What to Keep in Mind When Covering Antisemitism
Antisemitism is on the rise in the United States and globally. Rates of antisemitism reached record highs in 2021 amid a major outbreak of violence in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 2,717 incidents of antisemitism were recorded in 2021 – the highest number since 1979.
Antisemitism is an intersectional issue, which can make understanding its scope a bit more difficult. The motivations behind antisemitic actions and remarks are so broad and vague that no one trend can pinpoint or predict increases in antisemitic statements or attacks. Antisemitism is also deeply rooted in culture, and as such, anti-semitic statements can be insidious and covert, and not sound out of the realm of regular speech.
Research is helpful, but what else do journalists need to cover antisemitism effectively?
CONTEXT
Jewish people are raised with a clear knowledge of the diaspora and the history and tribulations of the Jewish people. Jews have been targeted by white supremacists since before the common era, though modern conspiracy theories have resurrected hateful talking points in new and more sinister ways. The “Great Replacement Theory,” a far-right white supremacist talking point that alleges white people are being replaced with minorities, specifically targets Jews. White supremacists marched on the city of Charlottesville in 2017, brandishing signs with slogans like, “Jews Will Not Replace Us.” Far-right supporters of former President Donald Trump openly expressed their hostilities toward his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner for being Jewish – despite Kushner’s reliably conservative record.
HISTORY
Jewish people have a well-documented history of oppression. From the times of Moses and the Pharaoh all the way up to 2022, the Jewish community has a lot of inherited trauma from several different historical events, the most obvious being the Holocaust and related incidents. But even before that, Jewish people were targeted, driven out of their homes, and murdered for being Jewish. Adding to this: Jews have historically been portrayed as dishonest in media, theater, and film. For instance, the smash-hit musical Les Miserables contains several maligning references to Jewish people, including a sting of Yiddish music in Master Of The House to denote the dishonesty of the Thenardiers, two arch-nemeses of the story's protagonist, Jean Valjean. Author Victor Hugo’s original text also heavily employs the character of the policeman Javert as representing a Christian idea of Judaism, torn as he is between following the law and offering mercy.
CORNERSTONES, MYTHS, AND STEREOTYPES
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is considered rather problematic today, though it was regarded as one of his more progressive works at the time it was written and staged in the late 16th century. Shylock, a Jewish merchant who lends a hefty sum to Antonio, the protagonist, in return for a pound of flesh, plays into several Jewish stereotypes that we still see today. For one, the stereotype of Jews as well-to-do and miserly merchants: Shylock holds a great deal of wealth but does not agree to part with it without serious consequences.
Consider the following passage:
“I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.”
Adding to this, Shylock’s vengeful side is perpetuated and explored in other plays, among them Christopher Marlowe’s Jew of Malta.
Shylock’s lust for revenge plays into another common Jewish stereotype, what is commonly referred to as “the blood libel,” in which Jews in literature were portrayed as committing murder for their own pleasure or for ritual’s sake. There are also a number of references to animals throughout the passage included above, and comparing Jews to dogs is one of the oldest antisemitic tricks in the book.
IDENTIFY THE PLACES ANTISEMITISM HIDES IN LANGUAGE
Antisemitism, like racism, hides in plain sight in the English language. There are pretty easy ways to catch it – if someone says something like “Jews run everything,” that’s a pretty obvious red flag. References to the “Jewish lobby” or any sort of coalition of powerful Jews with political, economic, and agenda-setting power is also antisemitic because it implies Jewish people are a monolith advocating for a single goal, which is simply untrue.
INCLUDE PERSPECTIVES
Judaism is complex. It works both as a religion and ethnic group for some, and works as one or the other for others. Sometimes it does neither – someone may be culturally Jewish but have no strong ties to their heritage. That’s why antisemitism is so pervasive: Judaism is a complex piece of identity that society has yet to wrap its mind around fully. Because of this, Jewish people are likely to come from extremely different walks of life, from different political approaches, belief systems, and boundaries. The differences in backgrounds and belief structures in Judaism vary greatly, and only allowing perspective in about one of these backgrounds is a really great way to perpetuate antisemitic stereotypes.
Jewish people are marginalized because they are othered. Our goal as journalists should be to not fall prey to bigotry and to question any kind of rhetoric that relies on our own or our audience’s preconceptions to make a point. Instead we must let the truth speak for itself.
