Aaron Keyak, a board member of the Combat Antisemitism Movement and former U.S. deputy special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism at the U.S. State Department during the Biden administration, warned against blaming Jews for the ongoing war with Iran.
“Whether in the form of rhetoric from leading political figures or through antisemitic attacks, these critics of the current military operations must stop collectively blaming Jews for the war with Iran,” Keyak stated on Wednesday.
He added that policy disagreements should not translate into hostility toward Jewish individuals or institutions.
“Regardless of any policy disagreements, targeting members of the Jewish community just for being Jewish or seeking to hold them broadly accountable for the actions of the Israeli government, the Trump Administration, or any government for that matter, at the very least reflects an unconscious bias against the Jewish community if not outright Jew-hatred,” he said.
Keyak urged critics to consider how such actions would be perceived in other contexts.
“If one were to take the discussion out of the realm of Middle East policy, some would find the situation clearer,” he said. “For example, while many disagree with how the People’s Republic of China treats its Uighur population, it would simply be inconceivable for those critics to stage a protest outside of a Chinese restaurant or religious institution.”
He added that antisemitic tropes remain deeply embedded in public discourse, leading activists to “fall right into those historic trenches,” even when they do not believe their actions are motivated by hatred.
Keyak’s warning comes amid escalating antisemitic violence, and claims from politicians, podcasters and influencers that Jews are responsible for the war with Iran. The Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Antisemitism Research Center reported a 34% increase in hostility toward Jews and Israel in the first week of the conflict, documenting 154 antisemitic incidents worldwide.
According to the group, 73 of those incidents involved praise for the Iranian regime or conspiracy theories blaming Jews or Israel for the war.
