# Anti-Semitism **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 23, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738 "2015-03-23T01:11:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/1 "2015-03-23T01:11:26Z")
Is it allowed on this message board? > **[Idiotic Orthodox Jewish Tradition Leads to Death of Seven Children](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=752373)** > > So I expect there will massive numbers of articles expressing sympathy for the deaths, but none questioning this idiotic tradition. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/2 "2015-03-23T01:26:57Z")
That’s not antisemitism. Perhaps you can explain why you think it is, rather than just posting a link and assuming everyone is going to agree with you. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/3 "2015-03-23T01:31:01Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > That’s not antisemitism. Perhaps you can explain why you think it is, rather than just posting a link and assuming everyone is going to agree with you. Idiotic Orthodox Jewish Tradition, as a thread title, no less, isn’t anti-Semitic? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/4 "2015-03-23T01:37:52Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Idiotic Orthodox Jewish Tradition, as a thread title, no less, isn’t anti-Semitic? You’re the one claiming it is. Make your case. You, of all people, should know that posers don’t automatically agree with you on this MB. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/5 "2015-03-23T02:33:02Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Idiotic Orthodox Jewish Tradition, as a thread title, no less, isn’t anti-Semitic? Nope: it’s kind of slur-ish, and badly put, but, then, it was in the Pit. “Look at those stupid Jews” would be anti-Semitic. “Some of what Jews believe is stupid” is a damn rude thing to say, but not anti-Semitic by itself. Some of what nearly every group of people on earth believe is stupid. We get to criticize others. Making one group artificially immune from condemnation would be foolish. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/6 "2015-03-23T02:33:51Z")
It’s not something reserved to the Orthodox (gentiles use hot plates), it’s in no way a tradition, the practice it derives from is not limited to the Orthodox (lots of observant people don’t call themselves “Orthodox”). There are, however, smarter ways to warm food for Shabbes. It an inaccurate title, but it’s a pit thread. I wouldn’t worry. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/7 "2015-03-23T02:57:25Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Is it allowed on this message board? If you’re honestly wondering if something is allowed, then the correct response is to notify a mod not start a new thread. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/8 "2015-03-23T03:28:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If you’re honestly wondering if something is allowed, then the correct response is to notify a mod not start a new thread. Fine. I just did notify the mod. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/9 "2015-03-23T03:45:17Z")
As much as I’m on your side in that thread, this is not antisemitism. Antisemitism is a racist thing, not an anti-religious thing. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/10 "2015-03-23T05:21:05Z")
With Judaism, it’s sometimes hard to tell where the ethnos ends and the religious faith begins. I know a good many Jews who don’t stay Kosher. They’ll eat a ham-and-cheese sandwich quite happily. Still, if someone threw a ham-and-cheese sandwich through the door of a synagogue, I’d say that was an anti-Semitic act. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/11 "2015-03-23T14:26:12Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You, of all people, should know that posers don’t automatically agree with you on this MB. Posters as well. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/12 "2015-03-23T14:35:24Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Still, if someone threw a ham-and-cheese sandwich through the door of a synagogue, I’d say that was an anti-Semitic act. I just had a vision of a devout young Jewish boy diving on the sandwich as if it was a hand grenade as others look on in horror with the parents yelling NOOOOO. All in slow motion of course. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/13 "2015-03-23T14:57:02Z")
Anti-semitism is about being prejudice against people who are Jews. Calling out a particular practice or tenet of the religion isn’t automatically anti-semitic. We can criticize the wearing of hijab, the belief in the virgin birth, the practice of letting cows roam freely in the streets, and we can criticize not doing “work” on the Sabbath. We can’t say “Muslims are evil people”, “Christians are genocidal”, or “Jews are vermin”. Well, we “can’t” in the sense that those are bigoted statements. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/14 "2015-03-23T16:23:36Z")
Calling various religious beliefs idiotic is one of the signature activities of this messageboard. If you aren’t comfortable with that, then the SDMB really isn’t the place for you. In the 14 years that I’ve been a member, the one thing that has made me think about leaving on occasion is the attitude toward religion. But I’ve stuck it out, and I’ve learned a lot, even, or maybe especially, in threads that challenged my beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/15 "2015-03-23T19:11:11Z")
Also, bigotry is not forbidden on the SDMB. Hate speech is, but that’s hardly the same thing. You’ll notice we have plenty of threads by various scientific racists trying to prove the inferiority of black people. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/16 "2015-03-23T23:56:45Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Idiotic Orthodox Jewish Tradition, as a thread title, no less, isn’t anti-Semitic? Not by a long shot, bub. We’ve had one form or another of “Stupid/Idiotic Any Religion You Can Name Did This or Said That” at one time or another and the ever-popular “Stupid Republican” thread. And probably 147 threads kvetching about the various Mods. Nice try, no sale. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/17 "2015-03-24T00:33:32Z")
Let’s face it, if there weren’t Jews who thought some Orthodox traditions were idiotic, there wouldn’t be Conservative and Reform branches of Judaism. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/18 "2015-03-24T00:37:04Z")
Does that follow? There are lots of things I think are wrong, but that I do not think are idiotic. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/19 "2015-03-24T01:08:24Z")
There are some Jews for whom any criticism or questioning of anything relating to Judaism or their personal Jewishness is taken as antisemitic. I know, I am related to a few of them and, from time to time, it does drive me nuts to be frank. I used to work with a guy, moderately religious, named Sam Trost. At some point it was discovered (I no longer remember how) that when he was a child his father changed the family name from Straus to Trost. I was curious as to why this occurred so I asked him about it. He immediately accused me of antisemitism, simply for asking a question. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738/20 "2015-03-24T03:08:41Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Let’s face it, if there weren’t Jews who thought some Orthodox traditions were idiotic, there wouldn’t be Conservative and Reform branches of Judaism. > [@Trinopus](#): > > Does that follow? There are lots of things I think are wrong, but that I do not think are idiotic. Speaking as a Lutheran (ELCA) I would describe some of the Wisconsin Synod and Missouri Synod branches actions and beliefs as idiotic; not in the least the second-class citizenship for women. So yeah – I can see the same thing in other religions. (And chances are the WS and MS would say the same about our acceptance of gays. So it all evens out in the end.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-semitism/715738.md?page=2)