Erasive antisemitism is a subcategory^[1] of antisemitism, increasingly popular in left-wing ideology and activism,^[2] which manifests in two primary ways: the erasure of Jewish identity^[3] and the erasure of Jews as victims of prejudice and discrimination.^[4]

History

Erasure of Jewish identity involves the deliberate downplay^[5] or omission^[6] of Jewish identity in historical and modern narratives. Benjamin M. Freeman coined this term after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020. Freeman noticed Justice Ginsburg’s Judaism was not prominently mentioned in mainstream news coverage of her death, even though Ginsburg considered her Jewishness^[7] central to her identity,^[8] she was the first Jewish woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court, and the first Jew to ever lie in state.^[9]

Applications of the term

Erasive antisemitism can take the form of flattening or shoehorning^[10] Jewish identity exclusively into a religion or race – categories it predates. Erasure of Jews as victims of prejudice and discrimination includes framing them as white and privileged, an increasingly common practice on American college campuses. This is sometimes linked with the prevalence of critical race theory.^[11]

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission opened an investigation in 2022 into alleged antisemitism at Stanford University’s Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) division.^[12] In January 2020, CAPS set up separate affinity groups based on race, intended to help staff understand cultural and racial groups and biases. One affinity group was designated for white people and the other for people of color. Requests from Jewish CAPS members to create a Jewish affinity group for the discussion of shared Jewish ancestry and lived experience were denied. CAPS instead pressured Jewish employees to join the white affinity group.^[13]

A complaint filed with the U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights in 2021 against Brooklyn College alleges that professors in graduate mental health counseling program “maligned Jews on the basis of race and ethnic identity by advancing the narrative that all Jews are white and privileged and therefore contribute to a systemic oppression of people of color."^[14]

On February 1, 2022, Whoopi Goldberg was suspended for two weeks as co-host of “The View” following comments that race was not a factor in the Holocaust. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum responded to Goldberg’s comments: “Racism was central to Nazi ideology. Jews were not defined by religion, but by race. Nazi racist beliefs fueled genocide and mass murder.”^[15]  Louis D. Brandeis Center Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus explained: "In her error, she was reflecting a misunderstanding of Jewish identity that is both widespread and dangerous that is sometimes described as erasive antisemitism".^[16]

Impact

Both forms of erasive antisemitism seek to erase^[17] and rewrite^[5] Jewish identity and experiences, sidelining Jews from defining both for themselves. The consequences impede the recognition of authentic Jewish identity.^[18] Erasive antisemitism not only fosters misunderstandings about the historical reality of antisemitism, but also overlooks the continued challenges faced by the Jewish community, undermining the need for allyship and support.

References