The video shows Michael Yon making false claims regarding so-called “terrorists coming across the border being funded by Jewish money.” Yon was speaking at a “Take Back Our Border” convoy in Texas.
In the video posted on X, formerly Twitter, the man can be heard claiming that HIAS, a global Jewish nonprofit that works to protect refugees, is responsible for funding terrorists coming to America.
No, I get you. I even agree with you. Unfortunately it’s being used both ways, and I honestly think it would help to differentiate the two, because it’s being diluted by the people that need protection from it the most.
I am one of those people and as a Jew I cannot disagree more. People need to know what is and is not bigotry against Jews. They need to know the difference between calling out Israel for its genocide and blaming an American Jew for that genocide. It is absolutely vital for people to understand that there is nothing antisemitic about criticizing Israel because it is vital for people to understand that American Jews are not Israelis. You have no idea how many people essentially consider us to be foreigners in our own homelands. On my mother’s side, my Jewish ancestors in America go back to the 19th century. Many decades before Israel even existed. I have absolutely no affiliation or association with Israel. I am American. I was born in Indiana. I’m completely steeped in American culture. I know almost no Hebrew or Yiddish. And yet so many people, both pro-Israeli and anti-Israeli assume that because I am a Jew, I must hold allegiance to Israel. And a big reason for that is because Israel wants it that way. What you are suggesting still gives them what they want.
Edit: Needed to add ‘in America.’
The number of American Jews I know that are backing Israel in this are not insignificant. There’s a lot of I stand with Israel out there It like to throw around anti-Semitism when people disagree with them.
The muddying of the term is deliberate and political. And I agree that it is important that people know the difference, which is why I’m against leaving it muddied. If you walk up to a thousand people screaming it’s anti-Semitism and scream back at them that’s not anti-Semitism there’s no movement. You’re telling them that you don’t think what they’re doing is right and they’re telling you you’re a Nazi.
How do you fix that?
People used to claim all kinds of things like blackface weren’t racist when they are racist. Meanwhile, there are black writers who claim hip hop is racist., which implies that you’re a racist if you listen to it. Such writers are wrong and ‘but they’re black’ is not a justification. Blackface is racist because it’s white people pretending to be black. Hip hop is not racist because it is part of black culture. And the way you fix that is you keep insisting one thing is bigotry and the other isn’t. Which is why people do not accept blackface today but do accept hip hop.
I think what they’re saying is, there does NOT need to be a distinction because those claiming it means anything anti-Israel … are wrong. Pure and simple.
It does not need clarifying from the perspective of people saying antisemitism. It needs clarification in that the morons who insist anti-Israel is antisemitic need to be slapped across the face, because they’re wrong.
The muddying of the term is a political attack. How do you stop that? You tell them they’re wrong they tell you you’re a fascist?
And if you ask what exactly a fascist is, they mumble some shit about woke leftists.
The dumbing down of people all over the world will be what kills us all.
