The Root-System of Assaults on Human Rights

On April 13, eighteen NC rabbis published “Jewish Safety and Democratic Values – A Passover Message.” The rabbis strongly criticized violations of constitutional rights “under the guise of fighting antisemitism.” Over 150 interfaith leaders supported their principled stand. As these moral leaders from diverse faith traditions make clear, Jewish pain and fear must not be used as an excuse to “attack political opponents, end free speech, terrorize our communities, and undermine civil society.” I welcomed their letter. However, in my view, it did not go far enough.

The reality is that hard-right Zionist groups like Canary Mission and Betar USA, little known to the general public, have been aggressively targeting and harassing pro-Palestinian human rights advocates for several years. They are actively facilitating the very unconstitutional abductions and detentions that the rabbis rightly decry. In the name of hunting “antisemitic activity,” Canary Mission and Betar USA have compiled an extensive list of students from dozens of universities who participated in Gaza solidarity protests last spring, or were vocally supportive of Palestinian rights. One of those students was Tufts University Ph.D. student and Fulbright Scholar Rumeysa Ozturk. She co-authored an op-ed in her campus newsletter challenging the university administrators to be more responsive to student concerns about Gaza. Although her op-ed was clearly constitutionally-protected free speech, Canary Mission accused her of antisemitism, and turned her information over to the Department of Homeland Security. Without due process, federal agents abducted her and transported her to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana. She is not alone. Columbia University students Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, and Georgetown scholar Badar Khan Suri, have been falsely accused of “antisemitic activities,” abducted, and detained without due process. Canary Mission and Betar USA are working hand-in-glove with the Trump administration, utilizing AI and facial recognition, to abduct and remove as many student activists as possible. These students are the first, but they won’t be the last.

To stop these abuses of state power, we will need additional actions. Extremist non-governmental groups like Canary Mission and Betar USA believe that those who stand up for Palestinians and criticize Israel’s atrocities are “antisemitic.” This is a false and dangerous view. Unequivocal and repeated repudiation of this misconception by more Jewish leaders would be extremely helpful. As long as this misconception is allowed to stand, it will be exploited by anti-Palestinian zealots to harm good people who are following their conscience and exercising their democratic rights. These groups are well-resourced and supported by powerful people. Until their funding dries up and their work is discredited, they are bound to continue. We also need more Jewish leaders to discourage the uncritical use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. It conflates criticism of the state of Israel with hatred of Jews. Kenneth Stern, the author of the IHRA document, has been very clear that he never intended the IHRA to be used as a “speech code.” Unfortunately, many universities and even governments are relying on the IHRA in exactly that way, which has led to numerous abuses. These harmful beliefs and the organizations that are weaponizing them are a root-system fueling the governmental assaults on anti-genocide activists and defenders of Palestinian rights. Uprooting these systems will not be quick or easy. But doing so will reduce great harms and open the way for real progress toward a just and lasting peace in Palestine-Israel.