On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to enshrine in law a definition of antisemitism that includes anti-Zionist messages. It’s an egregious attack on free speech — and one that gravely insults the memory of millions of anti-Zionist Jews.
  • SwampYankee@mander.xyz
    0·
    1 year ago

    My best friend in shul, and still to this day, comes from a long line of anti-Zionist leftists. My own family history is more mixed, but includes several socialists and anti-Zionists.

    Interestingly, one of the portions of the IHRA definition of antisemitism enshrined in this law is:

    Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.

    Now, e.g. means “for example” which means it’s not the only example. Might another example be the silencing of anti-Zionist speech? After all, as stated in the article:

    The Jewish Bund was the largest Jewish trade union movement and Jewish political party in Europe, and it fought for Jewish liberation alongside the struggle for socialism and international solidarity with other workers and oppressed peoples. […] Against Zionism, the Bund insisted “wherever we are, that’s our homeland.”

    Isn’t this Bundism a form of self determination? And wouldn’t denying the anti-Zionism inherent in it be tantamount to denying the self-determination of the Jewish people?

    Can I sue Congress under the Civil Rights Act of 1964?