Behind today's fierce opposition to Israel often lies a darker reality: traditional anti-Jewish prejudice repackaged in more politically acceptable terms. Through analysis of political discourse and historical examples, a clear pattern emerges of groups—from Communist regimes to Arab propagandists and Christian institutions—exploiting the semantic distinction between opposing Jews versus opposing Israel to legitimize anti-Semitic attitudes. Soviet and Polish policies in the 1960s-70s provide stark evidence, as explicit anti-Jewish persecution was strategically reframed as anti-Zionist action. Similarly, Arab propaganda has worked to transform Zionism from a national liberation movement into a demonized ideology. Four key criteria help distinguish genuine political criticism from masked anti-Semitism: monochromatic condemnation of Israel, exclusive political preoccupation with Israeli actions, questioning Israel's right to exist, and employing anti-Semitic stereotypes. While criticism of Israeli policies represents normal political discourse, much contemporary anti-Zionism perpetuates millennia-old anti-Jewish prejudices under new terminology. This semantic camouflage paradoxically strengthens the Zionist argument for Jewish statehood by demonstrating the persistence of anti-Semitism in modern political discourse.