Anti-Zionism Isn't Antisemitism
False Assumption: Opposition to Zionism is separate from antisemitism and does not lead to harm against Jews who support a Jewish state.
Written by FARAgent on February 11, 2026
Jews in North America grew up feeling safe from antisemitism, which seemed confined to history books. Incidents were rare exceptions, like synagogue graffiti in 1987.
After October 7, 2023, antisemitic attacks surged. Jewish schools were shot at repeatedly, shops set ablaze, mezuzahs ripped from doors, families attacked in homes. Fifteen Jews were massacred at Bondi Beach during Hanukkah celebrations. Responses often reframed these as anti-Zionist, not anti-Jewish.
Progressive circles pressured Jews to renounce Zionism for acceptance. A progressive professor friend viewed a bat mitzvah as politically fraught. Jews hid symbols like yarmulkes and Stars of David. Critics argue this distinction excuses harm, as 94% of Canadian Jews support Israel's existence as a Jewish state, yet only 1% identify as anti-Zionist. Growing evidence suggests conflating the two enables othering and silence on attacks.
People Involved
- An unnamed professor at a progressive US university acted in good faith. After October 7, 2023, he found a bat mitzvah politically uncomfortable. He othered the author over it. [1]
- Michael Inzlicht, a center-left university professor, played the role of cassandra. He tracked the surge in antisemitism after that date. He noted how progressives pressed Jews to disavow Zionism. Critics argue his accounts highlight flaws in the original assumption. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“A few summers ago, I was speaking to an old friend about my daughter, but as soon as I mentioned her bat-mitzvah, my friend froze, clearly uncomfortable.”— The Good Jew
“My life changed irrevocably two years ago. And I am far from alone.”— The Good Jew
Organizations Involved
Governments stepped in with statements against antisemitism. They condemned it in words. But action lagged behind. This inaction allowed the minimization to persist. [1] Institutions like these enabled the spread by doing little to counter it. Growing dissenters argue such passivity revealed deeper issues with separating anti-Zionism from harm. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“Governments will say antisemitism has no place in Canada or the UK or Australia, but hardly anything is ever done.”— The Good Jew
The Foundation
In the years leading up to October 2023, elites often drew a line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. They called it a reasonable distinction. Attacks, they said, targeted Zionists, not Jews as a group. This view fostered the idea that violence against Jewish institutions arose from politics, not identity. [1] Progressives saw opposition to Israel as a path to solving broader global problems. The stance gained traction in activist circles. Yet critics argue it overlooked the deep Jewish connection to Israel. Growing questions surround whether this separation held up in practice. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“folks weren’t murdered because they were Jewish but because they were Zionists”— The Good Jew
“being anti-Israel is the omnicause for progressives—destroy Israel and, like the Death Star, all the world’s problems disappear”— The Good Jew
How It Spread
By the 2010s, social media sites like Reddit helped spread the notion. Users minimized antisemitism by pointing to victims' supposed Zionism. Blame shifted to the targets themselves. [1] In progressive academic and social groups, the idea took root in subtler ways. Jewish rituals came to be seen as political statements. This othering became commonplace. Mounting evidence challenges whether such propagation stayed separate from outright bias. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“when a Jewish family was harassed at the Toronto Zoo simply for being Jewish, some commenters on Reddit wondered if the family brought this upon themselves not because of anything they said or did but because of their implied political views.”— The Good Jew
“the idea of attending a Jewish rite of passage felt different to him now. To my dear friend, a progressive university professor in the US, celebrating Jewish religious rituals now felt fraught, even political.”— The Good Jew
Harm Caused
After October 7, 2023, Jews encountered waves of physical violence. Shootings hit schools multiple times. Arson struck shops. Mezuzahs vanished from doors. Homes faced attacks. A massacre at Bondi Beach claimed fifteen lives. [1] Left-leaning Jews dealt with social exclusion. They hid religious symbols and ties to Israel to fit in progressive spaces. Othering pushed them out. [1] Many felt forced to embrace anti-Zionist views for acceptance. This stifled Jewish pride and beliefs in self-determination. Critics argue these harms challenge the assumption's core claim. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (3)
“Over the past two years, Jews around the world have been ostracized, vandalized, shot at, poisoned, and murdered. I could list incident after incident. The Jewish schools shot at multiple times, the shops set ablaze, the mezuzahs ripped from doors, the families attacked in their homes.”— The Good Jew
“My family and I are now worried for our physical safety. I told my daughter, who wears a Star of David necklace, to hide it in public. My father—an observant Jew—no longer walks in public with a yarmulke but hides it under a hat.”— The Good Jew
“Today, many young and progressive Jews need to have the correct political attitudes—read, anti-Zionism—to be “good Jews” and thus acceptable in progressive circles.”— The Good Jew
Downfall
The events after October 7, 2023, brought scrutiny. Attacks surged. Surveys showed only 1 percent of Jews identified as anti-Zionist. This gap exposed potential overlaps. [1] Jews began reconnecting with their identity in response. Mounting evidence challenges the idea that anti-Zionism stays separate from antisemitism. The debate continues, with critics pointing to these developments as turning points. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“Only 6% of Canadian Jews reject Israel as a Jewish state; just 1% identify as anti-Zionist. What’s actually happened is the opposite: the rise of what some call October 8th Jews—those of us who woke up the day after the massacre to find our supposed allies celebrating or silent.”— The Good Jew
Sources
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[1]
The Good Jewopinion