"While I don't deny the level of antisemitism in American society, as a Jew who has family in Israel as well as having lost family in the Holocaust, I respectfully offer a different perspective than Daniel Klein, the author of the op-ed. If AB 715 only dealt with anti-Jewish actions and language, I would support it. But conflating opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu's policies and the belief that Palestinians deserve to live in their own state with antisemitism is a reach."
"Certain Democrats seek a similar sort of historical erasure with AB 715, which weaponizes a notion of Jewish safety to stifle any criticism of Israel or Zionism or teaching about the history of Palestine from classrooms, lest their children feel uncomfortable. The ADL defines instances of criticism of Israel or Zionist ideology as antisemitic, grossly inflating their statistics on hatred toward Jews."
Opposing Israeli government policies and supporting Palestinian statehood are presented as distinct from antisemitism. AB 715 is criticized for conflating political criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish actions and for potentially criminalizing or chilling speech. The bill is described as weaponizing concerns about Jewish safety to suppress classroom teaching about Palestinian history and to prevent uncomfortable but necessary historical exhibits. The ADL's broad definition of antisemitism is cited as inflating incidents, while the Jerusalem Declaration is implied as a preferable alternative. A call is made to reject AB 715 to protect free expression and historical truth.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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