Elsewhere I mentioned starting a thread about anti-Zionism on the liberal-left continuum sometimes slipping into antisemitic tropes such as
plotting world domination, controlling the media, controlling world finance, controlling the entertainment industry (for perfidious purposes), driving world capitalism, the shadowy puppet master stuff, etc.
This post will have some cut and paste, because I think it's necessary to see these particular definitions in detail.
I'm a big fan of Na'Amod UK, so we'll look at their definition as well as one they recommend.
Before doing that I want to suggest a slight modification to their wording. They say "criticism of Israel and Zionism is not inherently antisemitic"; I'd suggest "criticism of Israel and Zionism is not
necessarily
antisemitic", because of course it
can be
. And that's important, because that's exactly where some on the left trip up.
Similarly, Zionism is always ethno-nationalist but it’s sometimes also antisemitic. (Some argue it's always so, but that's not a line I'm going to pursue in this post).
There's also a tendency with some anti-Zionist Jews to "over-compensate" and thereby slip into antisemism themselves. An example is the "Zionism is Racism" motion being put to the Green Party. Zionism is indeed racism, but there's wording in the motion that risks witch-hunts against people who attend synagogues that call themselves Zionist synagogues. The UK's four biggest Jewish denominations all describe themselves as Zionist, as do several Jewish youth organisations. But to imply by that anyone who attends these is necessarily also Zionist is a leap; just as not all Catholics agree with all their church's official stance on everything.
So a Venn diagram is needed to negotiate this stuff. But it shouldn't be that difficult to grasp. A rule of thumb might be "does this seem a bit conspiracy theory-ish?"
Here are the two definitions I'd like to highlight:
What is Na'amod's
understanding of antisemitism?
Antisemitism consists of anti-Jewish beliefs, attitudes, actions or systemic conditions. It includes negative beliefs and feelings about Jews, hostile behaviour directed against Jews (because they are Jews), and conditions that discriminate against Jews and significantly impede their ability to participate as equals in political, religious, cultural, economic, or social life (
Nexus Definition
).
Na'amod's position on antisemitism centres on holding multiple truths with clarity:
1) antisemitism is real and must be taken seriously and 2)
Na'amod takes antisemitism seriously as a real and present form of harm facing Jewish communities, including within the UK. We reject attempts to treat criticism of Zionism or Israeli state violence as inherently antisemitic. At the same time, we acknowledge that such criticism can reproduce antisemitism when it relies on antisemitic tropes, collective generalisations, conspiratorial narratives, or hostility toward Jewish identity.