In recent years, there has been an effort to redefine “antisemitism” to include not only bigotry toward Jews and Judaism, but also criticism of Israel and Zionism. In May 2022, Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League declared that “Anti-Zionism is antisemitism.” Some Israelis admit that equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism is a tactic to silence criticism of Israel. Zionism believes that Israel is the “homeland” of all Jews and that Jews living elsewhere are “in exile.” The overwhelming majority of Jewish Americans reject this view. The group whose publications I edit, the American Council for Judaism, was established in 1942 to keep alive the idea that Judaism is a religion of universal values, not a nationality. My talk will examine the way Zionism has had a negative impact upon both Judaism and American foreign policy.

About the Speaker: Allan C. Brownfeld is a nationally syndicated columnist and is editor of ISSUES, the quarterly journal of the American Council for Judaism (www.acjna.org).  He received his A.B.  from the College of William and Mary, his M.A. from the University of Maryland, and his J.D. from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law of the College of William and Mary.  He has taught on the faculties of St. Stephen’s School and the University of Maryland.  The author of five books, he has served on the staff of the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and the Office of the Vice President.