When I bring up Quakers, people sometimes bring up antisemitism, and I never know how to respond.
I recently mentioned to a group that I go to Quaker meetings. It was relevant to the conversation. I didn't elaborate much beyond saying it's been good to be around people with similar values and has meant a lot to me. I've been attending for about a year.
Someone followed up by saying they attended a few Quaker meetings but didn't feel welcome because of antisemitism. Another said something like "yes, that's a big problem for them." This is actually not the first time I've heard this. When I first started attending meetings, a good friend warned me about Quakers and sent me something about the paradox of tolerance and antisemitism. I continued going to meetings, and we eventually had a falling out after I shared an Instagram post about calling my senator regarding an arms embargo. She cited Quakers as having been too influential on my politics. These are all Americans I'm talking about.
I feel very bad that they've had experiences with Quakers that made them feel alienated, especially the woman who stopped going to meetings. It's just been odd how often it seems to come up when I mention being Quaker. I want to be a good ally to Jewish people, and I'm not sure how to respond when this comes up. I'm aware there is a big problem with antisemitism generally in the US.
When it has come up, I usually just let the conversation move on and don't say anything or say something like "I'm sorry you experienced that, that's concerning."
How would you respond to statements like this? I get very nervous, because I feel like they may be also judging me as someone who is potentially antisemitic and hostile. I'd also appreciate any articles you feel might be relevant about antisemitism relating to Quakers, for more context on what they could be referencing.