Alyza Lewin Discusses Anti-Semitism in the United States with American Christian Leaders for Israel

Spurred by the explosive growth of global anti-Semitism and concerned by the lack of outrage against it, the American Christian Leaders for Israel (ACLI) network has been hosting a series of informative webinars on anti-Semitism, how to define and approach it, and its relationship with Christianity. The series began with a presentation from U.S. State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Elan Carr and U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom member Gary Bauer, who discussed the U.S. governmental approach to combatting anti-Semitism.

Brandeis Center President, Alyza Lewin, delivered remarks for the second webinar in the series, entitled “Anti-Semitism in the USA.” Ms. Lewin discussed how students on campus feel the brunt of anti-Semitic activity when they express their ethnic identity as Jews through Zionism. Ms. Lewin explained the problem that “much of society does not comprehend what contemporary anti-Semitism is,” and that “Most people are either unable, or perhaps unwilling, to distinguish between a discussion of Israel’s policies, on the one hand, and statements of support for the Jewish homeland – that are for many Jews an expression of their pride and their ethnic identity – on the other.”

Ms. Lewin followed these key points with an intricate explanation of concrete action steps that can be taken to address the global phenomena of Jew-hatred. One of these crucial steps is to define anti-Semitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Definition (IHRA). Also the world must understand “that for many Zionists – Jews and Christians alike – Zionism is not a viewpoint, rather, it is an integral component of our identity,” and that discriminating on the basis of this identity is unlawful.

To conclude, Ms. Lewin explained why anti-Semitism is a global human rights issue, one that undermines the values of respect, inclusion, and equality that are necessary to sustain a functioning democracy. Ms. Lewin insisted that we must define, combat, and address anti-Semitism from all angles as we continue to mobilize our nation’s leaders against this shapeshifting threat.

Following Ms. Lewin’s presentation, Liora Rez, cofounder of stopantisemitism.org, addressed the most prevalent anti-Semitic tropes and myths and discussed how they are being used throughout social media and society at large.

The remainder of the ACLI anti-Semitism webinar series included presentations from Dr. Michael Brown and Dr. Gerald McDermott on historical Christian anti-Semitism, and concluded with Mr. Noam Katz, Deputy Director General of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs reflecting on the effect of anti-Semitism on international relations with Israel.

The ACLI webinar series reminds us that anti-Semitism is not just a “Jewish problem;” it is a global human rights issue and combatting it is integral to upholding democracy. As the ACLI’s webinar series proves, the coalition of those who want to combat Jew-hatred is broad, compassionate, and determined.

Watch Ms. Lewin’s webinar here.

Watch the entire webinar series here.