iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

many leftists to take antisemitism seriously as an independent force, woven into the fabric of our world, cannot be blamed solely on Zionism; it is often evidence of pure callousness, and of some funky, half-baked ideas about Jewish power. In other words, of antisemitism.

513910

Today the crisis of Palestine & the rise of the global Right is catalyzing volatile forms of antisemitism. Israel’s genocide is obviously part of the fuel, but only part. Jews have more power than many apologists insist, yes, but far less than many critics imagine. The refusal by

2978

at some moments in history. Every form of oppression varies in immediacy & intensity depending on context. But the thing about ideology, as any good Marxist will tell you, is that it can cohere into a material force. Narratives have power. They shape & reshape the world.

11057

from the past, floating above politics, history & society? This is no way for the Left to think. We can do better! What you really mean is ‘Jews don’t face meaningful oppression as Jews in their daily lives’. That is probably true for some Jews, in some places,

1946

antisemitism today is inseparable from the post-2008 polycrisis, in all its morbid forms. It has crystallized in a turbulent conjuncture which of course includes Gaza. What does it even mean to say that any form of oppression is ‘not systemic’? As if it’s some spectral holdover

211211

crisis & collapse, when the old is dying & the new has yet to be born, when millions are suffering, desperate & grasping to make sense of a broken world. Its rise tracks alongside systemic crises in capitalism & the world system. Fascism surged after the Great Depression;

11096

the majority are white. Antisemitism spreads primarily on the terrain of ideology, of narrative & sense-making. It claims to uncover the hidden heart of absolute domination & control. It is a false power analysis, & this is precisely why it is structural. It emerges in times of

213213

One says ‘it’s everywhere’, the other, ‘it’s nowhere’. Neither offer a materialist analysis. Obviously antisemitism doesn’t currently manifest as straightforward economic or racial oppression. Jewish Americans earn on average relatively higher incomes, like Hindu Americans, &

11136

Ben Lorber @benlorber8.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

‘Antisemitism isn’t systemic’ is the Left’s version of ‘the world’s oldest hatred’. An easy slogan that is in fact a sign of impoverished thought, a stubborn unwillingness to think critically & rigorously. One hyperbolizes, the other minimizes;

731067

Both camps succumb to negative polarization & hyper-online brain rot. Of course, the issue of antisemitism is overdetermined today by Israel/Palestine. But at root this is a municipal hate crimes prevention strategy. Nobody benefits by obsessively reading it through the I/P prism

1986

Ben Lorber @benlorber8.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It's funny that one loud camp is (predictably) saying that Mamdani’s antisemitism plan is not Zionist enough, while another is claiming it's (somehow) too Zionist. What both overlook, because neither really care, is the project of fighting antisemitism in NYC on its own terms

215429

Reposted by Ben Lorber

Rabbi Emily Cohen @thatrabbicohen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Here's my Yom Kippur morning sermon on Safety through Solidarity, with thanks to @benlorber8.bsky.social and @shaneburley.bsky.social! (To get the context, I recommend watching part 1 first) youtu.be/do7V5EAyZPI written version here: morethanfourquestions.beehiiv.com/p/question-2...

youtu.be

To Life- Yom Kippur 5787/2026

YouTube video by Rabbi Emily Cohen

0239

Reposted by Ben Lorber

ncarinsights.bsky.social @ncarinsights.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Nearly half of ADL's 2025 Audit was tied to Israel. A new report from NCAR breaks down what's in that number, from Jews harassed or attacked over Israel's actions to public expressions of hostility toward Israel that ADL considers antisemitic, like 'From the River to the Sea.'

1188

Ben Lorber @benlorber8.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Yesterday @peterbeinart.bsky.social & I discussed the bad-faith attacks on Hasan Piker, why establishment Dems keep punching Left, & why it's a failed strategy. We also discussed antisemitism, Israel/Palestine, America First & coalition politics. Listen here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/n...

podcasts.apple.com

Navigating Bad-faith Accusations of Antisemitism

Podcast Episode · Occupied Thoughts · September 2 · 36m

3248

Reposted by Ben Lorber

Michael Sappir @m.sappir.net · 27/08/2026

@benlorber8.bsky.social: ‘the fight over Piker’s words reminds of the final clause of the Balfour Declaration, promising to protect “the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country” to address the concerns of Jewish critics of Zionism’ benlorber18.substack.com/p/specters-o...

benlorber18.substack.com

Specters of Balfour

Critics of Hasan Piker’s recent warning don’t understand the time we’re in. We owe it to ourselves and our children’s children to get a grip-- and soon.

152

Ben Lorber @benlorber8.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

My latest on Substack- Specters of Balfour "Those who dismiss Piker’s warning as victim-blaming are thinking moralistically, not politically...the point is not to assign blame for antisemitism but to understand the conditions of its emergence"

23810

They want every 'respectable' liberal between now and November to have to condemn Hasan Piker every time they open their mouth to condemn Nick Fuentes. They hope this will dampen turnout enough to blunt a blue wave at the ballot box. Don't fall for it!

28612

During the Trump 1.0 midterms in 2018, MAGA faced an image crisis. Unite the Right exposed their extremism for all to see. Pointing the finger at Women's March helped them change the narrative. Now antisemitism was an equal threat on 'both sides'. Dems played right along. Same thing happening now

18412

This is a deliberate strategy by the Right to demonize their opponents before the midterms. The playbook is so effective because centrist & liberals on the other side of the aisle keep falling for it. Stop doing MAGA's work for them!

29915

We have seen the same bad-faith disinfo attacks for a decade now against so many progressive leaders of color, from AOC, Ilhan Omar & the Women's March in 2018 to AES, Piker & many others today. Many of the people who joined the pile-on this time around claim to know better.

28411

Nordau regularly posts vitriolic xenophobia, white supremacy & Islamophobia alongside his main focus on defending Israel's genocide. He deceptively edited Hasan Piker's monologue to make it seem like a threat to American Jews. It wasn't. Full monologue here-- www.twitch.tv/videos/28516...

29717

By joining the pile-on against Hasan Piker, Democrats & liberals are running the Right's disinformation playbook for them-- the same playbook the Right uses before every election. This time around the moral panic was created by a far-right pro-Israel account named Max Nordau/

17524143

Stating this simple fact doesn't let us blame the victim, or excuse the perpetrators of vile antisemitic acts. But those of us who are Jewish owe it to ourselves and our children's children to start talking about it, and soon. Stifling the discussion only makes it worse

2353

The irony of course is that Zionism was conceived as an answer to antisemitism, and most Jewish supporters still see it that way. But when you yoke the fortunes of a small, hyper-visible global minority to the actions of a belligerent pariah state, it can cause dangerous blowback

1394

See also the last clause of the Balfour Declaration. From Zionism's beginnings, Jews (both pro and anti-Zionist) were acutely aware that yoking world Jewry behind the actions of a Jewish state could imperil the standing of Jews in the countries where they actually live

1290

Ben Lorber @benlorber8.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Hasan Piker's statement about the relation between American Jewish support for Israel and antisemitism shouldn't be so controversial. Here's Hannah Arendt making the same point in her 1944 essay 'Zionism Reconsidered'

410135

Lipstadt & the ADL's Jonathan Greenblatt are two anti-antisemitism 'experts' who once nominally championed a fuzzy civil rights liberalism, but took an increasingly hard-right turn post-10/7. When forced to choose between Israel advocacy & progressivism, their choice was easy

212615

Ben Lorber @benlorber8.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Deborah Lipstadt, noted Holocaust historian & antisemitism czar under Biden, just shared a hardline transphobe who compared gender-affirming surgery to genital mutilation & slammed 'gender ideology' For many self-styled 'liberals', Israel advocacy is a gateway drug to the Right

14433102

Ben Lorber @benlorber8.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

The latest issue of @jewishcurrents.bsky.social carried a bad review of my good friend @blbalthaser.bsky.social’s excellent new book on the American Jewish Left and anti-Zionism. I wanted to explain what’s wrong with the review, and why it matters

34512

Ben Lorber @benlorber8.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

One of the hosts defended her by saying ‘maybe she knows us [Jews] better than we know ourselves’. I don’t think so? Also, the 70s were clearly the best decade for the Dead. Further proof that wherever you find antisemitism, there are other bad ideas lurking nearby

0130

Ben Lorber @benlorber8.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

I usually keep my pettiness in check. But I do wonder if the boys at @mostmoralpod.bsky.social are having second thoughts after recording a whole episode the other month, slamming me & others for naming Susan’s antisemitism. These 3 posts are just from the last few days—

1334

attack are connected— again, a big if— what it tells us is that Israel’s actions are endangering Jews around the world, by associating the global Jewish community with war crimes. The takeaway isn’t to ease up on Netanyahu but to bring him speedily to justice for everyone’s sake

34410

The difference, of course, is that this anti-China rhetoric was unhinged, conspiratorial & designed for scapegoating. By contrast, Netanyahu is actually a war criminal & Mamdani’s powerful video was politically clear-eyed & morally unassailable. If yesterday’s video & today’s

1236

We don’t know— and it’s of course a big and loaded conjecture— but it’s not impossible. For comparison, at the height of the COVID lockdown criticism of China voiced by leaders with large megaphones (in this case Trump) helped fuel a climate of violence targeting Asian-Americans

1152