Stop Using Antisemitism as a Shield

I am Jewish.

Apparently, that’s the first thing I have to tell people before I can criticize the government of Israel.

If I wasn’t Jewish, some people would stop reading right there and accuse me of antisemitism. That’s the world we’ve created. Criticize Israel’s government, criticize the Israeli military, criticize Benjamin Netanyahu, and sooner or later someone will accuse you of hating Jews.

Well, I’m Jewish, and I’m sick of it.

I’m sick of watching every criticism of Israel get dismissed as antisemitism. I’m sick of politicians hiding behind that accusation whenever anyone questions what is happening in Gaza. I’m sick of seeing people who have never set foot in a synagogue appoint themselves as defenders of Jewish people while ignoring the concerns of actual Jews who disagree with them.

Most of all, I’m sick of watching the Israeli government make life harder for Jews everywhere else in the world.

Let’s start with the obvious.

The October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack was horrific. More than 1,200 Israelis were killed. Thousands more were injured. Civilians were murdered, families were torn apart, and hostages were taken. Hamas committed an atrocity, and anyone celebrating what happened that day is morally bankrupt.

That should not be controversial.

What should also not be controversial is what happened afterward.

Since the war began, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and many more have been injured. Entire neighborhoods have been wiped off the map. Hospitals, schools, apartment buildings, and refugee camps have been turned into rubble. The scale of death and destruction is impossible to ignore.

Yet every time someone points that out, the same response comes back.

“Antisemite.”

No, absolutely not.

Criticizing a government is not antisemitism.

Criticizing a military is not antisemitism.

Criticizing Benjamin Netanyahu is not antisemitism.

You know what actually fuels antisemitism? A government that constantly claims to speak on behalf of Jewish people around the world while carrying out actions that much of the world finds wrong.

I have spent my entire life being proud of my Jewish heritage. Now I find myself watching people conflate Judaism with the decisions of politicians and generals half a world away.

The Israeli government doesn’t represent me, nor does it represent every Jew. It doesn’t get to shield itself behind antisemitism every time someone questions its actions.

Then there is the issue of Palestinian land.

For decades, Israel has expanded settlements, tightened its grip on disputed territories, and steadily altered the reality on the ground. Supporters of these policies act shocked when Palestinians become angry. What exactly do they expect? If another country steadily took more and more of your land every year, would you simply accept it? Would you shrug your shoulders and thank them for it?

As Jews, we’re constantly told to view the conflict through Israel’s perspective. Rarely are we asked to imagine how it looks from the other side.

That doesn’t justify terrorism, but we need to stop pretending that the violence happens in a vacuum.

Then there are the videos.

Videos of dead civilians, of bombed neighborhoods, of grieving parents pulling children from rubble. Videos of soldiers making jokes amid destruction. The videos that spread across social media every single day.

Supporters of Israel demand that we condemn terrorists. Fine. I condemn terrorists.

Now what about the people cheering civilian deaths?

What about the documented allegations involving aid distribution sites?

What about the incidents that international organizations, journalists, and human rights groups continue to investigate?

Are we allowed to talk about those, or does criticism only work in one direction when Israel is involved?

And please, for the love of God, stop using the Holocaust as a shield.

The Holocaust was one of the worst crimes ever committed against humanity. Millions of innocent people, Jewish and non-Jewish, were murdered. It was evil, and it should never be forgotten.

But remembering the Holocaust doesn’t mean granting the Israeli government permanent immunity from criticism. No government gets to invoke the suffering of previous generations whenever someone questions their actions.

The lesson of the Holocaust was supposed to be “never again,” not “never criticize us.”

The world needs to stop making excuses and start demanding accountability.

If war crimes were committed, investigate them.

If military personnel committed atrocities, prosecute them.

If political leaders authorized unlawful actions, hold them responsible.

The standards applied to every other nation should apply to Israel as well.

No exceptions.

I am Jewish.

And I am tired of being told that I have to defend things I find indefensible simply because the people doing them claim to act in my name. Every time Israel responds to criticism by claiming to speak for all Jews, Jews around the world end up associated with decisions they never made. That’s unfair to us, and it’s dangerous.

They do not act in my name.

They never did.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written with AI assistance based on notes and direction provided by Sharon Durant. The views and opinions expressed are entirely her own.