People have their opinions about Israel and AIPAC, which are fine. Nothing wrong with calling out the influence of this organization.
However, since people still don't see how easy it is to go from genuine and needed criticism of Israel to outright Antisemitism, I am going to break down what happened in Los Angeles yesterday at the vacation home of Michael Tuchin, AIPAC president.
A group known as the People’s City Council - Los Angeles set off smoke bombs and spilled red paint in front of the home. The vandalism is one thing, and the fact that they went after someone's home rather than protesting on front of AIPAC's LA office is another. However, what really solidified the straight up Antisemitism of this protest for me was the group's consistent chant of.
"Fuck your holiday!"
Let me remind you, this protest occurred on Thanksgiving.
Now, I am well aware that we Jews are responsible for like 90% of Christmas music. Last I checked, however, Israel nor the Jews invented Thanksgiving. So why the need to chant this on front of the Jewish home of the head of a pro-Israel political group?
It shouldn't take a genius to figure out these protesters believe Jews (OK “Israel”) celebrate and support and are responsible for all genocide past and present.
After all, Thanksgiving has rightly become a day of reckoning with the brutal slaughter and displacement of this country's Indigenous populations. We as a nation have yet to properly atone for and remedy the damage done.
But, like everything else wrong in the U.S. from excessive policing to income inequality, this is the fault of the Jews.
I would love to participate in reasonable and even spirited debate about the Israeli government. I have a lot of opinions that may surprise some, if I felt I had a safe forum in which to engage.
As long as people are spray painting “Free Palestine” on Jewish elementary schools, or beating up Orthodox Jews, or demanding that Jews come out of hotels, I have zero faith that the Anti-Zionist movement has any real interest in proving they aren't Antisemitic.
Frankly, I don't think they care.
I know how that protest in LA will be spinned.
People will focus on AIPAC and the amount of money it contributes to pro-Israel politicians. They will continue to push the narrative that Israel basically controls everything that happens in the United States.
And the graffiti, the bomb threats, the beat downs will still happen. Because it is all “justified” and “for the greater good.”