CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Gov. David Ige greets Consul General Dr. Hillel Newman from the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles on Oct. 19.
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In a time when antisemitic incidents have reached historic highs in the United States, it is disturbing to see the Star-Advertiser publish a letter to the editor filled with antisemitic tropes, mistruths and distortions of history (“Ige should withdraw from Israel agreement,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 27).
Language referring to the existence of Israel as a “brutal and illegal occupation” denies the Jewish people a right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. Falsely accusing the Jewish state of “spying on Americans” and “waging war by deception,” as well as implying that support of Israel’s existence is a “cancerous invasion,” reinforces age-old antisemitic conspiracy theories that dehumanize Jewish individuals.
Published comments that fuel the flames of antisemitism are dangerous given the consistent rise in acts of violence against Jewish communities. We hope that the Star-Advertiser will take a stand against antisemitism by not giving voice to those who foment hate.
Teresa Drenick
Deputy regional director, Anti-Defamation League, Central Pacific Region
San Francisco
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