{"id":294565,"date":"2025-05-05T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T11:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=294565"},"modified":"2025-05-03T18:15:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T17:15:47","slug":"a-keffiyeh-is-not-antisemitic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/05\/a-keffiyeh-is-not-antisemitic\/","title":{"rendered":"A Keffiyeh Is Not Antisemitic"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 May 2025 <\/em>–\u00a0Psychologists Against Antisemitism (PAAS) is an Israel advocacy group, with the profession of psychology as its principal target. I find the name rather deceptive, but I think lately their primary mission has become rather obvious: to shout \u201cAntisemitism!\u201d whenever they encounter any form of opposition to the ongoing genocidal assault against the Palestinian people. From what I\u2019ve observed, it doesn\u2019t matter to PAAS members that real\u00a0antisemitism<\/a>\u00a0is best understood as\u00a0discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews\u00a0as Jews<\/em>. Nor do they seem to care much that this real antisemitism, a very significant and growing threat, is far\u00a0more prevalent<\/a>\u00a0on the political right \u2014 where neo-Nazis and Christian nationalists can be found \u2014 than on the political left.<\/p>\n

A month ago, PAAS officially accused the American Psychological Association (APA) of \u201csystemic\u201d and \u201cvirulent\u201d antisemitism. On what basis? Because they apparently find it scandalous that some APA members criticize Israel and express support for Palestinian rights, dignity, and freedom. That\u2019s\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0antisemitism, of course. But the charge of antisemitism seems to be the only card in PAAS\u2019s deck, so they play it again and again. Reportedly, some PAAS members are even developing plans to approach the Trump Administration \u2014 a welcoming home for real antisemites and other white supremacists \u2014 in an effort to compel changes at the APA. Draw your own conclusions about the moral compass of such an\u00a0alliance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But here I want to focus on a heartening (and for me, admittedly unexpected) tale of turnabout that has followed PAAS\u2019s most recent shameful barrage against the APA. It began last week, when PAAS members were infuriated by this photo on the webpage of the APA\u2019s annual August convention:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The cause of their outrage? The keffiyeh,\u00a0a traditional MENA garment worn for centuries by farmers and Bedouins as protection from sun, sand, and wind. Over time, it became a broader symbol of Arab identity and resilience, and in the 20th century the black-and-white patterned keffiyeh became globally recognized as a symbol of Palestinian resistance and solidarity.<\/p>\n

Although there\u2019s\u00a0nothing<\/em>\u00a0antisemitic about the photo, PAAS members reportedly felt otherwise and insisted that it be removed.\u00a0According to a reliable source, one member ludicrously described the keffiyeh as \u201cthe symbol of genocide against Jews.\u201d Another member made the preposterous suggestion\u00a0that wearing a keffiyeh is comparable to someone dressing in the white hood of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For those who might not be familiar with the KKK, it has\u00a0been a violent vigilante group\u00a0for over 150 years,\u00a0dating back to the Reconstruction era after the U.S. Civil War. The organization is particularly infamous for terrorizing Black Americans \u2014 including nighttime raids, the torching of homes and churches, and extrajudicial lynchings \u2014 all to preserve racial segregation and white supremacy in the United States.<\/p>\n

Returning to the \u201coffending\u201d photo itself, the APA should have refused to remove it. But instead they swiftly surrendered, replacing it with this \u201csafe\u201d alternative that PAAS members apparently found acceptable:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Opting to go with two Black conventioneers may contain a bit of irony. After all,\u00a0Black Americans<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 and people of color more generally \u2014 have long been among the groups most supportive of the Palestinian struggle against oppression. For example, consider these two internationally recognized icons of peace, justice, and reconciliation:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It should be clear that the real offense lies\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0in the original photo on the APA\u2019s website, but rather in the groundless demands from PAAS members and in the APA\u2019s unjustified capitulation. That choice by the APA quickly became a source of great pain and distress for many who understandably saw it as indicative of a willingness to diminish and erase them, all for the sake of expediency. It was also deeply disturbing to those of us who recognized this episode as further evidence that the weaponization of antisemitism by groups like PAAS is out of control and is imperiling civil rights and democratic principles.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ll end with the good news. A groundswell of educating, organizing, and mobilizing in opposition to the APA\u2019s misguided action has taken place over the past several days. Led by Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim psychologists along with diverse allies, this campaign has borne fruit: to their credit, yesterday the APA\u2019s leadership backtracked, apologized, and restored the photo to its\u00a0original location<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To be sure, serious questions and concerns remain, and not everyone will be pleased with these developments. As for me, I find myself imagining the possibilities if standing up to bullies now becomes habit-forming for the APA.<\/p>\n

_______________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Roy Eidelson is a member of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Network<\/em><\/a> and was a member of the American Psychological Association for over 25 years, prior to his resignation. He is a clinical psychologist and the president of <\/em>Eidelson Consulting<\/em><\/a>, where he studies, writes about, and consults on the role of psychological issues in political, organizational, and group conflict settings. He is a past president of <\/em>Psychologists for Social Responsibility<\/em><\/a>, former executive director of the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, and a member of the <\/em>Coalition for an Ethical Psychology<\/em><\/a>. Roy is the author of <\/em>Political Mind Games: How the 1% Manipulate Our Understanding of What\u2019s Happening, What\u2019s Right, and What\u2019s Possible<\/a> and can be reached at <\/em>reidelson@eidelsonconsulting.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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