Jewish Authors Wrestle with the Violent Side of Book of Esther

WhileTrump’ssecondtermhasbeenanoverwhelmingbarrageofshockingeventsechoedinastaccatotoneofnewsstories,thispastSaturdaybecameaflashpointwhenColumbiaUniversitystudentMahmoudKhalilwassnatchedbyfederalagentsundervagueaccusationsofsupportingterrorism,aclaimthatstemsfromKhaliljoiningmillionsofstudentsandcommunitymembersindemandinganendtothegenocideinPalestine.EveryefforthasbeenusedtoundercutthemovementtoendIsrael’sbrutalassaultonGaza,butunderpinningeachtactic,fromexpellingstudentstosendinginpolicetoviolentlyclearprotestencampments,isthesamecentralassertion:thatthesedemonstrationsareharmfultoJewsanddirectlysupportingHamas.  WeaponizedaccusationsofantisemitismhavebeenleveledtosuppresssupportforPalestineforyears,butsinceOctober7th,ithasbecomeaunifiedrallyingcryforthosewhobelieveanycriticismofIsraelisbeyondtheboundsofhumanediscourse.Thefar-righthaslongseenthisasaperfectpoliticalopportunity:theycanclaimtocareforJews,whousuallyvoteleft