Last week, Brandeis Center President Alyza Lewin appeared on an expert panel hosted by the International Legal Forum (ILF) to speak on the modern-day mutations of anti-Semitism in a webinar entitled “Ancient Hatred Modern Times.” Moderated by ILF lawyer Russell Shalev, the event explored present-day forms of anti-Semitism as “society’s oldest… but least understood hatred.” David Hirsh, senior lecturer of Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London, set the tone of the event by talking about the most recent wave of anti-Semitism sparked by the Gaza conflict. He explained that what set this wave apart was the elimination of any narrative which allows for the existence of Israel, the exclusionary nature of Palestinian solidarity statements, and the misleading bias of Western media reports. In response to a question from Shalev, Lewin shifted the conversation to focus on how the conflation of Zionism with racism contributes to the marginalization of Jewish students on campus, owing this to the lack of understanding non-Jews have of the definitions of Zionism and anti-Semitism. Lewin demonstrated how, for many Jews, Zionism is not simply a political belief but an integral part of their ethnic and religious identities. Hirsch agreed, adding that the contemporary definition of Zionism accepted in many liberal Western circles – which conflates it with racism, colonialism, and other evils – was coined by anti-Zionists and completely bypasses the Jewish perspective. Lewin also outlined the viral nature of anti-Semitism: “anti-Semitism takes whatever is [a] generation’s greatest evil… and it pins it on the Jew.” At a time when society views racism, apartheid, and colonialism as the world’s greatest evils, anti-Semitism projects these sins onto Jews everywhere. Attorney Romy Wulfsohn, founder of the Legal Division of the South African Zionist Federation, later reinforced that idea. The aggressive anti-Zionist sentiments of South Africa, she explained, can be attributed to the country’s first-hand experience with the horrors of apartheid. In South African society, apartheid is rightly viewed as a heinous misdeed, but in keeping with the pattern of historical anti-Semitism, today it is ascribed to the Jews. In line with the one-sided narrative around Israel-Palestine, she said that no amount of logic will change society’s simplistic understanding of the conflict as an “oppressed vs. oppressor” narrative. Throughout the webinar, Lewin built the argument that Jews are being denied their place in society, especially on college campuses, on the basis of their Jewish identities. She referenced the Brandeis Center’s case against Stanford University, and a recent email circulated by that campus’ Hillel Director which described how students on campus were being marginalized for their Judaism, not their Zionism, and told by classmates (on separate occasions), “I’m not going to talk to you, Nazi,” and, “Don’t talk to me if you’re Jewish.” Later in the webinar, Wulfsohn reported on anti-Semitism within South African political and legal leadership. She detailed a complaint filed against the Congress of South African Trade Unions for blatant attacks against Zionists made during a speech at a Palestinian Solidarity Committee rally in 2009, which has just recently made it to the constitutional court. German lawyer Eugen Balin discussed the changing attitudes toward and subsequent rejection of the 2019 Bundestag anti-BDS resolution. At the conclusion of the webinar, the panel discussed ways we can learn from, replicate and advance recent policy successes against anti-Semitism. Lewin emphasized the importance of the campaign to legally recognize Zionism as an integral part of Jewish ethnic and national identity that should be protected under anti-discrimination laws (such as the US Civil Rights Act) and international human rights laws that proscribe national and ethnic origin discrimination. Wulfsohn focused on the importance of the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism by countries, organizations, and academic institutions, as well as the importance of holding social media companies accountable for anti-Semitic content shared on their platforms. When asked whether the answer to anti-Semitism for diaspora Jews is to publicly separate themselves from Zionism, Lewin firmly responded that, “this exactly the wrong approach… We need more Jewish pride. . . the answer to the increase in anti-Semitism is not to run away from and try to hide our Jewish identity but to stand up and proclaim it proudly.” You can watch the full webinar here.