🧵
We are Nexus. We combat antisemitism by opposing its misuse as a political wedge issue.
Our definition of antisemitism was included in the Biden Administration's National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.
And we're against the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA).
Here's why.
THREAD 🧵
While anti-Zionism isn’t necessarily antisemitic, it’s important for the anti-Zionist left to be aware that far-right and antisemitic influencers are using coded antisemitism to infiltrate their movements.
Take, for example, the word “Zio.”
THREAD 🧵
The far right, neo-Nazis, and white nationalists are trying to use pro-Palestinian activism to spread antisemitism. They are succeeding.
This is an urgent matter that must be addressed.
StopAntisemitism has stooped to a new low: targeting an actual expert on antisemitism like
@DovWaxman
because of his views on Israel.
If anyone is targeting Jews, it looks like it’s
@StopAntisemites
!
Why is
@StopAntisemites
posting this? There's nothing antisemitic about a Palestinian flag.
@StopAntisemites
should focus on the real antisemites — the ones who spread antisemitic myths or threaten Jewish lives.
➡️
Hey
@Delta
- did you add Palestine as a new summer route?
Your customers on a Boston to West Palm Beach flight yesterday were perplexed to see your flight attendant adorning a flag of Palestine pin.
The word Zio was popularized by David Duke more than a decade ago. It has since become a common slur used by the far right to refer to Jews.
But just as importantly, it is also used by these groups to cover up their antisemitism by claiming they are “anti-Zionists.”
THREAD 🧵
Donald Trump has selected JD Vance as his vice presidential running mate. That means he has chosen a virulent antisemite and conspiracy theorist.
A thread of all of JD Vance’s antisemitism over the years:
Here are some other far right accounts pretending to care about Palestinians in order to spread antisemitism. We will add to this list over time:
StopZionistHate
CensoredMen
DrLoupis
Jake Shields (jakeshieldsajj)
Keith Woods (KeithWoodsYT)
SuppressedNws
ShaykhSulaiman
Sneako
This is also an attempt to recruit and influence the left.
There are multiple white nationalist and far-right accounts on Twitter that have claimed to be fighting for Palestinians while working to recruit progressives to the far right.
The Zio slur is one way they do this: they are trying to break down the barriers between these groups and create a shared language and unity in their causes.
Extremists and antisemites use this incremental approach to recruit supporters.
As antisemites get more adept at recruiting online, it is important we track and take these dangers seriously: they are examples of how antisemitism can disguise itself as anti-Zionism.
Anti-Zionism is antisemitism when it uses antisemitic tropes, like that Zionism is a plot to control the world or the economy.
It’s a dog whistle like “Soros,” “globalists,” and others, whether it’s used to describe Jews or it’s used to describe Israel.
🧵
“If you're Jewish and you vote for him [Biden], I say shame on you.”
These are the words shared yesterday by former President Donald Trump. They are overtly antisemitic.
They target the 72% of Jews who voted for Biden and are a nod to the antisemitic “dual loyalty” trope.
Far right exploitation of the Israel-Palestine conflict is not a fringe phenomenon.
Their accounts on Twitter have grown enormously since October 7th, largely due to sharing inflammatory and engaging content supporting the Palestinian cause and opposing the war in Gaza.
It’s one thing to oppose Zionism because you’re against ethnonationalism in general.
But if you oppose Jewish nationalism in particular, it’s antisemitic.
No account has been more successful at this than Jackson Hinkle. Hinkle is a far right provocateur whose Twitter account spreads pro-Russian propaganda, along with transphobia and other forms of bigotry.
On October 8th, he had 400,000 followers. Today he has 2.6 million.
When anti-Zionism crosses over into claiming all Jews must be removed from Israel-Palestine, it’s denying Jews the right to physical safety as well as full human, civil, and religious rights.
That's antisemitism.
Moments after Trump was convicted, he immediately shared the antisemitic conspiracy theory he’s been spreading for years.
As always, he is using antisemitism to redirect the blame from where it belongs: squarely on his shoulders.
So let’s go back to our question.
When is anti-Zionism antisemitic? There are times when it is and times when it isn’t.
Stay tuned for examples of when it isn’t and why.
Blaming Israel or Zionism for suffering and injustices around the world is antisemitic.
Like other forms of antisemitism, it has a singular focus: if only Israel or Zionism were to disappear, all suffering in the world would be erased.
He has also used his account to spread antisemitism, using conspiracy theories about “Zionists” that are thinly veiled antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes, like when he claimed Jews were behind a conspiracy to sexualize video games.
THREAD 🧵
This election season is already rife with antisemitic tropes. They’ve become so common that many people might not even recognize them.
So we’ve put together a list of antisemitic tropes to watch for. Stay informed, avoid them, and call them out when you see them.
Nick Fuentes, who dined with Trump (say when) and has reinstated on Twitter, has positioned himself as an ally to Palestinians.
Not only is this a lie, he himself has said he is doing so in order to help spread hate against the Jewish people.
Antisemitic white nationalist Nick Fuentes admits that he doesn't actually care what happens to the Palestinians but is siding with them simply because he hopes the current crisis will alienate Israel and diminish its influence: "We have to be strategic about it."
Hinkle has pretended to support Palestinians, but he has actually used his newfound platform to push for support for Donald Trump and to openly encourage terrorism.
Again and again, Republicans are engaging in antisemitism by spreading the George Soros conspiracy theory.
And again and again, they are proving that they do so to escape responsibility.
This endangers not just Jews, but the rule of law.
This decision is a disgrace to the rule of law and our Constitution.
Dems invented a felony to "get Trump," with the help of a Soros funded prosecutor and a Biden donor Judge, who rigged the entire case to get this outcome.
This isn't justice, it's election interference.
It’s getting worse. Elon Musk recently reinstated the Twitter account of notorious neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes.
Fuentes does not mask his bigotry: he is openly antisemitic, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and homophobic.
Personalities and accounts like Hinkle and Fuentes are the tip of the iceberg. Antisemitic accounts are proliferating at a rapid rate on Twitter.
The lack of moderation by Twitter and the charged rhetoric since Oct 7th has created a perfect storm for spreading antisemitism.
Regardless of what one thinks about the war, there is no reason to bring antisemitism into the debate about how the US should respond.
Mistaking political disagreements about Israel for antisemitism is counterproductive.
ADL is dismayed & hurt by
@NAACP
leadership's recent statement about the Middle East. It fails to acknowledge all the factors & realities that led to the Israel-Hamas war. We're concerned about the effects it may have on intensifying antisemitism & bias against Jews in America.🧵
This is nothing more or less than antisemitism. Agudath Israel is a Jewish organization, and some of its members are non-Zionist.The only reason they were targeted was because they are a Jewish organization.
Protesters screaming “Shame on you!” Tried to breach an
@AgudahNews
event at
#DNC2024CHICAGO
. The mentions of Israel are confined to the horrors of Oct 7 - the family of hostage Omer Neutra read Shir HaMaalot. Otherwise the focus is wholly domestic antisemitism…
Vance has been a regular promoter of the antisemitic, racist, and xenophobic Great Replacement conspiracy theory.
The conspiracy theory claims that Jews are pulling the strings to cause an “invasion” of brown and black immigrants to dilute the country of its whiteness.
If Republicans like Reps. Elise Stefanik & Virginia Foxx really cared about Jewish safety, maybe they'd focus on the antisemitism in their own party, like Maricopa County Republican Committee vice chair Shelby Busch telling a crowd she would "lynch" a Jewish election official.
It's us, hi 👋
We are
@NexusProjectUS
, a coalition of Jewish leaders dedicated to combating antisemitism and opposing its misuse as a political wedge issue.
THREAD 🧵
While we’re grateful to see
@POWERHOUSEArena
do the right thing, this is just one more example of litmus tests used to determine which Jews deserve entry into public spaces & conversations.
This is most obvious in the targeting of Zionist Jews.
As Vice President, Kamala Harris has been a great champion in the fight to end anti-Jewish hate, including through the Biden administration's groundbreaking U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.
THREAD 🧵
There is an increasingly worrying trend: the anti-Israel antisemitic right-wing.
This growing movement has gone under the radar because many associate anti-Israel sentiment with the left.
But it’s gaining traction among some of the most influential people in America.
While some conservatives lob out phony accusations of
#antisemitism
for political gain, supporters of
#Project2025
are strategizing around how to deny Jewish people the same rights afforded to Christians.
This is the kind of antisemitism they should be calling out.
“The vice president understands how antisemitism is part of a larger scaffold of hatred & racism. I don’t think it’s a contradictory perspective, she just has a more expansive understanding of hatred & racism.”
Nexus Director, Jonathan Jacoby, is quoted in
@jdforward
this week.
Soros is often used as a stand-in for the “rich Jew controlling the government” trope and conspiracy theory among Republicans.
JD Vance regularly employs this trope to provide a scapegoat & distraction from Trump’s very real problems. Expect more if Trump becomes president.
Vance plays the “greatest hits” when it comes to antisemitic conspiracy theories, including the claim that George Soros “owns” the United States government and is trying to turn America into a non-white “third world country.”
Donald Trump is yet again echoing the antisemitic Great Replacement conspiracy theory.
The conspiracy theory alleges that Jews are bringing in immigrants to invade western countries.
It has led to massacres of Jews, Muslims, immigrants, and Black people.
Vance has also been more direct. When Trump admonished Jews for not voting for him out of loyalty to both him and Israel, Vance defended him.
Dual loyalty is a classic antisemitic trope used for centuries and popularized in “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”
This week, several legacy Jewish organizations released a new set of guidelines for university leaders to mitigate campus antisemitism this school year.
Vance also defended Marjorie Taylor Greene’s participation in a white nationalist conference that featured multiple antisemitic speakers.
The conference itself was organized by neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes, a virulent antisemite who has called for the mass murder & expulsion of Jews.
.
@Meta
got it right 👏 When Zionists are attacked using antisemitic tropes, it's antisemitic. Full stop.
On that note, it's really crucial to distinguish when anti-Zionism IS and isn't antisemitic. Our guide helps break down the difference:
#antisemitism
The would be emperor really has no clothes. Trump’s choice as Vance and his support for the Great Replacement conspiracy theory make it clear where they want this country to go.
Their commitment isn’t to fighting antisemitism. It’s to promoting antisemitic myths and ideas.
This perfectly illustrates how ‘Zionist’ is often used as a substitute for ‘Jew.’
It’s also an example of how antisemitism is employed to divide communities.
THREAD
Do organizations and Twitter accounts like StopAntisemitism help the fight against antisemitism?
The answer is a straightforward no. Here's why.
Coming from a man who constantly invokes dual loyalty tropes, this is plain, open antisemitism.
It also puts a target on the backs of 76% of American Jews, labeling them as the “bad” ones deserving of bigotry directed their way.
Earlier this week we explained why VP Harris picking Gov. Walz over Gov. Shapiro was absolutely not antisemitic.
A few people rightfully pointed out that, while the decision itself was not antisemitic, some of the attacks on Shapiro did in fact cross over into antisemitism.
Vance will try to distance himself from any association with Nick Fuentes.
This comes after Donald Trump had dinner with Fuentes and reportedly expressed to Kanye West, who organized the meeting, “I really like this guy. He gets me,” referring to Fuentes.
Today in the
@BostonGlobe
, Nexus Director, Jonathan Jacoby, warns of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy to exploit antisemitism for his own political gain when he comes to D.C. this week, to the detriment of the Jewish community.
Ben-Gvir accuses his critics of antisemitism because he can't defend his policies on their merits. It won't work.
The majority of Israelis (and Americans) oppose his annexationism.
And so it begins...
Conspiracy theories around the Soros family are a hallmark of today's antisemitism.
Thanks
@ElonMusk
for previewing the kind of anti-Jewish rhetoric that will be tolerated under a Trump-Vance administration.
Lots to unpack here...
1. It's racist to use Palestinian as a slur.
2. It’s racist to equate all Palestinians with the terrorist organization Hamas.
3. This is inciting violence against the Senate Majority Leader of the United States.
Dismissal of Antisemitism Concerns
Groups like the DSA have criticized politicians like AOC for engaging in discussions on antisemitism.
This crosses the line from addressing false accusations to dismissing valid concerns entirely—an act that itself is a form of antisemitism.
Considering JD Vance’s dance with antisemitic tropes, we find it ridiculous for him to call out VP Harris when she clearly made a statement denouncing antisemitic rhetoric from yesterday’s protest at Union Station:
Anti-American and pro-Hamas rioters burned the American flag in front of the US Capitol, and the woman who wants to be our president is still refusing to condemn it.
“Zionist” as Code for Jews
While anti-Zionism isn’t inherently antisemitic, some bad actors use “Zionist” to disguise antisemitic tropes.
Figures like Nick Fuentes & Bassem Youssef exploit this, spreading the ideas under the guise of anti-Zionism, making them more mainstream.
Republicans have used the flawed Antisemitism Awareness Act to distract from the fact that they have abandoned a bipartisan and far more effective approach to antisemitism: the Countering Antisemitism Act.
Why are Extreme MAGA Republicans in the House blocking the bipartisan Countering Antisemitism Act?
It’s time for Congress to confront the cancer of antisemitism with the fierce urgency of now.
Good Jew vs. Bad Jew
This trope suggests that it is OK to target “bad” Jews while using “good” Jews as tokens in defense.
Whether antisemitism is directed at Zionist Jews or liberal Jews, it is still antisemitism.
The George Soros Conspiracy Theory
This theory falsely claims Soros is behind Jewish control of government & media, funding movements like BLM to destroy Western civilization.
It has incited violence, including the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
Relying only on the IHRA definition could easily lead to a chilling of free speech and be wielded against political opponents.
It could even be used to target Jews who are critical of Israel’s actions or policies.
Israel Controlling Government
Similar to the Soros conspiracy theory, this trope claims Israel is a tool Jews use to control U.S. policies.
It’s gained traction on both the far-left & far-right during the war, with claims that U.S. decisions are driven by Israeli interests.
“Globalist” as Code for Jews
“Globalist” has become a code for Jews controlling international finance and politics.
It’s a favorite of figures like Steve Bannon.
It's been used to question Jewish patriotism, exclude Jews from political spaces, & even made Jews targets of extremist violence.
Ironically, this trope is spread by both those on the left who accuse Jews of dual loyalty and figures like Trump, who demand dual loyalty.
While some on the right continue to disingenuously accuse the Harris campaign of antisemitism for not selecting Josh Shapiro, Trump heads to Montana today to support a Senate candidate who posted a pair of antisemitic-coded memes.
@jstreetdotorg
He even earned his master’s degree in Holocaust education.
Walz has an extensive background in teaching Holocaust education in high schools. His 27-page master’s thesis was titled “Improving Human Rights and Genocide Studies in the American High School Classroom.”
Dual Loyalty:
The Gaza war has intensified claims that Jews are, or should be, more loyal to Israel than to America.
This pernicious trope has fueled protests targeting Jewish institutions and led to increased scrutiny of Jewish politicians and community leaders.
The Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory
This conspiracy theory, mainstream among Republicans, claims Jews are orchestrating the “replacement” of white people through immigration and empowering Black people.
It has incited violence, including the Tree of Life & Poway shootings.
Such claims reveal a profound misunderstanding of Walz's record on Jewish issues.
He's shown unwavering support for the Jewish community, including fostering strong relationships with local Jewish federations and earning endorsements from groups like
@jstreetdotorg
.
But remember: while some of the pushback had antisemitic undertones, there was nothing antisemitic about VP Harris choosing Governor Walz over Governor Shapiro.
It's also telling that no credible media outlet or political analyst suggested Trump's choice of JD Vance over Marco Rubio was rooted in anti-Hispanic or anti-Cuban sentiment.
This glaring double standard exposes the bad faith motivations behind these false accusations.
@POWERHOUSEArena
The “good Jew” and “bad Jew” construct allows for antisemitism to target one group of Jews while tokenizing those considered acceptable.
Whether it’s conservatives targeting liberal Jews or anti-Zionist activists targeting Zionist Jews, the result is the same. Antisemitism.
This week is the
#DNC
in Chicago and there will be protests against Israel. Some will call them antisemitic.
1. At Nexus, we believe that protesting against Israel is not inherently antisemitic.
2. But sometimes it can cross the line into antisemitism.
The Countering Antisemitism Act implements key portions of President Biden’s Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.
It's a better approach that would mitigate these issues, strengthen coalitions, and power the fight against antisemitism.
Read more about it:
@POWERHOUSEArena
As we write in our own guidelines on antisemitism, anti-Zionism is not inherently antisemitic.
But when anti-Zionism is framed around targeting and excluding Zionist Jews specifically, it is antisemitism plain and simple.
The IHRA definition of antisemitism used for the AAA itself states that it is not and should not be legally binding.
The AAA even argues against the use of “alternative definitions,” would weaken the fight against antisemitism by making it inflexible and vague.
@POWERHOUSEArena
These litmus tests are not used for non-Jews: they exclusively target Jews.
In this case, an event was canceled simply because a Zionist participated. This is a classic case of only platforming “good Jews” and excluding or targeting the rest.
Less than an hour before the launch event for my book Tablets Shattered, a conversation with Rabbi Andy Bachman,
@powerHouseBooks
in Brooklyn told me they were unwilling to host the conversation with Andy because they would not permit a Zionist on the premises.
THREAD
The ADL is correct that it is alarming Wikipedia called it an unreliable source. But there’s a lot ADL can do to fix it.
And we hope they do because accurate data from organizations like ADL is an essential tool in the fight against hate.
In an alarming move, some
@Wikipedia
editors have declared that ADL, the world's leading authority on fighting antisemitism, isn't a reliable source on antisemitism. This effort is dangerous and could lead to widespread misinformation. Join us and act now:
This baseless claim becomes even more egregious when contrasted with the Republican leadership's documented associations with known antisemites and frequent use of antisemitic dog whistles.
THREAD 🧵
Donald Trump has selected JD Vance as his vice presidential running mate. That means he has chosen a virulent antisemite and conspiracy theorist.
A thread of all of JD Vance’s antisemitism over the years:
Also: does the criticism threaten Jewish lives or deny Jewish rights?
If not, then it’s probably not antisemitic. Even if it’s harsh and makes us uncomfortable.
Accounts like StopAntisemitism do not stop antisemitism: they are used to hurt others in the pursuit of political goals.
In order to achieve true Jewish safety in America, we have to help educate people and build coalitions.
@POTUS
The issues that arise at the nexus of
#antisemitism
& Israel are complex. We are here to cut through the partisan noise and equip policymakers with fact-based analysis and tools to combat antisemitism in a way that promotes allyship instead of division.
Finally, StopAntisemitism often focuses disproportionately on progressives: this means those who aren’t antisemitic may now be unable or unwilling to ally in fights to protect Jews.
Coalitions are essential to Jewish safety: StopAntisemitism’s attack on them endangers Jews.
It diverts the debate away from the substance to whether something is - or is not — antisemitic.
It hinders policy debate about Israel and Palestine.
And it endangers the coalitions we need to fight real instances of antisemitism and bigotry.
When all forms of anti-Zionism are labeled as antisemitic, it blurs the lines of what truly constitutes antisemitism.
This divides coalitions and turns accusations into political weapons, rather than protecting Jewish safety.
Our top priority right now is advocating for the full implementation of
@POTUS
' National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism and against the use of false accusations of antisemitism as political weapons.
Beyond the danger this would present to these diverse perspectives, it would also undermine one of the essential tools in fighting antisemitism: coalitions.
If potential allies are labeled as antisemitic for their views, we may lose allies and thus jeopardize Jewish safety.
When StopAntisemitism acts as sole arbiter of antisemitism, it creates an environment in which Jews are seen as fair game in retaliation.
Far right antisemitic accounts like StopZionistHate exploit this opportunity to spread bigotry, with StopAntisemtism as their blueprint.
He has also interviewed Candace Owens, an avowed antisemite, about Israel.
In that episode, both spread antisemitic conspiracy theories, including the lie that Jews have a conspiracy to destroy white people in America.
(This tweet is by a neo-Nazi, praising their comments)