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6 | JANUARY 30 • 2020
G
rowing concern about
anti-Semitism locally,
nationally and global-
ly drew approximately 1,000
people to a community infor-
mational event Jan. 23 at Adat
Shalom Synagogue. The sense
of solidarity was palpable in the
packed sanctuary as people lis-
tened attentively to two panels
of speakers who gave views of
anti-Semitism from their van-
tage points as educators, rabbis,
security experts, community
relations professionals and a
historian.
Rabbi Jen Lader of Temple
Israel drove home the point that
anti-Semitism is affecting us
all by saying she recently asked
a class of 60 teens if they have
experienced anti-Semitism and
45 raised their hands. Several
years ago, she says, only a hand-
ful responded affirmatively.
Time for action is now.
Suggestions at the event
included reporting incidents
of anti-Semitism to the FBI,
law enforcement and the ADL;
confronting bigoted remarks as
they are experienced; support-
ing organizations combating
hatred; working person-to-per-
son with non-Jews to dispel
stereotypes; and backing other
communities also facing dis-
crimination.
Rabbi Yisrael Pinson of
Chabad in the D raised a point
that must be part of commu-
nity action. In his opening
remarks, he said he didn’
t think
the room should be filled with
Jews, but with non-Jews. “We’
ve
done nothing wrong,” he said
repeatedly, implying that others
need to become better edu-
cated about Jews to stem the
ignorance that often prompts
anti-Semitism.
In this spirit, there was
applause as non-Jewish law
enforcement officials and legis-
lators were introduced.
Outreach to other commu-
nities, beyond the usual leader-
ship partners in the Christian,
Muslim and African American
communities, can reveal com-
monalities and banish stereo-
types. With understanding
come strength and compassion.
It is incumbent on the spon-
sors of the event — the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit, ADL and the Jewish
Community Relations Council/
AJC — plus other Jewish com-
munity organizations, including
the JN (which will begin a year-
long series on anti-Semitism in
February), to stretch beyond
usual outreach efforts to be
inclusive of a broader Southeast
Michigan community.
This will require a tremen-
dous effort, but the rewards
now and for future generations
will be worth it.
Editorial
A Call to Action on Anti-Semitism
Editor’
s Note: This op-ed is
abridged from a report by
the Institute for the Study of
Global Antisemitism and Policy
(ISGAP). The report can be read
in its entirety at isgap.org.
J
ustice is an end for which
all people strive, and the
Palestinian people deserve
it no less than any other. Yet
no understanding of justice is
worth the name
if, in advancing
the aims of one
group, it disallows
the legitimate
cause of anoth-
er. Thus, when
an organization
denies Israel’
s
right to exist as a Jewish and
democratic state; when it
demonizes Israel by compar-
ing the Jewish state to Nazi
Germany or South African
apartheid; and when in making
demands of Israel it applies
double-standards that are not
applied to any other country in
the world, this organization is
not seeking justice. Rather, it is
promoting anti-Semitism, plain
and simple.
The reason for this is that
demonization, delegitimization
and double-standards against
Jews were the main tools of
anti-Semites for thousands
of years. Now, they are being
applied to the Jewish collective
in the State of Israel.
Indeed, after ongoing
debates, the international com-
munity has agreed upon a set of
criteria for determining when
criticism of Israel is anti-Semit-
ic. Applying these criteria, the
following report analyzes the
officially proclaimed aims of
Students for Justice in Palestine,
and the views of its central
figures, and unmasks them as
fundamentally anti-Semitic —
in nature. The findings herein
can certainly be used by those
on campuses seeking to com-
bat the pernicious influence of
this group. More than that, I
hope they will open the eyes of
everyone who sincerely wants
to better the world. The way to
justice is, clearly, not through
this organization.
According to studies con-
ducted by the Anti-Defamation
League, for example, anti-Se-
mitic propaganda, attacks,
campaigns and other incidents
in the United States have been
sharply on the rise over the last
several years.
Among the places that have
seen an increase in anti-Sem-
itism are college campuses in
the U.S. and Canada, where
movements such as the
Boycott-Divestment-Sanction
Movement (BDS) against Israel
have become more accepted.
One of the most active
anti-Semitic forces on North
American campuses is National
Students for Justice in Palestine
(NSJP). ISGAP has compiled
a comprehensive analysis of
NSJP and its anti-Semitic dis-
course, its ideological origins
and its terrorist connections. In
addition, the report examines
the ideology of Students for
Justice in Palestine (SJP) and its
anti-Semitic roots, as defined
by the International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance
(IHRA). The report also shows
SJP’
s connections to violence
and terror.
The findings of this report
are important to understand-
ing the problem of growing
anti-Semitism on campuses in
North America. NSJP annual
conferences continue to take
Natan
Sharansky
ISGAP Chair
essay
The Threat to Academic Freedom
continued on page 10