“Anti-Semitism is one area where the far-right and far-left kind of meet. Both sides are responsible in that sense. The far-left tends to be aggressors online but who knows where that could be originating from—it could be foreign influence. The far-right tends to be more likely to carry out violent, anti-Semitic attacks.”
“I think President Trump’s record speaks for itself. It is obvious that he has supported Israel and Jewish causes for the past three years unequivocally; he doesn’t flinch. “
“I cannot stand ‘the squad.’ I cannot stand where they’re coming from. And then there’s Bernie Sanders who I don’t understand at all. He worked on a kibbutz and members of his family on his father’s side were killed by Hitler. I don’t know why he became a socialist. If he’s elected, it will destroy the country.”
“It’s the far-right that holds marches and says ‘Jews will not replace us.’ It’s the far-right who are unabashedly anti-Semitic and racist. No question about it. But I don’t let the left off the hook either. I marched in Washington the day after the inauguration. I had my pink hat and I was very proud. But when two of the organizers ended up defending Louis Farrakhan and refused to condemn the anti-Semitism, I stopped paying attention to them. I push delete every time they send me something. And ‘the squad’ needs an education. Ilhan Omar apologized after one anti-Semitic comment and then proceeded to make a couple more, and that is not okay with me. I would love to sit down with her or ‘the squad’ and talk about what they’re doing, and how they’re splintering the left.”
“The rise of hate attacks against Jews in our country is appalling. It’s not only the shootings and stabbings but the fact that in my synagogue we have to have a police officer during Shabbat services. We’re living in a time where we feel so unsafe to be Jewish in our community that we have to pay a law enforcement officer to stand outside of our shul. That for me is the most frustrating thing of all. You can’t even live a normal life when you feel that you’re constantly having to watch your back.”
“I do believe the BDS movement is inherently anti-Semitic. I don’t think it’s just about rights for Palestinians. I think it’s anti-Semitic in its roots and that’s where the folks who are driving it are coming from.”
“President Trump didn’t invent this stuff, but he’s certainly been the cheerleader-in-chief. He has been a catalyst and encourager for the spread of hate and racism in a way that I’ve never seen before. All we have to do is watch Trump’s rallies. They’re very violent. They really remind one of the Nuremberg rallies under the Nazis. They are not so dissimilar.”
“In general, when politicians talk about anti-Semitism, they mix it up with this greater concept of overall hatred and bigotry. Anti-Semitism has always been a unique and pernicious disease. It is not the same thing as discriminating against Muslims or African Americans. It’s its own unique thing. And too often politicians conflate all of these unacceptable attitudes without singling out a hatred (toward Jews), which is and always has been a special pathology of the human condition.”
“Anti-Semitism on left is about policy, it’s not racial. The far-right thinks we are a different race. In Israel, they are not treating Palestinians equally. They are second-class citizens. I’ve been there many times and it’s like South Africa under Apartheid. People who feel the Israeli government is treating people like second-class citizens are not anti-Semitic. I don’t take it personally if they hate me. I don’t support Israel (politically) right now but I still buy Israeli products and would fly El Al.”
“I think the so-called squad is just spreading vile lies. They are working to undo the good things that Israel does and the good things that American Jews do. Representatives Rashida Talib and Ilhan Omar are plain out supportive of terrorists. They don’t hide it and they’re not ashamed of it. I also think Bernie Sanders is a shame as a Jew. I am ashamed to call him a member of the tribe. I think he is more concerned with people who want to kill his ancestors and future generations and just somehow refuses to see anything in reality.”
There’s so much for the candidates to cover, and every issue is important. I’m not so self-centered as to think that all they need to talk about is anti-Semitism. I think most candidates have addressed it with a quick answer or correspondence with organizations like the Anti-Defamation League or American Jewish Committee. Bernie Sanders has fallen short on addressing leftist anti-Semitism or really understanding why some Jews feel that there is anti-Semitism on the left.
Joe Biden, the comeback grandpa, had the best Super Tuesday anyone could have imagined. In fact, he performed so well, from solid wins in southern states, to surprise victories in Massachusetts and Minnesota, and an unbelievable upset in Texas, that some are already speculating that it’s all over and Biden is on a safe path to clinch the Democratic nomination.
There’s still a long road ahead, and if anything, Biden has proven time and again that he has a rare talent for ruinous missteps. But still, he is now the frontrunner in a narrowed-down Democratic field.
