Now is the Time to Call Out Anti-Zionist Activism

The rise of anti-Zionist groups on college campuses is a disturbing trend that has gained momentum in recent years. Groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine often claim they are not antisemitic; they say that they are only “anti-Zionist” and that their cause is political. However, in practice they routinely fail to raise such distinctions. While the principles of freedom of speech and expression are critical values that must be upheld at the university level, these anti-Zionist groups often cross the line, directing their “activism” toward Jewish students, faculty and Jewish organizations on campus.

While not all critics of Israel are antisemitic, many anti-Zionists use language and tropes that demonize Israel and the Jewish people. This is particularly concerning, given the rise in antisemitic incidents on college campuses. Moreover, it is important to recognize that many of these campus groups do not seek to promote peace or dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. Rather, they delegitimize Israel and provide moral cover to those who call for Israel’s destruction, often giving them a big platform to do so.

Just last week, CUNY Law School’s commencement speaker, Fatima Mousa Mohammed, used her platform not to speak about the accomplishments of her law school class, but rather to bash Israel and promote dangerous antisemitic rhetoric. Mohammed has an extensive history of delegitimizing Israel’s right to exist and has tweeted her wish that “every Zionist burn in the hottest pit of hell.” She continued in the speech to accuse Israelis of being colonial settlers and engaging in indiscriminate violence, among many other things. Mohammed’s anti-Zionist tirade was pure hate speech, but it took the chancellor and board of trustees two weeks to issue a statement denouncing it. In the meantime, Mohammed received a standing ovation and the support of law school professors.

This type of behavior is not unique. Last year, CUNY Law invited Nerdeen Kiswani, founder of the pro-Palestinian organization Within Our Lifetime, to give the commencement speech. Not only has Within Our Lifetime called to “globalize the intifada,” which is a direct incitement of violence against Israel and the Jewish people, but also Kiswani herself has a deep history of statements calling for the destruction of Israel. In her commencement speech, she said she faces “a campaign of Zionist harassment” because of her Palestinian identity but conveniently leaves out the antisemitic bigotry espoused by the CUNY School of Law Students for Justice in Palestine chapter she led for nearly three years.

Despite this blatant antisemitism, thousands of students, professors and community members have praised Kiswani, Mohammed, and other anti-Zionist “activists,” including a CUNY professor who is part of the pro-Palestinian group Jewish Voice for Peace and described Kiswani as “intelligent, honorable, and courageous,” and CUNY Law’s Dean who applauded Mohammed and the hateful values for which she stands. Many faculty also do not believe that Jewish students feel unsafe on campus or that there is a “climate of antisemitism” in the presence of such figures.

Furthermore, Kiswani, Mohammed and campus anti-Zionist group members are not supporting Palestinian rights. Instead, their close-minded bashing of Israel makes it more difficult to have productive conversations and targets Jews, an ethnic minority on campus.

And for those that cast doubt on the extremism of these groups, their blatant antisemitism could not become more evident than when compared to the Iranian regime’s rhetoric. The regime has a long history of promoting hatred against Israel and the Jewish people, often directing its hatred toward Israel, Zionists and Jews all the same.

While the word “Jews” may not be used explicitly, it is obvious that these regime leaders are simply using “Israel” and “Zionism” as synonyms for “Jewish.” Iranian leaders have consistently denied the Holocaust, even endorsing a Holocaust caricature contest and exhibition to discredit this horrific genocide against the Jews. In 2011, former President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that “an important act for the Iranian people is to shatter the modern idol which is the Zionist regime.” The destruction of Israel and dismantling of Zionism has only been further normalized politically over the years—Iran’s current supreme leader, Khamenei, consistently emphasizes that “the solution to Palestine is in destroying the Israeli regime.”

Just a few weeks ago, over 130 members of Congress signed a bipartisan resolution demanding that the EU designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as an official terrorist group. The IRGC has freely engaged in violence, terror activities and human rights abuses for years and openly threatens democracy, Israel and the Jewish people. The urgency to pass this resolution and others pertaining to Iran is only a demonstration of the increasing threat Iran poses to the Jewish state as it moves dangerously close to obtaining a nuclear weapon.

As an Iranian Jew whose parents and grandparents were forced to flee Iran due to religious persecution, it breaks my heart to see the regime’s complete normalization of its “Death to America, death to Israel” mantra. Not only does the regime pose a physical threat to the United States and Israel, but also the rhetoric and values of its leadership, which have clear parallels to anti-Zionist campus organizations, endanger Jews around the world.

At the heart of both Iran’s and campus groups’ anti-Zionism are lies that are used to demonize Israel and delegitimize its right to exist. One such claim is that Israel is a white colonial power—an attempt to paint Israel as an oppressive force that seeks to dominate the Palestinian population. Figures such as Ahmadinejad have described Israel as a “Zionist regime that was created by imperialism.” In 2019, commander Salami of the IRGC declared that Israel’s “sinister regime must be eliminated from the geographies of the world.”

Similarly, a mock apartheid wall constructed by UC San Diego’s SJP and Muslim Student Association conveyed the idea that “the three basic characteristics of Zionism are: racism, expansionism, [and] settler colonialism.” In reality, Israel is a diverse and multicultural society that is home to many Arabs and other minority communities who have freedom and basic rights. Plus, more than half of the Israeli population is composed of Mizrahim, or Jews from the Middle East and North Africa, who are not white.

In reality, Israel is a diverse and multicultural society that is home to many Arabs and other minority communities who have freedom and basic rights.

Additionally, many anti-Zionist activists will claim that Zionism is racism. For instance, an SJP-sponsored speaker at Eastern Michigan University stated that “Zionism is a hateful, racist ideology.” This is a baseless accusation that is used simply to delegitimize the existence of a Jewish state. Zionism is not a racist ideology, but rather a foundational belief that has been at the heart of Judaism for thousands of years. Anti-Zionism rejects the idea of the Jewish state and its sovereignty.

Finally, we must address the claim of many campus groups that Israel engages in apartheid. This wrongful comparison of the Israeli government to the South African apartheid regime is the basis of events such as Israel-Apartheid Week and undermines Israeli democracy and humanitarianism. Israel is a democratic nation that grants rights to all its citizens, regardless of race or religion, and reducing Israeli-Palestinian relations to a narrative of apartheid is both inaccurate and dangerous.

Don’t get me wrong, legitimate criticism of Israel’s government or certain policies is not only acceptable but necessary. As a U.S. citizen, I cannot imagine not criticizing our government. Likewise, in Israel, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have been protesting against proposed judicial reforms. That criticism differs completely from the total delegitimization of Israel and its right to exist.

I support free speech and civil discourse on campus; these values form the bedrock of the university. However, we must recognize and call out anti-Zionist activism that promotes harmful and antisemitic messages. As students, this is our time to stand louder and prouder than ever.

Alexandra Ahdoot is a rising junior at Duke University. Originally from Great Neck, New York, she grew up as part of the Iranian-Jewish community and quickly developed a strong Jewish identity and Zionist values. At Duke, Alex co-founded Students Supporting Israel and is heavily involved in Chabad and Jewish life. She is also a 2022-2023 CAMERA on Campus Fellow.