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By Linda Geller-Schwartz<\/strong><\/span> In mid-July of this year, progressive activists gathered at the Netroots Nation Conference<\/a> in Chicago. The meeting will be remembered for a very ugly incident when Representative Pamila Jayapal (D), attempting to quiet members of the audience who were shouting down Representative Jan Schakowsky (D), asserted that \u201cwe have been fighting to make clear that Israel is a racist state\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Within a day, Rep. Jayapal issued the inevitable \u201cclarification\u201d and rationalization of her statement (but not a retraction), which was followed by dozens of her fellow Democrats in Congress forcefully denouncing her remarks. A few days later, Israeli President Isaac Herzog gave a formal address to the U.S. Congress emphasizing the close, strong and enduring bonds between Israel and the United States.\u00a0 His remarks were enthusiastically applauded.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yet, the vision I am left with from those events is that of Rep. Schakowsky standing sheepishly on the Conference stage, pleading with the Netroots audience to let her be heard. She said: \u201cI want to say something to all of you. Know your allies. I am one of the highest-ranking Jewish members of Congress.\u201d She seemed mystified that the protesters didn\u2019t see her as a friend who also wanted justice for the Palestinians. Two days later she issued a statement<\/a>: \u201cI have always supported the existence of a Jewish and democratic state of Israel\u2026 and understand the crucial need for a strong Jewish state. And for my entire career, I have vocally supported justice for Palestinians, an end to the occupation, and a two-state solution guaranteeing the rights of all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Rep. Schakowsky simply doesn\u2019t get it.\u00a0 \u201cOccupation\u201d for the vocal protesters in that audience does not refer to the West Bank, it means the whole of Israel \u201cfrom the River to the Sea.\u201d Their goal is not a \u201cTwo State Solution,\u201d made up of a Jewish and democratic Israel and a separate Palestinian state, on a divided territory. When they say \u201cFree Palestine,\u201d they want one majority Palestinian state in the whole territory of the current Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. The last thing they are interested in is a strong Jewish state.<\/span><\/p>\n And the protestors are not just a tiny, fringe group. They are the product of an increasingly widespread narrative that led directly to Rep. Schakowsky\u2019s humiliating encounter. Usually, activists who want to isolate and silence someone who seeks justice for both Israelis and Palestinians, refuse to openly admit this is what they intend. They hide their anti-Israel animus behind a warped analysis of human rights. However, in November 2021, at the American Muslims for Palestine Conference,<\/a> Zahra Billoo, Executive Director of CAIR in San Francisco dropped the pretense and openly demanded: \u201cKnow who is on your side\u201d\u2026 and know who are \u201cyour enemies.\u201d According to Ms. Billoo, the enemies include the ADL, the Jewish Federations, the Zionist synagogues, the Hillel chapters on college campuses. In fact, she insists that all Zionist organizations should be on the enemies list, including the foreign policy organizations who want a two-state solution. She called the \u201ctwo-state solution\u201d a \u201cjoke\u201d and beseeched the rapt audience to \u201cOppose the vehement fascists, but oppose the polite Zionists too.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, is it any wonder that Rep. Schakowsky was shouted down with \u201cFree Free Palestine\u201d and \u201cIsrael is a Racist State\u201d? She is not regarded as an ally. She is seen simply as another Zionist Jew. The only way she could be regarded as an ally by the protesters, was if she openly denounced the existence of a Jewish democratic state and worked for its elimination. What was on display at the Conference was unvarnished antisemitism.<\/span><\/p>\n In the past, Rep. Schakowsky has actively opposed the acceptance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance<\/a> (IHRA) definition of antisemitism which makes it clear that delegitimization and demonization of Israel is a form of antisemitism. The IHRA, unlike the Nexus definition which she prefers, recognizes that anti-Zionism is almost always antisemitism.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I think Rep. Schakowsky needs to have a long, hard think about what happened to her, as a Jew, on that stage at the Netroots Conference and whether it is time for her to become a vocal supporter for the implementation of the IHRA definition, so that we can fight all forms of antisemitism in this country and abroad more effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n Antisemitism assumes many shapes in today\u2019s world. In order to recognize and understand its various manifestations, Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) created a presentation called Antisemitism Today.<\/em> We invite you to reach out to JCRC to request this presentation for you and your <\/span>networks. It provides a clear understanding of the IHRA definition and how it is an important tool in recognizing and combatting antisemitism. A second JCRC presentation, Decoding the Narrative,<\/em> explains the nature of the antisemitic language directed at Israel and identifies the strategies behind this narrative.<\/span><\/p>\n To bring these important presentations to your gated community, social club, professional group or organization, please contact:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Josephine Gon<\/span><\/strong> By Linda Geller-Schwartz Chair, Jewish Community Relations Council Published August 31, 2023 In mid-July of this year, progressive activists gathered at the Netroots Nation Conference in Chicago. The meeting will
\nChair, Jewish Community Relations Council<\/strong>
\nPublished August 31, 2023<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\nExecutive Director, Community Affairs<\/span><\/strong>
\njosephine.gon@jewishpalmbeach.org<\/a> or 561.242.6686<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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