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Why Anti-Zionism Is Anti-Semitism

(Toronto Sun-Canada) Shuvaloy Majumdar and Michael M. C. Reardon - Of the pernicious tropes spawning from our political extremes, the most egregious is the conferral of "white settler" status upon Jews - an indigenous people defined both by religion and by multi-ethnic identity. "White settlers" are apex oppressors on the hierarchy of racial grievances, and Jews - with their inseparable Zionism - do not count among today's trending persecuted groups. This ill-conceived "white settler" trope negates the existence of millions of Jews from Arab lands, and overlooks the reality that Eastern European Jews have never been considered "white," either by self-identification or by anti-Semites. Anti-Zionism extends beyond mere critique. It denies Israeli legitimacy and the right of Jews to defend a homeland secured through existential wars. It denies Israel's capital, Jerusalem, and sympathizes with bad actors who commit violence against synagogues and Jewish neighborhoods. It denies the noble cause of self-determination for an indigenous people, including their right to self-defense from genocide. Ultimately, anti-Zionism nurtures aspirations to exterminate Jews. Any denial of Israel's right to exist and defend itself is a denial of the right of Jews to exist and defend themselves. Shuvaloy Majumdar is Foreign Policy Director & Munk Senior Fellow at the Macdonald Laurier Institute. Michael M. C. Reardon is Director of the Eckstein Institute for Jewish-Christian Relations.
2022-02-03 00:00:00
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