I'm a rabbi who believes in free expression and dissent. But what we are facing now is not principled disagreement. It's dehumanization.
As the senior rabbi of a Scottsdale congregation, I’ve led my community in prayer at
pro-Israel rallies . I’ve held handmade posters and waved the flag of Israel along Scottsdale Road to raise awareness about the hostages still held by Hamas. I’ve also participated in programs held at Jewish museums intentionally designed to build bridges. That’s why the recent
attack in Boulder — where a man set Jewish demonstrators on fire near a shopping district — and the
shooting in Washington, D.C. , that killed two young people outside a Jewish museum, feel so deeply personal. After months of
rising anti-Jewish hate and violence, it’s impossible not to think that this could have been me. It could have been my family. It could have been someone from my synagogue.
Antisemitism happens in Arizona, too
People often assume that antisemitism is a problem confined to major urban centers, college campuses or history books. They hear of an attack in Colorado or in D.C. and think it’s far away. But Jews know better. Antisemitism doesn’t stop at state lines. It spreads in all directions and thrives wherever it is left unchallenged. It exists here, too. A teacher berated one of my teenage congregants for asking to reschedule an exam that fell on a Jewish holiday. Congregants have had their business ads defaced — targeted not for their views, but for their Jewish-sounding names. After the Boulder attack, some members told me they felt unsafe attending in-person events. I understand that fear. I’ve
received death threats , messages invoking Hitler and conspiracies blaming Jews for everything from global unrest to controlling financial systems. These are not political disagreements. They are threats meant to intimidate and isolate.
Anti-Zionism has been sanitized, but it's dangerous
In response, synagogues and Jewish institutions throughout the Valley, including my own congregation, have had to dramatically increase security, and that expense amounts to a de facto antisemitism tax. Our elected officials must seriously consider a recent
request from dozens of Jewish organizations that urges the expansion of programs protecting Jewish communities, and do everything in their power to ensure public safety. Part of what allows this climate to fester is how anti-Zionism has been sanitized. Its loudest champions insist it’s merely criticism of Israeli policy. But modern anti-Zionism isn’t about policy — it’s about erasure. It denies the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in any part of our ancestral homeland. It rejects coexistence, the promise of a two-state solution and any vision of peace. At its core, anti-Zionism is a call for endless war until Israel no longer exists. It’s wrong, it’s dangerous, and increasingly, it’s deadly. We’ve seen where this rhetoric leads. Blood libels have long paved the road to bloodshed. Today, those libels take the form of grotesque Nazi comparisons, baseless genocide claims and viral falsehoods — like the recent United Nations warning that 14,000 babies would starve in Gaza within 48 hours. The claim was
quickly discredited but widely shared. When lies spread, violence follows.
Education alone won't stop this. We need solidarity
That’s why it matters when people speak up. And I’m proud to say that in the greater Phoenix community, many have. Recently, we broke ground on the
Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center near downtown. The public bond that helped fund its construction passed in a city historically skeptical of such measures — a testament to the broad support we feel from our neighbors. The center will also help fulfill Arizona’s Holocaust education mandates and serve as a vital resource for our entire community. Still, education alone won’t stop this tide. We need more than quiet empathy — we need active solidarity. Just as we would never tolerate racial slurs or homophobic taunts, our neighbors must reject antisemitic language and condemn the demonization of Zionists. More than 85% of young American Jews
support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. When anti-Zionists portray us as villains, they put a target on our backs. I believe in free expression and dissent. But what we’re facing now is not principled disagreement — it’s dehumanization. And when that line is crossed, we need allies willing to say so. This moment is painful, and these conversations are difficult. But silence never protects the vulnerable. When someone says they want to harm Jews, we must take them seriously — and act before it’s too late. We shouldn’t need yet another attack on the Jewish community to sound the alarm. Because the truth is that it could have been here. And that’s why it should matter to us all.
Rabbi Andy Green is the senior rabbi of Congregation Or Tzion in Scottsdale and president of the Greater Phoenix Board of Rabbis. Reach him at . Like this column? Get more opinions in your email inbox by signing up for our free opinions newsletter , which publishes Monday through Friday.
