In Order to Combat Anti-Semitism Republicans Must Stop Making Excuses
Anti-semitism has been on the rise with violent actions and rhetoric. It seems like every week is a new historical low as white nationalists get bolder. The Anti-Defamation League reports that anti-semitic incidents have reached an all-time high in the United States in 2021.
On Glenn Youngkin's first day on his term as Governor of Virginia this year, he created the Commission to Combat Anti-Semitism. Four months later he announced the members of the commission.
These members included former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, Executive Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum Samuel Asher, and Holocaust historian Jennifer Goss. But then there are members like diehard conservatives like Julie Strauss Levin. Levin is much like her husband. talk show host Mark Levin, a conservative Jewish American lawyer who makes excuses for anti-semitism from conservatives. For example, on Dec 1, 2022, on the day Kanye West went on Infowars to praise Adolf Hitler, Mark Levin went on Hannity to obfuscate Tump's meeting with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes the week before by instead covering the anti-semitism of the uncle of Hakeem Jeffries on the 1990’s. A theme all too common, making excuses for anti-semitism.
During the Commission to Combat Anti-Semitism, Julie Strauss Levin echoed her husband's on-air rhetoric. When longtime Republican advisor William Kilberg recommended a brief reference to the former President’s private dinner with well-known and avowed anti-semites. Levin wanted equal mention to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's comments on Israel as anti-semitic remarks while also avoiding Steve King's support of White Nationalism and Marjorie Taylor Green's Jewish Space Lasers. A theme all too common, making excuses for anti-semitism.
When combating anti-semitism in Virginia, the biggest modern example is Unite the Right in Charlottesville in 2017, the deadly rally where James Fields (who had a photo of Hitler in his bedroom) carried out an attack on a crowd murdering Heather Heyer. While Heyer was not Jewish, but Fields was inspired to drive overnight to Charlottesville after seeing white nationalists with torches chant “Jews will not replace us.”
Days later, Trump condemned the violent white nationalists but with a caveat. Trump wanted to put blame on both sides. The two sides are clear, one bringing harm to marginalized groups and one opposed to it. A theme all too common, making excuses for anti-semitism.
The Commonwealth of Virginia has seen more than its share of antisemitic violence from white nationalists. In 2017 neo-Nazi Atomwaffen member Nicolas Giampa was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend's parents in Reston, in 2018 Atomwaffen members swatted Old Dominion University campus were arrested and convicted, in 2019 Daniel McMahon was arrested and convicted after years of racist and anti-semitic harassment, in 2020 members of the neo-Nazi terrorist group The Base were arrested and convicted for their plot to assassinate Jewish Speaker of the Virginia House Eileen Filler-Corn, and in 2021 the Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes stored a cache of firearms in Arlington during the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Bottom line, there has been plenty of antisemitic white nationalist and right-wing paramilitary activity in Virginia. However, none of these acts were mentioned by the Commission to Combat Anti-Semitism.
As I sat through these commission meetings, instances of violent anti-semitic attacks were taken out of focus while there was a repeated emphasis on anti-Zionism as Ben Paviour of VPM reports in his coverage.
One thing that commission members found to be anti-semitism was the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS.) This movement calls for varying degrees of protest actions against the current government of Israel. The commission’s final report goes so far as to recommend defunding public entities that engage in these types of protest against Israel, even prohibiting the state from contracting with entities that supports BDS. During the meetings, members compared groups like left-wing Justice for Palenstine as an entry point to anti-semitism and to neo-Nazi groups like the Goyim Defense League.
The elephant in the room for this commission of mostly Republicans discussing anti-semitism is former President Donald Trump. Trump has a long history with anti-semitic tropes. His reckless statements are often used to obfuscate the growing threat to Jewish people include suggesting that attacks on Jewish people are “false flags.”
To get a sense of what a notable Republican looks like denouncing the former President, Senator Mitt Romney, the party's nominee in 2012 can be bothered to do the bare minimum.
Youngkin could not be bothered to put out a statement on Trump's dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes. At the same time the Virginia Republican Party has its own troubles with anti-semitism.
For his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, paid Virginia Republican paid campaign worker Joesph Brody has been arrested and is awaiting trial for his crimes on January 6th including assaulting a police officer. In addition to his alleged criminal activities, his social media shows a history of anti-semitism.
While I was awaiting the commission’s report, the Virginia GOP took to Twitter to suggest that the Virginia Democrats House leader was paid off from Jewish businessman George Soros. The GOP deleted the post but left up the defense of their tweet.
Youngkin is no stranger to make accusations of Soros being the puppet master. During Youngkin’s Governor run, he invoked Soros for his large donations to liberal politicians. While it is true that Soros has been making large donations, this has been part of anti-semitic tropes. As the Anti-Defamation League points out, these are lurking anti-semitism.
Much like the obnoxious drunk guy at the party, Trump is not leaving the Republican Party until the party leaders are firm about making him to leave. The Republicans have been few and far between to denounce him. Why? Perhaps they enjoy his regular antics, but the more likely and less sinister explanation is that they don't care about anti-semitism as long as it doesn't affect them. They are eager to blame critics of Israel but silent on the growing movement of white nationalists that benefits them.
To read the commission’s report visit here. While I have focused on their lack of condemnation towards their own party and denigrating left-wing protests against Israel, there are good sections about teaching the history of Jewish people. Teaching Holocaust history is important because whenever I see someone compare getting a vaccine to the Holocaust, I know that person does not have good knowledge on that subject. But at the same time, the report ignores the anti-semitic remarks of an aspiring authoritarian.
I noticed the ADL sees BDS as antisemitic as they see it as a tactic to undermine "Jewish people's right to self-determination" https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/what-anti-israel-anti-semitic-anti-zionist