As antisemitism surges in America in a way that we haven’t seen in decades — antisemitic incidents are at an all-time high and attacks on Jews have become commonplace — there is much discussion as to whether anti-Zionism is antisemitism. 

This came together in the debate about whether institutions should adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, which incorporates a host of examples related to Israel and when they should be labeled as Jew hatred. Those who opposed it did so on grounds that it inappropriately conflated critiques of Israel with antisemitism.  

Others argued that in a post-Holocaust world, historical antisemitism was a shameful act and, in its place, hiding behind criticism of the Jewish state, was anti-Zionism, which was far more respectable. Therefore, it was important to label it what it was, so the argument went. 

While there is some value to this conversation, in many ways it misses the critical point. 

It is less important to determine whether anti-Zionism is or is not antisemitism, and far more important to recognize........

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