@serge@babka.social

Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 30, 2026

Replying to @kolev@babka.social

@kolev@babka.social This. Many of us reject the coalition government and the parties of Ben Gvir and Smoltrich, which represent the most extreme and disgusting parts of Israeli society, but nonetheless carry Israel in our hearts for both religious and practical purposes. Calling for Israel's destruction is a de-facto calling for the death or displacement of 1/2 the world's Jews, and a democratic state in the Middle East. Conflating the legitimate struggle of Palestinians for safety and self-determination, a cause I believe in, with mass murder and destruction, one that I can't get behind. Saying "No one gets out alive" as you ( @Geri@veganism.social ) did in your first post indicates strongly that this mass genocide of an even larger proportion than the Holocaust is exactly the point...

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 28, 2026

Replying to @orange_lux@eldritch.cafe

@orange_lux@eldritch.cafe That's assuming a lot. It assumes the person who wrote the code cared, or will learn from their mistakes. But more importantly, it takes cost out of the equation, which for a small business owner, is a big deal. Before anyone gets their knives or flame throwers out, remember I'm both a developer and a career sys-admin too, but. If I need a program written, or a feature added, and it will take my developers 5 hours to do it, at, say $50-$100 USD an hour for a midlevel or senior dev, or I can get an AI to do it at, say $20-$50 an hour and be done in 1-2 hours, with an equal number of bugs, choosing the person is an irrational decision at that point. That $400 over just one day amplifies across time. I still believe in having human developers in place, and at work we do human code reviews, but to dismiss AI entirely is to ignore the core motivations in commercial work. @glitchypixel@mastodon.gamedev.place

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 28, 2026

Replying to @glitchypixel@mastodon.gamedev.place

@glitchypixel@mastodon.gamedev.place As someone who uses AI and has situations where I do, and don't check its work, I agree. *At the same time*, I also own a company and my staff writes code, most of which I don't verify and I've later come across bugs, sometimes serious ones, even sometimes after (fully manual) review. That's why for many companies it feels much the same because the delivered work product is the same.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 27, 2026

Replying to @dukepaaron@babka.social

@dukepaaron@babka.social Sadly the author has passed but "Superman is Jewish?" was one of the most delightful reads I had in 2025. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Superman-Is-Jewish/Harry-Brod/9781416595311

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 20, 2026

I see people boosting the Auschwitz Museum as a way of supporting Jews. I'm a third generation Holocaust survivor married to a second generation Jewish MENA refugee. The way to support Jews isn't to light a candle for my dead family members, it's to stand up against the people who threaten me and my loved ones today.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 19, 2026

Replying to @EinsPossum@chaos.social

re: Israelpol, Jews Hover or focus to reveal Sensitive

@EinsPossum@chaos.social It's not even a disagreement as it is that this is either a misunderstanding of what Zionism is, or it's a deliberate attempt by @emily_rugburn@lgbtqia.space to play "Good Jew, Bad Jew" by associating Zionism, a belief system that roughly 80-85% of the world's Jews believe in, with the extreme belief systems of the Religious Zionist Party and other Khanists. (as an aside, I have a feeling that this person is probably not Jewish and is lecturing me about Jewish beliefs, ie goysplaining) @gavi@bagel.ing

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 19, 2026

Replying to @emily_rugburn@lgbtqia.space

re: Israelpol, Jews Hover or focus to reveal Sensitive

@emily_rugburn@lgbtqia.space See my reply. "Maybe no" for something this egregious is really not okay. @gavi@bagel.ing

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 19, 2026

Replying to @emily_rugburn@lgbtqia.space

re: Israelpol, Jews Hover or focus to reveal Sensitive

@emily_rugburn@lgbtqia.space Aside from a few extreme weirdos, I can assure you that there aren't Israelis who think "The country I live in shouldn't exist." Your conflation of Zionism with Khanism is /at best/ insulting. @gavi@bagel.ing

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 19, 2026

Replying to @emily_rugburn@lgbtqia.space

re: Israelpol, Jews Hover or focus to reveal Sensitive

@emily_rugburn@lgbtqia.space I was with you until you said "actual Zionists". Nearly every Israeli Jew is a Zionist, as are most of the diaspora. @gavi@bagel.ing

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 13, 2026

#Mazeldon

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jul 12, 2026

Replying to @dukepaaron@babka.social

@dukepaaron@babka.social Absolutely terrifying, and honestly, I have similar worries about Canada. I've met openly antisemitic Canadian doctors.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Jun 04, 2026

Replying to @squishymage42@dice.camp

@squishymage42@dice.camp A-MAZING. I have a collection of the episodes through "less than ideal means" because they haven't released them on DVD. This is a godsend.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 18, 2026

Replying to @em@babka.social

@em@babka.social

Absolutely. Here are some ways you might think about throwing your laptop out the window.

Tossing the laptop overhand. Classic. An easy, overhand throw to show off your athleticism.
Tossing your laptop like a stone on a pond. Romantic. Nostalgia. See how many times your laptop skips across the lake.
Axe Throwing. Renn Fair Vibes. See how accurate you can be with your laptop.

Whatever you decide, you'll know that throwing your laptop out the window will be right for you.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 18, 2026

Replying to @menelion@dragonscave.space

@menelion@dragonscave.space I have some pretty bad feelings about Tailwind myself. One of my designers insisted on it and when I said that I found Tailwind problematic for various reasons, he dismissed those concerns. When I got a new designer in (for other reasons) he was asking me to replace Tailwind with semantic CSS, which is exactly what I'd been asking the previous designer to do, if he wouldn't use semantic CSS raw, then at least overlay his Tailwind inside semantic CSS.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 15, 2026

It's Friday. I'm in Vancouver. Time to get challah from Breka.

#Vancouver #Mazeldon #bre

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 15, 2026

A reminder of what mastodon.scot allows on its instance. A message saying Jews control the government and that "Hitler was right" that's sat for over two years with no moderation action.

Even pre-Musk Twitter would have removed it.

@Ricko@mastodon.scot
https://ghostarchive.org/archive/NcXUl

#FediaAntisemitism

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 14, 2026

"I just want to go to the bus stop and not have to see this hate."

Jewish Vancouverites are scared, upset and feel powerless.

The police, and even the local hospital knows exactly who is vandalizing polls, terrorizing neighbourhoods and screaming hate, but they aren't taking action.

As a Jewish Vancouverite, I also see some of these same things where I live, and I have been physically confronted by antisemites here.

If you live in Vancouver, show your solidarity or at least care with Jewish people and spread awareness and show that hate isn't acceptable here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnTcHzkLq3Q

#Canada #Vancouver #Antisemitism #BritishColumbia #Hate

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 14, 2026

Replying to @zzoo@mastodon.social

@zzoo@mastodon.social Yes, Austria sits in a very "strange" place in my mind. Where Germany has dealt with its past and Poland has decided to re-write it past to make itself both the hero and the victim, Austria sits in a strange "middle ground". I am not Austrian, but I am a third generation Holocaust survivor. Asking for "criticism that is not antisemitic" is strange to me because it's asking for a negative. When Obama was president of the US, many criticisms of him were racist, and many weren't. What you're asking for seems to be "Show me a non-racist example"- maybe you're exclusively interested in what this one person thinks, and that's ok, but it wasn't clear to me. If you want to see people talking about the war in a critical way that isn't antisemitic, look at Jews such as myself, at moderate Israeli voices, etc. If you're asking "Where are they?" - they're largely in English or Hebrew since Hebrew and English covers >92% of Jews. @struberg@mastodon.green @msulzbacher@mstdn.social

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 14, 2026

Replying to @zzoo@mastodon.social

@zzoo@mastodon.social Okay, I'll take you at your word. I don't understand the question then. What concrete examples do you want? @struberg@mastodon.green @msulzbacher@mstdn.social

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 14, 2026

Replying to @zzoo@mastodon.social

@zzoo@mastodon.social So really not about avoiding antisemitism, but avoiding being LABELED as antisemitic. It's like a person who wants to be part of a AfD but not be *seen* as a fascist Nazi... @struberg@mastodon.green @msulzbacher@mstdn.social

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 14, 2026

Replying to @zzoo@mastodon.social

@zzoo@mastodon.social If you have to ask "Should I help persecuted minorities, really?" and demanding "concrete examples" Then it's clear what kind of person you are and what your motivation here is., @struberg@mastodon.green @msulzbacher@mstdn.social

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 13, 2026

Replying to @zzoo@mastodon.social

@zzoo@mastodon.social It's extremely easy to demonstrate against those things and not be antisemitic. You just have to not say antisemitic things. https://babka.social/@serge/114670463036891746 @struberg@mastodon.green @msulzbacher@mstdn.social But a question you should ask yourself is what are you focused on? Are you trying to help Palestinian people or simply harm Israel and Jews? Why not help the Jews who live near you? Why not offer them love and support in this terrible time?

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 13, 2026

Replying to @dukepaaron@babka.social

@dukepaaron@babka.social I remember when Liel Liebowitz advocated for armed congregations. I was shocked, but at the same time I couldn't and can't ignore the shootings, nor can I ignore their frequency or the fact that they're so often met with little or no public outcry. I feel about guns in some ways as I do about legal tax loopholes- they should not exist, but if they do exist, then we should have the same access to them as the people who wish us ill. @EinsPossum@chaos.social

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 11, 2026

Replying to @josh0@babka.social

@josh0@babka.social Funny, my wife just started it, after finishing Farscape for the first time. Is it worth a watch? @diazona@techhub.social

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 10, 2026

Watching this video on making a "dumb device" into a smart device without calling a company, without the need for a proprietary app, etc.

It's a lot of work, but this feels like just the kind of thing that makes the world a better place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpU7yZE1PkE

#HomeAutomation #FreeSoftware #OpenSource #Hardware #SmartDevices #HomeAssistant

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 09, 2026

Replying to @ploopy@mastodon.social

@ploopy@mastodon.social Is that damn thing out of patent now? It was on my Toshiba Portege laptop in 1995 and I've missed it.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 07, 2026

Replying to @mike@thecanadian.social

@mike@thecanadian.social Wasn't there a report from the RCMP earlier this week saying that there is no evidence the province’s separatist movement has been subject to foreign interference? As someone who has waited for over six years for PR here in Canada, I find Canada's tolerance or intolerance for foreign interference in its governmental system seems to sway not with the interference itself, but who's doing the interfering.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 07, 2026

Replying to @flying_saucers@mastodon.social

@flying_saucers@mastodon.social Yes, two evils can exist simultaneously. @afewbugs@social.coop

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 06, 2026

Replying to @paco@infosec.exchange

@paco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkXeMoBPSDk (and to pre-empt any nonsense- Sasha Baron Cohen is all but an Israeli and gun laws in Israel are actually quite strict)

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 06, 2026

When I see someone arguing about antisemitism through the lens of politics, I know that this isn't really about antisemitism.

When the framing of the discussion centers on"The issue of antisemitism will hurt the candidate" or "The issue of antisemitism will split the party." the poster is sending a signal that they see antisemitism as an issue of message and branding, rather than an issue of racism, hate, or intolerance.

The person posting it is saying "How can we rid ourselves of this image problem."

Whether from the right or the left, I see it often and I should know better, and yet I let myself get suckered into thinking that maybe, just maybe someone sees the pain I and other Jews are in and wants to be part of the solution.

I am grateful for allies, but when it's through the lens of political gain, it's about the horse race, not the issues.

#antisemitism

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 05, 2026

Replying to @flying_saucers@mastodon.social

@flying_saucers@mastodon.social Yes, I assumed @afewbugs@social.coop knew that was a call for the destruction of the state of Israel and all the Jews inside of it to be murdered or forcibly displaced (as was done in the rest of the MENA, 900,000 Jews at the time)

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 05, 2026

Replying to @menelion@dragonscave.space

@menelion@dragonscave.space https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bviKJ8YqDk From Taiwan

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 05, 2026

In the 90s there was a band Deep Forest that took traditional music and remixed it with electronic beats and things.

One of the ones I loved was Sweet Lullaby.

When I got older, I learned that Deep Forest had some "controversies" especially around this song, where they did not get permission for its use.

Sweet Lullaby is actually a Baegu lullaby called Rorogwela and it's so much more beautiful in its original:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGjgLrWbIfQ

#DeepForst #Music #FolkMusic

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 05, 2026

Replying to @afewbugs@social.coop

@afewbugs@social.coop But here's the thing I think you're missing. I don't actually have a problem with complaining about police brutality when it comes to anyone, even a murderer. Everyone should be treated with respect and human dignity. This is why when the Mossad captured Nazis after WW2, they brought them to trial. They didn't torture them or put their head on a pike- they were brought to trial to face justice. But where I do have a problem is the wishy-washy "I wouldn't say Globalize the Intifada, but I wouldn't want to stop anyone else from saying it..." *wink wink* This is the Trump "There are good people on both sides." from the left. @DM_Ronin@mstdn.social

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 05, 2026

Replying to @DM_Ronin@mstdn.social

@DM_Ronin@mstdn.social This is exactly it! Thank you. If the Greens (or any left wing party, btw, NDP in Canada included) wants Jewish voters, it can't just sat "If you don't vote for us, it'll be worse." because there is no more worse. 61% of UK Jews were saying they see no future in the UK *back in December*. 20% of Canadian Jews are thinking of leaving Canada. There are national discrimination efforts in place preventing Jews from being visibly Jewish by law, keeping us from access to jobs (45% of hiring managers in the US said they wouldn't hire Jews- *before October 7th!) Our schools are being shot. Our synagogues are being lit on fire. We're being attacked on the street. "Vote for us or it'll be worse." The Left's position has always been "You need to give of yourself for the greater good." and if that's true I'm happy to do so! I'm happy to pay higher taxes, etc. for the greater good! But that greater good can't be for everyone but me. @flying_saucers@mastodon.social @afewbugs@social.coop

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 05, 2026

Replying to @afewbugs@social.coop

@afewbugs@social.coop You're still looking at this from a political standpoint, which is my problem with the entire framing. When I was younger and worked for the Greens and saw antisemitism, the argument was "This is what allyship looks like..." And for >20 years I bought into it. Until it was time for that allyship to be activated, and you know where those allies were that I worked with? They were making antisemitic statements on TV. I don't mean "people like them" either, I mean the very same people I'd worked with. So were politicians I'd admired, television presenters I'd watched religiously, etc. I was made politically homeless, as were most Jews. If I can't rely on allyship and I can't rely on political belonging, then I have to have a new relationship with these politicians- not one based on a promise of shared values, one based on direct action. It's cynical and transactional, but when they abandoned Jews, this is what the left has created for me and millions of other Jews. @DM_Ronin@mstdn.social

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 05, 2026

Replying to @afewbugs@social.coop

@afewbugs@social.coop

But the Labour government's focus on antisemitism in the Green Party clearly doesn't arise from any genuine concern for the welfare of Jewish people

Nor do I believe the Republican Party in the US or the Conservative Party in Canada are suddenly welling up with love for Jews.

I've been told by folks that "Don't trust it! They don't care about you!" . Of course the don't, and we see that in both the US and Canada.

When the US sues a university for antisemitism for hundreds of millions of dollars, and then puts none of that money towards fighting antisemitism.

When Conservative leadership in Canada complains of antisemitism and then fights against funding protections at both the national and provincial level.

Most Jews know it's a lie, but the Liberals and the Left aren't even bothering to pretend to care. They've ceded that moral position to the right...

@DM_Ronin@mstdn.social @JimmyB@mas.to

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 05, 2026

Replying to @DM_Ronin@mstdn.social

@DM_Ronin@mstdn.social Thank you. tl;dr It's not easy when that happens. I'm sorry. It's awful. It's not okay. Hugs on offer. BTW, I'm often very critical of people who say they've been labeled as racist or antisemitic for criticizing the war. On another private forum, an Israeli guy stood up for me against some antisemitism, and I said that I was happy to see the solidarity and that we need to make it clear that one can talk about serious issues around Israel and not be antisemitic. I brought up fairly "insider" Israeli issues such as judicial reform, defending of public broadcasting (think BBC but in Israel), the recent death penalty law- and I was met with "Stay in your lane racist Canadian!" It's only the first (maybe second) time I've actually encountered such a thing, and I've talked to hundreds, maybe thousands of people about it. I think it's like when right wingers in the US talk about voter fraud- maybe it happens, but it's statistically insignificant. Still hurts though. @afewbugs@social.coop

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 05, 2026

Replying to @afewbugs@social.coop

@afewbugs@social.coop In Vancouver, where I live, every Saturday for months there would be a protest within eye/earshot where the leader with a megaphone would chant "Intifada Now!" and "Globalize the Intifada!" I still pass by standing protests, as I did about a month or two ago on the way to lunch with a friend. This is not "a few people", it's leadership, and this specific protest/organizer had been found by Canada to have ties with the Iranian government, and was subsequently shut down. The UK does not have a law like this right now. It's my understanding that this is currently being proposed. My concern isn't so much with the violent actions or the protests- it's with the larger societal framing I see, where I'm shouted down for saying things like "Jews have the right to live without harassment." and the messages I get back both online *and in real life* are "It's Israel's fault" or "Jews can, but not Zionists" or "That isn't antisemitism", etc.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 05, 2026

Replying to @afewbugs@social.coop

@afewbugs@social.coop

Green Party and the Palestine protests is that they're not actually doing it because they care about the safety or well-being of Jewish people, it's just a convenient means of attacking a political rival or suppressing protest.

I'm going to assume good faith here, genuinely, but as a European born Jew, who worked for the US Green Party, and believes in Palestinian rights and wants to see a peaceful two state solution, I need to push back on what you've said here.

tl;dr I think you're not seeing dog whistles, but Jews do see them.

At these protests, they're literally chanting for the a worldwide murder of Jews. That's what Globalize the Intifada means. Ask my wife and her family who lived through the Second Intifada. It means "Kill Jews", not just in Israel, but also worldwide, which is what we're seeing.

Similarly, we see politicians in the UK, not exclusively the Greens, but more often the Greeens, stating or repeating antisemitic rhetoric, often.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 04, 2026

Young people who didn't grow up listening to records, when you listen to one,, do you find the clicks and pops comforting?

#music #Records #Vinyl

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 03, 2026

Replying to @blamellors@mstdn.party

@blamellors@mstdn.party Right... except of course for Iran, for Syria, for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, China, North Korea, Myanmar, Turkey, Somalia... And "jailing anyone who suggests a two state solution"- so you're suggesting they jail 80% of the country? okay there....

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 02, 2026

Replying to @leo@twit.social

@leo How did they circumvent your manual process?

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · May 01, 2026

Replying to @davidnjoku@mastodon.world

@davidnjoku@mastodon.world 100% of fathers are statisticians.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Apr 30, 2026

Replying to @nmeum@chaos.social

@nmeum Man gewöhnt sich ans Machen.

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Apr 30, 2026

To the various people who tell me that the reason they don't boost my posts about antisemitism is because they want to stay out of "politics", let me be clear:

Antisemitism isn't a political issue for me. It's the cause of most of the pain in my life. It's why I'm afraid for my family, why my wife wants to hide any signs of Jewishness from our neighbors, why my community suffers. I myself have been and continue to be targeted in multiple harassment campaigns.

To call it political is to call any other form of personally experienced discrimination or hatred political.

If you don't want to "send a message", then let me correct you- you are sending me a message- a direct one:

"I'm not there for you."

#Antisemitism #Allyship #Allies #Friend

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Apr 30, 2026

Blaming Israel for antisemitism is not merely an act of cowardice, it touches on multiple antisemitic tropes and then concludes that *any* action is justifiable:

- It says that Jews living their lives in London, Australia, France or the US hold loyalty to Israel, the Dual Loyalty trope. It's a way to call Jews outsiders/intruders and not need to treat them as "real citizens" or even "real neighbors".
- It holds all Jews responsible the actions of any of them. It's the same ism as holding all Muslims responsible for the actions of terrorists, or holding all people of Chinese decent responsible for the actions of the CCP.
- It's Whataboutism. It changes the topic from murder and discrimination to something else.
- It's often directed harassment- As we see on Babka, it's often directed at Jews, showing it's not a defense, but a weapon antisemites use to further traumatize Jews.

@Geoffberner@zeroes.ca
https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3R8oE

#Antisemitism #Fediantisemitism #JewHatred #Israel

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Apr 26, 2026

Replying to @SiR_GameZaloT@paktodon.asia

@SiR_GameZaloT@paktodon.asia

Let me count the ways you're racist:

You classified an entire people as "baby killers"
You engaged in an antisemitic act of saying there's "weaponized antisemitism"
Implicitly called for the murder of 7 million people
You decided that you, and not the minority, got to decide what is and isn't oppression.
Then accused them of gaslighting.

Yeah you're great... /s

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Apr 21, 2026

Replying to @dukepaaron@babka.social

@dukepaaron@babka.social More "has no place" statements from politicians coming soon!

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Serge from Babka @serge@babka.social · Apr 19, 2026

Replying to @gavi@bagel.ing

@gavi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRjR9sct-Pc

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