tolerating hate

Excellent article in the Jerusalem Post on antisemitism in the African American community.  I don't see how anyone can disagree with this statement:

As Jews, we don’t need to apologize when others engage in antisemitism, no matter who the perpetrator of the antisemitic act is. Even victims of racism should not be given a free pass to indulge in other forms of racism or hatred.

I am not sure if the word "unexpected" in the title of the article is meant cynically or not.  According to ADL surveys from past years, antisemitism is materially higher in the African American community compared with other communities.

One thing missing from that article is a discussion of the NAACP's failure to fire / oust antisemite Rodney Muhammad, the president of its Philadelphia chapter.  Apparently gone are the days when the NAACP would not tolerate antisemitism from its leaders or members.

Ben Cohen discusses that incident and hits the nail on the head:

Imagine the following scenario. The regional director of a mainstream Jewish organization in a city that is home to sizable Jewish and black communities starts sharing ugly, racist caricatures of African-Americans on social media. In a speech at a local synagogue, this same person denounces the influence of African-Americans on our broader culture as "Satanic." Then, when this outrageous behavior becomes the subject of media attention, that individual refuses to resign from their post and even retains the backing of their organization.

You can't seriously imagine something like this because it wouldn't happen outside of an alternate universe. The core ethics of every American Jewish organization would be utterly violated by such expressions of naked racial hatred, and the person responsible would be suspended immediately, and most likely, fired. That is how it should be.

But put the shoe on the other foot and the reaction is completely different.

It goes without saying that on an individual level we should treat all people with respect, but in terms of engaging with other groups and working with them on an organizational and communal level, I don't see why so many Jews are rushing to support BLM and show sympathy for the African American cause given these incidents and the attitude they reflect.