Antisemitism Moves Into the Political Mainstream - Rosenfeld WSJ oped

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Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born writer intimately familiar with Islamist and anti-Israel extremism, recently warned that a global “purge of the Jews” is under way. It’s an ideological insurgency with a clear goal: “Erase not just Israel ‘from the river to the sea,’ but the Jewish people from the moral map,” Ms. Ali wrote in a recent essay. Her words ring true in this new world, where politicians refuse to denounce a “global intifada,” kosher restaurants become targets and lunatics shoot Jews on the street.

The purge includes the vilification of Israel and the blacklisting of Jews and Israelis in various professions by the unlikely pairing of militant Islamism and a revived Maoism. Together, their political credo of “resistance” and “liberation” declares that Jews are the oppressors and must be driven out of polite society.

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Open Jew-hatred is also politically mainstream, with “free Palestine” and “globalize the intifada” now a key part of the left’s political agenda. The Democratic nominee for New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, may not acknowledge the lethal nature of “globalize the intifada,” but to many who embrace the slogan, its meaning is clear: “Kill the Jews.” That is what Elias Rodrigues set out to do on May 21, when he killed Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky as they left the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. Detained by police, he chanted “Free Palestine” and “I did it for Gaza.” His double homicide was gleefully celebrated by far-left anti-Zionist groups, who hailed him as a hero acting out of love for the Palestinian people. They called for more of the same.

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Most Jews are Zionists, meaning they support Israel’s existence. Their adversaries know that. Ms. Ali described the anti-Zionist strategy as brilliantly simple: “Paint Israel as the nexus of evil. Then paint every Jew who doesn’t renounce it as complicit. Force them to choose: dignity or safety.” Jews faced with this choice recognize that Zionism and Israel under attack but so are they and the communities they live in. If they appear weak, they are more likely to be set upon than if they appear united, confident and strong. Caught with its guard down on Oct. 7, Israel suffered an unprecedented security setback. Its losses incited Jew-haters to target Jews everywhere. One Jewish response has been the elaborate security now in place at virtually every Jewish school, community center and synagogue in the U.S. and abroad.

But Jews need to do more, including recognizing the deceptive forms of “progressive” politics they are up against. Most people want peace, but boycotting Israel and targeting Jews won’t help anyone or “free” Palestine. For Jews, of all people, to participate in this delusion—and some do—is baffling. For instance, donations to the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace tripled after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. Its reported fundraising went from $3 million or $4 million annually to about $11 million after the massacre. Hamas rapes, burns, slaughters and kidnaps Jews, and contributions pour in to an openly anti-Zionist organization. Dumbfounding, but true.

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Mr. Rosenfeld is director of Indiana University’s Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism.