Mourner’s Kaddish for the Sunrise Movement

Yitgadal v’yitkadash sh’mei raba b’alma di v’ra chir’utei; v’yamlich malchutei b’hayeichon u-v’yomeichon, uv’hayei d’chol beit yisrael, ba-agala u-vi-z’man kariv, v’imru amen.

We should all be concerned about climate change. Global warming is an existential issue, dramatic legislation is needed to reverse its effects, and the American political system has proven itself woefully inept at addressing this properly. Many organizations have formed around the cause of combating climate change, one being the Sunrise Movement, a campaign catering to and comprised of young people. Over the last several years, the Sunrise Movement has gained political notoriety for their undiplomatic tactics, such as protesting in Congressional offices, blocking off highways in major cities, and espousing an anti-establishment, often anti-capitalist message. In doing so, the movement has alienated large swaths of the American electorate who would otherwise be supportive of their goals, which include banning fracking and passing a Green New Deal. It should come as no surprise, then, that branches of the organization would turn to scapegoating Jews and Jewish groups as a desperate attempt at relevancy.

On Wednesday, The Washington, D.C. “hub” of the Sunrise Movement released a letter explaining why they were rescinding their participation from an upcoming rally in D.C. for expanded voting rights and statehood for our nation’s capital. “We are declining a speaking slot due to the participation of a number of Zionist organizations … this includes the Jewish Council on Public Affairs, the National Council  of Jewish Women, and the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, which are all in alignment with and in support of Zionism and the State of Israel.”

The antisemitism packed into this statement is overwhelming, from accusing Israel of being an illegitimate colonial entity, to tokenizing the experiences of Mizrahi Jews in Israel, to inferring American Zionists are not serious fighters for voting rights, and of course, to highlighting the values of self-determination and political sovereignty yet refusing to extend this worldview to the Jewish people. The hatred reaches a climax when Sunrise DC concludes by asking the organizers of the event to remove Jewish organizations from their roster, “as Zionism is incompatible with statehood and political sovereignty.”

Fortunately, many influential names have protested, with Congressmen Ritchie Torres and Jerry Nadler and organizations like the Jewish Democratic Council of America publicly condemning their ideological compatriots. Yet still, the national chapter of the Sunrise Movement failed to specifically address the D.C. hub’s bigotry in refusing to share a stage with Jews, and instead released a statement condemning both “antisemitism” and “anti-Palestinian racism,” and of course reaffirming their organization’s collective support for the liberation of Palestine.

The transparent takeaway from such a hateful expression is failure. As American liberals vent their frustrations with Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin as the two maneuver their way out of supporting President Biden’s robust climate agenda, answering not to their constituents but to special interests, legislation that could bring real optimism to the environmentalist front is being watered down. This is quite the disappointing development for the Democratic base. When campaigns feel defeated or betrayed, scapegoating the Jews (or the Jewish state) promises a surefire way to “rally the troops” and to feel assertive once again.

Antisemitism destroys anything that uses it as much as it destroys the Jews. Once a country, political party, or group begins demonizing Jews, collapse is imminent. This is because antisemitism often functions via conspiracy theories, and conspiracy theory-thinking indicates the absence of a clear strategy to achieve a set of goals. The Sunrise Movement was destined for this trap as soon as their approach to climate activism turned from lobbying Congress away from non-renewable energy to an “intersectional justice” approach, consisting of radical identity politics, socialism and populism. Their strategy has failed, and so the evils of “Zionism” are drawn out as a distraction, serving as a “Two Minutes of Hate”for incensed supporters.

Antisemitism destroys anything that uses it as much as it destroys the Jews. Once a country, political party, or group begins demonizing Jews, collapse is imminent.

As many Jews hurried to criticize the Sunrise Movement DC online, I realized just how predictable this scandal was for a student of Jewish history. Could there be more of a cliche than a flailing political movement suddenly casting Jews from their midst, and justifying it with  “The Jews are too capitalist, too communist, too religious,” and in this case, “too Zionist”? Since the beginning of our exile, we are consistently framed as what’s standing in the way of whomever’s success.

The tragedy lies in yet another noble cause capsizing, its last gasp of air being a swipe at the Jews. I’ll sing the Mourner’s Kaddish for the Sunrise Movement, not because I feel sympathy for them and their members, but because attacks against my people reveal just how pathetic are those who engage in such attacks. We are sadly no closer to a carbon tax, to doing away with fossil fuels, or to expanding public transportation, but at least progressives have been made aware that boycotting the Jews is another way of admitting defeat.

Blake Flayton is New Media Director and columnist at the Jewish Journal.