Jews against Jews is not so new - opinion

The pro-Palestinian encampments sweeping American universities and igniting antisemitic hyperbole across the continent are, one could argue, similar in some ways to the Nazi regime which swept through Europe in the 1930s. Of course, the idea that Jews today are facing the same threat as their brethren who lived in pre-war Europe is fanciful. 

Nevertheless, chants such as those heard in Charlottesville, “You will not replace us! Jews will not replace us!” and Columbia, “We have Zionists who have entered the camp!” are no less disturbing. 

Unlike those Jews trapped in Nazi-occupied Europe, however, Jews in today’s America can avoid being attacked by siding with the enemy, as a small, yet significant number have done. This option wasn’t afforded our European brethren in the 1930s, who, no matter what their views, were herded into the gas chambers along with everyone else.

What this hapless band of gullible pro-Palestinian Jews may not realize, however, is that they are being played. 

As the saying goes, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” These people stand in a long and ignoble tradition. From the days of escaping Christian persecution by conversion through to the Yevsektsiya (a Jewish section of the Soviet Communist Party established in 1918 to carry the Communist revolution to the Jewish masses), Jewish history is littered with examples of those among us who bore witness against their tribe. Modern-day groups, such as Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) are just the latest iteration in a long line of such turncoats. And they are making matters significantly worse for the rest of us.

Pushed to the fore, these gullible individuals are a godsend for the antisemitic/anti-Zionist groups with whom they have sided. Although they may be blissfully unaware, they are being used as “Jewish shields” – a front to support their bogus contention that their words and deeds are pure and in no way antisemitic. After all, how could they be if Jews themselves were on board?

Antisemitism is as old as the hills. However, in 1948, with the creation of the Jewish state, came modern-day anti-Zionism, a more acceptable conduit through which antisemites could express their antipathy toward Jews. 

Israel has also provided Jews with a way to ingratiate themselves into their host nations; say you’re anti-Israel and you can be part of the Western liberal gang – even if you’re Jewish!

The red line

BUT THERE is a red line here. When Jews align themselves with pro-Palestinian individuals and groups who express open support for terrorist regimes such as Hamas and Hezbollah, which are, by their own admission, hell-bent on Israel’s destruction and the killing of Jews, they have crossed that line.

With little to no understanding of the complexities of the situation that has led to the war in Gaza, these vulnerable Jews are ripe for manipulation. Unwittingly, they play into the hands of good, old-fashioned Jew-haters, providing cover for their racism. Why else are they be thrust to the fore in pro-Palestinian demos, or in front of the cameras at every opportunity?

Worse still, they turn a blind eye to the antisemitic language used by some while failing to support their fellow Jews who have come under attack. 

The US-based anti-Israel JVP, for example, claims a “commitment to Jewish communities,” despite its resistance to Zionism and “solidarity with Palestinians.”

On its website, the group boasts: “We organize our people and we resist Zionism because we love Jews, Jewishness, and Judaism. Our struggle against Zionism is not only an act of solidarity with Palestinians but also a concrete commitment to creating the Jewish futures we all deserve.” What!?

SIMILARLY, IN his recent op-ed on CNN, fourth-year Yale student, Ian Berlin, states that Yale Jews for Ceasefire, “exists because of – not in spite of – our Jewish values.” He then goes on to explain how Jewish teachings have influenced one of the core values of the group. “On the issue of divestment..., the Talmud teaches us that we may not sell weapons to those we suspect of using them criminally. Therefore, we have a duty to disrupt the manufacture and sale of military weapons that kill others, including those killing Palestinians.” 

While he refrains from mentioning Israel, it is clear that he is referring to his belief that the Jewish state is committing war crimes in Gaza.

Although a large number of Jewish students (and lecturers)  have experienced antisemitism on campuses across the States, including Yale, Berlin’s experience has been quite different. “At every turn, I have encountered a community of activists and organizers that is eager to listen, ready to learn, and committed to including Jewish voices and perspectives.”

Has he considered, perhaps, that this may be because he shares similar views to the anti-Israel mob that has taken over many US universities, often resorting to violence, resulting in dozens of arrests?

Many of these pro-Palestinian demonstrators have taken to covering their faces to avoid damaging their career prospects. When the masks come off, however, both literally and figuratively, it’s clear that it’s just pure unadulterated antisemitism that they’re hiding. 

As Israeli activist, Tamer Masudin, who was born in the Bedouin village of Wadi al-Na’am and now lives in Segev Shalom, a Bedouin town in the South, says on X: “Remember that: They were silent when Assad massacred half a million Syrians and Palestinians. They were silent when the Houthis restored slavery in Yemen. They were silent on Sudan’s ongoing collapse and starvation.

“No one in Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, or any Ivy League held massive protests for the victims in Yemen, Syria, and Sudan. No one. None. 0. Nada. 

“But they are very vocal when it comes to Jews defending themselves. Hence, it was never about Palestine.”

Every single Jew who has thrown in their lot with the pro-Palestinian movement would do well to remember that. Until they do, they will be used to sanitize the abhorrent, racist views of those with whom they stand.

The writer is a former lawyer from the UK who now lives and works in Israel as a freelance writer for The Jerusalem Post.