Critical Race Theory and the 'Hyper-White' Jew

Key Findings:

This essay outlines a narrative of the experiences of a college student who encounters the "critical social justice" movement (influenced by critical theory) on campus. It discusses how this ideology has profound consequences for Jews:

In the first year, the student is introduced to concepts from Robin DiAngelo's "White Fragility" and begins to grapple with the idea that only whites can be racist, and denying racism is seen as "white fragility." The student is confronted with the theme of "Campus Inclusion," where even well-intentioned actions can be deemed as microaggressions but denial of antisemitism embedded within an antisemitic action cannot.

In the second year, the student participates in a campus protest against systemic racism and hears that any system with unequal outcomes is labeled a "white supremacist" system. The idea that saying "I'm not racist" is also considered racist confounds the student, who is firmly against racism due to their family's history as Holocaust survivors.

The third year brings a class on "Privilege, Domination, and Oppression," where the student learns about privilege associated with being white, heterosexual, cisgender, middle-class, and able-bodied. The student is introduced to the concept of "intersectionality," which contrasts with their prior understanding of the legal concept of discrimination.

As the student progresses through their college experience, they encounter issues related to Jewishness and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They notice that antisemitism is not addressed within the critical social justice framework. The student begins to realize how this ideology, based on critical theory, inadvertently perpetuates negative stereotypes about Jews by linking them to white supremacy.

The critical social justice ideology has consequences for Jews because it relies on narratives of unmerited privilege, hidden power, and other themes reminiscent of anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. The movement targets "whiteness," but despite Jews being all-time targets of white supremacy, they are not protected under this umbrella because they are viewed as “colluding with white supremacy.”

In the critical social justice paradigm, Jews, who have never been seen as white by those for whom being white is a moral good, are now seen as white by those for whom whiteness is an unmitigated evil.

Recommendations: 

Jews must reject the victim narrative and resist the "us" versus "them" paradigm. Jews should denounce the concept of "white" Jews versus "Jews of color,” which are not Jewishly-rooted concepts at all. Jews should defend the right to free speech while promoting critical thinking and reason. The text suggests that a Jewish social justice paradigm could provide a more positive approach to social justice — one which emphasizes agency, forgiveness, and embracing complexity.

The author calls for a concerted effort by Jewish leaders and organizations to assert their own identity and values in the face of critical social justice ideologies on college campuses and within society at large. Remaining true to Jewish values contributes to the betterment of the world, and at once safeguards Jewish culture.