A few weeks ago I attended a lecture on peace and justice in the Palestine-Israel area given by activist Ali Abunimah. He argued that what is taking place in Israel would be best solved in the same manner apartheid was ended in South Africa or conflict in Northern Ireland was mollified.

Mr. Abunimah advocates a one-state solution in which each citizen is entitled to an individual vote, and the government is a secular one that represents all people within its borders. To a neutral bystander the argument made a great deal of sense and seemed attractive in principle. Imaginably, it would prove more complex than that.

What surprised me was what took place during the question and answer session that followed Mr. Abunimah’s lecture. After the initial few innocent questions from those seeking to thank Abunimah or get clarity on a point, several students got up and harassed the speaker. His surprisingly calm, carefully-worded responses prompted at least one to leave in frustration, proclaiming that America and Israel ‘cannot negotiate with terrorists!’ (or something to that effect).

After experiencing that, I attended a seminar on anti-Semitism entitled ‘Why the Jews?’ (conveniently scheduled a week later) in which the speaker attempted to explain the history and reasons for anti-Semitism. Quoting Hitler and other sources, the speaker then made the clear statement that the root cause for anti-Semitism is that people wish to remain ignorant, to remain in the dark, to ignore God. That’s why anti-Semitism exists.

I left the lecture attempting to understand the explanation of anti-Semitism and unfortunately was left with an absurd ‘one size fits all’ argument about how the only reason to be anti-Semitic is because you are an immoral creature who wants to live in the dark. This becomes a problem when many who defend the idea of a secular Israel or who confront Israel over their domestic policies are called ‘anti-Semitic’ because of Israel’s status as a Jewish nation.

Now, I will defend free speech until the bitter end, but I think there’s such a thing as a responsibility to those you’re addressing. I have to wonder what some of the religious groups on campus are teaching those who attend their meetings if a lecture like ‘Why the Jews?’ is considered normal fare. After attending both lectures, I’m forced to ask if I would be considered anti-Semitic simply because I think the state of Israel should not treat Palestinians the way they have and should not exist as a ‘Jewish’ government, but rather as a secular one. Is there any way to be ‘anti-Israel’ and not be called out for being anti-Semitic?