by Gabby Rayev
Although throughout U.S. history prejudice and discrimination have always almost been, rampant, over the past three years, there has been a rise in blatant antisemitism within the government.
Antisemitism is defined as: “hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group” (ADL), and it has been present in American politics from colonial-era laws banning the practice of Judaism to recent white supremacist rallies where chants of “Jews will not replace us” became the rallying cry. However, excluding the ramblings of Klu Klux Klan Grandwizard and former Louisiana State Congressmen David Duke, antisemitic remarks and sentiments from elected officials have typically been denounced as regressive bigotry, making the particular statements and associations of both President Donald Trump and newly-elected congresswomen Ilhan Ohmar unexpected and reprehensible.
Within the Democratic Party, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has been prominent with constant and direct antisemitic statements in speeches and rallies, all of them mostly centered on using antisemitic tropes to attack the idea of the country of Israel. To be clear (in my opinion): being anti-Israel is not antisemitic, but being opposed to the idea of an Israeli-state and people, a state founded as a refuge and homeland for the Jewish people, is antisemitic. Omar’s first significant recorded antisemitic remark, a tweet from 2012 that capitalized on the antisemitic belief that Jews are able to trick the world, read “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel” (Beauchamp). Though she has since apologized for her statement, which she did acknowledge as antisemitic, she recently tweeted, “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby,” referencing the influence of Pro-Israel Superpacs on American politics, again inciting an antisemitic belief about powerful behind-the-scenes Jews controlling political affairs with money. Omar apologized, stating that she was now more educated on “the painful history of antisemitic tropes” (Beauchamp). Despite her apology, it is incredibly disappointing that a U.S. representative would make these comments, as her statements cast a large shadow of doubt over her abilities to represent her entire constituency equally.
Omar is not the only one on the left who has recently had significant ties to antisemitism. Leaders of the Women’s March and freshman congresswomen Rasida Tlaib were bashed for their close association with Louis Farrakhan, the former leader of the Nation of Islam and a notorious antisemite who has said things such as “The Satanic Jews that control everything and mostly everybody, if they are your enemy, then you must be somebody” (2014) and “The Jews were responsible for all of this filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out: turning men into women, and women into men” (Yellow Hammer). Tlaib has also been criticized for her relationships with pro-Hamas and pro-Hezbollah activists, both of which are antisemitic terrorist groups in Palestine and Lebanon, respectively.
On the Right, President Trump has also been targeted for certain antisemitic remarks he had made in the past, particularly while speaking to groups of Jews. While at one of these events, Trump said, “Stupidly, you want to give money... But you're not going to support me because I don't want your money…You want to control your own politicians” (Hains). This statement mirrors the one made by Omar as it perpetuates the belief that Jewish people control politics with money. Most of the criticism that is levied onto Trump is for the rise in antisemitic fervor focuses on his inability to fully address or condemn antisemitic acts on the right such as the Charlottesville white supremacist rally.
Within a democratic republic, the actions of elected politicians must be held to the highest scrutiny for any form of prejudice so that every citizen feels respected and fairly represented by their appointed officials. If left unchecked, antisemitism could slowly become the standard, both hurting the American Jewish community and opening the door for the acceptance of other types of blatant discrimination against minority groups.
Bibliography
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