Double Standards

Treating Jews, Jewish practices or institutions with a double standard, purely on the basis of their Jewishness, is to discriminate against them. The application of these double standards to Jews can be overt—denying Jews alone certain political, economic or civil rights—or more subtle. Double standards might take the form of stricter regulation on ritual slaughter or Jewish schooling than on other, non-Jewish religious practices or education; refusing to allow Jewish workers time off for religious holidays, but allowing workers of other religious backgrounds to do so; banning Jewish police officers from wearing a yarmulke while allowing other religious headgear; or outlawing public Jewish religious ceremonies during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns while supporting the right to hold protests against anti-Black racism during the same period. At an individual level, double standards might become apparent in certain cultural, academic or political spheres in which Jews are only accepted as full members so long as they pass a ‘litmus test’ regarding the ‘correct’ attitudes to Israel and Zionism.