The need for more non-Jewish voices against antisemitism

Maureen Galindo, a candidate in a Democratic primary for a San Antonio congressional seat, was defeated Tuesday night, but her securing 36% of the vote has raised concerns about the normalization of antisemitic rhetoric in politics. Galindo's campaign included statements such as calling for American Zionists to be castrated and imprisoned, and trafficking in conspiracy theories about Israel bringing "genocide" to American soil.

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Jew hatred isn’t just acceptable now, it’s cool. Celebrities love it and make it trendy. It’s the new Che Guevara T-shirt.

While party leadership, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, condemned her rhetoric, the article questions the political climate that allowed someone with such views to garner significant support. Comedian Bill Maher noted on his show that "Jew hatred isn’t just acceptable now, it’s cool," and that it has become trendy, comparing it to a "Che Guevara T-shirt."

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And Democrats, where are you? If any other minority group was being talked about this way, you’d break out the kente cloth and have 10 benefit concerts. But because you see that so many of your brainwashed-by-TikTok constituents now have an unfavorable view of Israel, you indulge them when you should be correcting them.

Maher criticized Democrats for indulging constituents influenced by social media platforms like TikTok, who hold unfavorable views of Israel, rather than correcting them. He urged the party to tell its "woke idiots" that Israel is not an apartheid state or committing genocide. The article emphasizes the importance of non-Jewish voices speaking out against antisemitism, noting that Maher, despite not identifying as Jewish, spoke out.

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Precisely.

The piece highlights that Jewish organizations have historically invested in interfaith alliances and spoken out against racism towards various minority groups. However, it argues that these alliances must be reciprocal. The author suggests that when figures like Democratic strategist James Carville condemn antisemitism within the party, it carries more resonance than when only Jewish congressmen do so. The article implies that a broader coalition of non-Jewish individuals and leaders condemning antisemitism is crucial to combat its growing prevalence.

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What was notable about Maher’s dialogue was that he does not identify as a Jew. His mother was Jewish, but – as he said in a 2002 CNN interview – he was raised as a Roman Catholic and did not even know his mother was Jewish until his teens.