Andover is buzzing with controversy this week because the high school is hosting anti-Israel activists "Wheels of Justice" to provide "education" to social studies classes.

Weeks ago, when ADL and others revealed the bias and extremism of these presenters, the school reconsidered and cancelled them. Unfortunately, after threats of a "free speech" lawsuit, the school reversed course.

The controversy has nothing to do with freedom of speech. We all know that principals and teachers have wide discretion to determine what material to present to students and how to present it. This controversy is really about whether Wheels of Justice is an appropriate teaching resource for high school education on the Middle East conflict.

Are Andover's social studies classes an appropriate forum for Wheels of Justice? School officials should cast a very critical eye on this group's avowed position. Their presentations are known to be profoundly biased against Israel and compromised by gross distortion of the basic facts of the conflict. They deny Israel's right to exist, refuse to support a two-state solution, and will not acknowledge that Palestinian terrorism exists. Is this the best way to teach about the Middle East? This conflict deserves a serious, critical examination and not the extremist perspective Wheels of Justice espouses. Our students deserve better.

This controversy extends far beyond Andover. It is a microcosm of the latest permutation of the assault on Israel that we see in the public discourse. There is an insidious two-step process revealed in scenario after scenario. First, the anti-Israel extremists unabashedly use the imagery of either the Nazi genocide, the ethnic cleansing of Bosnia, or the racist segregation of Apartheid South Africa (or all three) to publicly characterize the alleged systematic and unrelenting oppression of Palestinians by Israel. This can be done in the form of a conference, a lecture or even a paper or a book. Second, when these falsehoods trigger outrage and rebuttal from the Jewish community, the instigators charge that powerful Jewish interests are seeking to suppress free speech – and they allude to the manner in which Zionists control the media and the larger public discourse on Israel. In other words, their anti-Israelism is bolstered by appeals to outright anti-Semitism.

How will we respond? First, as always, we need to refute every falsehood. Second, we need to build coalitions so that the defense of the democratic Jewish state against libel is not merely a Jewish issue. And third, we need to ask coalition partners to speak out against the specious fear of "Jewish power" with loud and clear voices.

Only the voices of our friends can kill the seeds of anti-Semitism. Building these ally relationships takes time. It takes getting educated about the needs and priorities of other communities so we can show them we are willing to stand with them as well whenever justice and fair treatment requires.

Unfortunately, the truth is not enough. We need allies to stand up for the truth with us. As the new year begins, we need to be thankful for the allies we have and remain determined to go out and build relationships with the ones we still need.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.