A pro-BDS demonstration. Photo: FOA / Facebook.

I am a liberal.

And I’m here to take back the word from those who have hijacked it for their illiberal agendas.

I am a liberal.

Which means I believe unconditionally in the Enlightenment principles of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, democracy, and civil rights.

I am a liberal.

Which means I understand that different policy stances can emanate from these principles, that an orthodoxy of opinion is the opposite of liberalism.

I am a liberal.

Which means I understand that unbiased reporting is part of the responsibility of a free press.

I am a liberal

Which means I understand that unbiased teaching is a prerequisite for civil society.

I am a liberal.

Which means I understand that shutting down dissent, especially at universities, is an act of fascism.

I am a liberal.

Which means I understand that boycotting a group or country based on race or religion is also an act of fascism.

I am a liberal.

Which means I understand that individuality — not group identity or conformity — is the foundation of liberal ideology.

I am a liberal.

Which means I am obliged to speak out against injustice and tyranny wherever it arises.

You are not a liberal:

If you attempt to shut down speech just because you disagree with it.

You are not a liberal:

If you engage in biased journalism.

You are not a liberal:

If you teach your students your opinions rather than the truth.

You are not a liberal:

If you judge people by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character.

You are not a liberal:

If you engage in moral or cultural relativism: if you don’t apply the same standards to everyone.

You are not a liberal:

If you call yourself a feminist but never call out the very real oppression of women in countries like Iran or Pakistan.

You are not a liberal:

If you oppose Zionism, the self-determination of the Jewish people, the return to our ancestral homeland.

You are not a liberal:

If you don’t understand that, as long as force is not involved, sexuality is private; my life doesn’t revolve around your sexuality.

You are not a liberal:

If you think maintaining your status is more important than telling the truth.

I am a liberal.

Are you?

Karen Lehrman Bloch is editor of the forthcoming Rebels of Reason: Reclaiming Liberalism; author of The Lipstick Proviso: Women, Sex & Power in the Real World; and curator of the book and exhibition Passage to Israel. She is also a columnist for The Jewish Journal. A version of this article appeared in The Jewish Journal.