On 4/4/2026 at 1:13 AM, JimCM said:

Thais are non violent, non confrontation.

You've never been to Thailand, have you?

On 4/1/2026 at 10:39 PM, Yagoda said:

The anti semitic spewing on this Forum is a disgrace. The fact that folks who hold those belief still exist makes my skin crawl

The A in the name of this site stands for Antisemitism.

13 hours ago, emptypockets said:

You've never been to Thailand, have you?

No kidding.

4 hours ago, Effective altruism said:

The A in the name of this site stands for Antisemitism.

"Antisemitism Now" has a nice ring to it.

For those of you who want to delve deeper into the "why" of antisemitism, here are two articles from leftist progressive sources. They explain how centuries-old anti-Jewish tropes have been updated and spread by social media "influencers."

The relationship between classic antisemitism and Internet antisemitism, is, as a former Thai girlfriend used to say about nearly everything, "same-same but different."

Why the manosphere has a glaring antisemitism problem

Prominent influencers openly deny the Holocaust, call for violence against Jews and spread conspiracy theories

The manosphere is a catchall term for websites, forums, blogs and influencers promoting a particular kind of hypermasculinity, from the belief that women and feminism are the cause of men’s problems to calls to legalize rape. And those digital spaces are rife with antisemitism.

https://www.salon.com/2026/04/06/why-the-manosphere-has-a-glaring-antisemitism-problem-partner/

Rootless Masculinity Influencers Are Pivoting to Wildly Antisemitic Claims

2 hours ago, Effective altruism said:

The A in the name of this site stands for Antisemitism.

While they are often cloaked in supposed critiques of the Israeli government’s invasion of Gaza, that isn’t always the case.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/08/masculinity-influencers-antisemitism/

On 4/1/2026 at 9:18 PM, Evil Penevil said:

It's not easy to say who they are, but their motivation is always a hatred of Jews that has no rational basis. In the U.S., antisemites have ranged from top politicians and industrialists to homeless vagrants. Entertainers and sports stars in the public eye have sometimes revealed themselves to be antisemites, as have fringe religious groups like the Nation of Islam. Auto maker Henry Ford was the foremost U.S. antisemite of the 20th century.

The Nation of Islam started as a prison religion. However, I have never heard, despite their name, any Black Muslims attacking Jews. Have you?

On 4/2/2026 at 6:31 PM, Jingthing said:

Clarifying the roads rules on the west bank:

There are no anti-Arab 'apartheid' roads in the West Bank - opinion | The Jerusalem Post

www.jpost.com/opinion/article-756764

There are no anti-Arab 'apartheid' roads in the West Bank - opinion

Arabs of Judea and Samaria can use all the roads, including those in Area C, but for Jewish Israelis, entry into Area A constitutes a criminal offense.

Are you kidding me?!? Palestinians risk their lives every time they go anywhere. How about having a walk or drive in the colonies? And what about all the checkpoints that, too, could easily mean life or death?

On 4/2/2026 at 9:49 PM, connda said:

It's interesting how many guys that I've know (friends and acquaintances) who were born into Jewish families end up gravitating to one form of Buddhism or another. It shows a strong sense of spirituality from within the family which isn't satisfied though Talmudic dogma. Of course, the same applies to many guys who came from Christian and secular families as well. Then you have those who gain a bit of fame as writers and teachers within the Buddhist community as well: Stephan Levin, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kornfeld, Joseph Goldstein, Lama Surya Das, Leonard Cohen, and Ram Dass to mention a few.

Called JewBus and HinJews in my yoga community. Lots of 'em.

On 4/3/2026 at 7:29 AM, trucking said:

Islamaphobia is also on the rise and there have been attacks against muslims, both verbal and physical.

Is there a link between the two ?

Why is nobody hating on Buddhists or Hindus ? ( notwithstanding where Muslims and Hindus rub up against each other in the Indian subcontinent.)

Why are Buddhists not hated ?

Is it anything to do with behavior ?

Hindus regularly attack Sikhs, Muslims and each other in India. Buddhists were the vicious Tamil Tiger army at war in Sri Lanka.

No religion has a monopoly on violence.

On 4/3/2026 at 8:15 PM, Evil Penevil said:

I'll start with the bottom line first.

Totally apt comparison.

My questions are valid and remain unanswered:

But I will narrow the focus a bit. Theravada Buddhism is the state religion of Burma and Sri Lanka. Should Thai Buddhists be held responsible for the actions of the governments and military forces of those two countries?

This reply was fun to write!

Closely the same. Israel is not a country established only for Jews. It is the homeland of Jews, just as Thailand is the homeland of Thais. By current estimates, about 74% of Israel's population is Jewish, 21% Muslim and 5% Christians and others. That contrasts with about 94% of Thailand's population professing Thervada Buddhism; 5% Islam; and 1% Christians and others. The figures come from AI.

Neither Israel or Thailand has an official state religion. However, Buddhism enjoys a special status in Thailand, just as Judaism does in Israel. Section 67 of the Constitution of Thailand states: "The State should support and protect Buddhism and other religions. In supporting and protecting Buddhism, which is the religion observed by the majority of Thai people for a long period of time, the State should promote and support education and dissemination of dharmic principles of Theravada Buddhism for the development of mind and wisdom development, and shall have measures and mechanisms to prevent Buddhism from being undermined in any form." https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/2017-05/CONSTITUTION+OF+THE+KINGDOM+OF+THAILAND+(B.E.+2560+(2017)).pdf

Israel doesn't have a written constitution, but its Basic Laws are the functional equivalent. The Basic Law: Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People states, "The land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people, in which the State of Israel was established." It also says, "The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, in which it fulfills its natural, cultural, religious and historical right to self-determination."

https://www.timesofisrael.com/final-text-of-jewish-nation-state-bill-set-to-become-law/

Both Thailand and Israel grant freedom of religion to its citizens and residents. As a former Thai gf used to say, "Same-same but different."

There are no roads in Israel Muslims can't use. Muslims who are Israeli citizens or are citizens of a foreign country are free to use those roads. Access to the roads is based on citizenship, not religious affiliation. Restricting access by Palestinians is a security measure. It should be noted that access by Israeli citizens is restricted to some roads in the Palestinian territories. The text in English at the bottom of the sign spells it out.

https://honestreporting.com/debunking-the-jews-only-roads-charge/

During the Communist insurgency in Thailand in the 1970s and 1980s and during the ongoing insurgency in southern Thailand, the Thai military has been, shall we say, vigorous in imposing whatever security measures were needed, including access to roads.

Judaism, just as Theravada Buddhism, is a mixture of various inputs over the ages and takes different forms in different countries. Again, same-same but different. The religious practices of Reform Jews in the U.S. is very, very different from orthodox Jews in Israel, but both are part of Judaism. It's equivalent to the difference between Theravada Buddhism in Thailand and Zen, Nicheren and other sects in Japan.

There is a Thai lobby in the U.S. It keeps a very low-key profile and is nowhere as active or influential as the Israel lobby, but its there. Many countries all over the world have some form of lobbying in the U.S. Nothing sinister about that. Lobbying has been part of the U.S. political system since its earliest days and U.S. laws and policies affect foreign countries, especially regarding trade. Foreign governments as well as business and industry groups want to make their positions clear to U.S. lawmakers.

Thais who work abroad sent back money to their families in Thailand. Thai who live long periods in foreign countries often become naturalized citizens but maintain close ties with family in Thailand. Of the 145,000 Thai immigrants in the U.S. in 2023, about 67% were naturalized U.S. citizens. Another 50,000 children of Thai immigrants acquired U.S. citizenship through birth in the U.S.

https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/fact-sheet/asian-americans-thai-in-the-u-s/

Lobbying, esp involving 'donations is the corruption of any free democracy.

On 4/3/2026 at 10:10 PM, JimCM said:

The violence in southern Thailand is real. But putting it on the same level as the West Bank isn’t just inaccurate.

Is there any

Military occupation and settlement expansion

Large-scale displacement and restrictions on movement

Frequent clashes involving heavily armed forces

Massive international diplomatic, legal, and humanitarian implications?

It's not Antisemitism, it because Israel are a rogue terrorist state. Social media has changed Israel for ever. They can't 'mow the lawn' randomly like they used to.

I disagree. I am extremely familiar with the situation in the five Southern provinces.

Occupation--check

Military attacks--check

Restrictions on movement--check

Curtailment of worship--check

The only difference with the West Bank is the numbers. Thanks for pointing this out, Jim.

On the other hand, outside of the South, I don't see any discrimination against Muslims.

On 4/3/2026 at 10:12 PM, Jingthing said:

I know for a fact that you can know too that Jew hating has been a constant throughout history. It's expression rises and falls in cycles.

That is exact reason that the state of Israel was founded. That's different than saying that that attempt at a solution is turning out so great -- just giving the reason,

Please see my comments elsewhere about antisemitism in Israel--Jews hating other Jews.

The title of your post is interesting. Have you, Ev, suffered antisemitism in Thailand?

If one examines crime statistics from around the world, an awful lot of people suffer violence. Homophobia, Islamophobia, misogyny are examples.

It’s only when the attacks are against Jews that it becomes antisemitism. It’s about Jews feeling unsafe. Jews would be far safer if Israelis gave up militarism.

Are antisemitic attacks increasing because of IDF atrocities? Maybe. But likely people aren’t so smart. Esp those who connect Jews overseas to Israel.

Do Chabad synagogues really need heavily armed guards? (Having a work permit and its description and how they are allowed heavy weapons is another question.)

Have shuls ever been subjected to antisemitism, even graffiti? Get rid of the guards—it makes Thailand look like the West Bank.

Despite some incidents of Jewish resistance to the Nazis, most came from ordinary Germans, some from religious conviction.

By and large, Jews went meekly to the camps rather than being shot on the spot. It was a campaign of terror. (Yes, I've read the reference you provided.)

That’s what “never again” really means. Never be attacked without a responce.

What Israel has done is go to the opposite extreme. In every day of war since 1934 or so till today, Israel either started the violence or responded not in kind but overwhelmingly, with many incidents annexing territories that were not Israel’s to begin with.

In a lot of extremists’ minds, a school bombed in Iran or Gaza or Lebanon equals a Jewish school bombed elsewhere. Both are children. But they don’t count.

“Antisemites have simply seized on Israel's actions in Gaza as an excuse for expressing their hatred of Jews.” I would suggest that most antisemite extremists have absolutely no idea about Jews. Good chance they’ve never seen one.

Although Israel would not call itself as a theocracy (thus inviting comparisons to Iran where it seems Jews feel relatively safe), colonisation of the West Bank & Southern Lebanon belie that argument. Are Arabs and Xians welcomed in the occupation?

In places where there are sizable Hasidic populations, e.g. Brooklyn, Passaic NJ, do we see significant antisemitism? Yes, people think the hats, gabardine and sidelocks are pretty weird but for non-Jews there, it’s live and let live.

I honestly tried to accept Zionism, Ev, I really did. But honestly, it’s just another variant on racism.

Jared & Ivanka certainly give Jews a bad name.

Incidentally, it seems all our posts on Israel are being moved to Off the beaten track. I had difficulty finding this one. It's also a kind of exile where others don't see them