Published by the Atlantic
One summer in Brooklyn, a controversy broke out in my dog-park group chat. Dedicated to the upkeep of the park and welfare of our canines, our chat had never indulged in politics before. But someone was now complaining that a dog-insurance company was “Zionist,” and a passionate debate ensued.
This American-based company’s founders were of Israeli nationality, and that was apparently enough to earn their company the epithet. Not that even such a tenuous link is necessary. I’ve seen actors, chefs, and writers pejoratively called “Zionist” by those who mean to disqualify or exclude them. To criticize someone for supporting, say, the Israeli government or its war in Gaza is one thing. But this charge is broader and vaguer, uttered sometimes in circumstances with no reference to Israel, and in many cases as little more than an anti-Semitic dog whistle.
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