Antisemitic Rhetoric is Poisoning the Right
Antisemitism, many times disguised as anti-Zionism, has flourished among leftists and progressives, including the newly elected NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani for quite a while. This poison seems to be entrenched among Democratic Socialists of America for some time. Some DSA members had approved murders of two staffers of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., back in May 2025. It has been spreading by so called “progressive” Democrats in the Congress, such as Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for several years. The lack of attention to it among mainstream Democrats is alarming as it can be understood as tacit approval of antisemitic tropes not only among Congress members but also among general public.
Recently the self-proclaimed shomer of Israel, NY senator Charles Schumer has been rather quiet about rising antisemitism in his own Democratic party and not reprimanding Zohran Mamdani about his anti-Israel comments during the election campaign. And he is not the only one. Most Democrats in the Congress do not openly defend Israel or even denounce antisemitism, though they still may vote in favor of Israel. In the past several years resolutions condemning antisemitism did not pass unless they were tied to condemnation of Islamophobia and/or racism in general. John Fetterman, the Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, and Richie Torres, the Democratic House representative from the Bronx, stand out in the Congress for their strong and exceptional support of Israel and Jews.
That the divestment from Israeli companies was approved by voters in Somerville, MA is concerning, but not surprising. Though it is nonbinding, it is the first one to pass by voters and celebrated by pro-Palestinian activists which means this will encourage similar actions in more cities and local governments in the US. Fortunately, the anti-BDS council member Jake Wilson won the race for mayor against the democratic socialist rival.
The distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism is becoming sharper, at least on the surface as many pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protesters and agitators do not want to be called anti-Semites, just anti-Zionists. I am afraid that this non-existent distinction contributed to spread of antisemitism among leftists and among Democrats. It makes it much easier to denounce Israel for the Gaza war, for genocide and starvation of Gazans. After all isn’t this the propaganda spread by the UN? Election of Zohran Mamdani makes this false differentiation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism easier to spread antisemitism under the disguise of anti-Zionism.
Hasan Piker, the popular commentator and influencer streaming on the platform Twitch, has been considered a left-wing personality, even promoted by an article in the New Yorker magazine. Left or not he also bears the of status as an anti-Semite par excellence. The latter has led to his appearance on Tucker Carlson show. Piker is somewhat a rare person to bridge both the left and right sides. Though Piker and Carlson have many opposite views about many issues, strong antisemitism connects them. And this brings us to spread of antisemitism in the right wing.
Though some years ago, right-wing antisemitism was not uncommon, in recent years, it was mostly a few Neo-Nazi and Nazi groups to be antisemitic on the right and they were considered to be insignificant in their size and influence. All of sudden the number of very loud anti-Semites who identify with right wingers has been increasing. It is not just Tucker Carlson, but also Nicholas Fuentes, Candace Owens, Marjorie Taylor Green and many others. Unfortunately, these people are quite vocal in their opinions not only on social media, but also on more traditional Americans outlets, e.g., TV channels. Others such as Rand Paul, Thomas Massie, Joe Rogan, and Steven Bannon are more equivocal in their support of Israel. The recent Tucker Carlson’s interview of Nicholas Fuentes was watched by at least 5 million viewers. I did not watch it but I understand that Fuentes’ antisemitic statements were over the top even for Carlson who himself espouses antisemitic tropes. When the president of Heritage Foundation Kevin Roberts defended Tucker Carlson because “the American people expect us to be focusing on our political adversaries on the left, not attacking our friends on the right” a storm erupted – on the right side (to the glee of Democrats}. Roberts’ defense of Carlson did not go down well with some American people, including many Heritage staffers and the Texas senator Ted Cruz.
Ted Cruz has become a fiery opponent of antisemitism, especially when promoted by right wingers. His engagement in this fight has been extraordinary and inspiring. Even Deborah Lipstadt who served as the US special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism during Biden administration expressed praise for Cruz’s unflinching stand. And he is not the only one among GOP Congress people (Josh Hawley, Mitch McConnell, Tom Cotton, Mike Johnson and Elise Stefanik) and other conservative or right-wing personalities (Nikky Haley, Mike Huckabee) who are denouncing antisemitism in no uncertain terms. And we should not forget that Christian Zionists are among the most fierce supporters of Israel.
Antisemitism on the right wing exploded only recently when it became obvious that progressives and leftists not only tolerated its proponents but started spreading it themselves. The use of antisemitism and anti-Zionism by Zohran Mamdani in his campaign contributed to his election as the incoming NYC mayor. In other words, antisemitism is being normalized in the US, at least on the left side. Right wing anti-Semites feel an opening for them and do not want stay behind their leftist and progressive colleagues. We have to hope that the impressive and unequivocal pushback GOP members and other conservatives will spread to the other side of the isle. Otherwise, we will end up singing with Tom Lehrer in his song National Brotherhood Week:
Oh the Protestants hate the Catholics
And the Catholics hate the Protestants
And the Hindus hate the Muslims
And everybody hates the Jews.
