The whole “It’s not antisemitism, it’s anti-Zionism” trope has largely been an attempt to cover up how hateful Israel’s critics are.
But, in principle, Israel’s government shouldn’t be immune from criticism just because it is a Jewish state, and Jews have a history of being oppressed. Everyone must be held to a minimum moral standard, regardless of who they are.
Yet, we all know that the pressure campaign against Israel–and especially the lies and propaganda used to slander it–is motivated by hatred of the Jews. You can see it in the Nazi salutes, the calls for the elimination of Jews, and the support for Hamas. You could disagree with Israel’s tactics without calling for its destruction and the murder of all Jews, but few of Israel’s critics do.
For instance, things like this are now common, or variations thereof:
“The Queens College event — which was over Zoom — was abruptly interrupted by what appeared to be a group of attendees who turned on their cameras and microphones and began yelling slurs, including ‘kill all the Jews’ and ‘go back to Auschwitz.'”https://t.co/5dFdgAAbcD
— Bianna Golodryga (@biannagolodryga) September 12, 2025
An Israeli law professor was only minutes into her online lecture about the erosion of the rights of women and sexual minorities in her country on Monday when an eruption of hate and misogyny filled the screen.
The Queens College event — which was happening over Zoom — was abruptly interrupted by what appeared to be a group of attendees who turned on their cameras and microphones and began yelling slurs, including “kill all the Jews” and “go back to Auschwitz.” Instead of faces on the screen, pornographic and disturbing images appeared, including pictures of dead bodies and video clips of male masturbation.
Even for the professor, Yofi Tirosh, a seasoned civil rights activist accustomed to hostility, the incident was shocking. She and a moderator quickly removed the disrupters, but after she resumed speaking, frustration and tears threatened to overwhelm her. She managed to complete the lecture without revealing her distress, she said in an interview.
Again, it is a college at which this happened. Already, the event was held by Zoom to avoid physical confrontations–such as the assassination of Charlie Kirk or the kidnapping of Riley Gaines in San Francisco State–and yet the Palestinian activists still invaded the space and virtually attacked and tried to silence a Jew because she was a Jew.
Yofi Tirosh is a human rights activist and objects to her government’s policies, but that did not matter. She was a Jew and belonged in Auschwitz according to these vile “protesters.”
“It’s just anti-Zionism” doesn’t cover it, or all the similar events that take place every day. They happen at Harvard, UCLA, Columbia, Queens College, and campuses around the country. These vile people march in our streets, spew hate everywhere they go, including online, and yet vast numbers of people make excuses for them.
Yes, you can criticize Bibi Netanyahu or the entire Israeli government without being antisemitic–some people genuinely fit that category. But even most of them brush away the fact that most of their allies are literally calling for the genocide of Jews and supporting terrorists devoted to that goal.
They are antisemites, and if you want to criticize Israel without being labeled one, loudly, clearly, and unequivocally denounce the antisemites.
Not with an “I don’t approve of X, but…” With no equivocation. No hemming and hawing, and no making excuses for Hamas or calls for “decolonization.”
Otherwise, you are an antisemite, whether you believe you are or not.
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