Episode 61: Is criticizing Israel antisemitic?

Ask Haviv Anything – Episode 61: Is Criticizing Israel Antisemitic?

Host: Haviv Rettig Gur
Date: November 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Haviv Rettig Gur confronts a perennial and heated question: Is criticism of Israel inherently antisemitic? Drawing on personal experience, history, and recent controversies, Haviv unpacks the difference between legitimate critique and antisemitic rhetoric, especially as it relates to perceptions about Israel’s legitimacy and Jewish nationhood. The episode is candid and nuanced, wrestling with the role of selective outrage, historical Jewish identity, and the ways in which anti-Israel activism can sometimes cross the line into antisemitism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Not All Criticism of Israel is Antisemitic

[00:05–02:10]
- Haviv responds to the claim: “Every time somebody criticizes Israel, you accuse them of being antisemitic.”
- “Criticism of Israel, criticism of Israel's actions, criticism of Netanyahu or his policies is not antisemitic. There's nothing antisemitic about them.”
  — Haviv Rettig Gur [00:41]
- He references his own extensive criticisms of Israeli leaders and policies, asserting that robust political debate is normal and healthy.

2. Defining the Boundary: Critique vs. Denial of Jewish Peoplehood

[02:11–05:00]
- Antisemitism enters when criticism moves from policies/actions to denying Jews' right to self-determination.
- Many anti-Israel activists, Haviv argues, insist that Jewish identity is purely religious, not national, denying centuries of Jewish self-perception and outsider designation.
- “If you deny that Jews are a thing that can have a state, which is core dogma to the pro Palestinian campaign... That's antisemitic.”
  — [03:16]
- He provides historical context: Jews were always seen as (and self-identified as) a distinct people, not merely a faith.

3. The Core of Pro-Palestinian Activism vs. Jewish Survival

[05:01–08:30]
- Haviv delineates between campaigns for Palestinian self-determination (which many Jews could support) and activism that rejects Israel’s legitimacy.
- He discusses the context of Israel’s founding—post-Holocaust, when Jews lacked other safe havens.
- “The idea that their survival is a crime, which is what the argument is... is antisemitic.”
  — [07:20]

4. Double Standards & Singling Out Israel

[08:31–15:00]
- Case study: Zoran Mamdani’s arguments about NYPD training with Israeli police versus training with other countries, which is never similarly condemned.
- “The only program Zoran Mamdani has... come out against is the sharing with the Israeli police. And that helped teach the NYPD to be violent is his argument... That's antisemitism.”
  — [10:40]
- Selective outrage: the absence of global protest over atrocities in Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
- “The NYPD learned from Israel some counterterror tactics... The only program [Mamdani] has publicly come out against... is with the Israeli police.”
  — [11:10]
- He highlights how selective amplification of suffering—algorithms surfacing Gaza images while hiding others—skews public empathy in ways that are sometimes rooted in antisemitism, not universal humanitarianism.

5. On the Scale and Ritualization of Anti-Israel Protests

[15:01–19:00]
- Massive, coordinated, English-language protests against Israel in various capitals are “unprecedented” compared to protests over other major conflicts or injustices.
- “Every name was deployed at Israel. Colonialism, imperialism, apartheid, genocide, ecocide. There's no word invented for evil that hasn't been deployed at Israel.”
  — [17:15]
- Haviv notes that the unique ferocity and focus, rather than the act of protesting itself, feed perceptions of antisemitism.

6. Legitimate vs. Illegitimate Critique

[19:01–End]
- Criticism of Israel's conduct in war is legitimate; questioning the right of Jewish survival in their state is not.
- “The antisemitism is in the uniqueness of all of this, just exclusively for Israel. And the antisemitism is in the demand that millions of Jews not have survived the 20th century.”
  — [20:10]
- Ignorance of Jewish history doesn't excuse bigotry indefinitely.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On drawing the line:
“Criticize anything Israel does... I promise you, I have not spoken a word of antisemitism in all of my critiques of the Israeli government.”
— Haviv Rettig Gur [00:47]
On denial of Jewish peoplehood:
“Jews were always a nation, always in their official definition, in their religious legal definition, they were always a people.”
— [02:30]
On activist dogma:
“If you deny that Jews are a thing that can have a state, which is core dogma to the pro Palestinian campaign...That's antisemitic. Criticize anything Israel does. But the last 8 million Jews living in the Eastern hemisphere after a century in which all others could not survive... The idea that their survival is a crime...is antisemitic.”
— [03:16–07:23]
On selective outrage:
“If, for example, 150,000 dead in Sudan in a war...and it's nowhere. I don't mind if that's the beginning of a new way of thinking about war...Let's do that. Let's have that be what this is. But it's not what this is. Because you'll never see images of victims of war ever again if Israel isn't involved.”
— [12:00–13:20]
On protests:
“If you have marches that dwarf anything that ever happened in Vietnam, anything about apartheid, South Africa... all in regularity, in scale, in, in coordination... Every name was deployed at Israel... Is Israel really the worst thing on earth? Or is this a vast campaign, which is what it feels like to most Jews and most Israelis?”
— [16:35–17:42]

Tone and Style

Haviv maintains a reflective, deeply informed, and sometimes impassioned tone. He weaves personal insight with historical context, aiming for clarity while inviting listeners to grapple with uncomfortable realities and self-examination. The style is unsparing but not polemical, rooted in a desire for honest debate.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In:

This episode offers an in-depth, sharply reasoned critique of the conflation between anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism. Haviv makes a clear distinction: criticism is not antisemitism, but denying Jews the right to nationhood, applying double standards, or uniquely demonizing Israel often is. He urges listeners to be aware of the border between legitimate dissent and the perpetuation of historic bigotry—knowingly or not.

Ask Haviv Anything – Episode 61: Is Criticizing Israel Antisemitic?

Host: Haviv Rettig Gur
Date: November 19, 2025

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Not All Criticism of Israel is Antisemitic

[00:05–02:10]
- Haviv responds to the claim: “Every time somebody criticizes Israel, you accuse them of being antisemitic.”
- “Criticism of Israel, criticism of Israel's actions, criticism of Netanyahu or his policies is not antisemitic. There's nothing antisemitic about them.”
  — Haviv Rettig Gur [00:41]
- He references his own extensive criticisms of Israeli leaders and policies, asserting that robust political debate is normal and healthy.

2. Defining the Boundary: Critique vs. Denial of Jewish Peoplehood

[02:11–05:00]
- Antisemitism enters when criticism moves from policies/actions to denying Jews' right to self-determination.
- Many anti-Israel activists, Haviv argues, insist that Jewish identity is purely religious, not national, denying centuries of Jewish self-perception and outsider designation.
- “If you deny that Jews are a thing that can have a state, which is core dogma to the pro Palestinian campaign... That's antisemitic.”
  — [03:16]
- He provides historical context: Jews were always seen as (and self-identified as) a distinct people, not merely a faith.

3. The Core of Pro-Palestinian Activism vs. Jewish Survival

[05:01–08:30]
- Haviv delineates between campaigns for Palestinian self-determination (which many Jews could support) and activism that rejects Israel’s legitimacy.
- He discusses the context of Israel’s founding—post-Holocaust, when Jews lacked other safe havens.
- “The idea that their survival is a crime, which is what the argument is... is antisemitic.”
  — [07:20]

4. Double Standards & Singling Out Israel

[08:31–15:00]
- Case study: Zoran Mamdani’s arguments about NYPD training with Israeli police versus training with other countries, which is never similarly condemned.
- “The only program Zoran Mamdani has... come out against is the sharing with the Israeli police. And that helped teach the NYPD to be violent is his argument... That's antisemitism.”
  — [10:40]
- Selective outrage: the absence of global protest over atrocities in Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
- “The NYPD learned from Israel some counterterror tactics... The only program [Mamdani] has publicly come out against... is with the Israeli police.”
  — [11:10]
- He highlights how selective amplification of suffering—algorithms surfacing Gaza images while hiding others—skews public empathy in ways that are sometimes rooted in antisemitism, not universal humanitarianism.

5. On the Scale and Ritualization of Anti-Israel Protests

[15:01–19:00]
- Massive, coordinated, English-language protests against Israel in various capitals are “unprecedented” compared to protests over other major conflicts or injustices.
- “Every name was deployed at Israel. Colonialism, imperialism, apartheid, genocide, ecocide. There's no word invented for evil that hasn't been deployed at Israel.”
  — [17:15]
- Haviv notes that the unique ferocity and focus, rather than the act of protesting itself, feed perceptions of antisemitism.

6. Legitimate vs. Illegitimate Critique

[19:01–End]
- Criticism of Israel's conduct in war is legitimate; questioning the right of Jewish survival in their state is not.
- “The antisemitism is in the uniqueness of all of this, just exclusively for Israel. And the antisemitism is in the demand that millions of Jews not have survived the 20th century.”
  — [20:10]
- Ignorance of Jewish history doesn't excuse bigotry indefinitely.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On drawing the line:
“Criticize anything Israel does... I promise you, I have not spoken a word of antisemitism in all of my critiques of the Israeli government.”
— Haviv Rettig Gur [00:47]
On denial of Jewish peoplehood:
“Jews were always a nation, always in their official definition, in their religious legal definition, they were always a people.”
— [02:30]
On activist dogma:
“If you deny that Jews are a thing that can have a state, which is core dogma to the pro Palestinian campaign...That's antisemitic. Criticize anything Israel does. But the last 8 million Jews living in the Eastern hemisphere after a century in which all others could not survive... The idea that their survival is a crime...is antisemitic.”
— [03:16–07:23]
On selective outrage:
“If, for example, 150,000 dead in Sudan in a war...and it's nowhere. I don't mind if that's the beginning of a new way of thinking about war...Let's do that. Let's have that be what this is. But it's not what this is. Because you'll never see images of victims of war ever again if Israel isn't involved.”
— [12:00–13:20]
On protests:
“If you have marches that dwarf anything that ever happened in Vietnam, anything about apartheid, South Africa... all in regularity, in scale, in, in coordination... Every name was deployed at Israel... Is Israel really the worst thing on earth? Or is this a vast campaign, which is what it feels like to most Jews and most Israelis?”
— [16:35–17:42]

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Summary

Ask Haviv Anything – Episode 61: Is Criticizing Israel Antisemitic?

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Not All Criticism of Israel is Antisemitic

2. Defining the Boundary: Critique vs. Denial of Jewish Peoplehood

3. The Core of Pro-Palestinian Activism vs. Jewish Survival

4. Double Standards & Singling Out Israel

5. On the Scale and Ritualization of Anti-Israel Protests

6. Legitimate vs. Illegitimate Critique

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Suggested Listening Timestamps for Key Topics

Tone and Style

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In:

Summary

Ask Haviv Anything – Episode 61: Is Criticizing Israel Antisemitic?

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Not All Criticism of Israel is Antisemitic

2. Defining the Boundary: Critique vs. Denial of Jewish Peoplehood

3. The Core of Pro-Palestinian Activism vs. Jewish Survival

4. Double Standards & Singling Out Israel

5. On the Scale and Ritualization of Anti-Israel Protests

6. Legitimate vs. Illegitimate Critique

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Suggested Listening Timestamps for Key Topics

Tone and Style

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In: