Dehumanization Disguised as Advocacy: A Response to CJA and CAM’s Anti-Keffiyeh Attacks
Via CJA’s Instagram
🚨 The Chicago Jewish Alliance (CJA) continues to expose itself — not as a voice for Jewish safety, but as a hate group committed to the erasure of Palestinian identity and the defense of genocide.
In a recent post, they called the keffiyeh — a centuries-old symbol of Palestinian culture — “a weapon” and “combat,” claiming it has no place in cultural celebrations. They attacked Arab American Heritage Month, calling it “dogma,” “grievance,” and even suggested it “invites antisemitism.”
Let’s be clear:
Reducing an entire people’s heritage to terrorism is not advocacy — it’s dehumanization.
By their logic, should the kippah be cancelled because Israeli soldiers wear it? Of course not. But, that is their argument.
Even more disturbing: CJA criticized the late Pope Francis for expressing sorrow for the people of Gaza. In a post meant to honor his passing, they disagreed with the Pope’s compassion for “suffering Gaza.”.
Yes — even mourning Palestinian death is too much for them.
CJA isn’t fighting hate — they’re spreading it.
They defend Israel's genocide while vilifying any symbol or voice that reaffirms Palestinian humanity.
Their own words betray them:
“… It’s the normalization of hate.”
We agree — it’s their attempt to normalize anti-Palestinian hatred necessary to justify the Israeli genocide against them — on full display.
Hatred will not cancel heritage. Happy Arab Heritage Month.
This wasn’t a one-off. The same narrative has echoed from other organizations, including the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), which recently condemned our post with Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson for publicly wearing a keffiyeh — a simple act of cultural solidarity.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement’s statement condemning Mayor Brandon Johnson for wearing a keffiyeh is not only inflammatory — it’s deeply dishonest.
The keffiyeh is a centuries-old cultural garment, not a symbol of hate. Wearing a keffiyeh is not antisemitic. It is an affirmation — a reaffirmation — of identity, resilience, and the right to exist.
The attempt to redefine cultural pride as hate is not new. But it is wrong — and it must be challenged wherever it appears.
We stand by the keffiyeh. We stand by our right to remember, to resist, and to exist.