Coworker said Israel shouldn’t exist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anti-Semitism is not cool no matter what. Does this person know you’re Jewish, OP? I’ll bet he wouldn’t dare say the N-word to a black co-worker so there’s no reason he gets a pass on this behavior.

Just wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Jewish and the remark was made with such lightheartedness that it was even more disturbing. The same tone as referencing a TV show. Something like ‘…yeah, just how Israel shouldn’t exist.’

I let it go because confronting him at a work dinner would’ve made for a tough situation and I work with this person a lot. I would characterize our relationship as work friends. We’re on a pretty small team so there is no avoiding each other.

The person is Palestinian and has made anti-Israel comments before. When someone sat in his usual spot at the conference table, he joked that the person was Israeli for taking his things.

I do try to see things from his point of view, especially during this terrible war, but to think Israel shouldn’t exist is too much in my view. And you can be anti Israeli policies without being anti-Semitic. But to think Israel shouldn’t exist (and comment about it like it’s a mainstream opinion) is anti-Semitic in my opinion. Perhaps it is a mainstream opinion nowadays. I work a lot with this person and have had a good relationship until this moment. I think it’s just one of those things you have to compartmentalize and move on.

What would you do?

You're not the thought police. He has every right to his opinion, and I'd suggest that he very much believes what he is saying. But you shouldn't be subjected to his espousing his opinion at work. I would tell HR it is creating a hostile work place.

Hat is a work dinner? A mandatory meal?

[Anonymous]

My family is from Mexico and I don't feel the least bit offended when people criticize Mexico or the Mexican government. (There is alot to criticize.) But criticize a self-righteous, genocidal occupying force lead by a tiny percentage of the world's Jewish population, and you are suddenly antisemitic? I call b*lls**t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Israel should not exist that is a fact. It is a pro Jewish statement. If Jews were never persecuted in first place modern day Israel would not exist

If this is your "hill" - you're phrasing it incorrectly. Wouldn't you agree the more accurate way to convey this sentiment would be to say "Isreal shouldn't have had to be created in the first place", or something similar to this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family is from Mexico and I don't feel the least bit offended when people criticize Mexico or the Mexican government. (There is alot to criticize.) But criticize a self-righteous, genocidal occupying force lead by a tiny percentage of the world's Jewish population, and you are suddenly antisemitic? I call b*lls**t.

Mexico shouldn’t exist.

Doesn’t sound great, does it?

Suggests rather dire outcomes for Mexicans, doesn’t it? Conquest at a minimum, possibly much worse.

Also implies rather nasty things about Mexicans, I’d say.

Probably best if we avoid such grotesqueries in general?

If we can’t manage that level of civilization, perhaps we should at least try for the bare minimum of not calling for the extermination of Mexico at work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family is from Mexico and I don't feel the least bit offended when people criticize Mexico or the Mexican government. (There is alot to criticize.) But criticize a self-righteous, genocidal occupying force lead by a tiny percentage of the world's Jewish population, and you are suddenly antisemitic? I call b*lls**t.

Sure. Your feathers definitely won’t be ruffled if a co worker told you:

“Mexico shouldn’t exist” and

“Don’t Mexican me by taking my spot at the table”

You will be a ok.

[Anonymous]

Your coworker shouldn’t be saying anything about Israel or Palestine in the workplace, knowing what a minefield that topic is these days.

That said, I would treat that like any ignorant comment I hear at work and ignore ignore ignore. Prople just expose how idiotic and lacking in EQ they are with every statement.

As to the substance of the comment, this guy sounds like an opinionated blowhard if he’s just spouting off with these things in the office anyway. But believing that Israel “shouldn’t exist” isn’t by definition anti-Semitic; he may mean that he doesn’t believe there should be a Zionist state or maybe he believes there should be a two state solution. Anyway, a non political workplace is not the place to be discussing it.

[Anonymous]

I am sorry for your experience.
But we are in the United States now, and we are here because we love being Americans. If Israel and Palestine are at war for 5000 years, what do you want avg Americans to do about it?

[Anonymous]

You can’t have it both ways. If you are going to make the nation-state of Israel, which is still a political and governmental entity, stand for all people of a religious or ethnic group and take their trauma on your behalf, even if they are not officials or citizens of that entity, you can’t get bent out of shape when another person who is ethnically related to the political entity that is under siege by the Israeli nation state takes on the pain of that ethnic group and makes a statement about the actions of a specific government or opining on whether the geopolitical makeup of one portion of the world is properly set up.

Both of you should keep politics out of the workplace. It is not the place to participate in the oppression Olympics.

[Anonymous]

Being opposed to the existence of a colonial state - which is Israel IS - IS NOT antisemitism.

Please stop conflating these issues!

OP, as long as your colleague is pleasant and professional toward you, I would not think twice about this. Obviously they should not be discussing politics at work (IMO) but if this was a one-off I would let it go. I’m sorry though, I’m sure it was an awkward/uncomfortable feeling.

[Anonymous]

I mean… I think the US shouldn’t exist seeing as it’s the result of a genocidal land grab. And I’m descended from the white Europeans who committed said land grab. Admittedly from would-be-starving-or-press-ganged-if-we-stayed-in-Europe variety, but still. I don’t consider this an anti-white stance or even exactly anti-American because unfortunately it does and uncreating it isn’t an option but more a moral observation of the past. So I think the bald opinion of Israel shouldn’t exist (especially from someone whose family was literally disenfranchised by the creation of Israel) kind of makes sense. That being said, harping on it, at work no less, and using Israeli as a derogatory term, is unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

This is absolutely not OK. Can you imagine if that coworker said something against blacks, Hispanics, or worse, if he were white and said discriminatory and racist things against any other race. It’s not OK just because he said something against Jewish people.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t Israel’s stance that Palestine shouldn’t exist? Are you anti-Palestinian for believing that?

That being said, bringing any of this up at works is inappropriate and you should talk to your manager about the fact that it makes you uncomfortable.

[Anonymous]

Many PPs are hung up on the substantive issue of whether OP or her co-worker are “right.” That’s not the issue at all. The issue is whether the co-worker’s comments, which are not work related, are contributing to a hostile work environment for OP. They are. Thus the co-worker’s comments have to stop. I could easily see an employee being asked to stop another type of non-work behavior that was distracting to other employees (e.g.: playing music). At the very least, this should be treated similarly.

[Anonymous]

Do you think Palestine should exist?