This essay is inspired by a story that @shoshbg posted on Instagram. I've attached a picture of the story to this essay for reference. Shoshana created a graphic on November 3, 2021 that says "It's not true DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) work if it perpetuates or even tolerated antisemitism." She stated that the post didn't do the concept justice, and it needed to be a longer format article or essay. I thought that I might take on this topic here
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I think it's important that we start out with some definitions and terms. Words that you see thrown around when speaking about social justice (and often specifically racial justice) are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Three words lumped together that mean very different things. I'll use the Merriam-Webster definitions for ease and for access.
Diversity: the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization
Equity: fairness or justice in the way people are treated
Inclusion: the act or practice of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded (as because of their race, gender, sexuality, or ability)
And some other important words/phrases to define -
Racism: a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
Race: any one of the groups that humans are often divided into based on physical traits regarded as common among people of shared ancestry
Bias: a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly
Anti-Racism: opposed to racism
Antibias: opposing or prohibiting unfair discrimination against people based on race, religion, etc. : preventing or counteracting bias (as in hiring practices)
Antisemitism: a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities. (This is the IHRA definition of antisemitism.) Merriam-Webster says "Anti-Semitism is hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group."
Ethnicity: a social group that shares a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like
By now, perhaps you are beginning to understand why the introduction chapters of non-fiction books are so long...it's really important in these conversations to be talking about the same thing. These are the definitions I will use in my reflection.
So, why does DEI work often fail to include antisemitism?
Well, I think that's a really good question. If you asked a random person on a college campus (this is my job, so this will always be my example) whether being Jewish meant you were a minority, I imagine you would get a variety of responses. Here's a study out of Harvard that I found when researching this topic. There's a lot of interesting ideas and points in that case study, and also a lot to criticism. One thing the study does highlight is the dual situality that Jewish people have had in the United States of America. So far, I've yet to find any really good language to describe this fact. Many Jews have some knowledge of Heschel and his work with Martin Luther King Jr., but far less have any knowledge of Aaron Lopez (1731-1782) often considered to be the first naturalized Jew in the United States. As you hopefully know, Jews are not a monolith and many Jews have had a variety of experiences with positions of power.
One example of this disparity is in Nobel Prize Laureates. A little over 23% of all winners have been Jewish. That's a pretty good percentage for a population of people that represents 0.2% of the earth's population. We aren't called the "People of the Book" for no reason. Overall, Jews tend to be very educated, in both formal and informal ways, across the globe. Throughout history Jews have been persecuted nearly every where we have ever lived. However, while in exile, there have also been times where other populations have been treated as a greater threat than the Jewish population. [For more perspective on these times, please check out A Convenient Hatred: The History of Antisemitism by Phyllis Goldstein.] This dual situality is one thing that adds fuel to the fire of antisemitism.
Thinking back to our definition of racism, there is a pervasive belief that Jews are "masterminds" behind many of the world's problems. That Jews are so intelligent and powerful that we must be controlling everyone with our prowess. While mostly "diversity educators" would be quick to point that out as a conspiracy theory, an alarming number of people do believe that Jewish people are very close to the "top" racial privilege hierarchy. [I wrote this pre-Kanye & Kyrie...but as you can see...] People seem to forget that what they believe is actually just an example of racism. When people who are responsible for educating others on social justice have these biases, harmful ideas and messages continue to spread throughout society.
But how does this keep happening? This question was essential in trying to understand how typically thoughtful educators could be so wrong. I've narrowed in down to a lack of knowledge in three key areas of Jewish history. [This isn't fact; it's just my take on where people miss the mark.] Today I'll leave you with one area.