08/28/2026
The reaction to my Mel Gibson video was... illuminating.
I argued that Mel Gibson said something unquestionably antisemitic almost twenty years ago, but then did many of the things we claim we want people to do afterward. He apologized. He sought treatment. He acknowledged the harm. He reached out to Jewish leaders and asked what repair might look like.
That raised a question for me: If someone actually tries to make amends, is there ever a way back?
But the comments quickly became a different conversation.
I was told that Jews should simply separate their Jewish identity from Israel. That Zionism itself is antisemitic. That Israel is responsible for causing antisemitism. Zionism was compared to Na**sm and Hamas.
And eventually someone showed up to tell me about my “Satanic Talmud,” accuse Judaism of promoting child r**e, refer to “your tribe,” and quote scripture about Jews being enemies of mankind.
Somewhere between “criticism of Israel isn’t antisemitism” and “your Satanic Talmud promotes child r**e,” I began to think the longer argument might be worth making.
So I did.
No, criticizing Israel is not inherently antisemitic. Criticize Netanyahu. Criticize the IDF. Criticize settlements. Criticize the war. Governments should be scrutinized.
But criticism of a government and collective judgment of a people are not the same thing.
And telling Jews that Israel is responsible for antisemitism is essentially the same logic as telling Muslims that Islamist terrorism is responsible for Islamophobia.
Bigotry is the responsibility of the bigot.
The longer piece is also about something bigger: antisemitism, cultural boycotts, Jewish identity, teshuvah, accountability, repair, and whether our culture actually believes people are capable of change.
And yes, somehow it ends with me watching Braveheart again.
Boycott the Boycotters. And Let’s Talk About Mel Gibson.
Full article: https://theschmoozepodcast.substack.com/p/boycott-the-boycotters-and-lets-talk?r=75wo22&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
We demand accountability for antisemitism. But what happens when someone actually tries to make amends?
