Fighting Anti-Semitism is One of the Most Patriotic Things You Can Do

And Why I'm Not Going to Protests

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Here is what I posted on Facebook the morning of the No Kings March:

“While I am fully opposed to Trump and have spent a decade speaking out and actively organizing against his abhorrent policies, behavior, and administration, my family will not be attending the No Kings Protest today.

I do have a few proud liberal Jewish Zionist friends who are attending, and I absolutely support them. However, most of my liberal Jewish Zionist friends are also sitting this out.

Some of these marches have explicitly stated in their messaging and mission a demand for the eradication of Israel and Zionists, or have publicly partnered with organizations with that stated mission.

I know for a fact that the marches in the major cities will have a significant contingent of antisemitic protestors, and we have consistently seen people showing up with antisemitic signs, chants, and even Hamas headbands.

In the small towns, it will be less present. But I do expect that in my small town, for instance, there will be a loud and present anti-Zionist message.

Again, not "anti-war," not "pro-ceasefire" - a message that seeks to villainize 90% of Jews and lump them in with the blame for Trump's abhorrent policies even though American Jews voted against them in massive numbers.

I have organized protest marches and movements - and even staged arrests. I have built grassroots groups from the ground up. I have continued to bust my ass to get the best and most effective Democratic officials into office.

And I will continue to do so.

But I will not participate in spaces that seek to villainize and harm me.

Again, I FULLY support everyone who is marching for the right reasons. There is a LOT to be horrified and terrified about. I have always said that everyone should fight back in the way that works for them - hell, I wrote a book about it!

But this doesn't resonate with me anymore. It is not safe, and I'm not doing it.

I know where my work and my voice is needed, and I feel no guilt or shame for protecting my peace so that I can do critical work behind the scenes to protect all marginalized communities - including Jews.

I genuinely hope that today feels meaningful, connected, and united for everyone marching against this dictatorship. I am working in solidarity in my own way - as are most of your Jewish friends. Trust.”

The response was mostly positive and understanding, including comments from some non-Jewish friends who are usually quiet about antisemitism. I even heard from some old protest buddies with affirming feedback and kind words.

Because my post was private, I don’t get the kind of pushback I would in a public forum. But even then, I still got a few comments from both Jews and non-Jews telling me why I was “wrong.”

But that doesn’t bother me.

There are many ways that I second-guess and question myself, turning myself inside out with insecurity. But I sleep with a clear conscience, knowing that I have done —and continue to do — everything in my power to fight for everything I believe in.

I believe one of the most patriotic, pro-democracy things we can be doing right now is fighting antisemitism.

Rising anti-Semitism is the sign of a sick society.

“While many think antisemitism is simply prejudice against Jews, it functions more like an all-encompassing conspiracy theory, motivating hostility against a range of people, not just Jews, based on erroneous beliefs about Jewish power, influence, and exploitation. As Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, has long warned, antisemitism is like “the canary in the coal mine,” and while hatred, discrimination and persecution may “begin with the Jews, [it] does not end with the Jews.” And U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Ahmed Shaheed has explained that not only is antisemitism the harbinger of “global hatred,” it is also “toxic to democracies, a threat to all societies if left unaddressed.” - Just Security

If I am being brutally honest with myself, even if it wasn’t for the antisemitism, I’m just not sure how compelled I would feel to march.

For 25 years, I have been writing and screaming about why we need to vote for Democrats. I wrote about this for national publications. I wrote books. I helped organize major grassroots protests. I built social media organizing groups from the ground up. I lobbied for legislation in Washington, D.C. and Harrisburg and Trenton. I worked and volunteered for countless campaigns to get people elected into office. I knocked doors and made calls and sent texts and wrote Op-Eds.

Leading a “Tuesdays with Toomey” protest in 2017

I’m not saying I deserve a medal. Many people have done this work.

But I don’t want to march down the street with life-size puppets again. I don’t want to make snarky, cutesy signs and dick jokes again. I don’t want to chant with a bunch of white people about Democracy again. It feels hollow and futile. And I am unclear how it will be helpful when we gave the popular vote to a narcissistic lunatic who has remade the entire administration in the image of a satanic ghoul.

And not only do I not want to march with antisemites, I don’t want to march with these people who did not vote. People who take nihilistic pleasure in the downfall of society - and believe me, they are eating this up with a spoon.

My place is working to get good candidates elected and supporting their work. My place is writing about what is happening in a way that resonates. My place is opening people’s eyes about antisemitism and misinformation. My place is encouraging people to vote for solid, effective leaders to protect them in their cities, states, and towns (though NYC is definitely going to elect a 33-year-old DSA candidate whose entire platform is hating Israel and making insane promises, so that should turn out great).

So what happened at the marches?

Well, it depends where you went and who you spoke to.

My Jewish friends who went reported mixed experiences.

Jewish Voice for Peace - which is explicitly not for peace but for the eradication of Israel and anyone who supports its existence - was an official partner of the nationwide event, and had speakers at many locations.

In Morristown, NJ, there was nary a keffiyah in sight. There probably wasn’t much off-message in Ocean City either.

But in Doylestown, PA and Burlington, VT and hundreds of other cities and towns, contingents of anti-Israel protestors made themselves loud and clear - front and center.

In Fort Collins, Colorado, the podium had two flags: American and Palestinian. Speakers and emcees across the country were draped in Keffiyahs and made anti-Israel rhetoric central to their speeches.

Philadelphia’s contingent was mostly folks with American flags, while at least a hundred people in the “Free Palestine” contingent brought up the rear, yelling for intifada and trying to get to the front of the stage and jump in front of the cameras.

In my small town, it was mostly appropriate with just two folks carrying Palestine flags at the back. However, the regular anti-Israel protestors took up their usual space on the busiest street corner so that everyone had to walk by and see their “Zionism is Racism” signs.

One Jewish friend found the experience very meaningful and important, and questioned why I was focused on the negative.

Well, I think this viral image sums it up.

One of my former favorite viral influencers chose his favorite signs, and this was #1. It is the oldest antisemitic trope in the book - Jews and money controlling the media. Ironically, if Israel controlled our media, don’t you think the public narrative would look quite a bit different? Nonetheless, this was liked and shared by tens of thousands.

Here is a video of the Philly protest, posted to TikTok. The traction is viral and the comments are glowing. But I wonder if anyone is actually listening to the fact that they are chanting “Long Live the Intifada.”

Meanwhile in Israel, at least 10 people, including children, were killed with hundreds of others injured by an Iranian missle. This is in response to a targeted attack to take out nuclear arms in Iran, which were being readied by the IRGC to have long-range capabilities. “Diplomacy” wasn’t working. It never was.

You don’t have to be a geopolitical expert to understand why this was necessary, not just for Israel, but for the entire Western world. While the threat of escalation and the reality of civilian deaths are horrifying, Iranians are cheering in the streets at the prospect of finally being freed from the repressive, murderous Islamist regime.

But, not surprisingly, white Western leftists will continue to inexplicably cheer for the IRGC. And politicians on both sides of the aisle are torn between moral clarity and bizarre pandering to an electorate that could not possibly think that Israel could do anything good.

Back to America, though. Because it is all intrinsically connected. The way some people believe that Palestinian liberation is connected to sexual liberation and fat positivity (yes, these are two real things I have heard), the reality is, without our only Democratic partner in the Middle East, things would not bode well for Americans.

So, at this point, I’m not entirely sure if we are going to be hit by a missile, be swallowed by a flood, be sent to a gulag, or die of smallpox - all of these scenarios are fully possible under this administration.

But I just don’t think marching down Main Street with Palestine flags - or even American flags for that matter - will stop any of it.

I desperately hope to be proven wrong.