We are Jewish leaders who have a range of opinions, perspectives, and approaches to Israel-Palestine. We are deeply concerned by recent reports and outcries from certain corners of our community which suggest a direct confluence between the growing movement for Palestinian freedom and violent incidents against Jews in our cities.

We unequivocally condemn attacks on members of our Jewish community. Jewish people deserve to walk safely in the streets of our cities without fear of attack or harassment - just like anyone else. Blaming all Jewish people for the actions of the Israeli government is antisemitic. We are shocked and disgusted by individuals who would use this moment of heightened support for Palestinian rights to advance antisemitic hatred and violence.

We reject efforts to stoke fear and division. Supporters of the Israeli government - including some in the American Jewish establishment - are misrepresenting fringe and widely-condemned acts of individual antisemitism as characteristic of the broader Palestinian human rights movement. We refuse to allow the continued and inaccurate conflation of antisemitism with speech critical of Israel. The Israeli government must be held accountable for its continued violations of Palestinian human rights.

Palestinian liberation and dismantling antisemitism are intertwined. For decades, the organizations and activists leading the Palestinian freedom movement have been resoundingly clear that antisemitism has no place in the movement, which is guided by principles of human rights and antiracism. When fringe antisemitic events occur, they are swiftly and roundly condemned by movement leadership. The grassroots Palestinian freedom movement is concerned with the liberation of all people and dismantling all forms of oppression. Linking the movement at large to antisemitism is baseless and harmful. Especially in this moment, we must condemn this thinly veiled attempt to delegitimize Palestinian leadership and distract from Palestinians experiencing state violence by Israel.

We commit to standing up against anti-Palestinian racism, so often unreported and unacknowledged in our communities. We support our Palestinian siblings' right to describe their lived experiences without being accused of antisemitism. Even if their terms make us uncomfortable or we disagree with their analysis, we refuse to be more outraged by the words Palestinians use than the actual violence they endure. Similarly, we refuse to allow progressive leaders of color who speak out in support of Palestinian rights to be smeared for their principled stand.

We will continue speaking out against the violence in Israel-Palestine. We have watched with horror as images from Jerusalem, Gaza, and Lod/Lydd filled our feeds. We are grieving the loss of at least 243 Palestinians in Gaza, including 66 children, and the loss of 13 Israelis. We reject attempts to distract from this violence or to suggest that it is necessary to keep us safe. We are inspired by the growing numbers of Jewish people speaking boldly against Israel's continued oppression and dispossession of the Palestinian people and joining the movement for freedom and equality for all who call Israel-Palestine home.

We know safety comes through solidarity. Antisemitism - like anti-Asian, anti-Black, anti-Palestinian, and Islamophobic attacks and rhetoric - exists in every community, but it is fostered and exploited by rightwing movements in the US and around the world, which gain power by keeping us divided. The work of dismantling all oppression is OUR collective work. We will not be pitted against each other.

Together we can stop the machinery of division and fear used to keep us isolated and vulnerable. We won't be distracted from our fight for freedom and safety for all people.