On December 5, 2023, I joined Jewish college students outside the U.S. Capitol to protest a resolution that conflated criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. Our calls to reject the resolution fell on deaf ears. A public hearing was held two weeks ago and our concerns were also ignored. Only pro-Israel witnesses were called to testify.
For us progressive Jews, it's important to note that elected officials who proudly supported former President Donald Trump and dined with anti-Semites after he refused to denounce neo-Nazis are changing their politics. Our voices only seem to matter if we can tokenize a select few to achieve our goals.
Confusing anti-Semitism with criticism of the modern apartheid state is dangerous historical revisionism. It ignores the fact that there has always been strong and diverse Jewish opposition to Zionism since its conception. For decades, progressive Jewish movements have viewed Zionism as a dangerous form of nationalism, and some Holocaust survivors have openly condemned Zionist policies.
Like countless other Jews, I was raised to believe in expanding unity, fighting oppression and supremacy, and standing up for the sanctity of human life. The Torah states that all people are made B'Tselem Elohim (in the image of God) and sanctify their lives. The Talmud teaches that to save one life is to save the whole world, and commands Jews to fight so that no life is lost anywhere. These teachings drive the love I have for my faith and culture, and the heartbreak I feel every time I see the destruction that Zionism has wrought.
Israeli forces have killed more than 27,000 Palestinians since October 7, including more than 11,000 children. Of the tens of thousands of bombs dropped in Gaza, one of the world's most densely populated areas, almost half were unguided. Israel illegally attacked hospitals, UN-run school shelters, ambulances, and civilian evacuation routes, killing Palestinians indiscriminately. In areas such as Gaza City, which is more densely populated than New York City, entire districts have been flattened.
The Israeli government claims it is fighting to destroy Hamas. However, Israeli authorities have long supported the strengthening of Hamas, facilitated payments to it, and ignored intelligence reports about plans for attacks in southern Israel.
It is now clear that this is not a war against Hamas, but an ongoing genocide. Israel is illegally depriving people of food, water and medical supplies, leaving millions of civilians starving. It has systematically destroyed Gaza's health system, denying even the most basic services to the wounded and sick, making survival impossible for millions of Palestinians.
Israeli officials have publicly called for the complete destruction of Gaza, calling the fate of Palestinian civilians “more painful than death.” Israeli forces have even killed their own citizens taken hostage by Hamas, making it clear that Israeli soldiers have no “rules of engagement” when it comes to civilians.
Israel seeks to erase every aspect of the Palestinian state, including knowledge and culture. More than 390 educational institutions were destroyed in Gaza, along with all universities. Thousands of students and teachers were killed.
If this were happening in any other country, our universities would have been immediately armed, but they remain completely silent about the destruction of the Palestinian education system and the ongoing genocide. To make matters worse, many universities across the country continue to invest in industries that reinforce the brutality of the Israeli military.
University presidents often suppress condemnation of Israeli violence while asserting that it is in the safety and best interests of Jewish students. But attacking free speech and threatening students does not combat anti-Semitism on campus. There is nothing anti-Semitic about opposing genocide. Moreover, university authorities have consistently made it clear that they have little concern for the safety of students who exhibit pro-Palestinian attitudes, even if they are Jewish.
Earlier this month, members of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) groups were peacefully rallying to call for a ceasefire in Palestine when they were attacked with what appeared to be Israeli chemical weapons. was attacked with something that Columbia University campus. At least eight students were subsequently hospitalized.
University authorities decided to blame the victims, saying their protests were “unsanctioned and violated university policy.” Columbia University is one of many universities that has banned SJP and JVP chapters, promoting the dangerous and ahistorical conflation of Judaism and Zionism.
This kind of slander and hypocrisy is not new. As a student in Washington, D.C., I believe that while political commentators denigrate pro-Palestinian marches as “hotbeds” of anti-Semitism on campus, the November 14th March for Israel is an event that rejects anti-Semitism. I've seen people claim that.
Many of my Palestinians and Arabs have always stood in solidarity with the Jewish community, but are constantly threatened, harassed, and labeled as “terrorists” for supporting a humanitarian ceasefire and mourning their loved ones. continues to be stigmatized. As a Jewish woman, I have felt nothing but kindness and safety every time I have participated in Palestinian-led protests. I wouldn't have felt the same way at the March for Israel, with its chants of “No to ceasefire!” And speakers like John Hagee, a Christian Zionist televangelist who believes “God sent Hitler,” appeared.
There will always be differences of opinion within our community, but Zionist nationalism is not the norm, and right now Jewish Americans are shutting down highways, occupying elected officials' offices, and calling for ceasefires. He is chained to the gates of the White House with demands.
In the face of unspeakable violence, Palestinians continue to demonstrate resilience and selflessness, and the world owes them solidarity. It is not enough to declare that the actions of the Israeli government do not represent us. The sadness and anger we feel about the ongoing violence should motivate us to take action.
In 1965, civil rights activist Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote of the Selma to Montgomery march he participated in: My feet felt like they were praying. ”
Today, nearly 60 years later, we must also embrace protest as a form of prayer, as fighting injustice has long been the norm in our communities. As Jewish students, we must refuse to allow our identity to be corrupted to justify crimes against humanity. We must refuse to sit idly by while our taxes and tuition funds fund genocide in our name. Never again means never again for everyone.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.
