Zioness Movements response to Tamika Mallory’s most recent comments:
Tamika Mallory has demonstrated yet again that anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism go hand-in-hand. From cozying up to infamous anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan, to blaming Israel and the Jews for the inhumane treatment of undocumented immigrants and police brutality in the U.S., to maligning the oldest Jewish civil rights organization in the country, she has shown time and time again that she has zero desire to examine her own anti-Semitic beliefs and instead continues to spew hate.
Mallory’s video remarks at an event last Friday showed her trying to legitimize her anti-Semitism by spreading undeniably false, ahistorical narratives relating to the reestablishment of a Jewish state.
Despite Mallory’s attempt at redirection, the existence of anti-Semitism on the political right does not negate the existence of anti-Semitism on the political left. Anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism. It is always unacceptable. No one—and certainly not Tamika Mallory—is excused from censure for perpetuating this age-old bigotry because of their political allegiance.
Moreover, it is anti-Semitic to deny the historic Jewish connection to Israel—to deny that millions of Jews around the world have and continue to pray “Next Year in Jerusalem” on our holy days. To deny that we were driven from our homeland and have, for millennia, strived to return. To deny that empire after empire worked to break our connection to our homeland, changing its name and denying our peoplehood in attempt after attempt to rewrite history.
Jews have lived continuously in the Land of Israel since biblical times, despite massacres and expulsions at the hands of colonial invaders. We’ve spent millennia in exile in communities from Algiers to Amsterdam, from Baghdad to Beirut, from Copenhagen to Calcutta. Over these centuries, from the Spanish Inquisition to the Pale of Settlement, through restrictive dhimmi laws and horrific pogroms, our people have longed for dignity and freedom. This longing birthed Zionism, a civil rights movement that demands that Jews receive the same humanity and possess the right to self-determination afforded to other peoples.
And 70 years ago, our liberation movement succeeded. Israel has saved the lives of the Jews who were thrown out of other countries, who saw their rights denied and their families murdered, who have never been viewed as full citizens in foreign lands, and who have finally found refuge in our historic homeland. The manifestation of the Zionist dream is not perfect, and we strive as a people for improvement and progress. Yet we celebrate the beauty of our liberation and empowerment as a people.
It is anti-Semitic to deny our history, and deny the Jewish people in Israel the right to safety and security. Despite consistent outreach and access to these undeniable realities, Ms. Mallory chooses to remain ignorant and hateful. The Zioness Movement remains committed to the advancement of progressive leaders who seek social justice for members of all of America’s diverse communities.