Photographs of Jewish Mother and Baby to Post Face Book
JTA — The tens of thousands of Chicago mothers in a private Facebook group called MamaHive typically post about sleepless babies, strollers and playgroups.
But on Sunday night, with the latest disharmonize betwixt State of israel and Hamas in Gaza entering its second week, a mail service went up that broke the mold.
"We, the admins of MamaHive Chicago, have a strong stance against the terroristic acts beingness committed against the Palestinian people," the post said. "Anyone appearing to justify the occupation, genocide and apartheid that is taking place will be immediately removed. If you feel in any way supportive to those committing these heinous acts, please experience costless to remove yourself."
Within minutes, tensions flared in the comments. In one heated exchange, later a Jewish mother compared the group to Hamas and said she would quit, another mother called her a "genocide lover." In response, the Jewish mother wrote "get f–thou yourself terrorist!" followed by an emoji of an obscene gesture.
Inside hours, 2 of the founding mothers, one Jewish, had been ousted and dozens of other Jewish members were kicked out or quit in protestation. And within days, the woman who posted the comment faced professional consequences, while online, the 42,000-member group had effectively imploded, making MamaHive the latest Facebook community to collapse spectacularly over political issues unrelated to its stated purpose.
"This group was nearly having a safe, supportive, resource-rich forum for parents to talk nearly their experience of parenting," Alina Slotnik, one of the group's founders, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "It was meant to exist inclusive and e'er welcoming, and information technology breaks my heart that somebody would create a politically or religiously based litmus test for this group."
Slotnik, who is Jewish, found herself at the center of the conflict in the moms' group late Sunday nighttime, as tensions effectually the Heart E conflict ran loftier in Chicago. Earlier that day, a major pro-Palestinian march drew thousands of protesters downtown, and a smaller grouping gathered in Skokie, a heavily Jewish suburb. There, two people broke a synagogue window and affixed a Free Palestine sign to its door in an incident that police have labeled a detest crime.
That night, Dana Hamed, a Palestinian mother and makeup creative person from suburban Chicago who is one of the moderators of MamaHive, gave a heads-upwards to the residue of the moderators that she had an idea for a mail service. She shared a mail that she had published on Jan. seven, the day after the Capitol siege, declaring MamaHive to be unwelcoming to supporters of treason, and wrote, "Hey guys, I would similar to make a mail like this but for the genocide occurring in Palestine correct now. But giving a heads up in instance it ruffles some feathers."
Protesters walk after a rally that was held in solidarity with Palestinians, Wed, May 12, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Joshua Housing)
Six fellow administrators, nearly half the group, shortly "liked" her post, and at least one wrote, "I support y'all," according to screenshots from the group that JTA obtained from multiple sources. Shortly afterward, the mail service to the complete grouping went live.
Hamed was thinking not just about the Jan. 6 insurrection only about some other episode when MamaHive had turned uncharacteristically political: during last twelvemonth's racial justice protests.
"This grouping stood potent for our blackness brothers and sisters and nosotros stand potent for our Palestinian brothers and sisters," she wrote. "Nosotros don't do selective activism hither."
The first responses were ones of relief and solidarity. "Thank yous for this!" one woman with a Palestinian flag overlay on her contour picture wrote. "I was completely shocked at the lack of mention virtually this topic in this group." In short society, the post had racked upwardly 350 likes.
Just Jewish members of the group, sensing that the post contained an implicit invitation for them to go out the group, quickly responded with concern. "This is a diverse group of Chicago mothers," one wrote. "There are many Jewish mothers, Israelis, and those who support Israel in this group. There are likewise many who support peace for ALL people. I don't understand this stance or statement at all." Multiple mothers endorsed her comments.
From in that location the conversation intensified. Echoing debates well-nigh the conflict that have raged beyond social media, some mothers pressed the case that Israel is a colonizing nation committing genocide against Palestinians, while others argued that Israel is interim in self-defense force when it fires missiles into Gaza. One heated exchange ended with one member writing to a Jewish mother, "Oh shut the heck up with your Hamas excuse bulls–t. Hamas was started looooonnnggggg after Israel started killing Palestinian people. That statement is so onetime. Find something else."
Slotnik soon weighed in as a founding administrator, saying that Hamed'south mail service "does not speak for me" and arguing that the topic did non vest in MamaHive. (The group was called MamaTribe originally only changed its name last year in a bid to distance itself from linguistic communication that could be offensive to Native Americans.)
Protesters wave Palestinian flags near a rally that was held in solidarity with Palestinians in Chicago on Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Joshua Housing)
"In that location are loads of groups for those discussions. This is Non It," she wrote. "I am also deeply against any political litmus test for participation in this group. We are a welcoming community."
Slotnik'south post drew more than than 100 likes, but in individual, administrators were disparaging her interjection.
"Her young man Jewish friends got on her case virtually information technology and she came out to exist the savior," one moderator wrote in a chat only visible to the group's administrators. (Moderators in Facebook groups have the ability to remove and cake posts and members, while administrators can also modify the group's rules and remove or add moderators. Both take admission to a shared chat for grouping managers.)
"Trying to silence me. Typical Zionist movement," Hamed wrote in the administrators' chat. "Exactly why I posted, and so people could know the truth."
The administrators were also busy policing the comments in the group. The chat shows that at least one person posting pro-Palestinian comments was censured for her tone and set to have her hereafter posts require approval before other group members could meet them. Just more often, scrutiny appeared to exist aimed at those who challenged the premise of Hamed'south original post.
"I'm removing her and everyone that liked this," one ambassador posted about a comment she had deemed in violation of the group's rules. Simply it wasn't clear to which comment she was referring. Another asked for details: "The murder of Jews comment?" The kickoff administrator antiseptic, saying she was referring to a comment that said, "Delight stop supporting terror." That post also included the words "Gratuitous Gaza from Hamas!! Stand with Israel!" At the time, it had been liked nine times.
The mothers group was not the first to exist wracked with tension over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2017, the Upper East Side Mommas Facebook group, which then had 28,000 members, erupted in fighting after the author of the children'due south book "P is for Palestine" posted about her book. (The grouping imploded last year amid accusations of racism by its moderators.)
Several mothers in MamaHive Chicago reached out to the local office of the Anti-Defamation League, which monitors antisemitism and extremist activity. The grouping isn't taking any specific activity related to the MamaHive saga just is attuned to the ways in which it represents an emerging frontier for hate online, according to David Goldenberg, the ADL's Midwest regional director.
Protesters march through the streets of Chicago's Loop in support of Palestinians, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (AP Photograph/Shafkat Anowar)
"The intensity of detest is increasing at frankly alarming levels," he said. "And it's occurring in nontraditional spaces."
When Hamed did not remove the original postal service, Slotnik did — or at to the lowest degree tried to. Twice the mail returned afterwards briefly disappearing, according to multiple people who were following forth. And by the end of the evening, Slotnik had been removed from the group completely. And so had Rainbow Partridge, some other co-founder, even though she had non posted in the group over the form of the evening. Hamed denied removing either of them — who did and so is unclear.
"Sadly, the group has been stolen from us by people who want to misuse a platform we have carefully congenital and nurtured," Slotnik and Partridge wrote Wednesday in a public mail in a different group for MamaHive community members. They added, "Our hope is that the remaining moderators and admins of the MamaHive group reconsider their actions and agree to accolade the rules and mission of the group moving forward."
Inside the grouping, the remaining moderators appeared to be doubling down. On Mon night, one posted that Hamed had faced fierce criticism over her mail, noting that "her job has been called, her family threatened." She and 10 others who signed the post emphasized that they stood past information technology.
"Allow usa all be clear we stand by Dana and every mom and child who is being impacted past recent events in Palestine," the post read. "Speaking confronting any violence and acts of harm against children and oppressed people has been and will keep to be allowed in this grouping."
The mail service also included a message in capital letter letters: "Speaking out against genocide does not equate being against an entire religion or group of people." Hamed, too, has emphasized in her posts that she believes criticism of Zionism and Israel does not constitute antisemitism. On Wednesday, she posted an Al Jazeera report from a rally held Friday in New York City past Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zionist Jewish advocacy group, following it on Thursday with a quote from Ilana Glazer, the Jewish comedian, saying, "I know equally a deeply proud Jew that my criticism of State of israel is really actually Jewish considering information technology is with truth-seeking intentions."
Hamed told JTA past email that she believes "anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism" and said she had faced fierce blowback over her post. That included losing a freelance makeup styling position with JWC Media, which produces luxury lifestyle magazines focused on Chicago's upscale suburbs.
She said she would write the same post today, fifty-fifty knowing what would lie ahead.
"I have received decease threats, had my personal information shared without my permission online and strangers have called my clients," Hamed said. "Despite this, I take no regrets near posting a statement, approved by admins, well-nigh our collective support of Palestine. As Americans, we must all speak up when we run into injustice, inequality and apartheid."
Goldenberg said Hamed'southward experience just heightens his business organization about what happened in MamaHive and may be unfolding in other Facebook groups, which are individual and operate according to their own rules.
"The idea of expiry threats or any threats existence leveled against anyone on either side is unacceptable and nosotros would support law enforcement beingness involved," Goldenberg said. "I'm concerned most continued escalation not simply on social media but in existent life."
For now, MamaHive has been "archived," meaning that it doesn't appear in Facebook searches, existing members cannot add together posts and no new members can join. The ousted administrators and mothers say they are property out promise that their vision for the group tin can i day be restored.
"I was shocked, disheartened and angry to see a moderator of this 42,000-person grouping use her position to accelerate her political views. Equally a Jew I felt targeted," said Rebecca Kristall, a group fellow member since 2015 who said she was removed from the group this week. "The only litmus test for being a office of the group should be that yous're a mom in Chicago."
Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-israel-hamas-conflict-tears-apart-chicagos-biggest-facebook-moms-group/