Rep. Jamaal Bowman's defeat in New York sends a clear message to current and aspiring progressive politicians across the country: Anti-Semitism is not only bad morals, it's also bad politics.
Bowman’s downward spiral and ultimate downfall as the first member of the so-called “Squad” to lose a Democratic primary should now serve as a wake-up call for the rest of the left: our movements for progress, our work to advance social, racial, economic, gender and environmental justice, will fail if we do not work to root out the virulent anti-Semitism that pervades America.
It is shocking to see some who so recklessly claim the name of progressivism be so unapologetic in their indifference and, at times, their venom toward Jewish suffering, trauma, and victimization.
Anti-Semitism is normalized by good people who do nothing.
Progressive voters across the country are rightly concerned that the far-left wing of our movement has blindly embraced narratives of “resistance” and “decolonization” that deny sexual violence and support terrorism, ridiculing and disrupting Jewish students on college campuses and violently protesting outside synagogues and Jewish-owned stores. The echoes of history are too vivid to ignore.
This weekend, a pro-Hamas mob attacked Jews outside a synagogue in a heavily Jewish part of Los Angeles while Rep. Bowman shouted anti-Semitic slurs, including “the crowds are against money,” from a stage in the South Bronx. The same day a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, the city that experienced the worst attack on a Jewish community in American history.
Even as we mourn and recover from this heinous attack by the far right, we are simultaneously experiencing a slow-motion massacre by the far left. Violent anti-Semitism attacks from all sides, threatening the very foundations of our liberal society. A country that cannot protect its ethnic and religious minorities cannot function as a democracy.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) claim to fight for social justice, and Bowman remains a member, but they have done all they can to institutionalize anti-Semitism, making it a touchstone of the progressive movement and driving out millions of Jewish Americans who have a long tradition of successfully supporting the fight for justice, equality and freedom.
The lesson of history is clear, and we have seen it repeated too often in recent years. The UK Labour Party, the Green Party of Canada, the Sunrise Movement, the Women's March, and the Movement for Black Lives have all been embroiled in anti-Semitism-related controversy in the past few years, and we are all paying the price – women, members of the LGBTQ community, black and brown people, immigrants and refugees, people experiencing police violence, food insecurity, and climate-related inequalities.
Those of us who have fought for a progressive agenda have long known that forces in the conservative movement seek to overturn hard-won wins for voting rights, LGBTQ equality, reproductive freedom, health equality, and racial justice. Anti-Semitic elements within our progressive movement make the fight for justice exponentially more difficult by diverting attention and resources from our coalition, providing legitimate fodder for those who would exploit progress on civil and human rights to wage a culture war.
Democratic Rep. Bowman pledges support for BDS on knife issue in primary
Simply put, progressive anti-Semitism hurts our cause while helping to put into power those who oppose our progressive policies.
That is why in this primary, truly progressive voters are speaking out, reclaiming what it means to be truly and consistently progressive, both for the progressive movement and the Democratic Party. Sincere progressives are crying out “not in our name” against the normalization of anti-Semitism, just as we cry out against any other marginalized group, against any other form of hatred.
True progressives condemn gaslighting and violence against Jews, whether in the name of “anti-Zionism” or “anti-Israel” sentiment, criticism of Israeli policies, or for any other reason. True progressives fight violence, sexual assault, murder, kidnapping, and all forms of hatred with the passion and determination this fight deserves. True progressives reject binary frameworks that dehumanize people, and work to advance human rights, opportunity, justice, and collective liberation for Israelis and Palestinians and all other peoples.
True progressives, Jewish and otherwise, are more actively engaged in mobilization efforts than ever before to reclaim the progressive movement from the divisive extremists who are destroying our ability to advance progress and justice for all Americans and emboldening the forces of theocracy, authoritarianism and white supremacy that threaten us all.
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Some passionate advocates for justice believe that the progressive movement has been so viciously attacked by far-left anti-Semites that it has become irreparably warped. But Rep. Bowman's defeat is a reminder that we, as true progressives, must reclaim our movement, protect its integrity, and not give way. We should demand that these fake progressives go. We cannot go ourselves.
The Democrats have made their voices heard in New York's 16th congressional district, and now all eyes are on Missouri's 1st congressional district, where another member of the Squad, Rep. Cori Bush, is facing a tough primary.
And then all eyes will be on the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, where we hope true progressives will stand up and assert the values that reject hate, embrace justice, and rebuild a truly inclusive movement that welcomes all those who want to fight for progress, including Jews and Zionists.
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