We are UC Jews for Ceasefire, a multigenerational group of local Jews in Urbana-Champaign who stand in solidarity with the movement for Palestinian liberation. Since February of 2024, we have built and continue to grow as a vibrant local Jewish space. Many of us connect our support for Palestinian liberation to our Jewish values, which hold all human life as sacred and demand that we wrestle with systems of oppression within our communities and beyond.
In recent years, rightwing and mainstream organizations, the mass media, and several US government administrations have weaponized the concept of antisemitism to censure any criticisms of the state of Israel, including criticisms of Israel’s brutal attacks on the people of Gaza. Support for Palestinian human rights and self-determination are also being labelled as antisemitism. The widespread adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism, is a major driver of this weaponization and a cause of significant public confusion.
Too many Jewish institutions embrace modern political Zionism, including unwavering support for the state of Israel, as the only possibility for Jewish belonging and identity. They are accompanied by loud influential voices in the Christian Zionist movement as well as Project Esther, promoted by the Heritage Foundation and supporters of Project 2025 to wage a national campaign that furthers this manipulation of meaning. At the same time, more and more Jewish people are rejecting Zionism and questioning Israel’s legitimacy as they learn about the history of Zionism and persecution of the Palestinian people. Considering Jewish history, it is impossible for us to remain silent about another genocide, this time perpetrated in our name. “Never Again” must mean for all people everywhere.
A more germane definition of antisemitism is the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, which was developed by an international group of scholars with expertise in Jewish studies, Holocaust studies, and related fields. Signatories include four University of Illinois scholars. Here is the definition: “Antisemitism is discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews as Jews (or Jewish institutions as Jewish).” UC Jews for Ceasefire is opposed to real antisemitism and all forms of discrimination. We know that real antisemitism is on the rise across the world, and we realize that equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism is a strategy that makes it harder to address the real thing, and not only harms Jews but the society at-large.
While the weaponization of antisemitism has been an issue across US administrations, it is especially relevant now due to the recent executive orders on antisemitism that specifically target institutions of higher education. Already in 2024, the UIUC administration signed an agreement with the Office of Civil Rights of the US Department of Education to implement several measures ostensibly aimed at combating antisemitism – but that in reality stifle speech and academic freedom in our local community. We call out these false claims of antisemitism that are being used to harass, silence, and attack scholars who dare to critique Israel, organizations that promote solidarity with Palestinians and the victims of Gaza, and ignore the voices of Jewish people who critique the weaponization of Zionism as a tool for promoting white supremacy.
We call on all people of good will to think more deeply about what constitutes true antisemitism, and to oppose that concept’s weaponization for US military, economic, and diplomatic support for the state of Israel. We urge all local, state, and nationally elected officials to take whatever actions they can in promoting free speech, freedom of assembly, and the protection of human rights for all, citizens and non-citizens alike. And we call on all university officials to do what they can to protect the rights of and to offer assistance to those advocating for a liberated Palestine in our community, including university students, staff, and faculty.
We encourage everyone to engage with the rich diasporic diversity of perspectives in our communities, and resist the one-dimensional narrative that Zionism is the only way to keep us safe from antisemitism. We know that our safety is intertwined with the people of Palestine - and none of us can be free until all of us are free!