In February 2021, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz officially designated the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as a terrorist organization for its ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), itself considered a terrorist organization in the United States, the European Union, Israel and Canada. According to the Israeli National Bureau...
The Truth About Israel’s ‘Vaccine Apartheid’
Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, Government Press Office (Israel)/Wikimedia Commons A recent Lawyers Without Borders blogpost on UCL Reflect supports allegations of “vaccine apartheid” against Israel, claiming that Israel has a legal obligation to vaccinate Palestinian citizens in Gaza and the West Bank. At the time of writing this article, requests...
IHRA Resolution and Defining Antisemitism
Every year, when Jews around the world observe Purim, they finish the Megillah and celebrate that the Jews of ancient Persia were saved. The story of Purim is unique among Jewish stories because the Persian Jews’ salvation came by way of human initiative — through the relentless efforts of Mordechai...
Straight From the Horse’s Mouth: Antisemitism Is Inherent to SJP Activism
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel/Wikimedia Commons On February 26th, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Brown University hosted an event featuring speakers who discussed Palestinian activism. Unsurprisingly, it was an exercise in antisemitic rhetoric and argumentation, including hateful tropes such as, “These attacks on capital, on money are what scares them [Israelis,...
The IHRA Definition of Antisemitism and the Meaning of Zionism
Photo: John Marino/Wikimedia Commons Syracuse University’s Student Association (SA) claims that it is “false” and “dangerous” to associate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. This is simply untrue, because support for Zionism is support for the Jewish people’s right to self-determine in their ancestral homeland. Nevertheless, in a recent legislative session, the Syracuse SA...
The False Comparison of Zionism and Colonialism
Anti-Zionists, especially BDS activists, have been quite successful in creating and spreading many false claims, exaggerations and misperceptions about Israel. I have been working with the campus CAMERA team on the launch of a social-media campaign called #ApartheidWeekExposed. Its goal is to shed light on how the actions of those involved...
The Holocaust Happened Outside of Europe Too
Photo: Wikipedia user Valley2city/Wikimedia Commons Once a year in Israel, a piercing siren is sounded for two minutes. On every road, street and corner of the country, life is temporarily suspended. People stop in the middle of walking, driving or working, to stand in silence, and commemorate the suffering of...
To Avoid Future Scandals Like Karega, Oberlin Should Adopt the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism
Photo: Wikimedia Commons At the end of January it was reported that Oberlin College Vice President and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo would be stepping down from that role at the end of the semester, and last Friday it was announced that she had left her post six weeks ahead...