Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism

Welcome to Safety through Solidarity- a new blog, and a soon-to-be-released book by Shane Burley and Ben Lorber, where we offer a new, progressive take on an old question- what is antisemitism, and how do we fight it?

If you watch cable news, read the Wall Street Journal or subscribe to the newsletter of a group like the Anti-Defamation League, you might hear one very familiar answer to this question. It goes something like this–

Antisemitism is the “world’s oldest hatred”. It springs from an irrational, burning hatred of Jews that has plagued humanity since time immemorial. It is a force of nature- like a virus, or an earthquake, or a tsunami. It springs equally from both sides of the political spectrum, but really, it’s mostly worth paying attention to when it comes from those pesky kids on college campuses, who are too harsh in their criticism of Israel. The best way to fight antisemitism is by supporting whatever the state of Israel does in its problems with the Palestinians. And here in the US, the best way to fight antisemitism is by outlawing anyone who tries to boycott Israel.

But this approach isn’t working. It isn’t working for millions of Palestinians trapped under Israeli occupation. It isn’t working for a new generation of progressive Jews, who demand an approach that aligns the fight against antisemitism with our broader values. It isn’t working for social movements, who need to fight antisemitism in order to fully tear out the roots of the white supremacist, capitalist system we’re up against. Truly, it isn’t working for anybody. 

Here’s the approach we need-

Antisemitism is a systemic oppression that protects the wealthy and powerful by telling a false story about how power works, and who is to blame for injustice in the world. It is deeply connected to racial capitalism, white supremacy, anti-LGBTQ bigotry, Islamophobia and other forms of injustice. And the only way we can truly end antisemitism is by building broad movements across our differences, to uproot the entire system and build a better, more safe, more vibrant world for Jews and all people. We can build a world where Jews, Palestinians, and all people are free from the forces of nationalism, capitalism, white supremacy and patriarchy- but it will take all of us. 

On this blog, we’ll be posting hot takes, interviews and in-depth analysis on how antisemitism is showing up in the world today, and how we fight it through solidarity. In June, we’ll be releasing our book- Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism, which you can preorder here

We hope you subscribe to the blog, pre-order our book, and join the movement to fight antisemitism and win collective liberation.

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A newsletter offering a radical intervention into the fight against antisemitism.

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Author of three books, and co-author of Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism. Writes for Yes, Truthout, Jewish Currents, and others...