Open letter to Sunny Hostin: How to get people to stop calling you antisemitic

Dear Ms. Hostin,

As one of the hosts of The View, you have on more than one occasion complained about the mail you receive from people who call you antisemitic. I am one of the viewers who over the past few years has emailed the show several times to call out your offensive comments.

On June 18, after criticizing Israel you angrily told viewers not to send “hate mail” because you said that criticizing Israel and its government is not antisemitic. You are correct on that point; however, with you, there is more to the story.

During that episode you said that Israel preemptively struck Iran, but you failed to mention that Iran had launched missiles at Israel in April 2024 and October 2024. In addition, Iran’s proxies have been striking Israel for years.

When you frequently criticize Israel and do not criticize other countries, it is understandable that viewers accuse you of antisemitism. In fact, expecting of Israel a behavior not expected of any other country is part of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, adopted by 46 countries including the US.

On Oct. 9, 2023 on the first show after the Oct. 7 massacre, while the other hosts expressed their shock and sadness, your focus was already on the welfare of the Palestinians. With no compassion for the Israelis who were savagely tortured, beheaded, mutilated, burnt, raped, and kidnapped, you admonished Israel, saying that when it responds to the attack, it must adhere to international law.

In Nov. 2023, you equated the release of innocent Israeli hostages with the release of Palestinians who were held in prisons for attempted stabbings of Israelis.

Earlier this year when the remains of the two Bibas boys, kidnapped when they were 4 years old and 9 months old, were returned, you immediately pivoted the discussion from their heinous murder to the ICC arrest warrant issued for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Calling it “outrageous”, President Biden strongly condemned the ICC arrest warrant. Yet, you validated the warrant and seemingly implied that both Hamas and Israel were guilty parties.

But that was not the first time I took offense with your reaction to the brutal killing of an Israeli hostage. In Sept. 2024, your show had a segment on the six hostages that had recently been murdered by Hamas. One of them was Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old American/Israeli citizen whom we all came to know because his parents, Jon and Rachel, publicly fought tirelessly to try to secure his release. On that episode, The View showed part of the funeral where Rachel heartbreakingly spoke.

During the next segment, just a few minutes later, you said that you were an empty nester who was “in grief” because you had dropped your daughter off at college. Perhaps you did not intend to liken yourself, a mother who missed a child away at college, to a real grieving mother who had just buried a child; however, I found your insensitivity inexcusable.

In January 2024, you disagreed with Harvard’s firing of its president, Claudine Gay, who was unwilling to condemn calls for the genocide of Jews. I wonder if your reaction would have been the same if people were calling for the genocide of blacks, LGBTQ, or any other group of people you consistently advocate for.

On Jan. 6, 2025, you had the audacity to compare the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the capitol to the Holocaust.

In June 2021, you spoke with affection and admiration for Helen Thomas, a well-known White House Correspondent. You, however, omitted the fact that Thomas was fired in 2010 when she said that Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine and go home to Poland.” Apparently, Thomas’ desire to send the Jewish people back to a place where they were systematically murdered did not impact your high opinion of her.

Your antisemitic views are not surprising, given that you once stated that you get your news from sources including BBC and Al Jazeera, networks that have often been called out for inaccurate reporting and antisemitism.

If you reflect on all of your comments listed above, perhaps you can understand why you have received letters from people who label you antisemitic.

One of the main themes of The View is calling out prejudice and hatred. All of the hosts routinely identify and condemn misogyny, racism, and homophobia wherever they find it. Alyssa, Sara, and Joy speak out against antisemitism, as well. You, on the other hand, have a pattern of antisemitic comments that undermines the values that The View strives to impart to its audience.

Fortunately, I have some suggestions on how you can turn the tide and stop people from accusing you of antisemitism:

• Acknowledge that while the war in Gaza is ugly, Israel did not start it. State unequivocally that Israel has the right to defend itself and be realistic about what that statement means. Israel is fighting a war where terrorists hide behind civilians and do not wear uniforms as they do in conventional wars.
• Recognize the drastic rise of antisemitism coming from left-wing circles and admit that anti-Zionism is often used as a cover for it.
• Since your show frequently celebrates LGBTQ and champions their rights, list all of the countries in the middle east that recognize same-sex marriage. It won’t take long. Just say ‘Israel’. The list ends there.
• Since your show is called The View, mention that Israel is the only country in the middle east where people can freely give their view without fear of being arrested, beaten, or killed by their government.
• Quote someone who understood Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself:

“Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality. We must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist and its territorial integrity.”

• Quote someone who recognized Israel’s unique achievements and its democratic values:

“I see Israel, and never mind saying it, as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.”

• Quote someone who emphatically answered the question regarding whether anti-Zionism is antisemitism.

“When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking antisemitism.”

These three quotes were spoken by a man whom you have paid tribute to many times on your show, a man who is revered for his fight against prejudice and hatred.

The man was Martin Luther King, Jr.

Indeed, one cannot help but wonder: If he were alive today, what would he think of your comments?