Disclaimer: I'm not here to talk about the Israel/Palestine conflict. Don't worry, there are already millions (literally millions) of articles written on that. At the moment, I'm more concerned with the troubling correlation between anti-Israel sentiment, and anti-Semitism in the global community.
Last week, American-Jewish reggae singer Matisyahu’s concert at Spain’s Rototom Sunsplash music festival was canceled. In a statement made on his Facebook page, the singer explained that the festival organizers were being pressured by BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanction), an anti-Israel activism group, to cancel his concert, and were asking him to make a public statement denouncing Israel in order to pacify these activists. But here’s the kicker: Matisyahu isn’t from Israel, he does not have any form of Israeli citizenship, and does not make mention of any political views in his music. The reason he was being singled out is because he is Jewish.
Recommended for you
Matisyahu rejected the ultimatum and described the experience as “appalling and offensive, that as the one publicly Jewish-American artist scheduled for the festival, they were trying to coerce [him] into political statements” when the same was not asked of they other non-Jewish artists. He defended his decision and explained, “regardless of race, creed, country, cultural background, etc, my goal is to play music for all people. As musicians that is what we seek.”
In short, Matisyahu was targeted by BDS because is he Jewish, and then asked to submit to these activists and publically denounce the actions of a country whose policy he is not involved in. Why does it matter what Matisyahu thinks about Israel? Why should a person who is Jewish be punished and boycotted due to the actions of a country they aren’t even from? Why should any individual have to publically apologize for the actions of other people whose faith they share? Simply being Jewish does not make somebody responsible for the actions of Israel, nor does it mean that they should have to apologize for it.
But unfortunately, the case of the blurred lines between Anti-Israel and Anti-Semitic is not particular to Matisyahu. It is representative of a much larger trend taking place throughout the global community. This past year, there has been a dramatic spike in anti-Semitism across the world, which began rising during Israel and Hamas’ clash last summer. And nowhere has this trend been more visible than on college campuses. At NYU, an anti-Israel group slipped fake “Eviction Notices” under the doors of Jewish students. At UCLA, a Jewish student was almost rejected from joining her school’s judicial board out of fear that her Jewish background would affect her decision-making. In South Africa, the student council of Durban University voted to expel all Jewish students, “especially those who do not support the Palestinian struggle.” At UC Davis, a Jewish fraternity was covered with swastikas following a BDS campaign on campus. Altogether, well over half of Jewish college students in the United States have reported experiences of anti-Semitism in a single school year. As Vox.com put it, “The implication is that Jews are a suspect class, that all Jews are presumed responsible for the actions of Israel, and that it is appropriate to demand that Jews affirmatively prove they have the "right" loyalties and beliefs.” No one person, regardless of race, religion, or beliefs, should be held responsible for the actions of those they share an affiliation with.
Discourse and debate are important, especially over heated and nuanced issues such as the Israel/Palestine conflict. But to hold each individual Jewish person responsible for the actions of Israel both distracts from the actual issue, and contributes to the already rising levels of anti-Semitism around the world.
Israel was created as a refuge for the Jewish people from the unrelenting hatred, discrimination, and genocide that they’d experienced for thousands of years. So it is ironic that so many anti-Israel activists are only further perpetuating the need for a place like Israel.
man running in forestPhoto by 
