On March 8, the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor hosted an insightful and timely conversation about antisemitism and how our community can respond to it.
The event feature renowned podcaster and public speaker Aviva Klompas. Klompas spoke about antisemitism, criticism of Israel, and the increasingly blurred line between them. Ms. Klompas’ visit to Ann Arbor was a partnership between the American Jewish Committee (AJC), Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Jewish Federation and made possible by Jewish Federations of North America. Among the over 30 attendees was Ann Arbor School Board Member Don Wilkerson.
Klompas presented a framework that helps distinguish legitimate criticism and protest from antisemitic targeting and intimidation. She was joined by Elyssa Schmier, Director of ADL Michigan, who interviewed her about the challenges faced in Ann Arbor, a university town where antisemitism increasingly emerges from the extreme left.
Klompas offered three clear principles for distinguishing legitimate protest from antisemitic attacks.
First: “Target the Israeli government or its policies — not Jews or Jewish institutions and businesses.”
“Protesting in front of the Israeli embassy, the U.S. Department of State, or other government institutions is legitimate political speech,” she said. “But protests, boycotts, or harassment directed at Jewish individuals, Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, schools, or restaurants are not political criticism. They are antisemitism.”
Second: “Do not treat Jews everywhere as responsible for Israel.”
Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and the world’s only Jewish state in nearly two thousand years. Yet Jews around the world hold diverse views about Israeli policy, and Jews outside Israel are not responsible for decisions made by its government. Holding Jews collectively accountable for Israel is a classic antisemitic trope.
Third: “Do not promote violence or the destruction of Israel or Jews.”
There is a fundamental difference between criticizing Israeli policy and calling for Israel’s elimination or encouraging violence against Jews. Slogans such as “From the River to the Sea” or “Globalize the Intifada” fall into this category. They do not refer to any specific policy debate but instead invoke violence and the elimination of Israel.
One point raised during the conversation resonated deeply with the experience of people in Ann Arbor, where many members of the Jewish community work in academia.
In response to a question from Elyssa Schmier about microaggressions, professional exclusion, and the discomfort many Jewish academics experience around expressing their identity, Klompas offered a powerful observation:
“Normalizing exclusion of Jews is as antisemitic as painting a swastika on your door. One tactic antisemites use is pushing Jews out of polite society. Making you uncomfortable with your Jewish or Zionist identity, excluding you from professional opportunities, or socially isolating you — that is antisemitism.”
In response to the question of “what should we do,” Klompas said that the answer is not to stay quiet and hope the moment passes. Antisemites have historically targeted Jews regardless of how visible or quiet they are. Instead, she offered several important steps for strengthening our community from within and engaging with the broader society.
First, she emphasized the need to strengthen Jewish education. It is important to “raise a generation of Jews who are knowledgeable, confident, and secure in their identity.” Educated Jews are far less likely to be intimidated or pushed aside.
Secondly, she suggested making Israel part of regular conversation. Research consistently shows that balanced Israel education — one that acknowledges moral, political, and historical complexity — strengthens long-term engagement with Israel and with Jewish identity.
Thirdly, she emphasized the importance of engagement outside the Jewish community. It is important to speak with different segments of society in ways that resonate with them and explain how hatred harms those specific segments of society with which you engage. Hatred is toxic; it never stops with only the Jews.
Klompas also cautioned against several common mistakes people make in efforts to counteract antisemitism.
Firstly, she said that Jews should not portray themselves as victims. While Jews are a minority group, the community is not powerless and should not represent itself as such.
Secondly, she suggested avoiding “virtue signaling” about Jewish achievements. Reminding people how many Nobel Prize winners are Jewish or how Jews have contributed to world civilization rarely persuades anyone and often alienates audiences.
Finally, she said that when discussing antisemitism, it is often more effective to speak about how hatred damages the person you are speaking with, rather than focusing only on how it harms Jews.
The conversation also concluded with two reasons for cautious optimism:
The first comes from the Middle East itself. Since October 7, several countries in the region have strengthened their relationships with Israel and with Jewish communities around the world. While some Western leaders attempt to gain political advantage by criticizing Israel while failing to confront antisemitism at home, regional cooperation with Israel continues to grow. Israel is increasingly recognized as a strategic partner by moderate Sunni countries, and even Syria’s new leadership has signaled openness toward Jewish engagement. The Jewish Federation’s JCRC Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin has already visited Syria several times as part of these emerging connections.
The second reason for optimism is the seriousness with which the current U.S. administration is addressing antisemitism. While antisemitism is rising across much of the Western world — including Britain, Canada, France, and Australia — the United States has taken significant steps to counter it. Security authorities are actively monitoring threats, and the large antisemitic encampments that once dominated campuses have largely disappeared. While challenges remain, Jewish communities in the United States continue to live in far greater safety than in many other parts of the world.
Following a brief Q&A session, the evening concluded with a sense of both clarity and resolve. For more information about Israel programs, contact Amichay Findling (amichay@jewishannarbor.org).