Ahead of the general election in November, Democrats are ignoring whether the party has a problem with anti-Semitism.
“It’s easier to tell people with tiki torches that ‘Jews will not replace us’ or to tell a former president that ‘There are very good people on both sides.’ Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.in a statement to Fox News Digital, referencing a rally with white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.
He added, “However, when Democrats look inward and see ‘Go back to Poland’ or ‘Kill the Zionists,’ they pretend the anti-Semitic rhetoric isn’t happening on the left, or they remain silent.” “And as it turns out, the left and the right have something in common.”
As the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas continues, initially prompted by its surprise attack on innocent civilians on October 7, anti-Semitic acts have been seen more frequently in the US.
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Democrats disagree on whether anti-Semitism is a problem in their party, with some like John Fetterman saying it is, and others like Richard Blumenthal believing it is not. (Getty Images)
The Anti-Defamation League reported that American anti-Semitic attacks increased in the three months following the October attack in Israel, surpassing the total of previous years.
The ADL said there were 3,291 attacks between October 7 and January 7. There were 3,697 attacks throughout the year in 2022. The total for each of the past 10 years, except 2022, was less than the three-month period following the start of Israel’s war with Hamas.
this month, Anti-Israel and anti-Jewish protests There has been rapid expansion into top-tier universities with the Gaza solidarity camp, culminating in Columbia University, prompting many of its higher education counterparts to occupy their respective campuses, disrupt school activity, and intimidate Jewish students. doing.
A rabbi from a New York school eventually advised Columbia’s Jewish students to return home to ensure their safety.
Whereas many republican lawmakers While not slow to call for demonstrations, Democrats have often been quiet, and they have also been measured in their responses and calls for action from schools and police.
Some Democrats have also supported the camp in Columbia, such as Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who recently met with students involved in the protests.
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Columbia University remains in possession. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. have additionally discouraged the use of police enforcement against such demonstrations.
“Antisemitism is coming out of the far left and the far right,” Rachel Rosen, chief communications officer for the group Democratic Majority for Israel, told Fox News Digital.
However, he added, “President Biden has strongly condemned anti-Semitism and defended Israel.”
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Biden has been criticized for both his support of Israel and his withdrawal from the US ally. (Getty Images)
He added, “We are still hearing from GOP leaders the issue of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ‘Jewish space ledger’, the Holocaust denialism of the Republican candidate for governor of North Carolina, and Donald Trump’s shameful smugness of anti-Semitic elements and dining with an actual Nazi. “Waiting to condemn.”
Eric Schultz, a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, agreed, saying, “Donald Trump regularly insults Jewish Americans, dines with white nationalists and says Adolf Hitler ‘did some good things.’ ” “The majority of Jewish voters support President Biden and that’s because he has shown steadfast support for the Jewish people, especially as anti-Semitism is on the rise.”
The White House did not provide comment to Fox News Digital at the time of publication on whether the Democratic Party has a problem with anti-Semitism.
Senator John Fetterman, D-Penn., who has emerged as an outspoken advocate of Israel, was quick to point out that there is such a problem in the party: “Clearly the far left. And this is particularly evident on college campuses,” He said.
According to Fetterman, Democrats can deal with the issue by “calling it out,” as he noted he is doing. However, he said he would not advise his colleagues to do so.
“I’m not aware of whether Democrats have a problem with anti-Semitism within the party,” Senator Jon Tester, D-Mont., said when asked by Fox News Digital. “But if there is, I would be concerned.”
Tester is campaigning for re-election in Montana in what is poised to become one of the most competitive races in the country, rated as a “toss up” by the non-partisan political handicapper Cook Political Report .
Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., shared with Fox News Digital that he believes there is no issue with anti-Semitism among Democrats. “I do not believe there is anti-Semitism among Democrats in the United States Congress,” he said, noting that he could not possibly know the beliefs of every individual Democratic voter.
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Tester is in the midst of a tough re-election campaign. (Anna Moneymaker)
“People often say things that can be misinterpreted,” he said. “And sometimes they say things that are offensive. But I don’t believe deep in their hearts that the people in the United States Congress hate Jews.”
Many Democrats, when asked if there was an issue specifically on the left, avoided answering, instead condemning anti-Semitism in general.
Senator Jackie Rosen said, “As co-founder of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, I am working to fight the scourge of anti-Semitism wherever it rears its ugly head. No matter which political party or ideology he belongs to.” D-Nev said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Rosen is the only Jewish woman in the Senate.
Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., similarly stressed in a statement, “Anti-Semitism has no place in our country and I condemn this hatred in no uncertain terms.”
Each woman faces her own competitive re-election battles in Nevada and Wisconsin in November.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., did not answer whether there was a problem within the party, but said he felt bad for students across the country whose schools and graduation ceremonies were disrupted amid the frenzy of demonstrations. potentially being disrupted.
This question was answered by D.W.Va. Also sidelined were Sen. Joe Manchin, whose office directed Fox News Digital instead over recently introduced legislation to address anti-Semitism on college campuses.
Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y. , without commenting on the party’s potential anti-Semitism concern, pointed to its statement condemning “hateful, anti-Semitic harassment and intimidation” in Colombia.
Robert Shapiro, a professor of political science at Columbia University, pointed out that “the problem for the Democrats – especially Biden, is not anti-Semitism.”
Instead, the issue facing him is “how to deal with Israel and how to deal with the protests, particularly in the context of the general disruption in society for which Biden and the Democrats may ultimately be held accountable in the 2024 election.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the US, did not provide comment in time for publication.
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Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Bob Casey, D-Penn., who face tough re-election in November, also did not comment.
Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Mark Warner, and Reps. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., were additionally contacted by Fox News I went. digital.
