Like everything in the public sphere today, hysteria erupted following President Joe Biden's announcement that he will not be running for re-election and his immediate endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. Jewish people on social media, as well as the Israeli press, began to assess Harris's history on Israel and foreign policy deeply. People from both sides started making far-fetched arguments about both candidates.
After Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered his speech before Congress, with at least 27 U.S. Congressional Democrats refusing to attend, many Jewish "activists" went so far as to say, "the fact that there is one Jew, ONE, who is still voting dem is a historical disgrace."
Whether you like or dislike Netanyahu, members of Congress boycotting his speech is problematic and creates terrible optics. It makes Israel look guilty and fosters the false notion that American political support for Israel is fractured. However, the demonization of Jewish Democrats is toxic. It ignores many nuances, mainly that several of them explained their absence as an act of solidarity with hostage families upset over Netanyahu's handling of ceasefire talks. The IDF announced the deaths of hostages Alex Dancyg and Yagev Buchshtav in Hamas captivity, and days later, the bodies of five Israeli hostages were recovered from a tunnel in the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip.
No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, it is foolish to think that the Jewish people can rely entirely on one party without scrutiny. What we should have learned after October 7 is that for both Republicans and Democrats, the relationship with Israel or the Jewish community is transactional. Both will defend Israel and American Jews when it benefits them.
As an Israeli living in an active war zone, I am deeply affected by American policy toward the Middle East. Yet, I have many concerns about the current public discourse, especially with Jewish Americans placing their entire faith in one party or one candidate. Antisemitism exists in both the Republican and Democrat parties, and today is no different. While it was a relief to see the support the Jewish community received at the Republican National Committee, Donald Trump himself has said many problematic things about American Jews and Israel. In October 2022, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "No President has done more for Israel than I have. Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith… U.S. Jews have to get their act together…." U.S. Republicans have argued for decades, generally more tactfully, that they deserve more Jewish support for their strong support of Israel; Trump's bluntness has now presented our community with a sort of inverted dual loyalty trope, creating yet another Catch-22 on Jewish identity in America.
Then you have Republican politicians like Rep. Thomas Massie, who in 2023 voted against a resolution condemning antisemitism, and Rep. Rand Paul, who supported a resolution by Sen. Bernie Sanders to direct the State Department to issue a report to Congress on Israel's human rights record. While the Republican party traditionally leans more pro-Israel, they are far from perfect.
The Democrats are no different, especially with the handful of "Squad" members who embody antisemitism on the left. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is infamous for her anti-Israel comments, such as: "Israel has hypnotized the world. May Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel." Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is notorious for spreading antisemitic falsehoods, and her comments following Hamas's October 7 attacks were particularly unconscionable. In February, Tlaib voted "present" in the U.S. House of Representatives vote to condemn Hamas terrorists for rape and sexual violence. Members of the Squad, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Congressman Jamaal Bowman, have also long spouted anti-Israel lies and have used the American lobbying group AIPAC to push the tropes of Jewish money and control. It seems members of the Squad and far-leftists are bothered when Jewish people successfully participate in the political process.
I do not imply that all members of Congress have self-serving intentions, but American Jews need to understand that problematic individuals exist in both parties. Many will only call out antisemitism from the opposing party when it is useful to their cause.
Antisemitism is deeply entrenched in Western culture and originates from both the political right and left. This mirrors the brutal history of the 20th century when Nazi Germany slaughtered six million Jews. Demonizing one group of politically-leaning and implying that by voting for a specific candidate it means that they are betraying their people reprehensible and only plays into the hands of antisemites. The Jewish community must refuse to be a political punching bag and must call out antisemitism from all quarters based on the nature and context of the speech or action, not the political or cultural identity of the speaker. We must demand that both major U.S. political parties and their leading members refuse to allow this sort of bigotry. Only by opposing it wherever it arises can we hope to stop the tragedy from repeating itself in our lifetimes.
