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Behind the Aegis

Behind the Aegis's Journal
Behind the Aegis's Journal
July 31, 2017

(Jewish Group) This Is a Safe Space. No Jews Allowed.

THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP!!

Are you a Jew in Chicago who’d like to march for LGBTQ rights and gender equality? You’ll have to follow a few rules, helpfully laid out in recent weeks by the Chicago Dyke March and the Chicago SlutWalk.

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Listed all at once, these guidelines may sound too blatantly anti-Semitic to be stated openly—yet they are, at present, the operating principles of two widely celebrated progressive movements in Chicago. Both the Dyke March and the SlutWalk allege that these rules are compelled by intersectionality, the theory that all forms of social oppression are linked. In reality, both groups are using intersectionality as a smokescreen for anti-Semitism, creating a litmus test that Jews must pass to be part of these movements. American progressives should reject this perversion of social justice. No coherent vision of equality can command the maltreatment of Jews.


The debate over intersectionality and anti-Semitism jumped into the headlines following last month’s Dyke March, an LGBTQ demonstration that avoids the corporate sponsorships and bland political undertones of mainstream Pride events. During the march, several organizers approached Jewish demonstrators who were carrying rainbow Star of David flags. The organizers asked whether these women held Zionist sympathies, their suspicions reportedly having been aroused when the flag-carriers allegedly replaced the word “Palestine” with “everywhere” in a group chant. (That chant: “From Palestine to Mexico, border walls have got to go.) One woman, Laurel Grauer, reportedly responded, “I do care about the state of Israel but I also believe in a two-state solution and an independent Palestine.” The organizers then ejected the Jewish demonstrators.


During the outcry that followed, the Dyke March’s organizers scrambled to formulate principles that would justify this action. In a series of statements, they explained that “Zionism is an inherently white-supremacist ideology”; that many people “see the visuals of the flag as a threat, so we don’t want anything in the [Dyke March] space that can inadvertently or advertently express Zionism”; and that only “anti-Zionist” Jews are “welcome at Dyke March.”

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July 31, 2017

(Jewish Group) 'Good Jew' or 'Bad Jew'? How U.S. progressive activists police Jewish participation

THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP!!

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For instance, I’ve learned that it’s insulting to generalize feelings, thoughts, and behaviors to a whole group. I’ve learned that, to challenge oppression, it’s essential to center the voices of marginalized peoples. I’ve learned that challenging systems of oppression requires us to measure "impact versus intent", that words informed by racism and sexism can create psychic pain even when the speaker doesn’t intend them that way. I’ve learned that those in privileged positions need to honor the lived experiences of marginalized people, rather than challenging or invalidating those experiences. I’ve learned that being part of the solution means receiving difficult feedback as a gift.

But a funny thing happened on the way to our collective liberation. We seem to have left out the Jews.

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For instance, anti-oppression principles teach us not to generalize the behaviors of one person to a whole group. But I have stepped off of more than one stage - speaking against the harassment of immigrants or the extrajudicial killings of people of color - only to be confronted by a stranger demanding to know "my thoughts on Palestine." As if every Jews bears the guilt of any and all Israeli injustices against Palestine.

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Unjust actions of the State of Israel, like any state, require scrutiny and, when appropriate, condemnation. I have joined voices, both Jewish and non-Jewish, that have criticized Israeli treatment of Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. But for many of my fellow justice advocates, the message to Jews boils down to a binary: either anti-Zionism or the door.

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If white people don’t get to tell people of color the right way to fight for liberation, if cis and straight people don’t get to tell queer folks which expressions of gender and sexuality are "appropriate," then it follows that non-Jews don’t get to tell Jews what symbols and messages are in bounds and which are out of bounds.

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Great article!!
July 30, 2017

Is the Queer Community Eating Its Own (Again)?

In my almost 50 years of LGBT activism, there has never been a time that worried me more about our struggle for equality than the current state of our movement. It shocks me to have to say that, since I was a member of New York’s Gay Liberation Front, the organization born from the ashes of Stonewall. We were the most dysfunctional organization to ever exist in the LGBT community. We fought among ourselves at every turn, and while we disagreed on almost everything, we managed to create a community that didn’t exist before. We nurtured it and celebrated it; we didn’t tear it apart.

In a time when corporate America and society in general are beginning to embrace diversity and inclusion, our community, which was born with those issues in our body politic, has reverted to words and actions that seem to turn us against ourselves.

There is no better way in illustrate this separation of insanity than Gilbert Baker’s rainbow flag. That flag, which was meant from its inception to represent unity of all peoples in our community, is now becoming a symbol of hate within our community. We’ve managed to weaponize against ourselves a flag that was meant to bring unity. It is splitting us apart on two major issues: race and anti-Semitism. It pains me to say those are issues we are still fighting in our community. Gilbert’s flag has become the punching bag for racist and anti-Semitic views.

Earlier this year the issue of racism in the community was raised in Philadelphia. It started with an age-old tradition of LGBT bars discriminately carding people at the door, along with a “dress code” that happened to exclude apparel that was most culturally relevant to the black and brown community. This is not a new act. It has gone on for years across the country.That action led to a citywide effort to examine and attempt to bring the community together. To boost that effort and show inclusion, a black and brown stripe were added to the city’s official rainbow flag. This caused a backlash. The line most heard from those opposed was “then there should be a white stripe.” The most diplomatic thing I can say about that is that it’s silly. It’s as silly as homophobes proclaiming after seeing a Gay Pride parade, “Why don’t we have a straight pride parade?" I’d actually call those who opposed the brown- and black-inclusionary flag the right wing of this community.

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Answer: Without a doubt. No need to worry about homophobes when so many in our community are intent on destroying the community from within.

July 27, 2017

(Jewish Group) Lets be clear: American progressives are rejecting Jews as Jews

THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP!!

The June controversy over the Chicago Dyke March’s decision to kick out participants carrying Star of David rainbow flags lives on. While some, including the reporter who broke the story, are put off to say the least, others are more supportive.

SlutWalk Chicago stands with the city’s Dyke March where Zionism is concerned. On July 22, SlutWalk took to Twitter to clarify that it was not in fact banning “the Star of David” from its upcoming event but, rather, just “Zionist displays”.

What struck me more was another tweet from that thread, one aiming for inclusivity: “We support people showing their Jewish and LGBTQ+ pride. Please show yours if you feel so moved! Just leave the Zionism at home ¯_(ツ _/¯”

Leaving the Zionism at home is not a straightforward demand.

For some Jews, Zionism is simply the belief that there should go on being a Jewish state on some of the land where there currently is one. It’s not necessarily an endorsement of the state’s borders or policies.

https://twitter.com/RealAlexRubi/status/888831259430014978

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The twitter remark demonstrates it isn't really about Zionism. If a Jewish star always represents Israel, then it is a sign that anti-Semites are dictating the dialogue.
July 26, 2017

Chester Bennington's life may help male sex abuse victims speak up

(CNN)Many fans are shocked and heartbroken over the loss this week of Chester Bennington, the fierce lead singer for the rock band Linkin Park. Police say they are treating his death as a possible suicide, which would make the pain even harder to bear.

There's a famous saying, "When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail." That may be true. But in this case, as a clinical psychologist and researcher who specializes in trauma, I don't think I'm overreaching in saying that his troubled past may have been a factor in his death. Chester Bennington had openly said he was a survivor of childhood sexual abuse that haunted him and, he said, contributed to his excessive use of drugs and alcohol.

For far too long, boys and men who have been sexually abused or assaulted have been overlooked, neglected, minimized or stigmatized by society and, at times, by the health care community. It's time for that disregard to stop.

One study in the United States estimated that one in six males are sexually abused at some point during their childhood. Let's stop and think about that for just a second. Picture all the boys and men you know, and then breathe that statistic in. That may include your father, your husband/lover, your boss, co-workers, coaches and friends.

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse are at an increased risk of developing a wide range of medical, psychological, behavioral and sexual disorders. Indeed, a meta-analysis of published research on the effects of child sexual abuse verified the extensive and subsequent negative short- and long-term effects.

For example, sexual trauma is related to psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse and dependence, depression, anxiety and suicidal behavior. In addition, many male survivors of sexual abuse also have negative body image, revulsion to being touched or touching others, lack of confidence in their appeal and attractiveness, sexual dysfunction from low sexual desire to difficulties achieving and maintaining an erection and retarded ejaculation.

Sexual trauma is also linked to medical illnesses, increased use of health care services and poor quality of life. Yet the majority of the research on sexual abuse, including the development and testing of psychosocial interventions, focuses on women. This is not OK and must change in order to help the many people like Chester Bennington.

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This is an important look into the lives of male sexual assault survivors and the challenges faced by them.

to IronLionZion for posting this in the Sexual Assault Survivors Support Group.
July 25, 2017

Gal Gadot Has an Adorable Moment With a Young Fan, Internet Responds with Anti-Semitism

THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP!!

A normal person may have seen the footage from Comic-Con this weekend showing Gal Gadot and Ezra Miller talking to a little girl dressed as Wonder Woman who cried because she was so happy to meet hero big-screen hero and found it sweet or touching. I would say that was the reaction of most people to this heartwarming scene.

Gadot comforted the young girl, saying “Now we are friends so there’s no reason to cry anymore. We are together!”

The internet, however, is full of people who are far shittier than most people. While we swooned over how sweet Gadot was to her tiny doppelgänger, there was no shortage of people who couldn’t wait to remind us that Gal Gadot is Israeli and that makes her bad because of barely concealed anti-semitism

https://twitter.com/Variety/status/888905617196236801

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Not at all surprised. "Intersectionality" at its best. BTW..."Wonder Woman" is the summer's BIGGEST box office hit, despite the "fear" many had a female driven (and directed) superhero film would never be a money-maker. Fun to watch misogyny and anti-Semitism "intersect".
July 22, 2017

Pride? Its hard to feel it

THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP!!

Is nowhere safe? The banning of Jewish symbols at the Chicago Dyke March is frightening. The apparent attempt to silence and punish those who reported on it only makes things worse.

All minority groups know the pain of exclusion. Both Jewish and LGBT+ communities have been the victims of hundreds of years of oppression and violence by hateful, fearful majorities. All over the world, we have moved human rights forward when we have stood together and fought together to tackle prejudice and hatred. So it’s hard to feel proud when minorities turn on one another, especially when I belong to both of those minorities.

Some of the discussion here is about the conflation of Judaism and Zionism, the murky waters where anti-Zionism and antisemitism become indistinguishable. Of course, the six-pointed star is used both as a Jewish and as an Israeli symbol. But identity is complex and multifaceted. Is it now unacceptable to some that Zionism — supporting the existence of the state of Israel — can form a legitimate and proud part of Jewish identify for some Jews? That this isn’t a shameful identity that must be discreet, hidden, invisible?

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July 22, 2017

Schools can stop the rise of anti-Semitism

THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP!!

Dear Editor: Jewish students at UC-Berkeley woke up this past year to find the words, “Zionists should be sent to the gas chamber” painted on a building wall.

A student in Marietta, Georgia, was passed a note from a classmate that contained a drawing of a swastika and the message, “Hitler did the world a favor.”

Today, global levels of anti-Semitism are the highest they have been since Nazi Germany. Anti-Semitism is rising at unparalleled rates, and schools need to help end it

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt stated, “Schools are a microcosm of the country. Children absorb messages from their parents and the media, and bring them into their schools and playgrounds.”

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Out of the mouth of babes.
July 22, 2017

Roger Waters, Linda Sarsour, Leading BDS Down Black Hole of Anti-Semitism

THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP!!


A recent Los Angeles Times editorial (July 8) criticized Israel for barring certain BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) activists from entering its borders. The Times presents the global movement as merely “an opinion in favor of a nonviolent protest movement that is unpopular in the country.”


The Times acknowledged that Israel is “a strong democracy marked by vigorous debate and a tolerance of alternative points of view, at least for its own citizens inside its own borders.” Indeed, Israel’s raucous democratic tent is large enough to include the full spectrum of political and social debate and dissent representing its over 8 million Jewish and Arab citizens. That’s reflected in daily debates in its Knesset and in overheated, hyperactive media.


But democracies also have the right to defend themselves from those seeking their destruction.


Today, the BDS movement serves as the tipping point of an asymmetrical war of demonization, de-legitimization, and ultimately doing away with the Jewish state.


That BDSers use words rather than bullets does not make it goals and tactics less malevolent.

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July 22, 2017

Why Jews from Libya are worried about the fate of the countrys Jewish artifacts

THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP!

Gina Waldman was forced to flee her native Libya in 1967 as anti-Jewish mobs took to the streets of Tripoli, burning down her father’s warehouse.

Waldman, like thousands of other Libyan Jews who left the country amid public and state-sponsored anti-Semitism in the 20th century, was forced to leave behind both personal belongings — she was only allowed to bring a single suitcase with her — and a rich cultural heritage that testified to over 2,000 years of Jewish presence in the North African country. Today no Jews remain in Libya.

That heritage — including synagogues, cemeteries and ritual objects — has long been under threat. But now an additional obstacle is coming from an unlikely place, said Waldman, president and co-founder of the group Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa, or JIMENA.

The threat stems from a memorandum of understanding request by the Libyan government — currently under consideration by the State Department — that would prohibit artifacts dated 1911 and earlier, including Jewish ritual objects, from being brought into the United States from Libya.

That would mean that anyone attempting to bring in antique Torah scrolls, tombstones, books and other ritual objects would be stopped at the U.S. border, and the objects would be confiscated and sent back to Libya.

Waldman, who lives in San Francisco, called the measure “very, very offensive to the Jewish community.” She said the memorandum would block people from removing Jewish artifacts “when the very government itself has destroyed every single synagogue, every single [Jewish] cemetery.”

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By hook or crook, there are those, on both sides of the political fence, trying to destroy Jews in one way or another.

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