Antisemitic attacks on diaspora Jews are misdirected violence that doesn't affect Israeli policy
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/jonathanfreedland. "Attacks on synagogues and Jewish shops in the UK, Europe and the US don’t hurt Netanyahu. They just hurt ordinary Jews | Jonathan Freedland | The Guardian." March 20, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that recent attacks on synagogues and Jewish businesses are being wrongly justified as opposition to Israel, when they're really just antisemitism. These attacks hurt ordinary Jewish people who have nothing to do with Israeli government decisions, and other ethnic communities don't face similar violence even when their home countries do controversial things.
Conclusion
Attacks on synagogues and Jewish businesses in the diaspora are antisemitic acts that harm ordinary Jews rather than effectively opposing Israeli government policies
Premises
- Recent attacks on synagogues and Jewish institutions across multiple countries demonstrate a pattern of violence targeting diaspora Jewish communities
- These attacks are often justified by perpetrators and some commentators as opposition to Israeli policies, not antisemitism
- The violence is misdirected because it targets diaspora Jews who have no control over Israeli government actions
- Other diaspora communities (Russian Orthodox, American businesses) don't face similar violence despite their home countries' controversial actions
- Many who claim to oppose only 'Zionism' misunderstand the term, which for most Jews simply means Israel's right to exist as a refuge
- Some progressive allies have failed to condemn these attacks or have rationalized them as legitimate political opposition
- The attacks create genuine fear and terror among Jewish communities who experience them as antisemitic regardless of stated political motivations
Assumptions
- Diaspora Jews are distinct from and should not be held responsible for Israeli government actions
- Violence against civilians based on their ethnicity or religion is inherently wrong regardless of political justification
- True opposition to government policies should target those governments, not ethnic/religious communities
- Historical patterns of antisemitism make Jews particularly vulnerable to this type of misdirected violence
- Progressive movements should consistently oppose violence against minorities