Tulane Webinar: When is Criticism of Israel Antisemitic?
Antisemitic French cartoon depicting Israeli soldiers as bloodthirsty and Zionism as a murderous ideology. (ADL)
by Richard Friedman
Not all criticism of Israel is antisemitic. But some of it is. Recognizing the difference is crucial in this day and age to combat rising antisemitism.
This truth was at the heart of one of many observations made during a Sept. 9 webinar sponsored by Tulane University that probed contemporary antisemitism.
Three panelists — the head of the Anti-Defamation League and two prominent academics who have studied antisemitism — offered an array of insights, triggered by a new ADL publication “Antisemitism Uncovered: A Guide to Old Myths in a New Era.”
ADL is considered to be the world’s leading monitor of antisemitism. In May 2020, ADL reported that “the American Jewish community experienced the highest level of antisemitic incidents last year since tracking began in 1979, with more than 2,100 acts of assault, vandalism and harassment reported across the United States.”
All three webinar participants worked on this new ADL publication, which is designed to help people better understand the historical roots of anti-Jewish attitudes and behavior and how, despite its recent upward surge, there really is nothing new under the antisemitic sun.
The program, moderated by Tulane assistant professor of Jewish Studies Golan Moskowitz, featured a conversation among Jonathan Greenblatt, executive director of the ADL; historian Jonathan Sarna of Brandeis University; and Magda Teter, professor of history and Shvidler Chair in Judaic Studies at Fordham University. The event was sponsored by the Tulane Department of Jewish Studies.
Words, Actions
Among the myths that this new ADL publication debunks is the belief by some of Israel’s more strident critics that their verbal attacks and activities against the Jewish state are not antisemitic. This belief allows them to continually attack the Jewish state, free from being held accountable for their words and actions, which often ignite and encourage others.
It is generally agreed that fair and proportionate criticism of actions by the Israeli government is not antisemitic; while attacks on Zionism and Israel’s right to exist are antisemitic, especially those that seek to isolate Israel and/or invoke negative Jewish stereotypes. (Zionism is the belief that Jews have a right to a sovereign country in some part of their Biblical homeland.)
The section of “Antisemitism Uncovered” that deals with legitimate criticism of Israel versus antisemitic attacks on the Jewish state includes this February 2019 quote from French President Emmanuel Macron: “Anti-Zionism is one of the modern forms of antisemitism. Behind the negation of Israel’s existence, what is hiding is the hatred of Jews.”
In addition to the unwillingness to recognize that criticism of Israel can be antisemitic, other factors contributing to the growth of anti-Semitism today include Jews and others not fully recognizing the problem; the politicizing of anti-Semitism, which diminishes its impact by turning it into a political issue; leaders in government, entertainment and sports not speaking out quickly and decisively enough to condemn antisemitism; and personalities and celebrities with broad and influential platforms not realizing the full implications and history of their anti-Jewish and anti-Israel remarks and actions.
“Antisemitism Uncovered,” according to ADL, “is a comprehensive resource with historical context, fact-based descriptions of prevalent antisemitic myths, contemporary examples and calls-to-action for addressing this hate.”
A goal of “Anitsemitism Uncovered,” according to Greenblatt, is to sensitize as many people as possible to the thematic areas covered, so that people have a greater understanding of the insidious background and harmful effects of antisemitism. At the heart of “Antisemitism Uncovered” is the belief that by educating people about the hatred and violence against Jews that these age-old stereotypes generated over the centuries, people today will become more attuned to combating what may seem to be random and potentially harmless antisemitic remarks and actions.
The specific anti-Jewish myths that the new ADL publication explores include Jews have too much power;Jews are disloyal; Jews are greedy; Jews killed Jesus; Jews use Christian blood for religious rituals; The Holocaust didn’t happen; Anti-Zionism or criticism of Israel is never antisemitic. Each section includes historical and contemporary context and strategies for responding.
Irrational Blame
“We are operating in a moment right now where antisemitism unfortunately is on the rise,” Greenblatt told the webinar audience. Compounding it is Covid, Greenblatt added, with some elements of society irrationally blaming Jews for the pandemic, and in some cases, suggesting they are profiting from it. Jewish greed, it was noted, is a classic anti-Semitic stereotype going back centuries.
Historian Sarna said, “I think we can see a large generation gap in the way recent events have been seen. For young people, it was a complete surprise to see antisemitism. What they had heard was American Jews had become ‘white folks’ and they had come to believe that antisemitism had ended.” History shows that antisemitism is cyclical, and often is a reflection of larger social problems, which helps explains what is going on today, said Sarna. For older people, the reappearance of antisemitism was less surprising, he added.
Today, many observers believe that antisemitism is coming from three sources that otherwise have little in common ideologically — the far right, far left and radical Islam. “They are certain their problems are caused by the Jews,” said Sarna.
Panelist Teter recently wrote a book on the blood libel — the false accusation that began centuries ago claiming that Jews use the blood of Christians and Christian children in particular for ritual purposes. When she started on the book, Teter thought she would be mainly doing historical research. Today, because of what she sees as behaviors reflecting ancient anti-Jewish myths and attitudes, she says, “I find myself in the twilight zone” —in a surreal and unimaginable situation.
She envisioned her book focusing on the 15th to 18th centuries, yet it begins with ADL calling on Facebook to shut down a site promoting the myth of Jewish ritual murder. In 2019, she notes almost in disbelief, white supremacists are referencing accusations made in Italy in the 1400s to justify their hatred of Jews. “My book, sadly, is very relevant to what’s happening in America today.”
Those who’ve enlisted in the fight against antisemitism face two obstacles, Greenblatt observed. “I think we live in a charged moment where everything is politicized, and we shouldn’t be surprised that antisemitism is a partisan tool, whether it comes from the left or right. And when it becomes a political cudgel, the Jewish people lose.”
The second obstacle, the ADL director said, is that given the heavily-publicized prejudices that other groups face, such as African-Americans, people downplay antisemitism, asking, “Is it really a problem?”
Clearly from this thought-provoking webinar and the conversation among these three experts, the answer is yes. It is really a problem.
