Rep. Ilhan Omar and Modern Day Anti-Semitism

By now you know that Rep. Ilhan Omar has been a little trigger happy with her Twitter fingers. Her foremost target? Israel. Controversy involving the freshman Congresswoman vis-a-vis Israel and anti-Semitism isn’t new. Her most recent jab involved accusing Jewish $$$ of buying elected officials. Prior to that was her lovely 2012 Tweet, which read, “Israel has hypnotized the world; may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”



We’re living in an age where anti-Semitism on the left is on the rise. I was called a Nazi on campus at UCLA back in 2002 for wearing the Star of David. Let’s just say that things have not gotten better for Jews at my alma mater since then. And UCLA is far from alone as far as Jews being targeted on campus for nothing else other than being Jewish. The fact that much of the targeting is coming from the left deeply alarms me as a lifelong Democrat.

Today, we have real anti-Semites on our hands. Yes, some come from the right as they always have (see, “The Jews Will Not Replace Us” chanters, David Duke, et al.). But now we’re seeing it from the left as well. It is a scary sight to see anti-Semites elected to Congress. Yes, I am calling Rep. Omar an anti-Semite. And she is not alone.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib had a pro-Hezbollah individual pose for photos with her immediately following her election. Why was he there? She invited him! Fucking Hezbollah! Are we really doing this dance regarding anti-Semitism when Congress members are siding with people who call for Jews to be wiped off the map? And let’s not forget how notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan is apparently welcome in Democratic circles.

This problem isn’t new. Former Rep. Keith Ellison was the second person in the DNC hierarchy from 2017 – 2018. That honor was bestowed upon him despite the fact that back in 1995 he introduced Khalid Abdul Muhammad, who, 2 years earlier, stated, “You see, everybody always talk about Hitler exterminating 6 million Jews. … But don’t nobody ever asked what did they do to Hitler? What did they do to them folks? They went in there, in Germany, the way they do everywhere they go, and they supplanted, they usurped, they turned around, and a German, in his own country, would almost have to go to a Jew to get money. They had undermined the very fabric of the society.” Keith Ellison was 32 years old. Excuse me if I think that the anti-Semitism should be out of your system by the time you’re in your thirties. Oh, and Khalid Abdul Muhammad was kicked out of the Nation of Islam by Louis Farrakhan for being too anti-Semitic. You know someone’s an anti-Semite when he’s too anti-Semitic for Louis freaking Farrakhan.

Going back to the present day and controversy, to those of you citing Rep. Omar’s apology as evidence that she is not anti-Semitic, spare me. That apology had about as much heart in it as my two-year old nephew’s did when he took one more dessert than he was supposed to. Here, read it:

That’s what we call the old, “I’m sorry . . . but . . .”. I’m not won over by that statement any more than I was won over by Rep. Steve King “apologizing” for his racism. And therein lies my greater point. How are we on the left going to claim the moral authority on issues of hate when we can’t keep our own house in order? We want to call out President Trump’s hypocrisy on calling out anti-Semitism, but when we do, we’re subject to justifiable criticism for allowing anti-Semitism to fester in our wings.

We have a problem on the left with anti-Semitism. It’s been a problem for years but it’s been under wraps. Not it’s out in the open. What are we going to do about it? So far, not much. I’ve been on Twitter getting skewered by fellow liberals for even suggesting that Rep. Omar is an anti-Semite. Her defenders go right back to criticizing Israel, and calling Jews modern-day Nazis, without a hint of irony being felt by them for defending Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Do yourself a favor and Google “LGBT” with either “Hamas” or “Palestinian Authority” and then ask yourself why you’re not calling for the boycott of, divestment from, or sanctions of Hamas and/or the Palestinian Authority as you do Israel. And don’t get me started on Hamas’ Charter.

Given that the number of elected anti-Semitic Democrats is low, I’m still a Democrat. But my fear of anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party is real and I feel the need to speak out against it. Here was the shirt I wore at the Women’s March as a way of supporting women while at the same time protesting anti-Semitism, and anti-Israel hate, within the Women’s March leadership.

Eric Rudin at the 2018 Women’s March

I’ll conclude with this: As a society, we do not tell women, Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, LGBTQ individuals, disabled individuals, or individuals with special needs what to be offended by. And we shouldn’t. So why do a bunch of liberal non-Jews find it okay to tell us Jews what to get offended by? The answer, I’m afraid, may be a simple one. Let’s hope I’m wrong.

2 thoughts on “Rep. Ilhan Omar and Modern Day Anti-Semitism

  1. Pingback: Dear Fellow Democrats, How About We Win First? - Rudin Writes

  2. Pingback: President Trump's Brand of Racism - Rudin Writes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *