Three Things Not to Say to Your Jewish Coworkers
I spent many of my formative years in an intensely Jewish environment (a yeshiva) before entering graduate school and then the workforce. Although entering more secular environments has only rarely exposed me to prejudice, the secular workplace has clearly become more challenging since October 7th.
Based on my experience and some conversations with friends, I want to share some thoughts directed at well meaning non-Jewish colleagues to help sensitize them to the types of things that many Jews find hurtful. Some Jews may find this helpful as well – even if they personally do not find these hurtful and even if they have disagreements on some of the substantive issues, they should be aware that many Jews will find these things hurtful. My goal is to help Jews and non-Jews create a more inclusive work environment to the benefit of all.
Here are three things I know Jews have heard in the workplace, and which I believe you should not say to your Jewish colleagues, with some explanations for each.
“Free Palestine”
I hope we can agree that people should not need to come to work to hear their colleagues call for the destruction of their people. “Free Palestine” is understood by many and I believe most Jews as a call for the violent destruction of Israel. It might not sound like a call for violence because the word “free” sounds innocent. In this context, it is anything but. For more on the history of this phrase, see these links. If a person is using this phrase and does not mean to call for the violent destruction of Israel, I believe the burden is on them to state this explicitly. “Free Palestine” is a call for the end of the state of Israel and the replacement of Israel with a different state. “Free Palestine” is often used together with other even more explicit phrases such as “by any means necessary”, “from the River to the Sea”, and “globalize the intifada.” The destruction of Israel is the explicit, stated goal of many actors in the Middle East including Iran and its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah.
“Free Palestine” has nothing to do with a 2-state solution (which would result in the State of Israel and the State of Palestine peacefully coexisting) which many Israelis support, and which Israel has historically made many attempts to achieve that have been refused by Palestinians (you can watch former President Bill Clinton discussing this here). I would challenge anyone calling for a “Free Palestine” to declare their belief that Israel has a right to exist, and to unequivocally condemn Hamas and Hezbollah. If they are willing to do so, I can have a dialogue with them. And if not, then at least we know where everyone stands.
Even if “Free Palestine” is somehow meant nonviolently, as in Israel should disappear in a nonviolent way and be replaced by another state, it is still denying Jewish peoplehood and the Jewish people’s right to exist as a national entity in our historic homeland. “Free Palestine” is analogous to saying “death to America.” Even if someone says “death to America” in a supposedly non-violent way, to signal their belief that America is illegitimate and has no right to exist and therefore should cease to exist and be replaced by a different type of state, I hope we can all agree this is beyond the pale to say at work. So why would calling for the end of Israel be ok? And I would add two related points. First, Israelis are not simply going to voluntarily give up their state, and so the only way to achieve “Free Palestine” is through violence. Second, even if they would, it is a fantasy to believe that Jews would be safe in a new state that would supposedly replace Israel. What evidence exists to convince Jews that the end of Israel as a state would mean anything other than October 7th-like massacres against Jews as the new normal?
Many people believe that Israel is inherently illegitimate and that Jewish colonialists with no connection to the land simply stole the land from indigenous people. A mix of antisemitism and ignorance are the main reasons people have this view. For people who are genuinely interested in learning more, I would encourage them to read serious works of history about the topic, and try to avoid works of propaganda supporting either side. I think a far better case can be made that America is illegitimate and exists because colonialists stole land from indigenous people, and this can be said about many other countries. I am not endorsing this view and I believe a good case can be made for the legitimacy of America. I am simply saying that an even better case can be made for the legitimacy of Israel. Rejection of the right of the Jewish people to exist while granting this right to every other group seems to me to be the definition of anti-Semitism – it is an expression of prejudice. The anti-Israel movement deploys sophisticated propaganda tools. They frame their goals in terms that give the appearance that they are fighting for human rights. But they are denying these rights to Jews. They do not want peaceful coexistence with Israel – they want Israel to be destroyed. They do not simply argue that Palestinians have a right to sovereignty, which many Israelis would be willing to grant, but they argue that only Palestinians and not Jews have this right.
“Israel is committing genocide”
To characterize Israel’s war against Iran and its proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, etc.) as genocide is classic antisemitic propaganda against Jews to portray Jews and the Jewish state as guilty of the worst possible crimes. Similar accusations against Jews have been made throughout history. The genocidal state in the Middle East is not Israel – it is Iran, and Hamas and Hezbollah are equally genocidal. Israel has no ambition to destroy another people and never has, while Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah want to destroy any sovereign Jewish state in any borders in the Middle East.
Were the allies during WWII guilty of genocide for the destruction they caused in Germany and Japan? Were the Americans guilty of genocide for their wars throughout history? War is horrible but war is not automatically genocide when many innocent people die, as terrible as it is that they die.
I would add that I don’t think it is worthwhile to counter the genocide claim until Israel’s right to exist is settled. If someone believes Jews have no right to exist as a people and have “privilege” and are not deserving of empathy and lack humanity, then there is no point arguing that Israel’s war is legitimate and is being waged within the ethical norms of war. It is pointless to point out that the main reason horrible destruction is taking place is because of how Hamas has freely chosen to build and position its offensive military infrastructure which is designed to eradicate Israel. If the first point is settled, these points can be discussed and debated.
Note that I am not saying that many of Israel’s actions cannot be criticized – I definitely think they can be, along with the actions of any other county that has fought a war. Criticism is acceptable if it is free of bias and prejudice. Criticism is very different than delegitimization. Supporters of Israel believe that Israel is fighting a legitimate war and the vast majority of their actions have been necessary and legal to fight this war. Arguments have been made for this assertion and I encourage anyone who is interested to read them. In instances where strong evidence exists that Israel has done things that are wrong, they can be held accountable like any other county. But the fact that so many people across the world treat Israel so differently than they treat other countries is primarily the result of antisemitism and successful propaganda from Israelis enemies, not because there is an objective reason why Israel behaves worse than other countries. I encourage anyone to research what percentage of UN resolutions target Israel compared to other countries and to ask the question of whether this is likely to be due to objective differences in conduct or more likely to be due to antisemitism.
“Where is the evidence that antisemitism is on the rise?”
There is a ton of evidence and here is some data from the FBI. There was a huge increase in incidents between 2022 and 2023, and one can only imagine that 2024 will be worse. People tend to want to discuss antisemitism together with Islamophobia and this data speaks to both of these phenomena. Anti Moslem incidents are a real problem and absolutely deserve attention. It is important to point out though, that based on this data, they are much less common than antisemitic incidents (at least in absolute numbers), and have not shown the same level of increase recently. Here is some data showing huge increases in antisemitism in Canada (and a podcast from the author), and things are even worse in Europe. Here is an academic paper that presents FBI data graphically as well as some other data specifically about the failure of DEI to address antisemitism.
Moreover, I will add that I wish I had the luxury of being as blissfully unaware of antisemitism as the people who ask this question. The increased security presence in synagogues and Jewish schools is a constant reminder for me, as are the steady stream of news articles highlighting what is happening on college campuses and other locations in the US and throughout the world. On the campus of my own alma mater there were intimidating posters hung up with faces of Jewish professors, including a friend of mine. One of my daughter’s friends was intimidated by an antisemitic mob and forced to take shelter in her college library. Another friend of mine was subjected on a college campus to an antisemitic poster being placed deliberately in a way they would be forced to see it. These are unfortunately constant occurrences for us this past year.
Bottom Line
Personally, I believe that politics and religion should be kept far away from work. But if you find yourself at work discussing Israel, please avoid the type of rhetoric that has found its way all too often into socially acceptable discourse. “Free Palestine”, accusing Israel of genocide, and downplaying antisemitism should have no place at work, ever.