A friend from high school who actually reads my blog, asked me to write about the root of the student protests on college campuses and the antisemitism that has exploded in our country.

First, let me say I believe it is possible to disagree with policies of the Israeli government and still support the existence of the Jewish state. That is the position of many Jews in America.

It is also possible to abhor Hamas and all that it stands for and at the same time be horrified by the loss of innocent life in Gaza.

I would pose several ideas that I think are clear.

First, it was inevitable after the massacre by Hamas on October 7, 2023, that Israel would decide to rid Gaza of Hamas by destroying their capacity to attack Israel. One can debate the methods used by Israel and whether they should have allowed more humanitarian aid into Gaza, but to expect Israel to not seek to destroy Hamas, especially after Hamas announced they would do this again, was not only foolish, but created unreasonable expectations.

Protests calling for a cease fire and release of all hostages was, in my mind, reasonable. Excusing Hamas and calling for the end of the Jewish state is not. Rather it is a narrative that expects a country founded by a people who were denied access or aid at the time of the Holocaust, to not continue to provide a place that would always welcome Jews.

The forces of antisemitism in our country were unleashed long before the Gaza war. While always an undercurrent in American life, the emergence of authoritarian populism gave it new life. In case one thinks I exaggerate, note that the Proud Boys and their ilk routinely embrace Nazi slogans and attitudes. For those who doubt me, look at who wears “Camp Auschwitz” t-shirts and who marched in Charlottesville chanting, “Jews will not replace us,” which is connected to the “replacement” theory racing around right-wing social media.

However, it would be a mistake to ignore the emerging antisemitism on the left. When the atrocities of Hamas are ignored and the State of Israel is held to a standard that no other country is, what does that mean?  There is plenty to disagree about with the current Israeli government. However, are they worse than China or Russia?  Iran or North Korea?  Or for that matter Hungary and Saudi Arabia?

I hope the latest peace initiative succeeds. No one can help but be undone by the carnage in Gaza.

If the war can end and, perhaps, a government emerge in Israel that doesn’t encourage lawless behavior by settlers, there can be a possibility of relief for all concerned.

In the meantime, we need to recognize what is going on and not fall into the trap of seeing those we support as only behaving well. And, most importantly, regardless of your sympathies, we need to stop viewing Jews and Palestinians as the “other” which allows people to kill them with impunity.