Catholic bishops, American Jewish Committee work together on glossary terms related to debates about anti-Semitism
The glossary included the phrase ‘From the River to the Sea,’ which is commonly used during anti-Israel campus protests.
It noted that the slogan ‘can be used to call for the elimination of the State of Israel and/or ethnic cleansing of Jews living there.’
The American Jewish Community (AJC) partnered with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on a glossary of terms related to anti-Semitism, some of which have been used by anti-Israel protesters on college and university campuses.
The American Jewish Community runs a “Translate Hate Glossary” with such terms to help readers “identify, expose, and report antisemitism.”
[RELATED: House report details how elite institutions ‘refused to crack down on antisemitism’]
Now, the USCCB’s Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs has released an annotated version of the glossary including Catholic commentary.
One of the glossary’s terms is “From the River to the Sea,” a chant commonly heard at anti-Israel campus protests, which “can be used to call for the elimination of the State of Israel and/or ethnic cleansing of Jews living there, to be replaced with Palestinian control over the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”
The document notes that this slogan has gained more prominence after the Oct. 7 massacre and “in the context of protests opposing Israel’s responding military operation in Gaza.”
The Catholic commentary on the slogan notes that it is “often applied prejudicially to erase the State of Israel,” and that “The Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews encourages Catholics to understand and respect the deep religious connection Jews feel towards Israel.”
The glossary also covers the accusation of “dual loyalty,” which is frequently cast at American Jews to claim they have split loyalties between the U.S. and Israel.
The document claims that such accusations “occur on U.S. college campuses when Jewish students are asked to denounce the actions of the Israeli government in order to participate in progressive activities.”
Campus Reform reached out to the AJC and USCCB for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
