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New poll reveals far left’s embrace of anti-Semitic tropes

Four-fifths of self-identified “progressive” and “very liberal” likely voters in the U.S. believe Jewish Americans have “unfair advantages” that need to be addressed, according to Jewish Institute for Liberal Values survey.

A sign for "Israeli Apartheid Week," the annual international anti-Israel showcase, on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, in May 2010. Credit: AMCHA Initiative.
A sign for “Israeli Apartheid Week,” the annual international anti-Israel showcase, on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, in May 2010. Credit: AMCHA Initiative.

Four-fifths of self-identified “progressive” and “very liberal” likely voters in the U.S. believe Jewish Americans have “unfair advantages” that need to be addressed, according to a new poll conducted by the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values (JILV) and OneMessage Public Strategies, which revealed the American far left’s embrace of a series of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic tropes.

In the nationwide survey of 1,600 likely voters, 17% of progressives and 20% of very liberal respondents agree that American Jews have too much power, while 21% of progressives and 25% of very liberals say Jews “benefit from privilege.” Forty-five percent of progressive respondents view Israel as an “occupier/colonizer,” and 47% of progressives think Israel has too much power.

Additionally, 67% of progressives and 54% of very liberals report that they have “cancelled” a friend or family member due to their political views.

“This poll confirms some of the worst fears of the Jewish community—that a dogmatic commitment to critical theory and a social justice lens can contribute significantly to anti-Semitism,” said David Bernstein, CEO of JILV. “While the majority of Americans support freedom of speech, oppose hyper-partisanship and support traditional liberal values, the far left continues to view politics as a zero-sum game—dividing the world into ‘oppressors’ and ‘oppressed,’ and willing to expel those they disagree with from their social circle—and the results aren’t good for Jews.”

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