The Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism (ICSZ), a small group of nation-wide academics based out of UC Santa Cruz’s ethnic studies department, claims to offer an academic lens on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but its own words and actions reveal something else: an ideological group solely driven to demonize Zionism. For a purportedly virtuous academic project, I was surprised by how much hatred was espoused towards basic principles like Jewish self-determination and combating campus antisemitism. That surprise faded quickly after reading their “Points of Unity.”
According to their website, ICSZ supports “interconnected movements, led from below, for justice and self-determination.” The implication being that Palestinian solidarity and anti-zionist organizing are inherently more authentic and morally superior than pro-Israel political expression. That framing conveniently ignores that the ICSZ itself is propped up by national organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)—both of which receive funding, strategic guidance, and media support from international advocacy networks with substantial resources.
Let’s be clear: no other ethnic or religious group is routinely accused of “buying” its way into legitimacy when advocating for its community’s rights or safety. The accusation that Jewish organizations lack authenticity, or that they exert disproportionate power through manipulation, is not a neutral critique—it is a modern-day repackaging of centuries-old antisemitic lies.
Further they assert that “Zionism is a settler colonial racial project.” Once again, this framing isn’t honest. It’s an ideological declaration that denies Jewish people their historical ties to the land of Israel and frames the Jewish national movement as an act of racial domination rather than indigenous liberation. That’s not a critique—it’s delegitimization.
What brought them to my attention was one of their equally problematic podcast episodes, which devolved into a blatant attack against the Academic Engagement Network, accusing them of “[weaponizing] universities as sites of repression using the rhetoric of antisemitism and turning anti-discrimination law into a bludgeon against the anti-racist movement.” The AEN is dedicated to empowering university faculty and administrators to counter antisemitism by promoting academic freedom, and fostering a welcoming environment to discuss Jewish and Zionist identities on campuses. Through a variety of seminars, microgrants, and other educational programs, AEN directly addresses antisemitism at the administrative level, enhances understanding of Jewish identity, and robust discourse about Israel.
If the AEN is such a draconian organization, it would have made sense for these “academics” to reference any of their activities. Instead, these anti-Israel ideologues based their entire criticism on three main points: supporting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, associating anti-Zionism with antisemitism, and opposing the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement. It almost seems like they picked a random prominent pro-Israel organization as an excuse to bash widely excepted views that protect Jews.
Both Sean Malloy and Meira Gold’s critique of the AEN for supporting the IHRA definition of antisemitism is that it “equates… talking about Israeli colonization as a racist endeavor”. Notwithstanding the clear strawman argument, reading between the lines suggests that the real frustration here is that Holocaust inversion is finally being recognized as a form of bigotry. Rather than a principled defense of academic freedom, this comes across as an attempt to defend their ability to promote antisemitic narratives without facing accountability.
The ICSZ asserts that AEN “stifles Palestinian voices” equating anti-zionism with antisemitism but makes no effort to justify their reasoning, almost as if they tacitly acknowledge that Palestinian activism often employs bigotry. At this point, AEN’s position, that denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination, the core tenet of Zionism, often serves as a facade for antisemitic sentiments should go without saying. ICSZ is essentially just pushing their belief that another clearly bigoted movement should get a free pass.
It’s worth mentioning that this “research institute” doesn’t just have it out for AEN. They recently advocated kicking the largest institution supporting Jewish students off UC Santa Cruz’s campus because they cater to all Jews, including Zionists.
Finally, opposition to the BDS movement is another sticking point for these extremists. Of course, ICSZ supports BDS’ marginalization of Jewish students and faculty. Why wouldn’t they?
There isn’t very much nuance to their analysis, considering that AEN explicitly works not to suppress dissent but to ensure that campuses remain inclusive environments where all students, regardless of their views on Israel, feel safe and respected. Clearly, this is not something ICSZ members value.
Sadly, this isn’t an anomaly for the institute. ICSZ’s founder and Sarah Lawrence Professor Emmaia Gelman wrote this one day after Hamas’s most recent mass murder of Jews: “[e]xcited for millions of Americans who have nodded along with land acknowledgements to get behind this, and resist cries that actual decolonization (but not Israeli ethnic cleansing) is somehow too much.” That’s not just political extremism, it’s support for terrorism.
Clearly, these people don’t just challenge Zionism through “critical study”—they seek to advance an extreme antisemitic worldview that celebrates violence when it serves their cause, and brands dissent as complicity.
Jewish students deserve better. They should be able to participate in academic life without being vilified for believing in Jewish self-determination. Universities must ensure that “critical inquiry” is not used as a shield for exclusion or antisemitism.
Groups like the Academic Engagement Network (AEN) play a critical role in protecting that balance—working with administrators to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism and ensure that all students, including Zionists, feel safe on campus. Exposing the distortions pushed by groups like ICSZ is just the first step. Institutions must reject programs that replace scholarship with ideological activism, and the academic community must reaffirm that antisemitism—no matter how it’s framed—has no place in higher education.
This article was originally published in The Times of Israel.
