A quick note on antisemitic language

Listening in on WyoLeg today, we heard a few words that caught our attention.

Cabal.

Globalist.

Globalist cabal.

Globalist cabal of bankers.

Globalist cabal of international bankers.

That brought to mind an outstanding post from Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg: The Antisemitism Post (tm): Gotta get the history to know where the tropes live in the discourse today.

“This is a framework meant to illuminate the longstanding tropes of antisemitism in order to see where they are alive in our discourse today.”

Here is a highlight relevant to today’s discourse in the chamber:

“Part of the power of antisemitism is in the ways that it is not named directly. This both allows for plausible deniability, as well as mutability–which is how Jews wind up held responsible for both communism and capitalism, often simultaneously. For example, one hears about:

• Globalists

• Financiers

• International bankers

• The Cabal.”

We so appreciate that there are scholars and theologians and religious practitioners out there who can illuminate what lies below the surface. This wasn’t overt. Maybe it wasn’t even conscious. But it comes with a lot of baggage and a lot of history and is well worth taking a closer look at.

A teachable moment, if you will.

We really urge you to read the entire post because she takes it all the way back to the beginning and highlights the inflection points over time.

And, in the meantime, we need to learn and unlearn and relearn and do our best to live together in community. With the rise of Christian nationalism, it is up to us to work together to safeguard our democracy—and each other.

One parting shot from the good Rabbi: