We
were
Jews
before
we
were
anything
else,
one
Pennsylvania
Supreme
Court
Justice
remarked
at
a
Democratic
Jewish
event
in
Philadelphia
on
October
6,
2025.
The
justice,
then
a
candidate
for
retention
election,
spoke
about
our
moral
obligation
to
condemn
antisemitism,
particularly
as
we
approached
the
second
anniversary
of
October
7,
2023,
the
largest
massacre
of
Jews
since
the
Holocaust.
It
was
a
rousing
Zionist
speech
and
a
call
to
action.
But
some
attendees
weren’t
thrilled.
Several
non-Jews
told
me
the
justice
“shouldn’t
be
retained
if
he
believes
that.”
But
he
protects
their
religious
freedoms
from
the
bench,
fairly
and
impartially
interpreting
the
law.
His
religious
beliefs
should
be
respected,
too.
Was
that
exchange
antisemitic?
Anti-Zionist?
Is
there
a
difference?
Even
Jews
disagree.
But
most
Jews
do
agree
that
antisemitism
is
surging
—
more
than
55%
of
us
experienced
antisemitism
in
the
past
year
—
yet
our
subjective
experiences
of
anti-Jewish
hate
are
often
minimized
or
downright
dismissed.
I
can’t
hide
my
Judaism,
nor
do
I
wish
to:
my
Hebrew
name
gives
me
away
immediately.
My
grandmother
was
a
Holocaust
survivor
who
passed
away
a
few
years
ago;
and
my
cousin’s
husband
is
an
Israeli
Defense
Force
(IDF)
soldier.
Particularly
since
October
7,
2023,
I’ve
used
my
large
platform
to
ensure
the
Democratic,
pro-Israel,
millennial
perspective
is
represented
in
public
life.
I
have
a
moral
obligation
to
keep
my
grandmother’s
memory
alive
through
storytelling.
For
most
Jews,
Israel
is
inextricably
linked
with
the
cultural
significance
of
the
Holocaust
—
the
largest-ever
genocide,
when
6
million
Jews
were
exterminated
—
and
our
larger
Jewish
story.
I
don’t
remember
when
I
first
learned
about
Israel
or
the
Holocaust,
because
both
are
integral
to
the
fabric
of
being
Jewish.
Israel
as
it
exists
today
was
founded
in
1948,
soon
after
the
Holocaust.
Afterward,
many
Jews
emigrated
to
Israel
—
theoretically,
a
haven.
Israel
remains
heavily
populated
by
Holocaust
survivors
and
their
descendants.
But
Israel
is
surrounded
by
nations
that
hate
it
and
seek
to
wipe
it
off
the
map.
It
exists
in
near-perpetual
conflict
with
neighbors.
Israel,
the
sole
Middle
East
democracy,
has
the
right
to
exist
and
defend
itself
against
aggression.
As
I
was
growing
up
in
Montgomery
County,
Pennsylvania,
my
Jewish
identity
was
a
nonissue.
But
being
Jewish
in
my
grandmother’s
generation
in
Europe
was
literally
a
death
sentence.
I’ve
always
been
painfully
aware
that,
were
I
born
two
generations
ago
in
Nazi
Europe,
I
probably
would
not
have
survived
to
adulthood.
We’re
just
two
generations
removed
from
the
Holocaust.
It
could
happen
again.
I’m
a
proud
Zionist
and
Democrat.
Yet
Jews
from
my
generation
struggle
to
reconcile
those
identities,
because
the
“progressive”
position
on
Israel
is,
nonsensically,
anti-Israel.
I’ve
dedicated
my
life
and
career
to
advocating
for
increased
rights
and
protections
for
tens
of
thousands
of
vulnerable
judicial
branch
employees
who
are
exempt
from
all
federal
anti-discrimination
laws,
including
laws
against
religious
discrimination.
Ironically,
those
I
advocate
for
—
law
students
and
young
lawyers
—
don’t
necessarily
believe
I
deserve
those
same
rights,
like
religious
freedom
and
anti-discrimination
protection.
My
nonprofit’s
work
democratizing
judicial
clerkship
information
and
opportunities
takes
me
to
law
school
campuses
nationwide,
where
some
students
are
willing
to
go
without
essential
career
information
—
even
disinviting
me
as
a
speaker
—
just
to
make
their
anti-Zionist
point.
One
of
the
last
acceptable
forms
of
discrimination
is
against
Jews.
And
it’s
particularly
ironic
coming
from
Democrats,
who
pride
themselves
on
values
like
religious
freedom,
equality,
minority
rights,
and
freedom
from
discrimination
—
unless
you’re
Jewish.
This
year,
we
witnessed
the
antisemitic
murder
of
two
Israeli
embassy
employees
outside
the
Capital
Jewish
Museum
in
Washington,
D.C.;
an
antisemitic
flamethrower
attack
in
Boulder,
Colorado;
and
an
antisemitic
firebombing
of
Pennsylvania
Jewish
Governor
Josh
Shapiro’s
residence
on
Passover.
And
last
weekend,
antisemitic
terror
claimed
at
least
16
lives
in
Sydney,
Australia,
including
a
Holocaust
survivor,
a
rabbi,
and
a
child,
who
were
gunned
down
during
a
Hanukkah
celebration
at
Bondi
Beach.
Too
many
demonize
Israel
—
not
just
its
leader
—
fomenting
hate
and
encouraging
antisemitic
violence
like
these
attacks
—
wrongfully
conflating
the
actions
of
Prime
Minister
Benjamin
Netanyahu
with
the
beliefs
of
all
Israelis,
and
all
Jews.
Zionism
—
the
belief
that
Israel
has
a
right
to
exist
—
has
become
a
dirty
word.
But
anti-Zionism
is
just
antisemitism
with
a
new
haircut.
To
oppose
Israel’s
right
to
exist
as
a
Jewish
state,
when
Israel
is
part
of
the
fundamental
fabric
of
Judaism,
is
antisemitic.
Because
when
anti-Israel
critics
talk
about
destroying
the
Jewish
state,
that
necessarily
means
killing
millions
of
Jews.
Hateful
rhetoric
inverted
and
weaponized
the
word
“genocide”
against
Israel.
Yet
this
term
bears
historical
significance
for
Jews
because
of
the
Holocaust,
the
largest
genocide
in
history,
when
6
million
Jews
were
exterminated
—
burned
alive
in
ovens
and
suffocated
in
gas
chambers
—
for
the
“crime”
of
being
other.
Ironically,
while
many
on
the
left
rightfully
advocate
equality
for
other
marginalized
groups,
apparently
Jews
—
a
religious
minority
—
aren’t
deserving
of
protection.
Rights
for
you,
unless
you’re
a
Jew.
Paradoxically,
many
quote
Pastor
Martin
Niemoller’s
poem,
“First
They
Came,”
a
warning
about
speaking
up
for
oppressed
minorities
before
there’s
no
one
left
to
speak
for
you,
aimed
at
Trump
administration
policies
—
written
about
the
Nazis
following
the
Holocaust.
Some
lack
historical
context
about
the
Holocaust:
according
to
one
recent
survey,
one-fifth
of
people
have
never
heard
of
the
Holocaust.
Many
have
never
met
a
Holocaust
survivor,
nor
heard
their
stories
—
especially
considering
the
last
are
quickly
dying
out.
Holocaust
education
is
not
taught
in
all
public
schools.
If
we
do
not
learn
from
the
past,
we
are
doomed
to
repeat
it.
We
should
not
demonize
an
entire
country
for
its
leader’s
actions
—
let
alone
an
entire
religion.
Many
Jews
disagree
with
Netanyahu’s
wartime
tactics.
Yet
too
many
in
the
U.S.
dangerously
demonize
Israel’s
10
million
residents.
Criticize
Netanyahu
without
criticizing
Israel.
Plenty
of
us
criticize
President
Donald
Trump
without
criticizing
all
United
States
residents.
We
cannot
hold
all
Israelis,
let
alone
all
Jews,
responsible
for
Netanyahu’s
actions,
unless
we
all
want
to
be
held
accountable
for
Trump’s
actions.
It’s
a
logical
fallacy
of
deadly
proportions.
I’ve
experienced
my
share
of
religious
intolerance.
Last
year,
I
worked
with
Michigan
Law
student
leaders
to
host
a
clerkship
transparency
event
with
my
nonprofit,
The
Legal
Accountability
Project
(LAP).
Then,
I
was
basically
disinvited
as
a
speaker
because
of
my
religious
views,
evidenced
by
social
media
posts
about
Israel,
antisemitism,
and
the
Holocaust.
The
student
leader
said,
Your
views
make
students
uncomfortable,
and
we
have
a
lot
of
Muslim
students
at
Michigan.
But
the
event
was
to
talk
about
judicial
clerkships,
not
Israel.
For
students
of
all
faiths
and
races.
I
was
disheartened
that
law
students
—
including
some
who
aspire
to
be
civil
rights
lawyers
—
tasked
with
defending
religious
and
ideological
freedom,
and
law
clerks
—
a
position
where
you’re
expected
to
be
impartial
or
take
the
judge’s
position
even
if
you
disagree
—
couldn’t
separate
my
religious
beliefs
from
the
topic
of
clerking.
As
a
result,
the
entire
student
body
at
Michigan
Law
was
precluded
from
learning
candid
clerkship
information
through
a
LAP
event
which,
frankly,
they
need.
Disturbingly,
too
many
elected
leaders,
on
both
the
left
and
right,
amplify
virulent
anti-Israel
rhetoric
and
failed
to
condemn
hateful
campus
protests
that
made
universities
inhospitable
for
Jewish
students.
It’s
no
wonder
young
progressives,
including
law
students,
share
antisemitic
views
espoused
by
progressive
icons.
Misinformation
spreads
like
wildfire
on
social
media.
Hateful
rhetoric
like,
“From
the
river
to
the
sea”
and
“Globalize
the
intifada”
—
which
glorifies
terror
and
normalizes
antisemitism,
and
which
inevitably
lead
to
violence
—
are
proudly
chanted
and
amplified,
rather
than
properly
condemned.
Violent,
hateful
rhetoric
stokes
violent,
hateful
acts.
Both
parties
certainly
bear
responsibility,
but
frankly,
I
hold
Democrats
—
my
own
party
—
to
a
higher
standard,
given
their
professed
commitment
to
religious
freedom,
diversity,
equity,
and
inclusion.
While
there’s
only
so
much
I
can
do
to
pressure
Republicans
to
act,
when
it
comes
to
Democratic
politics,
my
vote
is
my
voice.
The
vocal
minority
may
be
the
loudest
voices,
but
their
views
do
not
represent
the
majority.
Sadly,
there
are
few
outspoken
advocates
for
Israel
in
Congress,
particularly
among
Democrats
—
and
too
few
Jewish
elected
leaders.
My
congressional
delegation
in
Pennsylvania,
for
example,
has
no
Jewish
representation.
Decisions
about
domestic
and
foreign
policy
impacting
millions
of
Jews
are
made
without
Jews
at
the
table.
Last
weekend,
we
witnessed
both
a
school
shooting
at
Brown
University
and
the
attack
in
Sydney.
Every
elected
official,
cultural
and
local
leader,
and
candidate
for
office
should
unequivocally
condemn
both.
But
while
public
figures
get
“likes”
on
social
media
for
saying
we
should
vote
out
anyone
who
prioritizes
guns
over
people,
the
same
must
be
true
for
antisemitic
apologists,
including
Democrats.
Elected
Democrats
are
partly
responsible
for
failing
to
quell
rising
antisemitism
—
failing
to
both
unequivocally
affirm
Israel’s
right
to
exist
and
defend
itself,
and
to
educate
the
public
that
support
for
Israel
is
synonymous
with
religious
freedom,
minority
rights,
and
democracy.
We
look
to
elected
leaders
to
educate
and
uplift:
they
failed.
Congress
should
use
all
the
tools
in
the
toolbox,
including
the
bully
pulpit,
to
combat
antisemitism.
Social
media
can
be
weaponized
to
spread
hate.
But
it
can
also
spread
the
truth,
if
elected
leaders
had
more
courage.
The
tide
will
only
turn
when
people
of
all
faiths
call
out
antisemitism.
Jews
are
only
2%
of
the
U.S.
population;
we
need
non-Jewish
allies
to
stand
with
us.
This
obsession
with
demonizing
Israel
is
not
just
wrongheaded:
it’s
hateful
and
dangerous.
As
lawyers,
we’re
encouraged
to
use
our
training
to
do
justice.
The
enforcement
levers
of
the
Department
of
Justice
and
Department
of
Education
should
be
used
to
investigate
and
prosecute
antisemitic
acts.
Funds
could
be
withheld
from
schools
that
fail
to
protect
Jewish
students,
in
a
manner
that
ensures
due
process.
We
should
support
a
national
definition
of
antisemitism
that
includes
anti-Zionism
for
the
enforcement
of
federal
anti-discrimination
laws,
including
for
Title
VI
investigations
into
universities,
because
equivocating
around
anti-Jew
hate
costs
lives.
And
we
should
mandate
Holocaust
education
in
public
schools
nationwide,
so
the
next
generation
learns
tolerance
of
all
faiths
—
including
Judaism.
It’s
easy
to
speak
out
following
a
tragedy.
I’m
sure
many
will,
including
those
who
fomented
hate
in
the
past.
But
we
cannot
wait
until
the
next
tragedy
occurs
to
take
a
stand.
You
can
criticize
Israel’s
leadership
without
demonizing
an
entire
nation
and
putting
millions
of
Jews
worldwide
at
risk.
Online
spaces
don’t
facilitate
nuance.
But
amplifying
hateful
speech
and
glorifying
violence
gets
Jews
killed.
Words
have
consequences,
and
violent
words
lead
to
violent
acts.
Equivocating
around
antisemitism
is
deadly.
Aliza
Shatzman
is
the
President
and
Founder
of The
Legal
Accountability
Project,
a
nonprofit
aimed
at
ensuring
that
law
clerks
have
positive
clerkship
experiences,
while
extending
support
and
resources
to
those
who
do
not.
She
regularly
writes
and
speaks
about
judicial
accountability
and
clerkships.
Reach
out
to
her
via
email
at [email protected] and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@AlizaShatzman.