goldvelvet "John do you think that some people may group Israeli's and Jews together because of the Israeli flag having the star of David on it? And they see the correlation and to them it's the same thing?
I'm wondering where this modern anti-semitism comes from and why people are struggling to disassociate Judaism from being an Israeli-Jew or a Zionist or even the actions of the IDF."
The thing is, Judaism is rarely a faith separate from its tribe. Apart from the very few converts to Judaism, nearly all Jews are part of the same extended family. (I would say 'ethnic group' but as Ethiopian Jews look so different to fair European Jews that gets confusing). Also, the land of Israel is held very dear to religious Jews and Jewish atheists worldwide.
So actually, it would be unrealistic to ask the world at large to disassociate Judaism with Israel, as Jews themselves see a close association.
However, holding Jews worldwide accountable for the actions of a government they didn't vote for is obviously way off target.
Most anti-Israel protesters are just that: anti the actions of the current Israeli government. Not anti-semitic. In fact, admirably standing up for victims with whom they have no personal familial link. But how swiftly it gets hijacked by the worst elements, exploited by extremists and the tone of the debate turns.
How do we explain the fact that some anti-Israel protest has slipped into ancient anti-semitic memes: boycotts, baby-killers, world conspiracy? Irony? Coincidence?