Talk:Weaponization of antisemitism

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Structure again

This is a topic that was most recently discussed in January (archive 15), and I think that discussion might have resulted in the current structure. I find the structure very unhelpful. (a) What's the difference between History (which gives some framework, but is based around examples) and Examples? (b) Why do some examples go in Examples, but others in Areas of controversy, even though all of the examples are in these areas and the latter section is based on a series of examples? (c) Why don't we put the responses in the relevant sections, rather than in a standalone Responses section at the bottom that covers more or less te same areas of controversy? I don't think it's normal to have a Responses section with this sort of topic is it? BobFromBrockley (talk) 15:34, 15 April 2026 (UTC)

I feel like the responses section makes structural sense. There's material that accepts and uses this concept, and there's material that criticizes/analyzes/mentions/rejects this concept. It's one layer of abstraction higher; basically a "reception" section. See chick flick and Islamo-leftism for example. Also, I feel there's so much response material that, if stuck between subtopics in the other sections (no telling which, because, as you've noted, they're poorly defined and vaguely distinguished), it would create a strange conceptual zigzag for the readers. There's also a lot of "responses" material that is very broad and doesn't really belong with any particular incident described in the earlier sections.

No qualms with your other proposals. ꧁Zanahary꧂ 15:47, 15 April 2026 (UTC)

Islamo-leftism is an interesting comparison case. Here there's a section on the origins of the term, which is analogous to the History section here except it focuses on the history of the term rather than of the phenomenon it describes. Then a very short set of examples, much shorter than our Examples section here, which are examples of uses of the term rather than of the phenomenon it describes. Then a section of analysis, which is closer to our Responses section, but with more emphasis on scholarly takes. If weaponisation wasn't a thing, we could use that structure. The problem is, the History and Examples sections assume it is a thing, whereas the Responses section assumes it isn't (or that it rarely is). BobFromBrockley (talk) 14:20, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

Yes, for that reason I think the separation makes the most sense. These two sets of sources (broadly) come from opposite, or at least very different, fundamental assumptions. ꧁Zanahary꧂ 06:46, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

As no objections, I think I will start to remove the "Examples" section and distribute material to "History" and "Areas of controversity". BobFromBrockley (talk) 16:09, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

Robert Fine

In case I forget, I'm making a note of the fact that there's a whole article on weaponisation by antisemitism scholar Robert Fine here. We quote Brian Klug from the same collection, but it's the actual topic of Fine's article: this is the kind of best source we ought to be using to identify examples from. BobFromBrockley (talk) 15:36, 15 April 2026 (UTC)

Thanks. I'll add to the pile this article quoting from a relevant Soviet manifesto. ꧁Zanahary꧂ 15:49, 15 April 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure I see the relevance of Shrayer's article here. Might be good in articles that focus on anti-Zionism, but how would we use it here? BobFromBrockley (talk) 14:27, 16 April 2026 (UTC)

…those Zionist wheeler-dealers try to persuade the world's public opinion that, allegedly, in the USSR there exists the "Jewish question. ꧁Zanahary꧂ 06:45, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

Similar sources (keyword "allegations of Soviet anti-semitism"): https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137008305; https://www.nytimes.com/1967/01/22/archives/us-reds-shelve-appeal-on-jews-party-leaders-now-denying.html ꧁Zanahary꧂ 06:50, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

This Herbert Aptheker pamphlet: https://www.marxists.org/subject/jewish/aptheker-anti-semitism.pdf ꧁Zanahary꧂ 06:57, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

Review of Butler: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/721497/summary ꧁Zanahary꧂ 07:01, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

More Soviet stuff (keyword "Jewish question"): https://doi.org/10.1080/13501678308577433; https://www.jta.org/archive/state-dept-says-attack-against-zionism-by-a-soviet-group-is-an-anti-semitic-diatribe; https://encyclopedia.yivo.org/article/66; https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/02/world/8-soviet-jews-seek-to-combat-zionism.html; https://www.jstor.org/stable/23602994?seq=1; https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-jewish-chronicle/20230317/281960316984154; https://www.jta.org/archive/anti-zionist-manifesto-seen-as-new-soviet-gambit-to-close-doors-to-any-jewish-emigration; https://www.nytimes.com/1967/01/22/archives/us-reds-shelve-appeal-on-jews-party-leaders-now-denying.html;

https://www.marxists.org/subject/jewish/cps-soviet-jewry.pdf ('propaganda'; this is in "Soviet Jewry and Human Rights" by Isi Leibler); https://www.jta.org/archive/lord-russell-lashes-out-again-at-soviet-mistreatment-of-jews; https://www.commentary.org/articles/bertrand-russell/soviet-anti-semitism-an-exchange/;

And here, there's a relevant piece ("There was a widespread charge")

Keyword: "dismissing": https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781032693859-35/philosophy-anti-semitism-samuel-lebens; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1721172.stm

Keyword: "dismiss": https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/israelstudies.24.2.12; https://ultraviolet.library.nyu.edu/records/xebx5-npq11 (especially good); https://www.jpr.org.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/__tsclient_C_Users_admin_Downloads_ITI%20Ottolenghi%202005.pdf; https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13613324.2026.2652251#d1e1223; https://tools.bard.edu/wwwmedia/files/8850342/10/CONFERENCEANTHOLOGY.pdf

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-26/ty-article/.premium/simply-a-pr-exercise-irish-president-belittles-claims-of-antisemitism-in-ireland/0000018f-b511-d24f-a5df-fff766580000; https://www.timesofisrael.com/irish-jews-cry-foul-over-antisemitic-presidents-planned-holocaust-memorial-speech/; https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/s1hdirbd1g; https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0117/1491495-president-higgins-holocaust-memorial-day-ireland/ ꧁Zanahary꧂ 17:07, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

Paragraph 30: https://books.openedition.org/ceup/1312 ꧁Zanahary꧂ 13:48, 18 April 2026 (UTC)

https://www.commentary.org/articles/bret-stephens/jews-have-honor-of-being-hated/; https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/12/29/israel-the-maga-world-s-new-obsession_6748918_4.html; https://forward.com/fast-forward/793261/vance-declines-to-draw-a-line-against-rising-influence-of-antisemitic-figures-in-republican-party/; https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/vance-claims-antisemitism-in-us-a-real-backlash-to-american-foreign-policy/; https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-881028 ꧁Zanahary꧂ 13:54, 18 April 2026 (UTC)

Keyword “labeled”: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780271086712-005/html ꧁Zanahary꧂ 06:08, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

Support a lot of this material going in to article, especially where authors are notable and expert. BobFromBrockley (talk) 16:07, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

@Bobfrombrockley Please feel free to start, if the mass of links isn’t too useless! ꧁Zanahary꧂ 07:46, 21 May 2026 (UTC)

It's on my list! I saw a new article this week on Fathom by David Seymour that also looks useful. Hope other editors can join in too! BobFromBrockley (talk) 08:59, 21 May 2026 (UTC)

useful source

• Brownlee, Jason. "Efforts to Weaponize Title VI against Pro-Palestine Speech on University Campuses." Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights, vol. 30, no. 1, Fall 2024, pp. 52-88.

إيان (talk) 08:41, 5 May 2026 (UTC)

Yes, would augment the US campus section well (although that section feels like it's in danger of becoming disproportionately big in the whole article, which should have a global scope). BobFromBrockley (talk) 10:24, 5 May 2026 (UTC)

If that happens it is simply made a stand alone article with a summary taking its place in this one, though a summary that reflects the scholarship, which does focus quite a bit on this phenomenon in US. إيان (talk) 16:37, 5 May 2026 (UTC)