In the world I’ve chosen, antisemitism and antizionism are very different choices made by largely very different groups of people. The first is a centuries-old systemic oppression of and antagonism towards people who are Jewish (among other things), which is intrinsically linked to every other historic oppression imaginable. The second is a legitimate political opinion generally related to laws, nationalism, apartheid, racism, and other concerns - it can be agreed or disagreed with. In the world I’ve chosen, it's illogical to accuse those who suffer from an oppression like antisemitism of enacting that same oppression. We surely internalize antisemitism; we all suffer from carrying our trauma in ways that manifest differently - in the world I've chosen, this warrants only more tenderness. After all there are so few of us, relative to the big world.

To me, fighting antisemitism also means finding what comforts, power, and humility we can in the Haggadah's narrative “my father was a wandering Aramean.” Keeping in touch with our roots/realities - as wanderers, murderers, freedom fighters, artists, conjures, oppressed people who welcome kindreds into our midst. 

Let us seek freedom, not power. 


haggadah Section: Introduction
Source: Ariel Kates