It's frustrating to hear a bunch of white men who normally stick around groups of other white men talk about how someone who is very different - black, female, Jewish - is silly for feeling threat in situations where white men don't feel threat.
When people of your racial/religious group are murdered and attacked and harassed (and anti-Semitism is still a thing) her perception of threat is no doubt heightened.
It's unreasonable to expect her to confront people making dumb jokes if she feels threatened by them.
(However, her actions are not acceptable. She could have sought out conference organisers and told them.)
The interesting thing that happened: A bilious internet mob.
The thing being discussed: The legitimacy of an individual's mental state. Not even the reasonableness of their reaction to the mental state, the mental state itself.
I can certainly empathize with feeling fear that I am perfectly aware is irrational, looking at pictures of people up high makes me queasy and I stop looking before I break into a cold sweat. Pictures!
When people of your racial/religious group are murdered and attacked and harassed (and anti-Semitism is still a thing) her perception of threat is no doubt heightened.
It's unreasonable to expect her to confront people making dumb jokes if she feels threatened by them.
(However, her actions are not acceptable. She could have sought out conference organisers and told them.)