Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has drawn support from a large variety of Americans. Unfortunately, that includes some of the vilest anti-Semites the far-left has to offer. It invites the question of why people who have a hatred of Jews can’t get enough of a Jewish candidate.
Sanders has been endorsed by Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who was voted on by thousands of Americans as the “anti-Semite of the year.” Omar has accused American Jews of dual loyalties and suggested that they have bought Congress with their money. She is also a vocal supporter of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, which calls for the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel.
Recently, Sanders was also endorsed by actor and screenwriter John Cusack, who was in hot water for tweeting an image with a quote from white nationalist and neo-Nazi Kevin Alfred Strom. The tweet suggested Jews were in control and were not allowed to be criticized. To make matters worse, Cusack added his anti-Semitic trope to the tweet by commenting, “Follow the money.”
Sanders not only welcomes endorsements from anti-Semites, but he goes out of his way to work with them. One of his surrogates, Linda Sarsour, said at an event that Israel is “built on the idea that Jews are supreme to everyone else.” Despite Sarsour spouting off this anti-Semitic trope on stage to the masses, Sanders continues to work with her.
Anti-Semites are thrilled to call Sanders an ally, and he is equally excited to call anti-Semites friends. While a racist might justify their actions by claiming they “have a black friend,” Sanders acts as a shield to anti-Semites everywhere because he is Jewish in name.
Sanders makes the perfect candidate for anti-Semites to back because of his tough stance on Israel. While other Democrats praise Israel for being the most democratic nation in the Middle East, Sanders has suggested going so far to cut military aid to Israel.
Sanders, along with the far-left, is also highly critical of the nonpartisan America Israel Public Affairs Committee, which lobbies for military assistance to Israel and sanctions against Iran. While most Republicans and Democrats alike openly support the Jewish state, Sanders is less favorable toward it.
A Gallup study revealed that 95% of American Jews have favorable views of Israel. The remaining 5%, of which Sanders is a part, consists of American Jews who don’t hold favorable views of the Jewish state or don’t have a strong opinion either way. As a prominent Jewish figure with a viewpoint that most members of the Jewish community don’t share, Sanders has allowed anti-Semites to use him as a token in pushing their anti-Israel agenda. Despite the widely available data disproving that a large percentage of American Jews are anti-Israel, the claim can be thrown around with Sanders serving as exhibit A.
Due to Sanders’s close ties to anti-Semites, many Jews, including myself, find his behavior problematic. It raises serious questions regarding his electability. A recent poll showed only 11% of Jewish Democrats plan on voting for Sanders. Whereas President Trump has indisputably been an excellent ally for Israel, it is hard to stomach four more years of his antics. Many Jews are wondering where to leave their vote in this election cycle.
In response, the Democrats have Michael Bloomberg to offer, who has a long history of pro-Israel activism. While Bloomberg is a good fit for many in the Jewish community, it will be hard for the liberal base to back a moderate candidate. Unfortunately, the far-left is slim pickings when it comes to candidates supportive of Israel. Liberal Jews are stuck between a rock and a hard place in picking their next president. In the end, if Sanders wins the nomination and the presidency, he will become the first Jewish president, but he probably won’t have the Jewish community behind him.
Alex Blecker, a current student at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, has previously written for the Jewish Voice and the Atlanta Jewish Times.
