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John,
In recent years, hateful and extremist beliefs have penetrated into mainstream spaces, sabotaging civil discourse. One place you can see this distressing development is in the stream of antisemitism coming from the political left, often related to Israel.
In a new ADL analysis, you will see how certain left-wing political candidates are espousing ideas that go beyond legitimate critiques of Israel and its policies and into antisemitic tropes. They may also engage in rhetoric that is not antisemitic, but which can have the effect of making many Jews feel ostracized or excluded.
Some candidates in the 2022 election cycle who hail from the political left have embraced themes related to Israel and Zionism that range from unintentional stereotyping of Zionists to dangerous and antisemitic tropes about Jewish power and influence.
This new report comes at a timely moment, just a week after Israeli Apartheid Week, an annual series of virulent anti-Israel events in the U.S. and Canada, mostly on college campuses. The apartheid label is erroneously used to vilify Israel and its supporters.
Of course, antisemitic and anti-Israel candidates are by no means confined to the left-wing fringes. A recent ADL Center on Extremism report called ‘Extremism on the Ballot’ tracked more than 100 candidates for office who voice support for fringe positions and groups including white supremacy, anti-government organizations including the Oath Keepers, and the far right Proud Boys.
It is incumbent upon us, wherever we are on the political spectrum, to be on guard for and call out antisemitism, extremism and other forms of hate when they come into the mainstream and into our democracy.
| Thank you for speaking out alongside ADL and fighting hate for good, |
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| Jonathan Greenblatt |
| CEO and National Director |
| ADL |
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