There is a dangerous illusion circulating in today’s public discourse. It is the claim that anti-Israel activism is merely political criticism, that it is confined to policy debates and human rights concerns. Yet time and again, some of the most vocal anti-Israel activists prove that they are not simply anti Zionist. They reveal something far older and far uglier. They reveal antisemitism.

History teaches us a painful lesson. Nearly every catastrophe that befell humanity was at some point blamed on the Jews. During the Black Death in medieval Europe, Jews were accused of poisoning wells and spreading the plague. Entire communities were massacred based on lies. Centuries later, conspiracy theories again surfaced during outbreaks of disease, including the Spanish flu. Instead of confronting fear with reason, societies reached for an ancient scapegoat.

The lies did not stop at disease. Blood libels accused Jews of baking matzah with the blood of Christian children. Circumcision was slandered as a perverse act carried out by immoral men. Jews were portrayed as secretly controlling the world’s finances, manipulating governments, and orchestrating wars. These myths were not fringe ideas. They were repeated for generations, embedded into culture, sermons, and political propaganda.

Nothing was learned from the Inquisition. Nothing was learned from the pogroms across Europe and the Middle East. Nothing was learned from the massacre of Jews in Hebron in 1929. Nothing was learned from the Holocaust, the systematic murder of six million Jews under the Nazi regime. Nothing was learned from the countless terrorist attacks that targeted Jews simply for being Jewish.

Consider the attack on the Israeli Olympic team at the Munich Olympics in 1972, where eleven athletes were murdered by terrorists. Consider the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985, during which a Jewish passenger was brutally killed. Consider the hijackings of aircraft operated by Sabena. Consider the hostage crisis in Entebbe, where Jewish passengers were separated from others before a dramatic rescue operation. And of course, consider the massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, when families were slaughtered in their homes, children abducted, and elderly people dragged into captivity.

Each time, the world says never again. Each time, the hatred resurfaces in a new form.

Today it hides behind the language of anti Zionism. It claims to oppose a state, not a people. But when conspiracy theories spread that every Jewish individual is somehow collectively responsible for Israel’s policies, the mask slips. When someone argues that because a criminal such as Jeffrey Epstein was Jewish, his crimes must somehow implicate Israel or world Jewry, we are not witnessing political critique. We are witnessing classic antisemitic guilt by association.

When fringe groups such as Neturei Karta are held up as the authentic voice of Judaism because they oppose Israel, it reveals intellectual dishonesty. This small, marginal sect does not represent mainstream Jewish life. It has little connection to the lived reality of Israeli society or to the global Jewish community. Yet anti-Israel activists frequently amplify them as proof that even Jews reject Israel. It is a cynical tactic, not an honest debate.

Under my own social media posts, I see the same patterns repeated. A small but persistent group floods the comment sections with recycled conspiracy theories. They claim that global events are orchestrated by Jewish interests. They suggest that Middle Eastern leaders are part of some hidden Jewish plot if they are not found on a supposed list. They twist every tragedy into an anti-Israel narrative. Facts are ignored. Context is erased. Emotion replaces evidence.

The most disturbing aspect is not the extremists themselves. It is how easily ordinary people absorb and repeat these claims. In the digital age, misinformation travels faster than correction. A dramatic accusation will always outperform a nuanced explanation. And so, ancient myths are repackaged for a new generation.

Criticizing Israeli government policy is legitimate. Israelis themselves do it daily in a vibrant democracy. But denying the Jewish people the right to self determination, holding Jews collectively responsible for global events, or resurrecting medieval libels is not political critique. It is antisemitism.

The Jewish state exists because history demonstrated what happens when Jews have no refuge. After centuries of exile, discrimination, expulsions, and genocide, the establishment of Israel was not a colonial project. It was an act of survival and self determination. To demand that the one Jewish state disappear while accepting dozens of other nation states built around ethnic or religious majorities is a double standard that cannot be ignored.

Antisemitism disguised as anti Zionism is not fading. It is intensifying. It appears in university protests, in online campaigns, and in casual conversations where conspiracy theories are repeated as facts. The language may change, but the core message remains the same. Jews are blamed. Jews are singled out. Jews are portrayed as uniquely malevolent.

The only antidote is truth. Facts must be repeated even when they are inconvenient. History must be taught accurately. Lies must be confronted calmly but firmly. Silence is not neutrality. Silence allows normalization.

If we want a world where antisemitism never again becomes mainstream, we must refuse to tolerate it in any form, including when it is dressed up as political activism. Calling out hatred is not censorship. It is responsibility. Standing up for Israel’s right to exist is not extremism. It is a defense of the principle that every people deserves safety and sovereignty.

The lesson of history is clear. When antisemitism is ignored, it grows. When it is challenged with facts and moral clarity, it loses its power. The choice is ours.

Time To Stand Up for Israel

Time To Stand Up for Israel is an independent foundation dedicated to fighting misinformation, countering antisemitism, and providing clear, fact-based education about Israel. We do not engage in internal Israeli politics. We stand on two core principles: Israel has the right to exist. Israel has the duty to defend itself.

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