Draft:Erasive antisemitism

Erasive antisemitism is a form of antisemitism which involves the erasure of Jewish identity or the erasure of Jews of victims of prejudice.

Definition

"Erasive antisemitism" was defined by writer Ben Freeman in September 2020 as antisemitism manifesting in two forms: the erasure of Jewish identity or the erasure of Jews as victims of prejudice. Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League differentiates erasive antisemitism from what he deems more overt and aggressive antisemitism, defining erasive antisemitism as when "Jewish stories don't get told, or when Jews are not included."

Examples

As an example, Freeman pointed to the mainstream media not prominently mentioning the Jewishness of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the first Jewish U.S. Supreme Court justice upon her passing, despite the fact that "Ginsberg herself centered her Jewishness. It was an important part of her law practice."

On February 1, 2022, Whoopi Goldberg was suspended for two weeks as co-host of The View following comments that race was not a factor in the Holocaust. Louis D. Brandeis Founder and Chairman Kenneth Marcus argued that Goldberg's comments reflected a "misunderstanding of Jewish identity that is both widespread and dangerous that is sometimes described as erasive antisemitism."

In Sapir, Alyza Lewin of the Brandeis Center argued that college campuses failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment, which was a form of erasive antisemitism.