Jewish historian and author argues that anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protests undermine the significance of the term "genocide."

According to Rick Richman, a Jewish historian and author, the accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza are unfounded.

Hamas is attempting to carry out a genocidal operation, and Israel is trying to prevent it.

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The author of the book "And None Shall Make Them Afraid: Eight Stories of the Modern State of Israel" stated that anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protests are often driven by misinformation and misguided passions among young people, students, and faculty.

Authorities have led them into a political position, despite the ongoing conflicts between Jews and Arabs and their contemporary manifestations.

In a recent episode of "Lighthouse Faith" podcast, Richman discussed various topics related to Israel, including the ongoing protests on college campuses and the reasons behind the widespread ignorance about Zionism.

The demonstrations taking place on university campuses and urban roads are tarnishing the reputation of Zionism.

One 20-year-old Columbia student activist has deemed the term "Zionist" negative, stating that "Zionists don't deserve to live."

Richman, a scholar at American Jewish University in Los Angeles, responded to protesters who held a similar viewpoint. He argued that their education, which emphasized DEI and CRT, limited their perspective to a binary worldview of oppressor vs. oppressed.

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Zion in the Bible is the City of Holiness, a place "appointed by the Lord where his followers can live and serve Him."

He stated that the concept of "Americanism" is based on the principles of democracy, liberty, and freedom.

"In essence, Zionism was a component of Americanism, and the union of these two ideologies led to the most successful 'isms' of the 20th century. However, other isms, such as antisemitism, communism, fascism, and national socialism, resulted in the deaths of millions of people."

It's clear why protesters who shout "death to Israel" and "death to America" are doing so.

In the Bible, Zion is referred to as the City of Holiness, a place designated by God for his followers to reside and serve Him. It is also a city of refuge where God safeguards his people from the wickedness of the world. One of the most renowned hymns of the Christian Church, "We're marching to Zion," written by Isaac Watts and Robert Lowry, celebrates the splendor of Zion: "We're marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion / We're marching upward to Zion, The beautiful city of God."

"Zionism is the attempt to create for the Jews a state of their own in the same place, really just a portion of the same place where it stood for centuries."

A city on a hill, a Camelot of sorts with real, earthly foundations, is still an ideal.

Richman stated that Zionism is the effort to establish a Jewish state in the same location as where it has been for centuries, which was initially a movement of national liberation for the Jewish people during an era of nationalism when states were being created for various nationalities, including the Serbs, Italians, Greeks, and Jews.

In a recent letter, Jewish students from Columbia defended their right to exist and criticized anti-Israel protests, stating that those who demonize them under the guise of anti-Zionism have pushed them into activism and forced them to publicly defend their Jewish identities. They also emphasized that Judaism and Israel are inseparable, with Zionism being the manifestation of that belief.

Zionism and Judaism are practically indistinguishable.

The creation of a Jewish state has resulted in the oppression of Palestinians by usurping Arab land for protesters.

The most heinous accusation leveled against Israel since the Oct. 7 attack is that it is committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

According to Richman, the truth is that Palestine has never been an independent state. For centuries, Palestinians have lived under the Ottoman Empire, which was dismantled shortly after the conclusion of World War I.

Six times, including in 1937, 1939, and 1947, Arabs rejected the formation of an independent state when the United Nations partitioned boundaries for the creation of a proposed Jewish state.

That same resolution also created a proposed Arab (Palestinian) state.

So why was it rejected?

Richman stated that he believes the reason they did not want a state was due to the cost of recognizing a non-Arab or non-Muslim state.

According to Richman, the Nakba, or the catastrophe, was a self-created tragedy because the Arabs missed the opportunity to establish their own state. The tragedy was not the Balfour Declaration or the establishment of the state of Israel, but rather the failure of the Arabs to take advantage of the situation.

"What Israel has been doing is an attempt to defend against a genocidal attack on it."

The most severe accusation against Israel since the Oct. 7 attack is that it is committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Hamas is a genocidal entity with the purpose of eliminating Israel, as Richman stated.

Richman said that Jews are like the proverbial "canary in the coal mine."

"Hamas has successfully carried out its actions despite the challenges posed by not wearing uniforms, as they conceal themselves among civilians. Every civilian death is a tragedy, but the use of civilians as human shields by Hamas constitutes a war crime."

In December 2023, the Palestinian Center for Policy Survey and Research reported that 72% of respondents considered Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7th to be "correct," while only 22% deemed it "incorrect."

How do you fight an enemy like this?

Richman stated that Jews are similar to the "canary in the coal mine" proverb.

The militants who believe that their enemies deserve only death and not dialogue will not stop until the world is converted to their rule.

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