Just when you thought the radical left could not possibly eat itself any faster, along comes another splinter group to prove you wrong. Jewish Voice for Peace used to be the enfant terrible of Jewish activism. They disrupted events, shouted about apartheid at bagel shops, and chained themselves to embassy doors. But apparently that is not extreme enough anymore.
Enter the Anti Zionist Jewish Student Front, also known as L’Chaim Intifada. Yes, they actually believe that smashing together a Yiddish drinking toast and the word for violent uprising makes for inspiring branding. Next time maybe they will go with Mazel Tov Molotov.
Their mission statement is pure gold. “We work to dismantle Zionism in its entirety by confronting Zionist institutions on campus, to struggle for divestment, and to pursue the criminalization of Zionism as a white supremacist weapon of war.” Criminalization. Not debate. Not protest. Not reform. Straight to the handcuffs. Forget exams, these kids want Zionism in prison orange.
They even brag that they are “rejecting Zionism and upholding Palestinians’ right to return, remain, and resist.” Resist what exactly? Nobody knows. Probably their parents’ phone calls asking when they will finally graduate.
And let us talk about the logo. Subtle as a brick. It says “L’Chaim Intifada” in Yiddish, surrounded by an Arabic slogan declaring “Where there is oppression, may there thrive resistance.” Because nothing says serious intellectual movement like mixing languages you do not speak into a protest sticker.
Meanwhile, Jewish Voice for Peace tried to play the adult in the room. Jonah Rubin explained with a straight face, “While we share the goal of mobilizing anti Zionist Jews working towards Palestinian liberation, our analyses of the strategy and tactics best suited to respond to the current moment of genocide in Gaza and rising fascism at home have diverged.” Translation: We wanted to lobby Congress. They wanted to cosplay Hamas.
So now we have the ultimate circus act. JVP, the professional outrage factory, suddenly looks like a group of middle aged moderates in sensible shoes. The breakaway faction is determined to prove who can scream fascism the loudest, who can shout genocide the most, and who can build the coolest logo for Instagram.
This is the radical left in a nutshell. A purity contest with no finish line. Every time one group decides it has reached peak extremism, another breaks away to say actually, you are not radical enough. It is like a clown car of outrage. Just when you think it is full, another pops out with a bigger slogan and an even louder megaphone.
So congratulations to the Anti Zionist Jewish Student Front. You managed to make Jewish Voice for Peace look like moderates. You took absurdity, rolled it in self importance, sprinkled it with buzzwords, and served it up as a movement. Comedy writers everywhere salute you.
L’Chaim Intifada. To life, to chaos, and to the never ending implosion of the radical left.
