[lg policy] Anti-Semitic language

[Harold Schiffman]

Philly Jewish leaders explain why certain language may be considered
anti-Semitic
HADAS KUZNITS <https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/authors/hadas-kuznits>
MARCH 08, 2019 - 12:33 PM

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Local News <https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/categories/local-news>

National News <https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/categories/national-news>

*PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) —* As tweets from Rep. Ilhan Omar stir up the
debate among Democrats as to whether she was using anti-Semitic language,
members of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia discuss what is
anti-Jewish hate speech.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi denied that Rep. Ilhan Omar's tweets came from a
place of anti-Semitism.

"These words have a history and a cultural impact that may have been
unknown to her," Pelosi said.

But Naomi Adler, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia, says lack of awareness is no excuse.

"Identifying whether something is anti-Semitic has to be done in context,
and if the person who's an elected official doesn't understand the history
behind their words, they have to take the time to figure it out," Adler
said.

*READ: *House broadly condemns hate after anti-Semitism dispute
<https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/articles/ap-news/house-broadly-condemns-hate-after-anti-semitism-dispute>

Laura Frank with the Jewish Federation explains the history of anti-Semitic
speech.

"What anti-Semitism comes from is hating the Jewish people and making the
Jewish people the 'other' and a lot of the history of Jewish 'hatred,' I
guess you could say, is using certain stereotypes. The Jewish people don't
belong in our country because their allegiance is elsewhere is a classic
anti-Semitic trope," Frank said.

Particularly in the melting pot of America.

"The majority of the people who live in this country are from somewhere
else. Everyday in Philadelphia, people celebrate their heritage," Frank
said. "There is this double standard that's given to Jews who want to come
out and celebrate their homeland and their connection to Israel. They're
met with political opposition."

*READ:* Rep. Omar apologizes for tweets on AIPAC's influence
<https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/articles/ap-news/rep-omar-apologizes-tweets-aipacs-influence>

Frank explains the United States has a partnership with Israel for a
multitude of reasons.

"They're a democracy, they're doing incredible things in terms of tech
innovation.  They live by democratic principles of LGBTQ equality and
women's rights," she said.

So what's the line between legitimate criticism versus anti-Semitic
language?

"You can criticize Israel policy and Israel government and Israel
structure, like we do any other country in the world; but to deny it its
own right to exist, to deny its heritage, it's history and to deny its
people, that is going against individuals, it's not going against the
government and that's anti-Semitic," Frank said.

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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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