Dovid Bashevkin
@DBashIdeas · Jewish & Israel-focused media — US/UK
Dovid Bashevkin is a Jewish educator, Talmud teacher, and founder of 18Forty.
My dear friend @alicht found himself in a park on Shabbos next to Ms Rachel, each pushing their children on the swings. They had a convo about Zionism. After Shabbos, he recorded a reflection on the conversation. Interesting listen.
Brad Lander calls the hecklers “loudmouths” and “numbskulls,” among other names. But were they antisemites? Is yelling “No Zionists welcome” at a Jew antisemitic? I found his response deeply wanting. We should take no joy in watching another Jew get heckled or humiliated. But what is so disappointing about Lander’s response is that he seems unable—or unwilling—to explain when criticism of Zionism crosses the line into antisemitism. And that matters. Lander has helped embolden some of the very voices that are now heckling him. Perhaps that is why, even when their hostility is directed at him, he seems to lack the grounding to name those views for what they are. This isn’t just about Brad Lander. When “No Zionists welcome” becomes an acceptable way to exclude Jews from public spaces, that is antisemitism. And refusing to call it that makes Jews everywhere less safe.
I feel guilty for the amount of joy watching Brad Landers being yelled at by “anti-zionists” is bringing me.
It was such a privilege to sit with Ben and Yael—incredible Jews building a new paradigm for community in Israel. ❤️