I don't think antisemitism lives in the same places as other forms of racism (or, "as racism," if you want to draw a distinction between the two), which is to say that in my experience you never really know who's going to come out with an anti-semitic comment....

This is really true, and -- interesting isn't the word I'm looking for, but maybe thought-provoking. For me, I'm thinking that this makes antisemitism feel more random and sporadic, whereas I'm much more used to thinking of "classic" racism as systemic and pervasive. And now I'm wondering if that's led me to downplay antisemitism as though it were a fringe phenomenon.

And yes to antisemitism's acceptability on the left -- it's really twisted -- and somewhat bizarre, since it's hard for me to imagine the American left over the last several decades without the contributions, support, and intellectual and political leadership of so many American Jews.

Thanks for this excellent post!