by Emily Alma
guest commentary posted June 18
Israel’s cruel and disproportionate response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks has elicited world-wide outcry, public horror at their actions, eclipsing our horror at the cruel Hamas actions against Israelis.
On the home front, popular uprisings continue unabated, spreading from action in the streets to union halls to university campuses to government employees resigning, to elected representatives in Congress – all demanding an end to hostilities, demanding an end to Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war, demanding an end to the flow of U.S. arms to Israel, demanding divestment from companies profiting from Israel’s war, demanding a permanent ceasefire and justice for Palestine.
The popular uprisings underway came after Israel’s immediate response to the Hamas attack: A brutal assault on all Palestinians in Gaza, immediately cutting off food, water and power to millions, bombing apartment buildings, on and on – unrelenting and escalating day by day, month by month.
But in response to the uprising, a dangerous precedent is being set: Accusations of antisemitism abound against those who oppose Israel’s war on Palestinians, resulting in severe restrictions to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, our First Amendment rights, the foundation of our democracy.
From the beginning of the uprising, those in power – law enforcement, boards of directors, university presidents, academic senates – have accused the protestors of antisemitism because of their nonviolent demonstrations against Israel’s brutal war. Nonviolent protestors, in the name of stopping antisemitism, have been summarily stopped, arrested, beaten, denied graduation, fired from their jobs, vilified, refused their right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
I am Jewish; my grandparents immigrated to this country escaping pogroms. Aware of antisemitism as a child who was taunted for being Jewish, my parents assured me and my siblings that “we are as good as anyone else” and to believe in justice and fair treatment to all. I am among the Jews who feel a deep comradeship with my Palestinian brothers and sisters. The hateful chant, “Jews will not replace us” from the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, August 2017, still rings inside me with horror.
True antisemitism must be stopped in every way possible; it is filled with hatred and leads to terrible violence against innocent people. I fear that the accusation of antisemitism for any criticism of Israeli actions has the effect of increasing sentiments of true antisemitism, which endangers the lives of Jews. I am frightened that a majority of our elected officials in Congress, including many Democrats who are Jews, have embraced this cruel distortion, and particularly that they justify Israel’s violence against innocent Palestinians on the basis of that distortion.
In the halls of Congress, two bills are working their way toward approval with bipartisan support. If passed, the bills could silence and censor the thousands of students and many others who actively oppose Israel’s actions, construing these nonviolent protests for peace and justice as antisemitic.
On their face these appear to be bills designed to protect Jewish people from the cruel discrimination we have experienced over centuries of history. However, with the current accusations of antisemitism being so distorted, these bills are likely to be employed as dangerous overreach.
H.R. 6090 – the Antisemitism Awareness Act
This legislation would direct the Department of Education to apply the working definition of antisemitism as established by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). This bill was approved on May 1 by the House with bi-partisan support. Many Democrats as well as our congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) voted in its favor.
S. 4091 – the Countering Antisemitism Act
Introduced on April 9, S.4091 is described as “a bill to strengthen Federal efforts to counter antisemitism in the United States.” It has bi-partisan co-sponsorship.
Defining Antisemitism:
In 2010, the U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism, which states: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. … … Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic. …”
This definition has now been adopted broadly by U.S. government entities. However, note the italicized portion of the IHRA definition (italics mine). With the claim of antisemitism in the current crackdown on peaceful demonstrations supporting Palestinians, it seems that in practice the second sentence is being ignored, and the first widened to include criticism of Israel in any form.
Israel is a political entity, a nation; criticizing actions of the state of Israel is no different than criticizing the actions of China, Iran, Russia, or the USA. The myth that opposition to any action of Israel is antisemitic is a political lightning rod designed to silence dissent and frighten politicians and citizens who stand up for human rights.
Labeling opposition to Israeli actions as antisemitism cheapens the real antisemitism that is a dangerous, and sadly, a growing reality in our world today.
It is of utmost importance that our president, senators and congressional representatives hear from us. If you feel as I do, I urge you to communicate with them that you abhor true antisemitism, and absolutely reject this dangerous distortion of the meaning of antisemitism as a threat to our democracy.
Emily Alma of Chico has been a human rights activist since joining the civil rights movement in 1961.