racism
Hello Rabbi,
I heard an argument that Jews not wanting to sit next to Arabs on the bus is racism because it generalizes that Arabs are murderers and dangerous, and it’s a stigmatizing and racist argument. What do you think about that?
The concept of racism requires clarification, and I have dealt with it more than once here on the site and in my booklet, which is due to be published soon by “Evri.”
If a person is afraid of Arabs and therefore does not sit next to them, this is certainly not racism. At most, he is a coward beyond reason. And even if he is wrong, it is a mistake and not racism. Making a mistake is not a moral offense. If he does not sit next to an Arab because he is an Arab and regardless of the danger, there is a smell of defect in this.
I admit that I didn't fully understand what the statement "and even if he's wrong, it's a mistake, not racism" meant.
After all, the Nazis also thought that the Jews were racially inferior and had a negative impact on the Germans and on all of humanity. Does that mean they weren't racist?!
And yes, there is a difference because the Nazis took practical action and tried to destroy the Jews, but they wanted to kill the Jews because they were racially inferior. The conclusion to kill the Jews is obvious from the Germans' perception of the Jews. Shouldn't we treat this as racism?
See column 445
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