opinion
Finally, Politicians Speak Out
Against BDS Antisemitism
BY GILEAD INI
I f further proof were needed that the BDS campaign
against Israel is deeply antisemitic, a venomous
“mapping” campaign defaming and targeting
Boston-area Jews provides stunning evidence of it.

A Boston BDS group recently publicized an
online map that lists the addresses of Jewish insti-
tutions across Massachusetts. The group called on
followers to use the addresses to “dismantle” and
“disrupt” the institutions in question. Although the
project was slammed as antisemitic and dangerous
by members of Congress, the city’s leading daily
The Boston Globe has not covered the scandal.

The BDS hit list includes a Jewish high school,
a center for Jews with disabilities, Jewish student
groups, synagogues, Jewish newspapers, a center
for Jewish arts and various Jewish-run charities.

Also included in the list are Jewish communal
organizations ranging from the ZOA to J Street.

They include the ADL, AJC, CAMERA, JCRC, New
England Jewish Labor Committee, the New Israel
Fund and others. Also included is the city of
Newton’s public-school district — the elementary
schools, middle schools and high schools of a com-
munity known for its high Jewish population (30%).

The so-called “Mapping Project” holds Jewish
communal organizations responsible for the world’s
ills, both abroad and in the United States. It accuses
the Jewish community of being implicated in “white
supremacy,” “colonization,” “U.S. imperialism” and
“propaganda.” Boston’s “Zionist leaders” are even
charged with “extracting wealth from colonized
Puerto Rico” and “advancing the privatization of
U.S. public schools.” Opponents of antisemitism
are said to be responsible for police violence.

The BDS activists behind the map appear to
encourage violence against those on the list —
all those allegedly evil Jewish students, artists,
worshipers, philanthropists and disabled people.

“These entities exist in the physical world and can
be disrupted in the physical world,” the Mapping
Project asserts. “We hope people will use our map
to help figure out how to push back effectively.”
The map’s creators call for confronting Zionists
with a “network of resistance.” On a page directly
and prominently tying “Zionism” to “policing,” they
state that in confronting the police — and perhaps
also their Zionist enablers—they support “resis-
tance in all its forms,” a clear call for violence.

Antisemitism has always festered on the right
and left fringes. The Mapping Project, however, has
been promoted by influential political activists with
connections to various Massachusetts politicians.

“Zionist” has long been a euphemism for
“Jewish.” And anti-Zionism has long been used
as a flimsy cover for antisemitism, including
violent antisemitism. With their attack on the
Massachusetts Jewish community, the authors of
the Mapping Project make this as clear as ever.

Those behind the Mapping Project have man-
aged to remain anonymous. Its promoters, how-
ever, have been prominent in Massachusetts
political activism. A lobbying group called
Massachusetts Peace Action, which has been fre-
quently cited by The Boston Globe, has promoted
the map. A group called BDS Boston has also
heavily pushed it.

The leadership of both these groups includes
young activists highlighted in The New York
Times as prominent boosters of Democratic
Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey’s recent cam-
interpretation. It is reassuring, however, that in the face of
the Mapping Project’s blatant antisemitism, many
prominent politicians have spoken out in support
of the Jewish community.

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) called the map
“chilling,” telling Jewish Insider that it “is tapping
into millennia-old anti-Semitic tropes about nefar-
ious Jewish wealth, control, conspiracy, media
connections and political string-pulling.”
Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) stated, “At a time
where anti-Semitism and political violence is on the
rise, this ‘mapping’ of Jewish people, schools, orga-
nizations and academics is alarming” and could
“provoke attacks against the Jewish community.”
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) said the project is
a dangerous “anti-Semitic enemies list with a map
attached.” It is reassuring, however, that in the face of the
Mapping Project’s blatant antisemitism, many
prominent politicians have spoken out in support
of the Jewish community.

paign. They are part of an informal collection of
activists, dubbed the “Markeyverse,” who the
senator thanked by name.

Even after the activists criticized Markey for
saying Israel has a right to defend itself against
Hamas rocket fire, Markey’s chief of staff said, “I
can tell you, Senator Markey loves these people.”
The Times also tied the collection of activists to
campaigners for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Antisemitism is always a danger to Jews. And
with political extremism from all sides on the rise,
it’s imperative that our politicians understand
the threat in all its guises, including the BDS
movement, and all its sources, including political
campaigners. One polling organization has found
that a disturbing number of young Americans
support political violence. Just this week, a man
was arrested for attempting to murder a Supreme
Court justice. An activist who has heavily pro-
moted the anti-Jewish map, and is part of the
leadership of Massachusetts Peace Action, BDS
Boston and the so-called Markeyverse, appeared
to cheer the assassination attempt, though her
language was vague enough to leave room for
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) released a state-
ment saying, “It is not acceptable to target or make
vulnerable Jewish institutions or organizations, full
stop.” Some might be confused about the source
of the threat in question, however, as Pressley’s
statement pointed the finger at “anti-Semitism and
organized, violent white supremacy,” even though
the map does not appear to be the work of white
supremacists. Warren and Markey later issued a joint state-
ment condemning what they called a “dangerous
and irresponsible” attack on Massachusetts Jews.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy
wrote, “With anti-Semitism rising across the coun-
try, including here in Massachusetts, this is irre-
sponsible and unacceptable. Mapping out Jewish
community groups, arts organizations and schools
like this puts residents and their families at risk.”
Outside of Massachusetts, Reps. Ritchie Torres
(D-N.Y.), Jerry Nadler, (D-N.Y.) and Brian Schatz
(D-Hawaii) forcefully spoke out against BDS
antisemitism. JE
Gilead Ini is a senior research analyst at CAMERA.

This article was originally published by CAMERA.

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