Several Jewish organizations penned a letter to President-elect Joe Biden earlier this month. The letter urged the Biden administration to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. Other parts of the letter made the President-elect aware of the ongoing problem of antisemitism on college campuses. This ignited a backlash among antizionists online, who mischaracterized the letter in a multitude of offensive ways.

One of the claims made insists the letter calls for critics of Israel to be censored. This is not true. It has also been said that the authors of the letter claim campus antisemitism should be prioritized over the riots on the Capitol earlier this month.

This is another lie. There have been countless Zionist Jewish organizations who condemned the horrific racism and antisemitism displayed at the Capitol. To act like they don't care or prioritize one form of antisemitism over another is just absurd. This lie is nothing more than a vicious attempt at discrediting a very real and necessary movement.

It's also a way of trying to deflect from their own antisemitism and avoid being held accountable.

What the letter actually does is call attention to other serious issues facing the Jewish community. It brings up the rising hate crimes against Jewish people. According to the Anti-Defamation League's annual survey, there were 2,107 hate crimes against Jewish people nationwide in 2019. That number is the highest since 1979, when the ADL began tallying hate crimes.

There have also been countless incidents last year of synagogues being vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.

The antizionists who spoke against the letter also took issues with adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism. This definition is important, because it plays a role in educating others about antisemitism. The non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism is as follows:

"Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities."

Many people don't know how antisemitism shows itself. People are unaware of antisemitic tropes and, therefore, don't call people out for using them. There is also a big difference between criticism of the Israeli government and being against Israel.

Zionism refers to the belief Jewish people having a right to self-determine in their indigenous homeland. That's it. It has nothing to do with any political ideology or governmental actions. Antizionism is antisemitism.

The IHRA definition of antisemitism doesn't equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. In fact, it specifies the difference between the two and makes it clear that legitimate criticism of the Israeli government is NOT antisemitism. The antizionists who used this lie as a reason to delegitimize the letter only further proves why the definition is needed.

Many Zionists are critical of the Israeli government's policies. Many Zionists are supportive of Palestinian humanity and self-determination. Many Zionists support a two-state solution, something these pro-Palestinian activists on campus do not.

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which has close connections to Students For Justice In Palestine (SJP), aren't advocating for Palestinians. They are advocating for the destruction of Israel. They have made it clear many times that they don't want a two-state solution. They chant for Israel to be torn down.

The misinformation when it comes to Israel is still ongoing. Recently, there have been false stories which claim Israel is refusing to give Palestinians COVID-19 vaccines. This is a lie Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib helped perpetuate. She called Israel a "racist state" in an interview while spewing misinformation.

The truth is that Israel isn't responsible for vaccinating the Palestinians, the Palestinian Authority is. Israel has offered to provide helpful services to the Palestinians, but the PA rejected their offer. Blaming Jewish people for the misfortune of others is a classic antisemitic trope.

Despite what these so-called "activists" say, there is no apartheid in Israel. There are plenty of Arabs who are Israeli citizens. They are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine along with Israel's Jewish citizens.

There are lots of Palestinians who have jobs in Israel. In fact, the BDS movement have caused those Palestinians to lose their jobs due to the calls for a boycott. How are these "activists" pro-Palestinian? It's simple: they're not. They're just anti-Israel.

The backlash toward the letter also seemed to state that antisemitism on college campuses wasn't a big problem. This could not be further from the truth.

The organization Jewish on Campus raises awareness of this growing problem. Their social media pages highlight stories submitted by Jewish students. The antisemitism on campus not only comes from fellow students, but even professors and staff.

"The student assembly at Cornell University had to make the BDS vote anonymous because members were receiving threats," the organization wrote on Twitter. "One student was threatened to be outed as gay to his family if he were to vote against the resolution."

"A Jewish student at George Mason University attempted to push a Jewish student down a flight of stairs after assuming their views on Israel because they were wearing a Jewish star," they wrote in the same thread. "Various members of the anti-Israel club physically assaulted and doxed Jewish leaders."

"A Teacher's Assistant from Johns Hopkins University threatened to lower the grades of students who have gone on Birthright or who identify with Zionism," the organization wrote.

Many antizionists claim this letter is an example of what they call "Jewish fragility." A term and sentiment like this is truly horrendous. You can't claim there is "Jewish fragility" and be surprised when someone says you're antisemitic.

Jewish students are harassed, attacked, and mistreated on campus. When these are your experiences, you are rightly going to feel unsafe.

Some antizionists have stated that Jewish students shouldn't complain, because Palestinians have it far worse. Just because one group has it bad, it doesn't mean another group shouldn't voice their experiences. Two things can be true at once. And let's make it very clear that much of Palestinian suffering is because of their own leaders.

Student groups like SJP are the ones who are making campuses a hostile place for activism. According to Jewish on Campus, the University of Southern California's student body Vice President "was pushed and bullied from her seat because of 'Zionism.'"

While every movement contains some individuals who do their cause a disservice, it's unfair and incorrect of antizionists to claim they're powerless. Make no mistake, SJP and BDS have far greater pull in progressive spaces than pro-Israel movements do. They're the ones who have the power on college campuses.

There is also a myth that you can't be progressive if you're a Zionist. This simply isn't true. There are progressive politicians like Congressman Ritchie Torres who said he won't join AOC's "squad" because of their antisemitic actions. Torres said that he supports Israel "not despite my progressive values, but because of my progressive values."

Other countries like China and even the United States have committed human rights violations. However, I don't see a large call to boycott those countries. I don't see a widespread hatred of those countries alone.

The BDS movement likes to infiltrate progressive spaces by comparing their struggles with Palestinian struggles. They will align themselves with the Black Lives Matter movement and compare police brutality to their incorrect view of how the IDF treats Palestinians.

Yet, I don't see any of those students calling to boycott America or other countries that have rampant police brutality and racial profiling.

With Israel, however, there seem to be different rules. And that is what pro-Israel activists consider antisemitic. There is a rule which helps to distinguish between legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and antisemitism. It's called the Three D's rule. When someone is demonizing and delegitimizing Israel, it's antisemitism. It's also antisemitism when Israel is held to double standards.

Jewish students who experience antisemitism on campus are also being victim-blamed for their experiences.

Some antizionists claim the antisemitism on campus is a direct result of what they consider a very hostile environment that pro-Israel students created. When you unpack a statement like this, it becomes clear that pro-Israel students aren't the ones creating a hostile environment. What those students are actually doing is fighting back. They're fighting back against antisemitic groups on campus who perpetuate bigotry.

In other words, these antizionists believe pro-Israel students should just shut up and take it. They think these students should just stay quiet and deal with the antisemitic vitriol that's coming their way.

This vile line of thinking is coming from antisemites who think they know what constitutes antisemitism, but only when it doesn't include themselves. It serves not to help Palestinian people, but to silence Jewish people. It self-projects every course of action it takes onto the other side. It laces its lies with manipulation and preys on young, uneducated minds.

This line of thinking further proves why these issues are so important. Biden will be inaugurated as the next President of the United States tomorrow. This is a man who considers himself a Zionist and has spoken out against BDS. This is a man who has called out antisemitism from both the right and left wing. This is a man who will no doubt read and understand this letter.

I am certain that he will do everything in his power to help, protect, and defend the Jewish population. He will listen to the Jewish community and hear about the issues that affect them. This is something these antizionists will never do.