‘Regular overlap between anti-Zionism and antisemitism,’ experts at London conference reveal

Hundreds of academics gathered in London last week for a three-day international conference dedicated to the rise of antisemitism in the contemporary context. 

From American-Israeli scholars and experts such as Gerald Steinberg and Anne Herzberg of NGO Monitor, to Anti-Defamation League (ADL) representatives, to Polish authors such as Jan Grabowski and Joanna Michlic, to Britain’s foremost Holocaust historian, Sir Simon Schama, Finchley’s Jewish community center was buzzing with the world’s best minds on this subject.

“The slogan ‘From the River to the Sea’ is racism,” declared Schama in his keynote speech, referring to the now oft-repeated chant in pro-Palestinian rallies. The veteran historian and broadcaster is presenting his new film, ‘The Road to Auschwitz,’ screening on the BBC on April 7.

Antisemitism was already at record highs before Oct. 7, 2023, with “historic levels” recorded by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Oct. 1, 2023, however, after the Hamas terror attack, it became “toxic,” said Schama, “not only in the academic context but also in popular culture.”

“The paradox of our time is that, notwithstanding the massive amount of Holocaust education, antisemitism seems to be on an inexorable rise,” said the author of 'The Story of the Jews'. The ADL Global Index reveals that 46% of the world’s adults now harbor antisemitic attitudes.

In a panel on quantitative research, Dr. Daniel Allington, Reader in Social Analytics at King’s College London, revealed insightful data about the trajectory of anti-Zionist and antisemitic tendencies. 

“This is about as strong a relationship as you’re going to see,” Allington summarized about the graph on the screen, showing the two lines rising in parallel on the ‘Generalised Antisemitism scale,’ developed by Allington, David Hirsh, co-host of the conference, and Louise Katz, with support from the Campaign Against Antisemitism. 

“There is likely to be a single psycho-social factor,” Allington explained, “but in addition there’s something that inclines someone towards this sentiment. It can be expressed in different ways.”

One perspective within the parallel views is the belief that "Israel and its supporters are a bad influence on our democracy." Many who share this opinion also subscribe to the notion that "compared to other groups, Jewish people have too much power in the media," a claim widely recognized as stemming from longstanding anti-Jewish stereotypes."

“I argue that anti-Zionism and antisemitism should be under one heading,” concluded Allington, who is a non-Jewish, left-leaning academic with no connection to Israeli politics. Purely from his quantitative analysis, he summarized, “There are particular ways of speaking about Israel that are antisemitic.”

Schama’s quote about the “racist” nature of calling for Palestine to replace Israel, from the River to the Sea, was posed as a question at the panel on ‘Antisemitism and Free Speech.’ The answer was that the law would have to change in the UK in order for law enforcement to challenge this cry, which is “not explicit” in its “stirring up of race hatred,” something that is illegal. 

At the moment, there is a “very high threshold” for criminal activity in street protests, explained Sylvie Bacquet, assistant head of Westminster University’s Law School, due to the emphasis on free speech and the right to protest. 

Bacquet explained that, however uncomfortable Jewish people may be with anti-Israel slogans, the British police force is constrained by the law and can only act in limited ways, such as moving the protest a few meters away from a synagogue or a school, to lessen the intimidating factor.

“Hate speech does not apply to states or religions per se,” Bacquet said, adding that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism, for the police in the UK, “is a guide and not legally binding.” 

Schama criticized the growing trend of portraying Israel in an overwhelmingly negative light.

Referring to the Nazi method of selecting which Jews would live or die, Schama said that it is “a moral selection ramp if you repudiate Israel when 28% of Israel were Holocaust survivors in the 1940s and 50s.” He said that "anti-Israelism" is merely an attempt at “virtuous antisemitism.” 

“If you are anti-Zionist, you are dealing with the Jewish state,” he said. “Zionism was caused by antisemitism, not the other way around, and we need to make the case for this.”