Jews everywhere have long warned that the campaign to boycott, delegitimize, and ultimately destroy Israel is motivated by, and in turn feeds, hostility toward Jews. Such was the case during the most recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, which saw a 115 percent surge in antisemitic incidents, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Those who actively oppose Israels right to exist play a clever rhetorical game to attempt to exonerate themselves from responsibility for this uptick: They point out that even Jews can be anti-Zionist, so how can opposition to Zionism be antisemitic? To equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism, they conclude, allows Zionists to unfairly shield Israel from criticism.
To be clear, Zionism is not equivalent to support for Israeli government policy. It is the movement dedicated to establishing, and now maintaining, a Jewish national homeland in the Land of Israel. Zionism flows out of Judaisms most sacred and fundamental texts, beliefs, history, and practices, and is one of the primary ways in which contemporary Jewsboth in Israel and in the Diasporaexpress their Jewishness.
Meanwhile, anti-Zionism is not merely criticism of Israeli policy. At one level, it engages in a systematic falsification of thousands of years of Jewish history and the centrality of Israel to Judaism, thus robbing Jews of their identity and heritage. At another level, it promotes what would inevitably be a violent dissolution of the State of Israel, home to more than half of the worlds Jewish population.
And what of the claim that Jews cannot be antisemitic? Proponents of this argument likely have in mind groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, two groups that are frequently tokenized to provide a Jewish veneerof respectability to anti-Israel rhetoric. Also consider New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg, who is Jewish, and whose own hostility toward Israel obfuscates the antisemitic nature of anti-Zionism. Last month she opined that attacks on Jews over Israel are a gift to the Right, demonstrating greater concern over political ground lost on the Left than with Jewish assault victims.
That these groups and individuals have a Jewish background makes their attempt to drive a wedge between Jews and Zionism all the more convincing. This smokescreen creates a false sense that Jewish opposition to Zionism cannot be antisemitic, when in fact it certainly can.
This smokescreen creates a false sense that Jewish opposition to Zionism cannot be antisemitic, when in fact it certainly can.
Viewpoints must be judged on their own merits, not on the identity of those espousing them. And according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances widely-adopted definition, antisemitism doesnt require a special animus or personal hostility towards Jews as Jews. Those who promote policies that endanger Jewish security or malign and delegitimize major components of Jewish identity are complicit in antisemitism, full stop.
This phenomenon of Jewish antisemitism is nothing new.
Throughout the Middle Ages, Jewish apostates spread lurid inside stories of Jewish blasphemy and perfidy against Christians, prompted anti-Jewish religious disputations such as the burning of the Talmud, and reinforced anti-Jewish claims of deicide and blood libels.
During the 19th century, Otto Weininger, an Austrian thinker of Jewish descent, wrote an antisemitic screed entitled Sex and Character that was later incorporated into Nazi propaganda and praised by Hitler.
A century later, the Jewish wing of the Soviet Communist party known as the Yevsektsiya was tasked with the destruction of traditional Jewish life, the Zionist movement, and Hebrew culture. These Jewish antisemites agitated to close down synagogues and Jewish cultural centers throughout the Soviet Union. For them, Zionism was counter-revolutionary and reactionary, harming the assimilation of Jews into the workers paradise.
Todays Jewish anti-Zionists are simply following the long tradition of Jewish antisemitism. Often from assimilated backgrounds at odds with the mainstream Jewish community, they gain in-crowd standing by reinforcing widespread anti-Jewish attitudes and repeating falsehoods such as the idea that Israel engages in apartheid, war crimes, and genocide.
The recent wave of anti-Jewish harassment and violence is the latest confirmation that the anti-Zionist movement is inextricably linked to hatred toward Jews. People of good faith must not allow themselves to be misled by those who use their Jewish identity to cover for their antisemitic ideologies.
Russell Shalev is editor-at-large of the Jaccuse Coalition for Justice and an attorney with the International Legal Forum.
Read more here:
Anti-Zionist Jews and Antisemitism - Jewish Journal
- 3-week-old baby hospitalized with brain infection after brit gone wrong - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2020]
- Why Isn't Poultry and Dairy Kosher? - Kosher - Chabad.org [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2020]
- Where There's a Will There's a Why - TAPinto.net [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2020]
- Why the Menorah Is the Most Enduring of All Jewish Symbols - Flux Magazine [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2020]
- What is the Book of Esther really about? - San Diego Jewish World [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2020]
- A treasure trove of LGBTQ texts from two millennia of Jewish history - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2020]
- Is it Permissible to Study Mishneh Torah as a Stand-Alone Work? - Mishneh Torah In-Depth, Article 1 - Introduction to Mishneh Torah - Chabad.org [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2020]
- When King Louis IX Burned the Talmud - Aish [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2020]
- How to beat the virus? It's in the Talmud - Jewish News [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2020]
- Words, like sticks and stones, can hurt us - The Jewish Star [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Together, we can lift each other to a higher level - Jewish Community Voice [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Harnessing Information - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Psalm 23: Who Walks in the Valley of the Shadow of Death? - My Jewish Learning [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Opinion: Why can't we learn to disagree without being disagreeable? - Spartanburg Herald Journal [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- The Wake-up Call the World Received in 5780 - Touro College News [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Meaning of community - jewishpresstampa [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Babylonian Talmud [Full Text] - Jewish Virtual Library [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- 21 Talmud Facts Every Jew Should Know - Talmud [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- What is the Talmud? Biblical Meaning & Definition [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- As Israel Eases Lockdown, Fears of Another Infection Spike - Israel Today [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- It's hard to make predictions, especially about the future but it's not impossible - The Japan Times [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Prop. 18 is vital for teens who want and deserve to vote - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- God's transformative tears | Religious Life | jewishaz.com - Jewish News of Greater Phoenix [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Why Is the Torah Read at Shabbat Minchah? - Chabad.org [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- At one JCC, new classes make it easy for adults with disabilities to tune in - Forward [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- Yiddish professor goes viral in town hall with President Biden - Forward [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- My son, Mohammed El Halabi, is innocent of funding Hamas - opinion - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- Matthew Keene: America can heal when it works to become righteous - GoErie.com [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- Leadership Lessons from Shushan | Charles E. Savenor | The Blogs - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- A rabbis open letter to his haredi brethren - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- Terumah: Elevating our intentions - The Jewish Standard [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- What kind of Jew are you? - comment - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- Adam Grant and The Case for Nuance in Jewish Education - Jewish Journal [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- Procrastination, Colors, And The IKEA Effect - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- Time to shift attitude to one of belonging - Cleveland Jewish News [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- Death Is Nothing to Celebrate - The Atlantic [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- CLERGY CORNER: Is there a blessing for the COVID-19 vaccine? - newportri.com [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2021]
- Haman's Sons Correlating to the Nuremberg Nazis YS - Yeshiva World News [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2021]
- YU Releases COVID-Safe Purim Programming for Beren and Wilf Students - The Commentator - The Commentator [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2021]
- Rabbi Megan Doherty on the Heartbeat Bill The Oberlin Review - The Oberlin Review [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2021]
- Searching Jewish wisdom for guidance on vaccination | Ohr Chadash | stljewishlight.com - St. Louis Jewish Light [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2021]
- Letters to the Editor | The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle - thejewishchronicle.net [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2021]
- Jonah Sanderson Successfully Navigates His Disability, Aims to Make Jewish Community More Inclusive - Jewish Journal [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2021]
- The Jewish Education Night of Networking Yeshiva University News - Yu News [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2021]
- Your Shabbat table is magic. No, really. The rabbis said so. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2021]
- Talmud on the Mind: Exploring Chazal & Practical Psychology to Lead a Better Life - The Jewish Voice [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2021]
- Is it kosher to smoke weed for Purim? - Forward [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2021]
- Science and Technology: Strengthening and Sustaining the Federal Science and Technology Workforce - Government Accountability Office [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2021]
- Luokung Announces Closing on 100% Equity Interests of eMapGo Technologies - PRNewswire [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2021]
- Why is it so hard to build government technology? - MIT Technology Review [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2021]
- Experts Explore the Need for a National Technology Strategy - Nextgov [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2021]
- Digital Technology Will Eliminate Millions of Jobs But Create New Opportunities - PRNewswire [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2021]
- Home | Lyte Gaming PCs [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2021]
- Negative effects of technology: Psychological, social, and ... [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2021]
- COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know Thursday - CBC.ca [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- Resurrecting the Reneged Deal - Modern Diplomacy [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- The imprint of Jews in Germany on the Jewish world - opinion - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- Getting vaccinated was a lesson in humility and gratitude J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- Confirmed COVID-19 variant cases jump by 179 in Quebec, including in schools - Montreal Gazette [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- Six educators to receive awards from JEC of Cleveland - Cleveland Jewish News [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- Join ToI Community and meet the matriarch of Orthodox feminism, Blu Greenberg - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- Jewish community in Newcastle, England, shrinks, but has unexpected help - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- And Then: New Haggadah Captures Ancient and Contemporary Aspects of Passover - jewishboston.com [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- The Jewish community in Newcastle, England, is shrinking. But it's getting some unexpected help. - Jewish Telegraphic Agency [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- Parashat Vayikra: I Give, Therefore I Love - My Jewish Learning [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- Faith Matters: Rebalancing our culture of consumption - The Recorder [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- This rabbi has seen the future, and it sounds like Clubhouse - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- The haredi-Christian tragedy and the idol worship of Talmud Torah - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- Talmud - New World Encyclopedia [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- What Is the Talmud? | My Jewish Learning [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2021]
- 7 facts about Passover that will surprise and delight you - St. Louis Jewish Light [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2021]
- Arts & Culture Newsletter: Celebrating 50 years of Queen with 50 weeks' worth of free clips - The San Diego Union-Tribune [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2021]
- What I've learned teaching Jewish texts in the UAE - Jewish News of Greater Phoenix [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2021]
- Was the 'forbidden fruit' in the Garden of Eden really an apple? - Livescience.com [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2021]
- How Matzah and the Teshuvas HaRashba Saved Yidden From Hamas Terrorists - Yeshiva World News [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2021]
- To the editor | Families & Lifestyles | jewishaz.com - Jewish News of Greater Phoenix [Last Updated On: March 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: March 31st, 2021]
- Moving from the particular to the universal: The highest calling for the Jewish People? - St. Louis Jewish Light [Last Updated On: April 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: April 2nd, 2021]
- Its hard to connect to the Torah as a trans Jew. Im trying anyway. - Forward [Last Updated On: April 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: April 2nd, 2021]
- It is hard to connect to the Torah as a trans Jew. Here's why I'm trying anyway. - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency [Last Updated On: April 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: April 2nd, 2021]
- Virtually no more Jews left in Iraq, only empty buildings | | AW - The Arab Weekly [Last Updated On: April 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: April 2nd, 2021]