What is (and isn’t) antisemitism?

With so many people talking about Israel and Gaza, perhaps it’s worth visiting what antisemitism actually is.

That is, if we can all agree on how that is defined.

In the same way that racism can be more complex than burning crosses and white hoods, antisemitism is more than Nazis and concentration camps. I would guess, rather optimistically, that most people who hold antisemitic views don’t actually wish violence upon Jewish people. 

But that’s part of the problem: antisemitism isn’t always obvious. What, then, is antisemitism, and what does it look like in secular and Christian contexts? 

In secular politics

“Zionism,” taken from the biblical word “Zion” which refers to the nation of Israel, supports the Jewish people claiming Israel as their ancestral nation. Anti-Zionism denies self-determination. 

I’ve never believed that criticism of Israel constitutes antisemitism. Israel has been, and continues to be, deserving of criticism in many respects. That’s not the issue with anti-Zionism, which denies Israel’s right to exist.

In my experience, if you scratch an anti-zionist, you will find an antisemite. The Venn Diagram of anti-Zionism and Holocaust trivialization or flat-out denial, or claims that Jews control banks and the media, tends to be a circle.

Anti-zionist criticism can be (though not always) a smokescreen for Jewish bigotry. If someone uses a term like “Jewish control,” it may be helpful to ask them to be more specific and define what they mean. When political discussion is peppered with buzzwords, clarity is essential. 

In Christian settings

Christian history of antisemitism is unfortunately long and often violent. These days, it can look less like literal Crusades and more like ignorance of Judaism. Still, on platforms like Twitter (I can’t call it “X”), many users have no shame about airing their disgust for Jews because they rejected Jesus as their messiah. You don’t typically see this kind of disdain for non-Christians of other religions.

Recently, a controversy emerged over whether it’s antisemitic to say “Christ is King.” On its own, this is a true statement that gets to the heart of what Christianity is about. But as with any good thing, it can be misapplied and spoken in ways that are intended to cause harm.

Catholic apologist Trent Horn says:

On the one side you have people saying this is an affirmation of the Christian faith and a desire to not give into secular culture. On the other side, you have people saying the phrase Christ is king is antisemitic, or it can be antisemitic and it’s being used by others to express contempt for Jewish people. So let’s take a closer look right at the outset. We should agree. It is true. Christ is king. This is not a bad phrase. 

Some people who use this phrase are taking the Lord’s name in vain, or they’re using Christianity as a prop to promote their own sinful behavior. One example would be Andrew Tate, a self-described Muslim who is admitted to pimping women out and is being charged with rape and sex trafficking by the Romanian government. He writes, “As a Muslim, it warms my heart to see the resurgence of spirited Christian declarations. Christ is king, and I pray Christianity regains its strength and protects its societies against the pervasive and constant erosion of morality by the devotees of Satan.”

So not every use of the phrase is good.

I have also written about other ways that Christian behaviors and/or statements can be perceived as antisemitic (whether that is the intention or not), such as hosting Passover seders, celebrating Hanukkah, blowing shofars in church, and the way we talk about Pharisees.

This isn’t to say that Christians shouldn’t proclaim the gospel. Rather, it’s good to have an awareness of how our words will be perceived, so that we can tread with grace and understanding.

Who defines antisemitism?

The debate over who gets to define antisemitism is a heated one. Logically, it should fall to Jewish people to decide what is and is not offensive to them. However, not all Jews will agree on what is offensive (just as we’ve failed to unanimously agree on just about anything). Some Jews will consider it antisemitic to be wished a merry Christmas, and others aren’t bothered at all. Some will consider the entire Christian faith to be antisemitic, as it reinterprets the entire Old Testament in light of Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

No matter how respectfully one engages with politics and theology, it’s inevitable that hackles will be raised. But these discussions are still worth having, with a balance of truth and charity. 

Photo by Cassidy Rowell on Unsplash

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