Semite | #TranslateHate
Semite
noun \ ˈse-ˌmīt \
: (obsolete) a member of any of the peoples who speak or spoke a Semitic language, such as Hebrew, Arabic, and Amharic, amongst others
WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:
The word “Antisemitism” was coined by Wilhelm Marr in the late 19th century in Germany as a way to give a pseudo-scientific facade to Jew hatred. While there was no such thing as a Semitic people, just Semitic languages, the term was lifted from the field of linguistics to give “intellectual” weight to the idea of hating Jews as a “race.”
Given the term’s linguistic origins, some people who are not Jewish have claimed they too are “Semites.” For instance, some Arabic speakers say they cannot be antisemitic because they are “Semites” too; the irony, given the invention of the term “antisemitism,” is that these claims are actually a manifestation of turn of the century European racism.
Others, like Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, have said European Jews have nothing to do with “Semitism.” But the word “antisemitism” refers to all Jews, including European Jews.
In addition, some members of the modern religious movement, the Black Hebrew Israelites, have said they cannot be antisemitic because they “are the Semitic people.” Celebrity Kanye (Ye) West echoed this belief on social media: “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic [sic] because Black people are actually Jew.” In actuality, anyone can be antisemitic or make antisemitic comments. Ye’s statement, like those promulgated by members of the Black Hebrew Israelite community and also the Nation of Islam (NOI), is an example of the antisemitic claim that today’s Jews are not descended from the Jews of the Bible (see “not the real Jews”).
