Something unprecedented transpired this month in New Orleans.
At the Democratic National Committee’s spring meeting earlier this month, resolutions concerning “Israel” were at the “forefront once again.” Although these anti-Israel measures ultimately failed to pass, the singling out of the Jewish state is the only conceivable explanation for why the leading voice of liberal Judaism in America felt compelled to denounce the “antisemitism” they experienced at the DNC gathering.
On the Monday following the DNC event, the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ) released a statement explaining why they’re “deeply concerned” about the well-funded “coordinated campaign” singling out the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for “particularly malign influence in campaign finance.”
It said: “Amidst elevated rhetoric and global tension, political candidates are facing new and significant pressures when it comes to taking positions related to Israel, including whether to accept support from pro-Israel PACs. Every candidate has the right to accept or reject funding from any PAC, including AIPAC’s, but the harsh language being used by some to denigrate and vilify AIPAC borders on, and in some instances crosses over into, antisemitism.”
This statement must not be taken lightly.
The URJ abandoned religious priorities decades ago. It morphed into a political organization prioritizing a warped form of “social justice,” often giving cover to leftists and Democrats who, putting it mildly, push the envelope regarding their anti-Israel “Jewish money and political influence’’ rhetoric. Antisemitism tends to appear on their radar only when it’s politically advantageous for the Democratic Party.
For the URJ to have strayed from their “progressive” comrades, publicly condemning what took place at the Democrats’ largest meeting before the midterm elections, is far more than a red flag. This is jumping up and down, and waving their hands in the air in a frenzy, while screaming, “Look over here, their disdain for us is real, growing and can no longer be ignored!”
While “better late than never” certainly applies to this situation, I can’t stress enough that something truly horrifying must have occurred during the DNC meeting because the signs have been undeniable since the 2018 midterms. It has become blatant and unapologetic this campaign cycle, when virulently anti-Israel candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) were elected to Congress. This was the moment the members of the Democratic Party made it clear that they were abandoning the Jewish state.
The URJ was silent. They only saw more social-justice warriors. What they naively failed to see was that the only Jews the new progressive movement would tolerate are those who voiced disdain for Israel and offered cover for their blatant Jew-hatred.
During the current primary campaign season, every Democratic candidate for Congress and Senate strongly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This was expected, and because of universal agreement, these issues were no longer a selling point for primary voters who tend to be more aligned with the “progressive” wing of the party. The issue of Israel, especially AIPAC, became the litmus test amongst Democrats.
“AIPAC” is now synonymous with the millennium-old canard of Jewish power and control within the Democratic Party. The facts expose a much different reality.
AIPAC was ranked 74th among all lobbying organizations in 2024. They spend less than $5 million per year on direct lobbying. As a country, Israel doesn’t rank in the top five countries in terms of spending and registered agents, according to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The biggest spenders are Saudi Arabia, China, Qatar and Japan.
Yet anyone who owns a television or a smartphone has been inundated with campaign ads, podcasts and candidate interviews vilifying AIPAC and “Jewish” interests for “owning” American politicians and foreign policy.
Progressive icons such as Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) participated in TV ads for her endorsed successor, Daniel Biss, the Democratic mayor of Evanston, Ill., demonizing AIPAC. She also withdrew support in the Democratic primary for Donna Miller for Illinois’s 2nd Congressional District after learning that AIPAC was supporting her.
2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls, such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, all of whom know the truth about AIPAC’s influence, are prioritizing their political aspirations, They are giving credibility to the Jewish control lie by publicly distancing themselves from the organization.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who, like Pritzker, is Jewish, recently gave credibility to the claim that Trump was pushed into war with Iran by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The writing has been on the wall for many years that the growing control of the Democratic Party by its progressive wing has not just turned the party against Israel but has crossed over into antisemitism.
And let’s be clear. Disagreeing with the Israeli government is perfectly legitimate. In Israel, criticizing the government is a national pastime. The idea that any criticism results in accusations of antisemitism is not only wrong, but it also rarely happens. This is the newest falsehood being used to mask real disdain for Jews and unifies the left with the “Horseshoe Right.”
Over the past decade, the URJ has been part of the problem. Its silence was deafening. Prioritizing a desire to keep its seat at the progressive table over protecting the Jewish community is what we say in Yiddish is a shanda—something “shameful.”
Still, something so much more than targeting AIPAC at this month’s DNC meeting must have taken place to awaken this giant in denial. Eventually, the truth will surface.
And it will be ugly.
