(Jewish Group) Politicians have long courted Jews, even as antisemitism abounds

[Behind the Aegis]

One of Glenn Youngkin’s first acts as Virginia governor was signing an executive order to create a commission to combat antisemitism. The move stood out because Youngkin’s other early executive orders fulfilled a laundry list of right-wing goals: ending the teaching of “divisive concepts” in public schools, rescinding mask laws and vaccine mandates and withdrawing from a regional climate change initiative.

On the same day that Youngkin signed the order, however, a gunman outside Dallas held three congregants and their rabbi hostage for 10 hours in a synagogue.

Following the end of the standoff and safe release of the hostages, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) went on Twitter to highlight a call with the Israeli prime minister and Texas’s laws “against BDS & anti-Semitism.” (BDS stands for the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement that calls for a boycott of Israel over what supporters say is its mistreatment of Palestinians.)

The events of Jan. 15 highlight a complexity in the United States’ centuries-long history of antisemitism — alongside it, politicians have simultaneously and consistently courted Jews because of their political utility, ironically enough, in appealing to Christian voters. They’ve preached tolerance toward Jews and conducted outreach to signal their approval of religious tolerance and religious freedom — all without posing a threat to Christian dominance of the United States.

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[Beastly Boy]

1. I would be suspicious of articles that cite 19th century precedents as evidence of politicians being

sympathetic to America's Jews. Too close to the current right wing talking point of the GOP being "the party of Lincoln". As a measure of today's politicians courting Jews, it is pretty useless.

Personally, my reaction to most politicians, from both the left and the right, paying lip service to their Jewish constituents is a sense that I am being used. They seem to have no interest in me beyond my vote, and it remains to be seen whether Youngkin's newly minted commission, for instance, will translate into any meaningful action that will result in reduction of antisemitism. I will be surprised if it does.

The reason for my pessimism (besides it being inherently natural to my Jewish disposition), is that I see politicians being overwhelmingly reactive and underwhelmingly proactive with respect to antisemitism. A lot of fiery talk and very little in terms of addressing antisemitism as an issue in need of universal and sustained redress with no regard to political trends du jour.