work through Patreon.
Buy In The Biblical Sense: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B92QYWSL