Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour has never been subtle about her hatred of Israel.
While recently bemoaning Palestinians oppression, she castigated those of her fellow Muslims who would “actually try to humanize the oppressor” i.e., Israelis. She’s written that “nothing is creepier than Zionism” and has argued that one cannot be both a feminist and a Zionist. In 2017, Sarsour gushed about how “honored” she was to share a stage with Rasmea Odeh, a terrorist convicted of killing two Hebrew University students in a Jerusalem bombing.
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When criticized for these positions, Sarsour has been quick to deny any animus towards Jews. She’s repeatedly assured us that she opposes anti-Semitism. And her defenders often note that she’s supported efforts to raise funds for the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and for repairs at a desecrated Jewish cemetery in St. Louis.
Sarsour is not alone. She’s merely the latest in a growing number of angry activists who hate Israel and Zionists but claim to love Jews. In fact, these days, it’s hard to find bigots who admit to hating an entire people group on the basis of their blood. Today’s racists are far more likely to insist they respect and even love their targets. Their quarrel is only with those uppity Jews, blacks, or others who dare to assert certain human or civil rights.
This phenomenon was on full display during the civil rights movement. The South’s leading segregationists insisted that they loved black people and that segregation was actually the best thing for them. That’s why, they claimed, they were so determined to oppose those “outside agitators” who tried to integrate lunch counters and schools.
Alabama’s Gov. George Wallace was the era’s most prominent segregationist. In his 1963 inaugural address he pledged to support “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” That same year, he stood in the schoolhouse door in an effort to block the first African-American students from enrolling at the University of Alabama.
Yet he insisted his actions were not meant to “hurt our Negro citizens.” He assured his critics that “White and colored … each prefer their own pattern of society, their own churches and their own schools.” Wallace even boasted that “I personally have done more for the Negroes of the State of Alabama than any other individual.”
Today’s bigots are similarly reluctant to admit their racism towards Jews, also known as anti-Semitism. Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke wrote an entire book, “Jewish Supremacism,” promoting his anti-Semitic theories. But in the foreword, Duke assures us, “This book is not anti-Semitic; it simply examines and documents elements of ethnic supremacism that have existed in the Jewish community from historical to modern times.” Duke adds, “I will state emphatically here and now that I do not oppose all Jews.”
No, Duke doesn’t oppose all Jews. He only opposes those Jews who assert their right to influence at home or self-determination in Israel.
Let’s be clear. It’s impossible to separate Jews and Zionism. The Jewish people were born in the Land of Israel. It was there that they ruled themselves for centuries, and it was to this land that they returned whenever circumstances permitted. Like every other people on the planet, the Jews have a right to self-determination. And the only place on earth where they can morally exercise this right is in this place to which they are indigenous.
Adding to this historical bond, the Jewish faith is intimately connected to Israel. In this respect, Judaism resembles Native American faiths more than a universal faith like Christianity. No matter where they are in the world, Jews pray for rain during the rainy season in Israel. They celebrate the harvest during the harvest season in Israel. The Jewish prophets predicted the Jewish exile from this land and promised the Jewish return to it. Jews also pray three times daily for the return of the Jewish people to Israel.
Imagine if a national leader condemned any Native American who dared to assert tribal rights in their ancestral lands? Who would believe that this leader truly respected Native Americans?
What if this leader denounced Muslims who asserted their First Amendment right to build a mosque? Who would buy the line that she didn’t hate Muslims?
We mustn’t be fooled by bigots who claim to respect Jews while demanding they renounce their right to self-determination and forsake the core tenets of their faith. Jews have the right to express their national and religious identity in full. Anyone who condemns them for it should be called out as the anti-Semites they are.
David Brog, the executive director of Maccabee Task Force, was previously chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.
