Democrats need to push back against antisemitism in the ranks

Democrats have had the support of both Jews and Muslims because they are the party that stands against discrimination

For years, Jewish conservatives have accused Democrats and the left of antisemitism. I thought most of their accusations were hyperbole, misconstruing opposition to Israeli policies toward Palestinians. Since the attack on October 7, I’ve been proven wrong. The antisemitic tropes pushed by the left are disturbing and need pushback from mainstream Democrats.

Here in North Carolina, a dispute has erupted within the North Carolina Democratic Party that has clearly antisemitic overtones. A group of left-wing activists within the party blocked the formation of a Jewish Caucus. The leader of the party’s Progressive Caucus, Ryan Jenkins, threatened a boycott of the 2024 elections if the party recognized a Jewish Caucus saying, “If the Democratic Party caves to it, that’s the end of the Democratic Party. We’re not Democrats, we’re the Jewish Caucus. We’re a Zionist group. Because they control everything.” He later backed off his statement, saying he was misinterpreted, but there’s really no misinterpreting his sentiment. Party leaders vow to correct the problem and say they support the formation of a recognized Jewish Caucus.

This morning, I received an email blasting me for an earlier post. Normally, I ignore unhinged notes like this one, but I’m afraid the sentiment has a foothold among the left-wing activists in the party. The author is a long-time Democrat. Here it is in its entirety.

Believe what you will! He [Biden] could stop Netanyahu's genocide in two seconds by withdrawing US weapons & military support! Are you nuts? We understand that he knows he's indebted to Israelis and AIPAC for his election in the first place. But it didn't have to be that way. Democrats would have likely supported him anyway, without him selling his soul to Israel. Now that's done, and he's looking over his shoulder–wondering when Netanyahu & Co. might pull their support from him and return it to Trump, who they supported before!!

People are not idiots. Joe is backed into a corner. He is looking over his shoulder, not only at Trump, but behind his back at Kamala, certainly an Israel-firster, since she is married to a dual citizen Israeli Jew, and has dual-citizen step-children. All it would take is for Joe to slip into a coma, like Sharon did, when he announced he was leaving the Likud party, and we would have a President Kamala and VP Blinken, who, without question, is a Netanyahu puppy!

These are the facts. And this is what Democrats face. AIPAC has more say in our elections than we do, and you likely already know it. I could quote Sen. Fritz Hollings, Richard Perle, and even President Jimmy Carter: any congressman not showing his support for Israel, will likely not be around long.

While clearly the author lacks a reasonable understanding of politics and foreign affairs, the theme of Jewish manipulation and control mirrors the sentiments of racists everywhere throughout history. Whites used fear of Black control to justify systemic discrimination and extrajudicial punishment in the South during Jim Crow. Nazis used the same themes to whip up antisemitism before they ever built any concentration camps. Democrats should not tolerate these views and party leaders need to push back on their left flank.

Israel is not committing genocide against the Palestinians. Misusing the term diminishes it. Their response to the attack may be disproportional and the deaths and devastation horrific, but they are not trying to eliminate the Palestinian people. They are attempting to eradicate a terrorist group on their border, even if they are inflicting far too many civilian casualties.

I am not arguing that everyone should accept the Israeli response to the terrorist attack on October 7. However, it’s possible to believe that both the Israeli government has the right to exist and defend itself and that its response to the attack has caused far too many civilian casualties. It’s also not antisemitic to believe that the Netanyahu government and the Settler movement violate the human rights of Palestinians and are fomenting conflict in the region. There are certainly plenty of Israeli Jews who hold that position. Finally, it’s entirely possible to be offended by both Islamophobia and antisemitism. That’s called being a decent person.

The rise of antisemitism in this country and around the world is disturbing because of the history of Jewish Diaspora. Whatever you may think about the Israeli government, Jews have been oppressed and abused for centuries by Christian and Muslim cultures. They faced real genocide when fascists wiped out two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe, killing 6 million people. Today, there are fewer Jews in the world than there were in 1938.

For perspective, there are about 2 billion Muslims living in mostly Muslim-dominated countries. There are 2.3 billion Christians, mostly in Europe and the Americas. In contrast, there are fewer than 16 million Jews in the world and about 7.5 million live in Israel. The idea that the U.S. government is somehow “controlled” by Jews is just patently absurd.

The emailer concluded that Israeli Jews have more control over the U.S. than Americans, but, somehow, that Joe Biden could have stopped the bombing in Gaza. Ryan Jenkins says that “Zionists” control the party if there is a Jewish caucus despite a diverse party leadership. Democrats should not tolerate such ridiculous and hateful rhetoric.

Jews and Muslims have both traditionally been Democratic constituencies because the Democratic Party has stood up for human rights and sensible immigration and stood against discrimination in this country. Now is not the time to give up that mantle. Disagree about policies, but do not tolerate bigotry.

Right now, Democrats need to push back on their left flank. As I’ve said before, no world leader was going to stop or curtail Israel’s response to the Hamas attack. Joe Biden is using what he believes is the best approach to influencing the conflict. Right now, it appears to be working.

Biden’s affirmation of our support for Israel now reaffirmed a long-standing commitment made decades ago. He reassured all of our allies, not just the Israelis, that the United States stands by its word. He strengthened our position in the world and sent a message to our enemies. That’s what presidents are supposed to do.