Alexandra Melinchok

Overview

Alexandra Melinchok has shown support for terrorism, spread incitement and celebrated “intifada” violence. She has also expressed hatred of Zionism and Israel, as well as opposed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.

Melinchok demonized Israel and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campus with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Maryland (UMD), in 2018 and 2019.

In 2023, Melinchok participated in the National SJP Conference. She also attended the 2018 National SJP Conference.

Melinchok has been a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and its BDS and Palestine Solidarity (DSA Palestine) working group since 2020.

As of August 2022, Melinchok was co-chair of Maryland 2 Palestine (MD2Palestine), an anti-Israel group founded in 2020. MD2Palestine describes itself as an “abolitionist grassroots org of diasporic Palestinians, comrades & allies fighting for a free Palestine.”

As of July 2024, Melinchock’s LinkedIn profile said she has been an immigration paralegal for Ayuda in Silver Spring, Maryland since March 2023. Her LinkedIn also said she had been an asylee caseworker for the International Rescue Committee from May 2020 to March 2022.

Melinchok graduated from the University of Maryland (UMD) with a bachelor’s degree in economics, government and politics in 2020.

As of January 2023, Melinchok’s LinkedIn said Melinchok was located in Silver Spring, Maryland.

As of the same date, Melinchok went by the username “Alex” and used the handle “@alex_the_geek__” on Twitter, and went by and used the handle“@alex_melonhead” on Instagram.

Support for Terrorists

Melinchok retweeted a January 14, 2022 tweet that said: “Ahmad Sa’adat is a Palestinian national liberation movement leader who has been imprisoned by the Zionist state for 20 years. Join the international week of action to #FreeAhmadSaadat and all Palestinian prisoners!”

Ahmad Sa’adat is the Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He is currently serving in an Israeli prison for terror activities, including his role in the 2001 assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’evi. Under Sa’adat’s leadership, the PFLP perpetrated many suicide bombings against Israeli civilians during the second intifada.

In November 2021, Melinchok authored an article in the Washington Socialist, where she wrote: “The six Palestinians who recently escaped had spoons going up against the military might of the Israeli occupation forces, and by extension the US empire.”

On September 6, 2021, six Palestinian prisoners escaped through a tunnel from Gilboa Prison, a maximum-security prison in northern Israel. The incident is considered to be the most significant prison break in Israel's history. By September 19, 2021, all six escapees had been recaptured.

“Israeli Occupation Forces,” or “IOF,” is a derogatory name for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) used by anti-Israel activists to demonize Israel’s army.

On October 28, 2021, Melinchok tweeted: “The #IsraeliApartheid regime is criminalizing 6 leading Palestinian human rights orgs in an effort to silence and isolate Palestinian civil society. I #StandWithThe6…”

In October 2021, Israel’s Ministry of Defense declared six Palestinian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to be “terror organizations” operating “as an arm” of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group. The six NGOs were accused of funneling donor aid to militants and employing senior PFLP members, “including activists involved in terror activity.”

Spreading Incitement

On May 8, 2021, Melinchok tweeted: “Sign this petition to #StopJerusalemExpulsions of Palestinian families in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah...”

In May 2021, Palestinian violence erupted in anticipation of an Israel High Court ruling on eviction proceedings concerning over 70 Palestinian tenants illegally residing in Jewish-owned properties in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

Melinchok retweeted an April 15, 2022 tweet from Lamis Deek that said: “Hands off Palestine!! / Hands off Al Aqsa!! / DISMANTLE THE ZIONIST APARTHIED ENTITY.”

On May 7-10, 2021, violent clashes broke out between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa compound, following claims that Al-Aqsa Mosque was in danger. The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy Al-Aqsa has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state.

Melinchok retweeted an April 15, 2022 tweet that said: “Every Ramadan, the Occupation attacks worshippers at Al Aqsa. And every year, western media feigns total bewilderment as to why. ‘What could possibly have caused this violence?’ They are always searching for some way to blame Palestinians for the aggression of settlers.”

Ramadan is an Islamic holy month during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and are meant to engage in self-reflection, repentance and the giving of charity. Ramadan is frequently marked by increased anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric throughout the Arab world, Palestinian violence in Israel and heightened tensions centered in the Old City of Jerusalem.

On November 29, 2022, Melinchok tweeted: “enjoy this pic of one of my favorite signs i’ve ever made in honor of international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

The tweet included a photo of Melinchok holding a handwritten sign at a demonstration in front of the White House, which read: “EVERY ISRAELI CITY WAS ONCE SHEIKH JARRAH.” The sign had a map of Israel, including the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights, painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag.

Celebrating Intifada (Violent Uprising)

On May 22, 2022, Melinchok tweeted: “Please come out to our amazing panel and screening with THE Naila Ayesh from the first Intifada on Sunday April 3rd at 2pm ET [Eastern Time]…”

Since the early 2000s, the term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” has carried the connotation of violence.

The first intifada lasted from 1987 to 1991 and resulted in over 120 Israeli civilian casualties. Palestinian gunmen hijacked multiple buses and carried out shooting, stabbing and bombing attacks against Israelis, including the bombing of the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem.

On December 8, 2021, Melinchok tweeted: “i might not have magical powers (yet) but I did help organize this awesome film screening partnership! check it out and make sure you’re following @DSA_Palestine.”

Melinchok’s tweet included a tweet by DSA BDS and the Palestine Solidarity Working Group (@PalestineSWG) that said: “Today marks the 34th anniversary since the start of the first Intifada. In honor of Palestinian resistance, we are launching our partnership with @JustVisionMedia to bring the documentary Naila and the Uprising to DSA chapters across the country!”

Anti-Israel activists use the term “resistance” to refer to violence and terror perpetrated against Israeli civilians and their allies. It is used to glorify anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence. Anti-Israel activists chant slogans such as: “Resistance by any means necessary!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” in response to terror attacks.

Hatred of Zionism

Melinchok retweeted an October 4, 2022 tweet that said: “Zionism is anti-Palestinian racism. Full stop. No excuses. No ifs. No buts. No maybes. End of discussion!...”

Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.

Melinchok retweeted a December 2, 2021 tweet that said: “Palestine will be free from the river to the sea, & zionism will ultimately fall, because of the militant struggle of Palestinian freedom fighters first and foremost - regardless of everything else…”

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” is a chant used [00:02:47] to call for the elimination of the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state. In April 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the chant as antisemitic.

Hatred of Israel

In November 2021, in an article in the Washington Socialist, Melinchok wrote: “Despite Israel refusing its obligations under the international law to facilitate and provide access to vaccines and medical supplies for Palestinians living under Israeli military control, there has been underwhelming pushback from the international community about the disparities in vaccine access.”

Under the Oslo Accords [p. 5], the Palestinian Authority (PA) is responsible for providing health services to Palestinians under its jurisdiction. In December 2020, PA officials reportedly contacted Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) department to request the vaccine, which Israel agreed to provide.

All Israel's citizens, including Arabs, were provided equal and free access to a coronavirus vaccine.

On November 29, 2021, Melinchok tweeted: “We know first hand that the Israeli judicial system is created by and for those who benefit endlessly from the Israeli colonial regime…”

Also on November 29, 2021, Melinchok tweeted: “At a certain point in every Palestinians life, we realize that the Nakba is far from over. It continues every time the Israeli occupation revoked Jerusalem residency. It flares in street signs stripped of arabic. It punctures us in constant campaigns of dehumanization.”

The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.

On November 15, 2021, Melinchok tweeted: “birthright: we support dialogue... only dialogue that promotes exclusively white supremacist ideologies tho

.”

Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.

On November 10, 2021, Melinchok tweeted: “...When will fake progressives stop whitewashing Israeli apartheid? It’s despicable.”

On May 11, 2021, Melinchok posted on Facebook: “Solidarity with Palestinians fighting for justice and an end to land dispossession and ethnic cleansing. We must end US military funding that gives Israel impunity to kill, ethnically cleanse, and dispossess Palestinians on their homeland…”

On February 9, 2021, Melinchok tweeted: “...we must support the Right of Return for the over 7.2 million Palestinian refugees who have been displaced by the systemic policies of ethnic cleansing and dispossession which continue to this day.”

The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

On December 20, 2020, Melinchok tweeted: “...I call on Tufts [University] to #EndtheDeadlyExchange.”

In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange (DX)” campaign, which accused American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses. JVP also released a video that blamed [00:04:04] U.S.-based Jewish organizations for violence that occurs against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.

On August 1, 2020, Melinchok tweeted: “this is a systematic practice of the Israeli apartheid regime. Attacking, arresting, jailing, and murdering anyone who dares to speak up against the grotesque human rights violations of the Israeli government and military…”

Opposing the IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism

On August 30, 2022, Melinchok tweeted: “please take a minute to email the MoCo [Montgomery County] Council to reject the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which wrongfully and harmfully conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism.”

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights multiple forms of contemporary anti-Semitism related to Israel, including “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 other countries have adopted the definition as well.

Demonizing Israel on Campus

On May 14, 2019, SJP UMD shared a group photo on Instagram that featured Melinchok with SJP UMD activists calling to boycott Israel Fest. The caption on the photo read: “Last week, we boycotted Israel Fest and held a teach-in about Palestinian human rights! #boycottisraelfest #freepalestine.”

“Israel Fest” at UMD is an annual campus event designed “to celebrate and educate students on Israeli culture,” hosted by the Jewish Student Union.

On May 11, 2019, SJP UMD reportedly held a teach-in to “boycott the annual celebration of Israel Fest.” SJP UMD’s teach-in involved activists gathering by a mock “Israeli Apartheid Wall” and chanting: “Displacing lives since ‘48, nothing here to celebrate!”

Promoting BDS on Campus

On April 24, 2019, Melinchok featured [02:14:15] in a video posted on Facebook by the UMD Student Government Association (SGA), urging the SGA to pass a BDS bill. The bill was launched by Divest UMD.

Divest UMD is a campaign that calls on UMD to divest from companies that do business with Israel.

In the video, Melinchok said [02:14:40]: “As addendum B clearly outlines, our university is likely invested in companies that uphold, legitimize and profit off of the system of apartheid which oppresses Palestinians and other minorities like Ethiopian Jews in Israel.”

Melinchok continued [02:15:31]: “This bill is not about taking a side, it is about leveling the playing field, it’s as simple as that!”

Melinchok concluded [02:15:57]: “Just be honest with yourself. If you do not support this bill you are in favor of upholding the status quo. Our universities complicity in the oppression of Palestinian people directly affects members of our own community. There is no space for productive dialogue when the power dynamics are so disproportionate.”

On April 25, 2019, Divest UMD announced on Facebook that following a UMD student government vote, the BDS bill failed to pass with “a vote of 9 for, 25 against, and 2 abstentions.”

SJP UMD - Promoting Anti-Israel Agitators

On February 14, 2019, SJP UMD shared a group photo on Instagram featuring activists standing in front of a blackboard with “#IStandWithIlhan” written on it.

SJP UMD commented: “UMD SJP supports Rep. Ilhan Omar in calling out AIPAC’s role in influencing US policy towards apartheid Israel! #istandwithilhan.”

Ilhan Omar was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2018. In February 2019, top Congressional leaders denounced Omar for tweeting anti-Semitic remarks.Omar has demonized Israel and endorsed BDS. In July 2019, Omar introduced a pro-BDS resolution in the U.S. Congress, which she described as “an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support…the BDS movement.”

On March 7, 2019, SJP UMD shared a group photo on Instagram of SJP activists with Eran Efrati, holding a Palestinian flag.

SJP UMD commented: “It was eye-opening and intriguing to hear from Eran Efrati about the deadly exchange between US Police forces and the Israeli Defense Forces! #freepalestine.”

Eran Efrati is an executive board member of Researching the Israeli American Alliance (RIAA) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).

RAIA, in partnership with JVP, produced the Deadly Exchange report, which claimed to reveal “the extent of massive training programs between U.S. law enforcement and Israeli police, military, and the Shin Bet.”

In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange (DX)” campaign, which accused American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses. JVP also released a video that blamed [00:04:04] U.S.-based Jewish organizations for violence that occurs against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.

SJP UMD - Supporting Terrorists

On April 8, 2018, SJP UMD shared a photo on Instagram of Ghassan Kanafani and wrote: “Today is the birthday of legendary Palestinian author and PFLP member Ghassan Kanafani (1936-72).”

Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during the terrorist organization’s early years. Kanafani announced the PFLP’s responsibility for the Lod Airport Massacre of May 1972 and was linked to the airport attackers. The attack killed 26 people and wounded 80 others.

On March 9, 2018, SJP UMD shared a poster on Instagram produced by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and wrote: “Poster of the First Martyr of the Intifada #sjp #intifada.”

The caption on the poster read: “Hatem Al Sesi First Martyr of the Intifada for Freedom and Independence.”

Hatem al-Sisi was killed after he reportedly attemptedto drop a homemade bomb on an Israeli military vehicle during the first intifada.

On the same day, SJP UMD shared another PFLP poster on Instagram and wrote: “Today is Martyr’s day A day to remember all who sacrificed themselves for their people and for human rights #sjp.”

SJP

SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.

The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.

SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.

SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.

SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.

Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.

BDS

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.

One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”

Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”

In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”

The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.

BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.

The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.

Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.

BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.