As antisemitism rises across Europe and North America, recent events show how easily hatred is being repackaged as “politics.” Speaking on a UCLA panel, Yael Lerman, Director of StandWithUs Saidoff Law, warned that people in positions of influence are increasingly enabling antisemitism under the guise of anti-Zionism or social justice.
Lerman pointed to a shocking case in Germany, where individuals burned a synagogue and claimed it was a “political protest”—a justification validated by German judges. Nearly a century ago, Nazis torched the same synagogue while also citing ideological motives. The target was Jewish life then, and it is Jewish life now. Labeling such violence as “political” does not change what it is.
This pattern extends far beyond Europe. Across campuses and civic spaces, rhetoric that veers into antisemitism is being excused, normalized, or reframed as legitimate criticism of Israel. When leaders or lawmakers provide cover for this language, they are not fostering debate—they are empowering hate and putting Jewish communities in danger.
Lerman stressed the consequences of denying the Jewish connection to Israel: “To say that there aren’t repercussions to denying that Zionism is a core part of Jewish identity, and explaining it away as merely political expression, is false.” When society dismisses Jewish identity as “just politics,” it becomes easier to justify acts of intimidation and violence against Jews.
StandWithUs will continue to expose and challenge antisemitism in all its forms, and we urge civic leaders, educators, and media to do the same. A society that tolerates attacks on Jewish institutions endangers everyone.
Protecting democracy requires clarity. Burning a synagogue is not foreign-policy commentary. It is not civil discourse. It is hate. And it must never be tolerated.
