Double Standards vs. Equity – How to Respond : From Blog Posts to Book
The purpose of “Double Standards vs. Equity – How to Respond” and these blog posts is to combine them into a published book entitled Safe Schools for Jewish Students: An Educator’s Guide to Preventing Antisemitism and Strengthening Belonging.
Go here for the full Table of Contents.
Chapter 4 – Double Standards vs. Equity: How to Respond
How to Respond to a Colleague
One of the best ways to speak to someone about their double standards is to start with the assumption that their talking points are true.
When they make a common anti-Israel or antizionist comment, do the following:
- Clarify what they are saying – Repeat what they’ve said and add specifics without judgement, so that the issue is clear to both of you.
- Ask for a specific solution to the problem – By asking for a solution, they may be hard-pressed to find one.
- Share other similar situations in the world – Ask if the same solution should be applied there. If not, that qualifies as a double standard.
Though it may be enticing to point out the flaws in their understanding of history, it’s important to take on the position that their claim is true to demonstrate the double standard. You can bring up a similar example in the world and see if they desire the same solution to be applied there.
Example 1
The Jewish immigrants forced the Palestinians out of their homes and stole their land.
“Okay, just to make sure we’re on the same page, you’re referring to a common statement I’ve heard which is that when Ben Gurion declared that a part of Palestine was now the State of Israel in May 14, 1948, Jewish immigrants came from Europe and forcibly displaced the Arabs out of their homes and stole their land. Is that correct?”
“No, before that. The Nakba. The ethnic cleansing of Palestine started in December 1947 and continued through July 1949.”
Ignore the fact that no Jewish leadership had any intention of stealing Arab Palestinian land. To contradict your colleague could simply end their willingness to have a conversation.
“Okay, so five months before the War of 1948, Jewish immigrants forced the Arab Palestinians out of their homes and stole their land. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. And what would be a good solution?”
“Israel should give the land back to the Palestinians.”
“And where will the Jews go?”
“Back to where they came from.”
At this point, if the person is a liberal in support of protecting undocumented immigrants in the U.S. from being deported, they might recognize how they just spoke words that go against their moral compass.
“I understand the desire to return stolen land to the original inhabitants. That makes sense. Let’s also consider India and Pakistan in 1947. Roughly millions of Hindus and Sikhs were forced from their homes and displaced by Muslims. So, you think the solution is that Pakistan shouldn’t exist and that all Muslims in Pakistan should go back to where they came from and give the land back to the Hindus and Sikhs? If true, my question to you is why aren’t you protesting for those pursuits?”
Example 2
Israel is an apartheid state
“Okay, just to be clear, when talking about apartheid, we’re not talking about separate laws for separate races. We’re talking about separate laws for Jews and Palestinians, an ethnic apartheid, is that right?”
“Yes.”
“What solution do you recommend?”
“The Palestinians and Jews should have equal rights.”
Again, ignore the fact that Arab Israelis, even those who identify as Palestinians, have the same rights as Jewish Israelis, and pretend the claim is true.
“Perfect. We believe in the same moral goals. We both believe that ethnic apartheid is wrong and everyone should have equal rights. Let me ask you this. Currently, a million Muslim Uyghurs in China, and a half million Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar are facing ethnic apartheid. Why aren’t you protesting for them, too?”
Tone and Word Choice
I recommend keeping the conversation respectful and avoid belittling the other person.
Frequently use the word “we” to stay connected, by saying things like, “People like us make that innocent mistake all the time, and what’s important is that we recognize if we’ve made a double standard and can change our thinking slightly.”
The reason it’s important to stay kind is because they have shown the willingness to discuss and debate the issue rather than stay in an echo chamber. The quote “Love thy enemy” doesn’t come from my religion, but it applies well to this situation.
How to Respond in the Classroom – Responding to Students’ Talking Points
In each case as mentioned before, pull the student aside, tell them that what they said can be hurtful to Jewish people, and have them complete the appropriate research task(s) listed below, citing six sources, three left-wing and three right-wing, supporting their research.
Israel is committing crimes against humanity.
Make a table listing the human and civil rights protected and not protected under Israeli law as compared to Israel’s surrounding countries: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
Israel is mistreating Palestinians.
- Make a table listing the Israeli laws that protect or are against Palestinian Israeli citizens compared to those laws that protect or are against Palestinian non-Israeli citizens.
- Make a table of the laws that protect or are against Palestinians in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
Israel has unfair naturalization laws benefitting Jews only.
Research which ten countries have the strictest naturalization laws and compare those laws with Israel’s naturalization laws.
Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinians.
- Genocide is the intentional attack against a people with a primary objective of eliminating in whole or in part the religion, race, or ethnicity. Choose a textbook unambiguous example of a genocide in history, like the German genocide of Jews or the Ottoman genocide of Armenians.
- Research the Ten Stages of Genocide by Dr. Gregory H. Stanton and compare your chosen example of genocide with those ten stages.
- Make a table of similarities and differences between your sample genocide and the way Israel is supposedly committing a genocide against the Palestinians. Be sure to demonstrate every stage of the Ten Stages of Genocide to prove your claim.
Comment Below
Please comment below with edits or suggestions on what should be changed in this post.
Please keep your comments civil. Comments are moderated.
If you spot any comment out of line, let me know.
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Author Biography of Safe Schools for Jewish Students
Ezra Barany, son of a Bronx father and a Dutch mother from Nazi-occupied Netherlands, loves riveting readers with Jewish thrillers. His first two books in The Torah Codes series were award-winning international bestsellers. In his free time, he has eye-opening discussions on the art of writing novels with his wife and book coach Beth Barany. A high school physics teacher, Ezra lives in Oakland with his beloved wife and two cats working on the next book. Ezra, not the cats.
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