Criticism of Israel is valid, but it must not deny Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. I disagree with the Canadian government on various issues, but that doesn’t make me anti-Canadian. Similarly, while I can critique specific Israeli policies, that does not mean I reject Israel’s legitimacy. Antisemitism, as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, is hatred directed at Jews because they are Jews. When opposition to Zionism turns into calls for Israel’s destruction, it crosses into antisemitism. By framing criticism of Israel as simply moral outrage, Balsam fails to address the reality that this rhetoric often leads to violence against Jews, as we’ve seen in the rise of antisemitic incidents in Canada, which, according to Public Safety Canada, most recently accounted for 69 per cent of all religion-based hate crimes.