In the midst of an ongoing debate over the adoption of group specific definitions of racism and prejudice in UK universities, scholars of Palestine, Israel, and related fields find themselves implicated in a politicized discourse about contemporary antisemitism that has narrowed the space for robust and open discussion over history and lived reality in the Middle East. Drawing on recent experience at UCL, where the Academic Board has studied the IHRA definition and voted to replace it with an alternative more fit for purpose in a university setting, as well as the drafting and release of the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA), I will explore the challenges and opportunities for cross-communal solidarity and mutual understanding of the lived experience of discrimination that have emerged from a protracted battle over definitions. At the same time, I will explore what has been lost in this argument: how have the contours of contemporary definitions been shaped by a problematic linkage between antisemitism and the struggle for Palestinian rights? What might this imply about the uncoupling of national ideology and Jewish identity in the 21 st century? How might Palestine serve as both a rupture and means of repair?