State Sen. Jeremy Moss says vandalism at Southfield, Michigan, law office was antisemitic

Several University of Michigan regents were targeted by protests in May over their refusal to divest from Israeli companies and weapons manufacturers. During the same period, a pro-Palestinian, anti-war encampment took root on the university’s campus and was later broken up by police.

Last week, the law office of Goodman Acker in Southfield, where University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker is a partner, was vandalized. Graffiti urging divestment from Israel and reading “Free Palestine” was painted on the side of the building. Both attorneys, Jordan Acker and Barry Goodman, said the vandalism was antisemitic. Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren has said the incident was a hate crime, but he said that any charges in that regard would be up to the prosecutor handling the case.

State Sen. Jeremy Moss joined WDET’s All Things Considered to discuss the incident and to explore what constitutes antisemitism during a period of heightened hostility toward Jewish Americans. Moss said the incident that occurred last month was antisemitic and that some pro-Palestinian protests have lent themselves to antisemitism.

Moss said that not every anti-Israel protest is antisemitic. He added, however, that protesters cannot escape scrutiny for antisemitism simply because they say their activity is focused on Israel and not on Jews.

Moss also said that anti-Zionist attitudes and rhetoric can at times express themselves as antisemitism, given how closely Zionism is tied to many Jewish Americans and Jews around the world. Stating the belief that Israel should exist as a homeland for Jews, he said, can be met with slogans such as “all Zionists should die” and “Zionism is racism.” Speaking plainly about what is being said and what it means, rather than softening it, is a matter of truthful speech (Ephesians 4:15). Moss said such attacks target Jews for what they believe and hold as part of their value system.

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