To the Zionist students of Columbia

a response to their open letter to the Columbia community.

To the Zionist students of Columbia,

​I want to start by saying I am not Jewish, but I felt it appropriate to respond since you addressed this letter to the whole Columbia community which includes me. I consider myself to be part of the pro-Palestinian movement both on campus and off. You came to this school to engage in complex conversations, so I’m starting a complex conversation with you. ​

You say that you wish to avoid simplistic binaries, yet one is glaringly central to your belief-- that Jewish peers who are anti-Zionist aren’t connected with their Jewish identity. On the pro-Palestinian side, there are people of all faiths in support, including other branches of Judaism. Having this conversation necessitates you acknowledging their faith and identity, the same way you want anti-Zionists to acknowledge yours. Complexity requires an open mind and a readiness to become educated— to think differently than you used to. 

From what I understand, you believe that pro-Palestinian activists misunderstand what Zionism is and provide a definition for us to educate ourselves with: manifestation of the belief that Israel is the land of the Jewish people.

I think you misunderstand the cause of anti-Zionism, so I’d like to describe it for you. 

Your belief in Israel as the historic & ancestral land of the Jewish people is not one I or other pro-Palestinian activists are disputing. I actually believe you when you say that your religious texts are full of references to the land you describe. I do not doubt there is religious and cultural reason for the existence of Zionism. What has upset so many people around the world is the actions people willingly take to create and support Israel. We oppose foreign policy decisions, economic decisions, and how world leaders talk about what is happening to Palestine.

What deeply concerns us is the mentality of Zionists and Israeli political leaders who have repeatedly endorsed needlessly destructive tactics and dehumanized Palestinians like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Daniel Hegari, Head of the IDF Spokesperson Unit, directly said “We are dropping hundreds of tons of bombs in Gaza. The focus is on destruction, not accuracy.” Intentionally cutting off basic human needs of food and water, bombing hospitals and aid workers, killing 14,000 children and counting… these are blatant crimes against humanity Israel is committing with the help of the United States. Yoav Gallant, Ezra Yachin, Ghassan Alian, and other Israeli leaders have called Palestinian human animals, want to eliminate entire families and bloodlines, and openly state that Palestinian lives are worth less than Israeli lives. Zionism is a political stance that does not value human life equally. I hope that you don’t need me to tell you that this is a textbook manifestation of genocidal thought. 

Accepting that your Zionism is a political stance should not be controversial. You need look no further than the speeches you gave in the office of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to understand that your Zionism has elements outside of religion. Many of the Zionists I’ve interacted with on campus are patriotic for both Israel and the United States. You argue that we as Americans should support Israel because it is the only democracy in the Middle East. You appeal to a shared political ideology to motivate Americans to support Israel and many do, especially those who have investments in politics, energy, and offense (not defense). That said, the shared political ideology between Israel and America is not democracy, it is domination and imperialism.

We see white supremacists like Donald Trump endorsing Zionism and supporting extreme moves to stifle political dissent like calling the NYPD on campus. We hear how neo-Nazis attacked pro-Palestinian students at other college encampments while Zionists stood by in silence. We watch Senators on television call for the use of nuclear bombs in Gaza with no pushback from other political leaders. We see the alignment of American, conservative, white supremacist politics and philosophy with Zionism and it moves us to fight for justice. 

If you regard the plight of Palestinians with empathy, I think you will notice more similarities between the treatment of Palestinians and Jews than you currently think. This is an opinion shared by Holocaust survivors themselves, like Marione Ingram and Stephen Kapos. I fully recommend watching Kapos’s video because he clearly lays out the similarities between Nazi rule and Israeli rule today, speaking from his own lived experience and sharing stories of others who did not survive. As anti-Zionists, we protest the existence of genocidal thinkers and we fight to protect the Palestinian people. We cannot ignore the growth of this kind of hatred in the world-- we must push against it endlessly, daily, until it has absolutely no power.

We can both agree that polarization has become a problem on campus and across the world. By its nature it affects us both. There is no doubt that antisemitism has risen everywhere and equally concerning is the rise in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hatred. If you want to resolve this difference, then take the time to understand Zionism’s impact on the world and whether you truly believe that is a world you want to create. Is a state born out of Zionism one you would be proud to call yours? Does it live up to your legacy of love and peace? Do you see the toll it has taken and continues to take on human life? Will you finally stop? 

Sincerely,
Vivian Jackson

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