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At Aspen Ideas Festival, White House panel bypasses mention of Israel

“To not mention Israel when discussing antisemitism is not only irresponsible, but dangerous,” tweeted the nonprofit watchdog StopAntisemitism.

Aspen Ideas Festival. Credit: www.aspenideas.org.
Aspen Ideas Festival. Credit: www.aspenideas.org.

At an Aspen Ideas Festival panel on June 27, moderated by journalist Katie Couric, two people close to the White House discussed the Biden administration’s new U.S. National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. Neither Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish and married to Vice President Kamala Harris, nor Liz Sherwood-Randall, White House homeland security advisor, mentioned Israel during the hour-long panel, Jewish Insider reported.

Israel appears in the strategy, but it and “the ways that anti-Zionism can translate into antisemitism” have “been absent from White House public messaging on the document,” added Jewish Insider.

The annual festival in Aspen, Colo., is being held this year from June 24 to June 30. The program nominates individuals worldwide for their accomplishments and dedication to improving their communities and making advances in their field of work, according to its website.

“To not mention Israel when discussing antisemitism is not only irresponsible, but dangerous,” tweeted the nonprofit watchdog StopAntisemitism. “Approximately half of the world’s Jews live in Israel. [And more than] 90% of Jews globally are Zionists.”

Dr. Phil, who moderated the event, told JNS that faith is a “foundation” and “moral compass” in difficult times.
“Perhaps he will stop his relentless incitement, hatred and blood libels against the State of Israel,” the Israeli consul general in New York stated.
The Jewish state lowered its flags to half-staff at 6:29 a.m. to launch commemorations honoring fallen soldiers and victims of the 2023 assault.
The policy goes “far beyond the boundaries of legitimate political debate,” the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said.