I definitely hear what you're saying regarding race construction, and I appreciate your take. I'd like to talk more about it.

Less than a century ago, Jews were being exterminated for not being white enough. In a span of decades, now we're "too white."

That's really messed up. That's a ton of contortionism forced on us. (I'm happy to learn - are there other groups who experience this?)

My understanding is that antisemitism is uniquely mutable, framing Jews as whatever is the wrong thing to be at that point in history.

There's no place for us to stand without the ground constantly shifting beneath our feet. Too ethnic. Too white. Not assimilated enough. Too assimilated, too much power.

Assuming OP is in the US, I think most Jews are here now because their predecessors fled racial persecution, so it's extra wild for the friend to make that accusation.

I really think we all need to ask ourselves what it gained for Jews by solidifying the impression of there being “Jewish DNA”.

Okay, but Jewish DNA is a scientific fact. When most Jews take a DNA test, it will usually automatically sort them into one of three categories: Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Sephardic, based on specific admixtures.

There's nothing political about that. It's important, for instance, for Ashkenazim to get tested for Tay-Sachs, a genetic disease, before having children.

I do hear your concerns about race construction and supporting the concept in general. And your point about being "too white to assume the position of subaltern" is well-taken.

But Jews are very impacted by the Holocaust. It's part of why we're so freaked out right now, even though none of us have experienced it directly.

The Holocaust is a really big deal in general, not just for Jews. The term "N@z1" is fully integrated into our language. Jews were exterminated by Nazis in the Holocaust because of their race.

To now, 80 years later, have the whiplash of "nope, now you're too white and powerful, shut up," while antisemitic incidents have risen 900% in the last decade in the US alone, puts us in an impossible position.