Should Jews Stand Up for Ilhan Omar?
Many American Jews were offended by Ilhan Omar’s use of antisemitic tropes when criticizing Israel. But Jews were also offended by Trump’s attempt to posit Omar as an antisemite. Now that Omar has withdrawn her apology for her previous remarks on Israel, who will Jews defend- Trump or Omar?
The anti-Jewish and anti-Israel prejudices repeatedly expressed by certain members of the Squad have disquieted many American Jews. Yet the Democratic Party, which still attracts unquestioning support from some three-quarters of Jewish voters, has failed to discipline these women – not just for their Jew-baiting, but also for their deep-dyed anti-Americanism and anti-white racism.
We aren’t blind. We can see that with one hand, these politicians style themselves as defenders of our interests, and with the other, they shield xenophobia and brush aside racism. We see it, and we reject it. We reject their bids to act as unsolicited champions of American Jews, and more importantly, we reject their shameful complicity.
Trump, to be sure, is mining and stoking a real division among Democrats over how to treat anti-Semitism… In short, it was a week of whiplash for Jews, in which “send them back” rhetoric clashed with a number of events and statements in support of a Jewish agenda.