Combatting Antisemitism Cannot Come at Expense of American Democracy
This edition passionately argues against federal funding cuts as a misguided response to antisemitism.
I cannot stress this enough: cutting federal education funding and grants is not the way to combat antisemitism. It's just another way of using the Jews as scapegoats to further this administration's fall into authoritarian fascism. There are ways to actually fight back against antisemitism but it should not come at the expense of losing American democracy.
The felon and his admin are just scapegoating Jews to further his anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda. The same policies impacting education are also impacting federal contractors. While I have my issues with antisemites in the LGBTQ community, the same anti-diversity policies are leading corporations to pause their sponsorships of Pride parades and other Pride month events.
Speaking of antisemitism, Rabbi Ari Hart had an editorial published in the Chicago Tribune:
When we advocate for silencing those we oppose or accept erosions of due process for groups we dislike, we chip away at the very foundations protecting everyone. The legal guardrails shielding one unpopular group today are the same ones we might need tomorrow. Tolerating dissent isn’t mere principle. In America, it’s also collective self-preservation.
Wesleyan University president Michael S. Roth recently had an op-ed published in The New York Times. He writes how the convicted felon is selling Jews a dangerous lie. He’s not wrong.
Amb. Deborah Lipstadt has opened up on the felon’s admin weaponizing antisemitism. Amb. Lipstadt is such an important figure on this subject—here’s to hoping she can break through to those who have foolishly drunken the Kool-Aid. Weaponizing antisemitism will not combat antisemitism. And again, this is an admin that welcomes right-wing antisemitism with open arms.
The American Jewish Committee is speaking out against the funding cuts targeting higher education. What the admin is doing is using the Jews as scapegoats or political pawns.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear recently discussed tariffs with Politico.
Here’s the thing, if we want more parts made in the United States, that takes years of investment. I mean, a major manufacturing facility will take anywhere from two to five or six years to build. So if the idea is we will have a very aggressive tariff that will try to force that investment, well, that’s two to five years of pain on the consumer. There are different ways to encourage U.S. investment.
Will tariffs and a probable recession become a breaking point?
It should be the breaking point because it’s impacting all American families, Democrat, Republican, independent. Prices are going up, and life is getting harder for American families solely because of this decision by the president. And like you said, when this Democratic governor and two Republican U.S. senators all say something is a bad idea, in this hyper partisan world, it’s because it is a bad idea.
A recent Pew Research Center poll takes a look at how Americans are viewing Israel and the war in early 2025. It turns out that it’s now bipartisan to have an unfavorable view of Israel. My issue, like other liberal and center-left Zionists, is with Bibi and his coalition.
A slight majority of Americans (53%) now express a somewhat or very unfavorable opinion of Israel. This marks an 11-point increase in unfavorable views since March 2022, when we last asked this question. The share of U.S. adults who voice very unfavorable views of Israel has roughly doubled over this period, from 10% in 2022 to 19% in 2025.
Democrats are much more likely to express unfavorable opinions of Israel than Republicans (69% vs. 37%). In 2022, 53% of Democrats and 27% of Republicans had negative views of Israel.
Younger and older Democrats alike have turned more negative toward Israel over this three-year period, but negative views among younger Democrats have grown by 9 points, compared with a 23-point increase among older Democrats.
Among Republicans, much of the shift in attitudes has come among younger adults. Republicans under 50 are now about as likely to have a negative view of Israel as a positive one (50% vs. 48%). In 2022, they were much more likely to see Israel positively than negatively (63% vs. 35%).
Kristi Noem is now ruining baseball, interrupting during commercial breaks with the felon’s authoritarian agenda. What an awful way to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day…