OPINION: Rise in antisemitism reveals left's double standard

The statements, “Happy Holocaust” and “Peace be upon Hitler," sound like Nazi propaganda from 1940s Germany. But they’re not.

These are comments posted in 2021 on the TikTok page of 97-year-old Holocaust survivor, Lily Ebert. According to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, antisemitic hate crimes have doubled since 2020.

The commission reported:

“In Salt Lake City, a man scratched a swastika into the front door of an Orthodox synagogue, and in Alaska, Nazi imagery was posted on a synagogue. In Bal Harbour, Florida four men yelled ‘Die Jew’ at a man wearing a yarmulke, then threatened to rape his wife and daughter. In Midtown Manhattan, a group of people attacked a Jewish man in the middle of the street in broad daylight. The man, wearing a yarmulke and walking to a pro-Israel protest, was called ‘dirty Jew,’ and was told, ‘F--- Israel, we’re going to kill you."

Each of these incidents occurred in the United States of America over the past year. Why has there not been more outrage and media coverage? Where are the Instagram posts saying #JewishLivesMatter? Where are the world-famous celebrities on social media with their vitriolic mantras about stopping racism and hate?

The answer is: nowhere and none. And it's not because these incidents did not happen or are not serious. It is because the mainstream liberal mindset in 2021 picks and chooses which groups they deem as being oppressed or being worthy of support. This is a result of the theory of intersectionality and its influence on the modern social justice movement.

The ideology of intersectionality is essentially this: the more minority classifications one belongs to – such as being a member of the LGBTQ+ community or being an ethnic or racial minority – the more oppressed that person is.

Intersectionality is supposed to be used as a tool and mechanism for banding minority or oppressed groups together to gain power. The idea is that if all groups who qualify as being part of a disadvantaged class ally with each other and support each other’s causes against an oppressive, straight, white, male regime, then the powerless can become the powerful.

Discrimination based on race, color, sexuality, gender, age, nationality and religion is very real and has resulted in shattered lives and stolen freedom. It is unacceptable. But those who encourage or allow others to seek revenge against anyone – or any group – who is believed to have perpetrated injustice should remember the dangers of the proverbial slippery slope.

Violence hidden under the cloak of “justice” will surely lead to anarchy.

While this "strength in numbers" mentality makes sense in theory, in recent years it has become quite toxic. Modern intersectionality not only includes disadvantaged groups working together to solve social issues –it has also taken on a mentality of hurting the supposed oppressor in order to help the alleged oppressed.

An example from this past summer was the uproar on college campuses following the outbreak of violence in Israel and Gaza. In the heat of the strife in May 2021, a former Harvard student government candidate (among countless others) reposted a tweet complaining about “white people” trying to “center white jews’ feelings” by warning against being “antisemitic."

The woke intersectional community deemed the Israelis the oppressor and the Palestinians the oppressed. Around the world, as well as here in the United States, antisemitic hate crimes skyrocketed while left-leaning intersectional groups, such as Black Lives Matter, turned a blind eye. Since they deemed Palestine the victim in the 70-year-plus conflict, violence against Jews, the perceived “oppressors,” was considered justified.

Black Lives Matter tweeted that it stood "in solidarity with the Palestinians. We are a movement committed to ending settler colonialism in all forms and will continue to advocate for Palestinian liberation. (always have. And always will be). #freepalestine."

In response the official BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement tweeted: “Thank you for your solidarity. From Ferguson to Palestine, our struggles against racism, white supremacy and for a just world are united!”

In her book "How to Fight Anti-Semitism," former New York Times staff editor and writer Bari Weiss explained how the theory of intersectionality – supposedly a means of lifting people out of oppression – has been used to harm one of the most oppressed groups in history.

Weiss described intersectionality as being a “reverse caste system” and noted that since Jews today are “designated as ‘white,’” they therefore are deemed as being “incapable of being victims.”

Antisemitism is used as a tool to turn people against Israel. Hating and targeting an entire group of people based on their ethnicity is apparently acceptable because intersectional groups have decided that Jewish people are unworthy of their woke mob protection.

We no longer live in an America where liberty and justice for ALL is the goal. This new generation of intersectionality stands for liberty and justice for certain groups – and punishment for others.

Chloe Sparwath is a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia and a Student Media Fellow with the Network of enlightened Women (NeW). NeW is part of a growing conservative movement on college campuses.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: The left's response to antisemitism is hurtful - and hypocritical