Anti-Zionism is the face of contemporary anti-Semitism

  • 0

To solve a problem, you must be able to name it. We have a problem on our campuses. That problem is anti-Semitism.

Many of us believed that anti-Semitism was a thing of the past. Jews being turned down for positions. Jews being spat upon when they wear a Jewish symbol. Jewish institutions defaced with swastikas. We believed anti-Semitism was behind us. We were wrong.

Anti-Semitism has roared back, most notably on university campuses, and particularly at the University of California. It adversely affects the education and lives of our students. Some prospective students think twice about enrolling at UC.

The resurgence of anti-Semitism is directly paralleled with the increase in virulent anti-Israel activity, much of it involving calls for Israel’s complete destruction, i.e., anti-Zionism. Many are in denial about this.

Jewish students recognize that Israel is not perfect. No country is. At a university, of all places, there must be space for political discourse and analysis. This includes legitimate critiques of Israeli policy. I personally teach classes at UC Santa Barbara that foster critical thought on the Israeli and Palestinian situation. My organization, Santa Barbara Hillel, regularly hosts speakers who probe all aspects of the situation in Israel.

However, when the one Jewish state in the world is obsessively singled out for condemnation, demonization and deligitimization, followed by calls for its destruction, Jewish students recognize that their personal identity is being called into question.

No minority should be treated the way Jews are being treated on our campuses.

Jewish students are being told explicitly and implicitly that they are not a minority. That they do not deserve the same protections afforded to others. That they do not have the right to say, “I am Jewish, and when you do this I feel attacked.”

I recently counseled a student who found a swastika on a car window. The law enforcement officer sent to help minimized it. This was not her first experience with anti-Semitism. Last spring, she attended a student senate “debate” on divestment where she was told that Jews have all the money, Jews have all the power, and Jews are colonialist oppressors. She was so frightened she called for a campus security officer to walk her home. On the walk, she was told by the officer that what was said to her was not anti-Semitism.

Just as black students shouldn’t be told what is and isn’t racism, LGBTQ students shouldn’t be told how to feel about homophobia, Jewish students shouldn’t be told “this isn’t anti-Semitism.” We know our own identity. When someone calls us a “Zionist Nazi,” they are attacking our religious, personal and communal identity at its very core.

Santa Barbara Hillel isn’t sitting idly by. We cultivate connections with university and student leaders to foster a positive campus climate. We bring together diverse groups and individuals to talk, listen and improve relations. We host Jewish/Muslim student lunch dialogues with leading figures such as Dennis Ross, Ari Shavit, David Makovsky and Ghaith al-Omari. We build trust so students can tackle tough issues with dignity and safety to ensure campuses remain positive environments for all students.

The UC regents should be commended for recognizing that anti-Zionism is the face of contemporary anti-Semitism and condemning both anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in its proposed Principles Against Intolerance. That statement and policy should be adopted in its entirety with broad support since anything that doesn’t include anti-Zionism ignores the elephant in the room.

Students need to hear that anti-Semitism in all its forms, including anti-Zionism, will not be tolerated. President Obama, Pope Francis, the French and British prime ministers and many of the current presidential candidates recognize that anti-Zionism goes beyond acceptable political criticism. UC should do the same.

Jewish students are facing the tragic reality of anti-Semitism on college campuses. It’s about time we spoke up and did something.

Rabbi Evan Goodman is executive director of UC Santa Barbara Hillel, the Jewish student life organization at UCSB. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and the parent of a current UC student.

Anti-Zionism is the face of contemporary anti-Semitism

  • 0