Philadelphia: Political fight breaks out over Jew-hatred
https://themilitant.com/2020/08/15/philadelphia-political-fight-breaks-out-over-jew-hatred/
BY JANET POST
Vol. 84/No. 33
August 24, 2020
PHILADELPHIA — The ugly face of Jew-hatred today and how to combat it
has become a burning political question here over the last month.
On July 23 Rodney Muhammad, president of the Philadelphia NAACP,
minister at Nation of Islam Mosque No. 12 and a former paid political
consultant to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, posted a virulent
anti-Semitic image on his Facebook page. It pictured on the sleeve of a
jacket a grinning Jewish man wearing a yarmulke rubbing his hands
together. Emerging from the sleeve is a bejeweled hand crushing down a
mass of downtrodden people.
Next to the drawing is a quote, “To learn who rules over you, simply
find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” It’s attributed to the
French philosopher Voltaire, but was in fact written by white
supremacist and neo-Nazi Kevin Strom.
On top of the graphic are photos of Black celebrities Ice Cube, Nick
Cannon and DeSean Jackson, who have all come under criticism for
scapegoating Jews for the problems of Blacks in the U.S.
“This vile behavior from a civic leader is incredibly dangerous for
Jewish communities around the world,” the Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia responded, calling for Muhammad to resign as president of
the NAACP. The Anti-Defamation League, Philadelphia Muslim-Jewish Circle
of Friends and the Philadelphia Urban League have asked the NAACP to
hold him accountable.
One leader of a Jewish organization, Rabbi Linda Holtzman of the Tikkun
Olam Chavurah, which describes itself as a group founded on Jewish
beliefs that pursues social justice, tried to excuse Muhammad’s actions.
“I think the Black community is justly angry at the Jewish community,”
she said.
Marcia Bronstein, regional director of the American Jewish Committee,
wrote to the NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference saying, “Complacency
about antisemitism compromises the integrity of the fight against racism.”
Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal, former secretary of the NAACP
chapter, says Muhammad should remain president. She said Jews don’t
“fight against nobody unless it’s their political season.”
“The Socialist Workers Party condemns Jew-hatred in all forms — from
both the left and the right, including that by Rodney Muhammad, and
others,” Osborne Hart, Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S.
Congress in Pennsylvania’s 3rd C.D., said in a statement. “It’s a deadly
danger for all working people.”
DeSean Jackson, a player for the Philadelphia Eagles football team, had
watched a video of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan’s July 4
address, where he called Jews “Satan.” “And it is my job now to pull the
cover off Satan so that every Muslim,” Farrakhan said, “picks up a
stone, as we do in Mecca.”
“I hope everyone got a chance to watch this!! Don’t be blinded. Know
what’s going on!!” Jackson posted on Instagram. He then posted a quote,
falsely attributed to Adolph Hitler: “Because the white Jews know that
the Negroes are the real Children of Israel and to keep America’s secret
the Jews will blackmail America. … Their plan for world domination won’t
work if the Negroes know who they were.”
After a firestorm of criticism, Jackson took down the post. He has since
agreed to an invitation from a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor to visit
Auschwitz.
Comedian and TV personality Nick Cannon attended Farrakhan’s speech,
saying afterwards African Americans were robbed of their birthright by
the Jews. He also later apologized.
The rapper and actor Ice Cube has tweeted a graphic that depicted the
Star of David with a black cube in its center, followed by pictures of
black cube sculptures in Manhattan and other major cities, implying
secret Jewish control. He has refused to back off his posting.
NBA legend and critic of racist discrimination Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
responded to Ice Cube and others saying he was shocked to see such
little outrage over displays of anti-Semitism amid the “new Woke-fulness
in Hollywood and the sports world.” Ice Cube responded, calling
Abdul-Jabbar a “Judas.”
While anti-Semitism is at a low ebb in the working class, there has been
an increase in attacks against Jews in the last few years. In 2019,
according to the Anti-Defamation League, there were “a reported 2,100
acts of assault, vandalism, violence or harassment against Jews, the
highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. since the
organization began tracking them in 1979.”
Anti-Semitism, enemy of all workers
“Anti-Semitism is an attack on all Jews, but it also puts a dagger into
the heart of the fight against racism and all struggles by working
people that we see today,” SWP candidate Hart said.
“Police brutality, discrimination in housing and hiring, and racist
attacks that Blacks face today aren’t caused by Jews,” he said. “This is
a lie that only serves the interests of the capitalist rulers, who
profit from this discrimination.
“Jew-hatred grows and gets support from the capitalist rulers when the
crisis of their system leads to rising mass struggles by working people.
While that isn’t happening today, the deepening capitalist economic,
social and political crisis working people face shows that day will come.
“The fight against Jew-hatred is a working-class question, and a key
question in the fight for the rights of African Americans,” Hart
continued. “The only way to end anti-Semitism — and the oppression of
Blacks — for all time is to eliminate this capitalist system of
oppression and exploitation.”
Front Page Articles
Fight for a union on every job site, and a labor party
Fight for workers control of production and safety
Port explosion fuels protests against gov’t in Lebanon
Bath shipyard strikers discuss tentative deal, strike still on
Nebraska meatpackers, union speak out in battle for job safety
After prison ban in Pennsylvania is revoked, Florida prison bars ‘Militant’
Feature Articles
Montreal port workers strike over unsafe schedules
Also In This Issue
Protests boost interest in books on working-class politics, history
SWP ‘stimulus’ appeal at $143,600, more to come
Protesters: Prosecute cops who killed Breonna Taylor!
Philadelphia: Political fight breaks out over Jew-hatred
London bans China’s Huawei, looks for trade bloc with US
As crisis deepens, workers fight boss attacks on jobs, conditions
Sugar workers in Iran on strike since June over unpaid wages
Belarus protests erupt over presidential election results
Socialist Workers Party 2020 campaign platform
Books of the Month
‘American workers: Stop your rulers throttling our revolution’
25, 50 and 75 years ago
© Copyright 2020 The Militant - 306 W. 37th Street, 13th floor - New
York, NY 10018 - themilitant@xxxxxxx
Cookies
This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Learn more.
Okay, thanks
--
___
Carl Sagan
“Every aspect of Nature reveals a deep mystery and touches our sense of wonder
and awe. Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who pretend to
nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human beings will
prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather than confront
the world. But those with the courage to explore the weave and structure of the
Cosmos, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes and prejudices, will
penetrate its deepest mysteries.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos