In May 2021, the world witnessed a sharp escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that was partly triggered by a property dispute in Sheikh Jarrah. While Hamas launched over 4,000 rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip, activists from all over the world began a wave of protests against Israel and...
J Street and the Myth of “Creeping Annexation”
Photo: Almon Roth/Wikimedia Commons When organizations or activists report on the Arab-Israeli conflict, instead of relying on the facts, many choose to construct a false narrative that casts Israel in a poor light. J Street, a self-proclaimed pro-Israel and pro-peace organization, resorts to this tactic as well. On April 18th-19th,...
The Push to ‘Other’ the Identities of Israeli Jews
Photo: Israel Defense Forces/Wikimedia Commons When discussing the history of the establishment of Israel, a commonly parroted trope within anti-Israel and antisemitic circles is that the nation was founded by Jewish people who “colonized” the land and displaced more than 1 million Palestinians in 1948. This is an absurd and...
Seven Minutes of Hate Courtesy of SJP and UMASS Boston
Cover photo: Screenshot Last Thursday, June 24, 2021, I was publicly humiliated and scapegoated at a rally organized by the UMASS Boston Chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, (SJP). More to the point, I was shoved, spit at, called a bitch, a Nazi, a pig, and doused with water at a...
Israel Slandered When Described as an Apartheid State
Penn has more than 600 student organizations – a laudable source of pride for our school. I love seeing Instagram stories and Facebook events that highlight new student initiatives in pursuit of academic honesty and exploration. However, recently, I’ve begun to see some that are very disheartening. In 2019, student...
A Response to ‘Rolling Stone’: Many Young Jews Like Me Support Israel
Photo: Israeli American Council/Wikimedia Commons Marisa Kabas frames her May 21 “Cultural Commentary” for Rolling Stone by telling readers how torn she is about Israel as an American Jew. ( “Young American Jews Have Reached a Tipping Point with Israel”) In her mind, being raised Jewish, with “Tikkun Olam — the Jewish principle...
The Chilling Scenes Outside the Israeli Embassy Show the Urgency of Tackling Antisemitism
May 18, 2021 — On Saturday I attended a protest outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, reluctantly disguised by my mandatory mask. I was disheartened, but far from surprised, to encounter many images, banners and audible chants expressing the most vicious antisemitism. Among them were countless aggressive cries of “From...
The Myth of Arab Displacement in Eastern Jerusalem
Photo: David Shankbone/Wikimedia Commons In early May, a host of anti-Israel groups published a petition calling on the international community to “stop Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinians from East Jerusalem!” As expected, it was rife with misinformation and entirely devoid of context. The petition lists Sheikh Jarrah, Al Bustan, and Batin al...