In an attempt to silence criticism of Israel, accusations of “anti-Semitism” have increasingly been leveled against those protesting Israel’s Gaza war. To discuss this trend, on today’s show, host Allen Ruff is joined by critic and essayist Abba Solomon. 

They talk about the history of Zionism from the nineteenth century on and how this movement had allies in anti-Semitic groups. Solomon shares his insight into strands of non-Jewish Zionism and how Zionism became such a hegemonic viewpoint in the US. Ruff and Solomon also discuss how younger generations of Jews in the US identify less with the state of Israel than older generations. 

Solomon also weighs in on the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which would outlaw criticism of Israel and contribute to an effort to smear and intimidate the oppositional movement on US campuses and elsewhere. This position is often based on the conflation of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.

While certainly not new, the claim that criticisms of Zionism and Israel are anti-Semitic has reached new heights as growing numbers of dissenting Jewish individuals and organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace have been dubbed “anti-Semitic.” 

Abba Solomon is a researcher of the history of American Jews and Zionism. He is the author of The Miasma of Unity: Jews and Israel and The Speech, and Its Context: Jacob Blaustein’s Speech “The Meaning of Palestine Partition to American Jews.” 

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