Cincinnati Rabbi Disinvited from Rally against Nazis over His Support for Israel [UPDATED]

Again, you read that right. From JTA:

When Rabbi Ari Jun learned that faith leaders were invited to speak at a rally in Cincinnati against neo-Nazis and white supremacy, he quickly responded that he would be there.

As the former director of the local Jewish community relations council who recently took the helm of a progressive Reform synagogue, Jun has experience responding to antisemitism and a passion for social justice.

But a week later, he was told he was off the docket. The reason: He is a Zionist.

Billie Pittman, another organizer with Queen City United, a progressive group, spelling things out even more clearly: “Rabbi Ari Jun is a well-known Zionist, and while this event is intended to oppose Nazis and white supremacy, allowing Zionists to participate undermines the original goal of the demonstration.”

Mohammad Ahmad, who leads a pro-Palestinian group in Northern Kentucky, just across the Ohio river from Cincinnati, praised the decision to disinvite Jun.

“As a Palestinian, I want to thank the brave organizers of this event for taking a clear stance against Zionism and all forms of white supremacy in the Tri-State area. Bravo and well done,” he wrote. “Zionism is unequivocally racism and Zionism is, without a shadow of doubt, an ultranationalist, fascist, and far-right ethno-supremacist ideology that has inflicted so much harm not just on Palestinians in Palestine, but on so many other marginalized groups, including right here in Cincinnati.”

Anti-Zionism is not always antisemitic, but the idea that Zionism "has inflicted so much harm . . . on so many other marginalized groups, including right here is Cincinnati" is antisemitic in its classic form -- blaming Jews for the problems of the world. And of course I have to ask whether the rally also has a litmus test for Hamas sympathizers, who, after all, subscribe to an ultra-nationalist ethno-supremacist ideology.

UPDATE: Rabbi Jun has published an oped in the Cincinnati Enquirer:

That I, a descendant of Holocaust survivors, even have to say this is in itself absurd and demeaning, but here it goes: It is wrong to plan a rally against Nazis at which you effectively exclude Jews from participating.

When I broached with my congregation that we would plan to join this rally, which I did several weeks ago in a sermon, I pleaded this exact point. I told my community to expect challenges, to anticipate seeing people there who might be our adversaries in other spaces, but to embrace that was the reality necessary for us to approach our goal of living in a safe and equitable world. As I said that Shabbat, "amongst some organizing to be present undoubtedly are members of groups who actively harass Jews, for instance, turning ‘Zionism’ into a dirty word that can be used to antagonize us. It won’t be easy to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. However, we guard our souls and unite in purpose, even if only temporarily; we accept that some of our allies are friends for a movement and others just for a moment–and that’s good enough."

A community can only be told it is not wanted so many times before it stops saying that its exclusion is a fluke or an aberration and instead begins to believe that it is a systemic reality. Please partner with us. The ship has not yet sailed, but its sails have been raised.

Read the full piece here.