A few comments: first Kristin's comment is bigoted against Muslims as she categorizes Muslims, especially ones with demonstrably pro-Jewish sentiment as anti-Semites given her totally grotesque and unwarranted comments on Mamdani and El-Sayed (at least spell his name correctly).
Secondly, Mark, you don't define the "left" at all. Who are you talking about? Colloquially the left is everyone including the "progressive democrats" and to their left. I would ask if you mean the socialist left then say so. If you mean the activist wing of the Democrats in DSA and around the spate of candidates, then say that. This is why I detest the term "The Left" as it is now almost owned by the "Progressive Dems". Anthony listed two important figures in the history of the revolutionary movement (see? very specific) who were sometimes/often using anti-Semitic terms: Proudhon's notebooks, Bakunin. Additionally it is well know that Stalin was using anti-Semitism against his opponents. Not rounding up Jewish-Russians but as a polemical tool. More: "Jew counting", something ex-Trotskyist and ex-YSAer Leni Brenner engaged in his book Jews in America Today. His work dovetails with The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by Mearsheimer and Walt but it is a lot worse since Brenner does what a lot of pro-Gaza activists informally have done in my experience and that is to amalgamate Jewish-Americans with Zionism. And that, Mark, is a real problem and one that has only gotten worse since Oct. 7. It is one reason I'm glad Mamdani won with half of Jewish New Yorkers voting for him and over half approving his policies. That fact that he is not an anti-Jewish bigot and a Muslim I think is one of the best weapons against the organized Zionist movement and groups like AIPAC (which is now essentially the foreign policy lobby of the Likud). So it is an issue Marxists and other socialists need to watch for. It is not dominate. It is not deterministic in terms of what we do fighting in the defense of the oppressed, but it is still there bubbling under service and needs to be stomped out when ever it arises. As you and others note, the real anti-Semitism stems from the far-right (and not-so-far-right) and MAGA. That is a real dangers to Jewish-Americans and the socialist movement as it was in the 1930s and 1940s. David -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#42905): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/42905 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/120683659/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
