GUEST POST: The digital re-ghettoisation of Jews

The overt anti-Semitism which is fast becoming normalised stands in sharp contrast to the relative peace Jews in the West enjoyed for many years.

Although anti-Semitism never disappeared completely it was relatively muted in the period following the horrors of the Holocaust. No longer condemned to shtetls (small Jewish enclaves), in America most clearly of all, Jews could live in previously exclusive neighbourhoods, enrol at universities without restriction, and even join country clubs. Western Jews increasingly became more secular, inter-faith marriage rose significantly, and many Jews today have been socialised into thinking they are white. Each of these developments was not independent of other contexts such as census framing and public education about the Shoah (Holocaust). Nevertheless from a sociological perspective they signified widespread social acceptance.

Without walking past a protest, online spaces are the places where the resurgence in anti-Semitism is most apparent. Even internet users who are mostly tolerant can feel emboldened to say things online, especially if anonymous, that they would not to in person. This is a phenomenon known as the online disinhibition effect. Increasingly in the past few years, even the comment section of The New York Times on Jewish topics would be subject to brigading – a term referring to internet users who invade an online space to troll, manipulate or interfere with the targeted community. At the relatively polite level this manifested as ‘Free Palestine’ comments while at other times it involved invoking classic anti-Semitic tropes. What makes the simple injunction to ‘Free Palestine’ anti-Semitic is not the phrase itself but the choice of where to deploy it. The problem comes when it is used with the clear intention of bullying and stifling Jewish discourse that has nothing to do with Palestine. Although a nuisance, it was not usually bellicose and Jews endured the antagonism as par for the course.

Such online enmity became outright hostile since last year’s 7 October pogrom inflicted on southern Israel by Hamas. Misinformation and propaganda implicating – and often conflating – Jews and Israel abounded across social media. Regardless of one’s attitude toward the war those politics became generalised and projected onto all Jews. The bastardised interpretation of Zionism common among anti-Israel activists meant they saw all Jews as complicit in genocidal colonialism. Being openly Jewish suddenly carried a stigma and threat it had not for some time. They were re-marginalised and denigrated, with Jewish blacklists emerging and calls for Jews to return to their imagined countries of origin. In the offline world, incidents of anti-Semitic violence became more brazen and prevalent. Shuls (synagogues) saw increased security as public spaces time and again proved themselves unwelcoming if not blatantly virulent to Jews. 

The same can be said of online spaces. Increased security measures became necessary in communities dedicated to Jewish topics. At the same time previously welcoming spaces – themselves recently infiltrated by bad actors – rejected activity that did not espouse unilateral support for Palestine.

I experienced this myself on Reddit, a popular online forum with over 130,000 active communities encompassing an array of broad and niche interests. Someone posted a video entitled “the seed of genocidal Zionism” to a leftist community (subreddit) dedicated to supporting striking workers. I asked what the video had to do with striking workers as it did little more than stoke hatred by dehumanising Israelis. My comment was rebuffed with the response that Palestinians are workers too. The assumption seemed to be that a zero-sum game was at play. Israeli workers (100,000 remain displaced) and diaspora Jewish workers could, from this false premise, only benefit at the expense of Palestinians. It also ignored the fact that the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement harms Israeli workers under the pretext of hurting the companies employing them. Before I could reply I was banned from the community for “low effort or off-topic” comments. This is an increasingly prevalent tactic for turning online groups into “there can be no debate” echo chambers in which dissenting perspectives are not allowed.

In contrast to the ideological capture of leftist spaces, the subreddits r/Jewish and r/Judaism became safe havens for disenfranchised Jews. The two online communities, previously dedicated to discussing Jewish culture and religion, respectively, have functionally broadened in scope to cover many salient Jewish topics. Within these spaces, Jews (and a minority of allies) solicit and offer social support. They lament their alienation and how many have been allies to other causes but how progressives failed them. They explore changing their name to circumvent experienced and anticipated social and professional ostracism. They solicit advice for and reflect on making peace with having to unfriend people, online and in real life, for their anti-Semitic views. They worry about the long-term impact of Hamas supporters propagating anti-Semitic revisionist history on Wikipedia. They debate what constitutes anti-Semitism and when to give the benefit of the doubt. They share perceptions such as how Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), an American anti-Zionist organisation that has commodified Jewish identity devoid of Judaism and is hostile to the Jews it purports to represent. It is functionally the Islamic equivalent of Jews for Jesus but worse. Members of these Jewish subredditsdiscuss prevailing and discrete Jewish issues of the day. They ask questions, debate, and share their coping strategies. In short, they are allowed to be Jewish when it has become anathema in many formerly inclusive spaces.

Reddit moderators are vital to maintaining the integrity of these communities. These are  volunteers who ensure the spaces remain civil, safe, and secure from anti-Semitic trolls. Moderation is often thankless work but members of these subreddits regularly celebrate the mitzvot (good deeds) of moderators as stewards. These work tirelessly to preserve Jewish life in the midst of an outspoken minority who believe realising ‘from the river to the sea’ would make for a more peaceful world.

The history of online communities is one of individuals who felt they lacked the opportunities to connect with like-minded others in real life. This could be the result of geographic isolation as much as niche interests or fringe views. In relation to the latter, platforms for online community such as Reddit often get a bad rap as hotbeds for extremists. However, they seldom garner attention for their nurturing of communities with a low profile. 

Given the topical sensitivity of such communities, from domestic violence survivors to eating disorders, the anonymity Reddit affords can be emancipatory. For Jews, whether or not they previously felt the need to hide their identity, subreddits can afford accessible bastions of community. These can fortify them against many who would, without hyperbole, deny their right to exist.

While it is reassuring that such spaces exist at all, what they signify is a digital re-ghettoisation of Jews – pushed out of mainstream spaces to their own digital enclaves. It is a sign that the slogan ‘never again’ has been perversely de-contextualised, re-interpreted, and weaponised. It reminds us that never again can we expect others to learn from our history. Never again can we be so naive as to think we will simply be accepted as human. Never again can we allow feckless political institutions to influence our right to exist. Israel has thrived despite being in the middle of a region where political movements have sought its destruction since it was founded. Following Hamas promising to repeat 7 Oct as long as it exists, Israel’s commitment to eradicating the Islamist terror group is its promise of ‘never again’.

Note: The two penultimate paragraphs were added the day after publication.

Ari Stillman is a digital sociologist at the University of Edinburgh researching the interplay between the online and offline spheres.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the Radicalism of fools project.

PHOTO: "Public Domain: Rabbis During Destruction of Warsaw Ghetto, Poland, 1943 (NARA)" by pingnews.com is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.