By Keith Beardslee

Your home, community, and country are invaded by terrorists, and to strike even more fear in the hearts of your fellow countrymen, this barbaric group takes hostages to use as human shields.  

Your country strikes back, and a large portion of the world pushes back on your actions, putting demands on how your country should respond to protect its citizens.  

Now, pull out a world map, and the above scenario points to only one country, Israel.  

Why should Israel be held to a higher standard than any other country after a terrorist group launched the largest attack on Israel in its history, and the country continues to face attacks and threats from additional Iranian-backed terrorist proxies, not just Hamas?  

The answer is because of the virulent strain of antisemitism that continues to plague the world.  

We should be treating others the way we want to be treated. Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran minister and an early supporter of the Nazis, later imprisoned for opposing Hitler’s brutal regime, said, “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.” 

Israel is a thriving democracy in a part of the world not known for valuing freedom and liberty for its citizens.  I am speaking out not only because it is the right thing to do but we also must speak out to confront this malevolent strain of antisemitism.  

What the world witnessed on October 7, 2023, was fully orchestrated by the Iranian regime fueled by its hatred not only for a freedom-loving country but who this country represents, the Jewish people living and thriving in their ancestral home. Hamas acted on Iranian orders by invading Israel, kidnapping and torturing Israelis, and burning down communities. When Israel responded to this unprovoked attack, a large segment of the world cried out in horror that Israel would be taking steps to protect its people, rescue the hostages, and eradicate a terrorist group. The anger should have been directed at Hamas and its financial funder, Iran, but instead, it was directed at Israel.  

Why did this happen?  Because, in one word, antisemitism. It is incumbent on all of us who value freedom, liberty, and justice to speak out against this hate and support Israel in its time of need.  

College campuses across the United States are hotbeds for antisemitism. Jewish students are being attacked on campus because they are Jewish. We cannot allow this to endure. We must tell college students, colleges, and universities, as well as the financial supporters of these so-called institutions of higher learning and enlightenment, that antisemitism has no place here. 

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With the critical support of the United States and those of us who value a strong United States-Israel relationship, Israel has fought back and decimated Hamas and its terrorist funders. Hamas in Gaza has been destroyed, Hezbollah in Lebanon has been destroyed, and the Assad terror regime in Syria has been destroyed. Israel showed Iran it can attack this terrorist financier anywhere it wants to turn.  

Israel’s fight is not over. While there are opportunities for positive change in the region, the grave threat of Iran remains. Iran is weakened yet continues its pursuit of a nuclear weapon. Iran can never be allowed to have its terrorist hands on a nuclear weapon. A nuclear-armed Iran would pose a grave threat to Israel, the United States, and the world.  

Israel’s battle for survival is not just its own—it is a fight for democracy, freedom, and the right to live without fear of annihilation. History has shown us that when the world stays silent in the face of rising antisemitism, devastation follows. We cannot let history repeat itself. Now is the time to stand unequivocally with Israel, to reject the dangerous double standards imposed upon it, and to ensure that those who seek its destruction—whether through terrorism, economic isolation, or ideological warfare—do not succeed. The fight against antisemitism is the fight for civilization itself, and we all have a duty to engage in it. 

Keith Beardslee is vice president of Seen Read Heard. He specializes in managing the public profiles of CEOs, major corporations, national trade associations, candidates, and public policy campaigns.