Antisemitism: Biden Administration ‘Strategy’ Adopts Progressive Definition

Condemning antisemitism without being antisemitic is a seemingly simple task. Yet for years now, American institutions have struggled with it. In 2019, a House resolution condemning antisemitism was amended to include anti-Muslim bias, and then white supremacy, and wound up mentioning “African-Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, immigrants and others.” The resolution represented Congress’s failed attempt to quell a debate surrounding antisemitism on the left, which was prompted by Representative Ilhan Omar’s accusing pro-Israel activists of “allegiance to a foreign country” and saying that support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins, baby.”

In May 2021, the chancellor and the provost of Rutgers–New Brunswick publicly apologized for condemning rising antisemitic attacks in the U.S. because they had “failed to communicate support for our Palestinian community members.” The university president, Jonathan Holloway, then issued a condemnation of “all forms of racism.” In June of that year, the leaders of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators did the same thing, apologizing to “everyone in the Palestinian community who felt unrepresented, silenced, or marginalized” by SCBWI’s statement that Jews “have the right to life, safety, and freedom from scapegoating and fear.” Also that year, San Diego State University responded to antisemitic incidents on campus, such as repeated acts of vandalism of a Chabad House, by creating a task force to address antisemitism . . . which was deemed inequitable by faculty members for its singular focus on Jews and its failure to consider Arab and Palestinian students.

About the Author

Sahar Tartak

Sahar Tartak is a former summer intern at National Review. A student at Yale University, Sahar is active in Jewish life and free speech on campus.

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Condemning antisemitism without being antisemitic is a seemingly simple task. Yet for years now, American institutions have struggled with it. In 2019, a House resolution condemning antisemitism was amended to include anti-Muslim bias, and then white supremacy, and wound up mentioning “African-Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, immigrants and others.” The resolution represented Congress’s failed attempt to quell a debate surrounding antisemitism on the left, which was prompted by Representative Ilhan Omar’s accusing pro-Israel activists of “allegiance to a foreign country” and saying that support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins, baby.”

In May 2021, the chancellor and the provost of Rutgers–New Brunswick publicly apologized for condemning rising antisemitic attacks in the U.S. because they had “failed to communicate support for our Palestinian community members.” The university president, Jonathan Holloway, then issued a condemnation of “all forms of racism.” In June of that year, the leaders of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators did the same thing, apologizing to “everyone in the Palestinian community who felt unrepresented, silenced, or marginalized” by SCBWI’s statement that Jews “have the right to life, safety, and freedom from scapegoating and fear.” Also that year, San Diego State University responded to antisemitic incidents on campus, such as repeated acts of vandalism of a Chabad House, by creating a task force to address antisemitism . . . which was deemed inequitable by faculty members for its singular focus on Jews and its failure to consider Arab and Palestinian students.