Why Do So Many People Claim Bernie Sanders Is a Jewish Antisemite?
There is nothing that Jewish antisemites will not give to the nations of the world in return for some sympathy. They will give up their identity, tradition, history, sovereignty, and just about anything to get the world’s approval. But everything that Jews are willing to bestow upon the world, in fact, sells out the Jewish people, and consequently weakens us and intensifies the world’s hatred toward us. The following examples will illustrate how this process takes place.
Noam Chomsky and George Soros are widely known and frequently mentioned among the most persistent anti-Israel Jewish activists in the international arena. One of the most outspoken criticisms against their tactics came from the Jewish group AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), defined as “a bipartisan, pro-Israel political action committee.” In their Aug. 24, 2020 tweet, AIPAC states that “George Soros has a long history of backing anti-Israel groups,” and “Now he’s giving $1 million to help @jstreetdotorg support anti-Israel candidates and attack pro-Israel Democrats. AIPAC works to strengthen pro-Israel mainstream Democrats. J Street & Soros work to undermine them.”
On the other hand, liberal progressive groups accused AIPAC of trying to shape the outcome of US elections by backing and financially supporting pro-Israel candidates.
As American Jews have become more confident about their status in the US and their ability to control their fate, increasing numbers began to see Israel as a burden rather than an asset. Fifteen years ago, an organization like J Street would not have been taken seriously. Today, it is the most popular Jewish organization among Jews under 35.
Accordingly, many Jewish millennials view the State of Israel as a burden. If they could somehow make it go away, they would not hesitate. They do not perceive Israel as a possible safe haven that should be preserved for a rainy day. Instead, they often view it, or at least its policies, as the cause of their troubles with American antisemites. In the eyes of many American Jews, Israel’s existence is causing non-Jewish Americans to hate them, too. Therefore, the relentless efforts by Jewish separatist entities that promote dissociation from the State of Israel under the guise of liberalism have been increasingly successful.
Political figures such as former candidate for the US Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders, have become the beacon of progressive voices that have permeated the Democratic party. 70% of American Jews identify themselves as Democrats, compared to 49% of the general American public. This configuration is particularly meaningful in the face of Gallup’s 2023 annual poll, which, for the first time, found that 49% of Democratic respondents sympathized more with the Palestinians and 38% with Israel. In comparison, support for Israel among Republicans remained strong at 78%, according to the same survey.
Over the years, Sen. Sanders has shown an impeccable record of determination and commitment to pursue causing harm to US-Israel relations and assistance. He has been outspoken about placing conditions on US aid to Israel even if that could jeopardize Israel’s security. In 2021, Sanders tried to block US funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system that protected Israeli towns from the more than 4,500 rockets fired by Palestinian terror groups that year. The progressive Senator threatened to block the bill if the expected aid for Israel did not equalize American assistance for the Gaza Strip.
Sanders’ anti-Israel efforts also include slander and distortion of facts against the Jewish State. Regarding the 2014 war in Gaza, he claimed that Israel killed over 10,000 innocent people despite the fact that even the highest casualty assessments reported by the Hamas terrorist group that controls the area were a quarter of that number. The Anti-Defamation League unsuccessfully called on Sanders to correct his inflammatory and inaccurate statements, but the damage was already done since lies spread like wildfire.
As the popular expression goes, “Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are,” Sanders’ friends were revealed — during his political campaign to win the Democratic primaries — in his endorsements by extreme Left lawmakers and antisemitic activists known for their pro-BDS and anti-Zionist rhetoric.
However, as in all the cases of self-hating Jews, their sympathy and support for anti-Israeli initiatives do nothing to shield them from antisemites. During a rally for Sen. Bernie Sanders in Phoenix, AZ, a man performed a Nazi salute to Sanders, unveiled a swastika flag, and shouted antisemitic tropes.
We may trivialize it as an isolated case, but the fact is that extreme movements from both the Left and the Right are increasingly hostile and pose a threat to American Jewry. As Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) wrote, “It turns out that people mistakenly think that Nazism is only an offshoot of Germany … all the nations are equal in that, and it is utterly futile to hope that the Nazis will perish with the victory of The Allies, for tomorrow the Anglo-Saxons will embrace Nazism…”
Therefore, as it is written in The Book of Consciousness, “We are commanded at each generation to strengthen the unity among us so our enemies do not rule over us”
(Rabbi Eliyahu Ki Tov, The Book of Consciousness [1976], Chapter 16).
Based on the book “Jewish Self-Hatred: The Enemy Within — An Overview of Jewish Antisemitism” by Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.