(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Last week, the Somerville Times published the commentary, “Who is a good jew?” In the commentary, a Somerville resident defended the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as essential to combating antisemitism and criticized the National Education Association’s (NEA) decision to cut ties with the ADL. While the author’s personal experiences of antisemitism are valid and critical for all to hear, the author misses the mark in his defense of a powerful organization like the ADL. Jewish safety doesn’t come from gatekeeping or aligning with power; it comes from solidarity.

The ADL has aggressively pushed for a definition of antisemitism that equates nearly any criticism of Israel with hatred of Jews. This effort by the ADL is intellectually dishonest and enormously dangerous. To reduce our identities to uncritical Zionism is to erase our culture’s diverse history.

This definition pushed by the ADL has been used to silence pro-Palestinian activism and has been seized upon by the Trump administration. The Trump administration is leveraging perceptions that criticism of Israel’s actions is antisemitic or constitutes terrorism. Make no mistake, the Trump administration has no interest in protecting Jews from antisemitism. We are being used as pawns in their quest to suppress dissent and solidify authoritarian power.

While the Trump administration continues to exploit this broad and dangerous definition of antisemitism, the ADL has been extremely weak in their criticism of the Trump administration. This is the same administration that mainstreamed QAnon, empowered white nationalists, and implied that Jews who don’t support Trump are disloyal. While the ADL has been silent in the face of this right-wing authoritarian rise to power, they somehow found time to defend Elon Musk amid his open promotion of antisemitic conspiracies.

Instead of standing up to the Trump administration, the ADL has focused their criticism on progressive Jewish organization like Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. The ADL pretends to be a voice for American Jews, but instead engages in gatekeeping of Judaism from progressive Jewish organizations.

This kind of selective outrage and strategic alignment with right wing power feeds into some of the most dangerous antisemitic myths: that Jews are aligned with state power, that we control the narrative, or that we silence criticism. Ironically, by partnering with far-right interests and attempting to police discourse, the ADL reinforces the very stereotypes it claims to combat.

We must reject this approach. The way to fight antisemitism is not by isolating ourselves or aligning with authoritarian forces. It is by building bonds with other oppressed communities who live under threat. True safety comes from solidarity with Palestinians, with immigrants, with Black and brown communities, with Muslims, and with all people fighting for liberation.

Furthermore, the author unfairly labels mayoral candidate Willie Burnley Jr. as antisemitic simply for sharing criticism of the ADL. This kind of accusation is not only baseless—it’s irresponsible. Conflating legitimate critique of a political organization with antisemitism dilutes the meaning of the term and undermines real efforts to confront hate. I am ecstatic to have a progressive mayoral candidate in Somerville like Burnley Jr. that is willing to speak truth to powerful and dangerous organizations like the ADL.

While I appreciate the author’s right to speak up for Jews in an op-ed article, I hope they recognize that it is a right not afforded to everyone in Somerville. Rümeysa Öztürk returned home recently after she was disappeared, in our backyard, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) simply because she wrote an op-ed critical of Israel’s actions. We as Jews cannot stand for the unlawful detention of Öztürk in the name of combatting a distorted version of antisemitism. The ADL’s efforts to equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism play directly into the suppression of speech and empowers America’s right wing, authoritarian government.  We must reject this and expect better from the institutions that purport to protect us.

Mike H
Somerville Resident