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Jewish Journal

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October 24, 2022

National Survey Highlights Increasingly Negative Attitudes About Jews and Israel Among Progressives

News, United States /

This weekend, anti-Semitism was thrust once again into the center of conversation in Los Angeles, as a far-right hate group unfurled a banner on a major freeway overpass echoing the canard of Jewish control spread by Kanye West. 

West’s antisemitic remarks have rekindled concerns about right-wing adjacent antisemitism. However, new data reveals an alarming trend at the other end of the political spectrum: increasingly negative views of American Jews and the state of Israel among self-described progressives. 

An opinion poll from OnMessage Public Strategies and the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values found that respondents who identified as “progressives” hold negative beliefs about Israel and Jews in the U.S., more consistently than any other group in the broader electorate.

Progressives were much more sympathetic toward Palestinians (56 percent) than Israelis (18 percent), and nearly half of progressive respondents said they believe Israel has too much power or they view the nation as an “occupier/colonizer.”

Four out of five progressives believe Jews have “unfair advantages that need to be addressed”, echoing longstanding antisemitic tropes.

Jewish advocates say these findings raise major concerns. For one, there are strong indications that far-left orthodoxy is the main driver of Americans’ increasingly negative opinion of Israel and questionable views of Jews in the U.S., notes David Bernstein, CEO of the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values.

“This poll confirms some of the worst fears of the Jewish community – that a dogmatic commitment to critical theory and a social justice lens can contribute significantly to antisemitism,” Bernstein said. 

He added that the poll reflects a tendency by far-left voters to “divide the world into ‘oppressors’ and ‘oppressed’” and “expel those they disagree with from their social circle.”

For example, two-thirds of progressives and 54 percent of “very liberal” respondents said they have effectively “cancelled” a friend or family member because of their political views.

“While the majority of Americans support freedom of speech, oppose hyper-partisanship, and support traditional liberal values, the far left continues to view politics as a zero-sum game,” Bernstein added. “And the results aren’t good for Jews.”

There is broad consensus across the political spectrum that “antisemitism is a problem in American society,” the poll found. But 43 percent of respondents blamed the opposing political party for the problem.

The online survey of 1,600 likely voters was conducted nationwide between July 30 and Aug. 3 and was stratified to reflect historic turnout. It also polled likely voters’ views on the upcoming midterm elections and their political priorities.

On a generic ballot, Republican candidates fared better than Democrats by 3 percentage points, 46-43 percent, with 11 percent undecided. The GOP is widely expected to win control of the House of Representatives in the November midterms, particularly as inflation continues to batter U.S. consumers and President Joe Biden’s approval rating remains low. 

OnMessage and JILV found that more voters “disliked” Biden than “liked” him (51 to 44 percent) and more opposed his policies than supported them (56 to 39 percent). Seven out of 10 likely voters say the country is on the wrong track, including nearly 80 percent of independents.

Inflation was the biggest priority among likely voters by a wide margin, cited by 64 percent of respondents, followed by jobs and the economy (48 percent), crime (35) and immigration (32).

National Survey Highlights Increasingly Negative Attitudes About Jews and Israel Among Progressives Read More »

Jewish Legislative Caucus Calls for Adidas to Drop Kanye, Also Citing Founder’s Nazi Ties

News /

Today, the leaders of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus condemned Kanye West’s spreading of antisemitism and specifically called upon sportswear manufacturer Adidas to sever their business ties with the recording artist.  

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills), the chair of the Jewish caucus and Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the vice chair spoke to reporters at a Zoom press conference with Teresa Drenick, the deputy regional director of the Central Pacific Region at the Anti-Defamation League.

“We’re here today because of a series of reprehensible statements and social media posts and comments by Kanye West, now known as Ye, that have directly attacked the Jewish community and have threatened harm in the most unambiguous terms against the Jewish community,” Gabriel said. “We’re here because words have consequences. And what we have seen is that these comments, these antisemitic vitriolic comments by Kanye West have emboldend other extremists. And when we saw this in a very profound and visceral way here in Los Angeles, where extremists held a put up a banner over the 405 Freeway, one of the busiest thoroughfares in Southern California and also through appalling antisemitic propaganda that was up in Jewish and neighborhoods.” 

On October 8th, Kanye made comments on his now suspended Twitter account that he wanted to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” — an erroneous reference to the U.S. Military’s five levels of readiness for action on a threat, “defense readiness condition” or DEFCON. DEFCON 5 is the normal or lowest state of readiness and DEFCON 1 is the highest state of readiness, with an armed response imminent. 

The recording artist made a convoluted apology on Piers Morgan’s TalkTV show on October 19. But in an episode of the “Drink Champs” podcast (that has now since been deleted), Kanye boasted, “I can say anti-Semitic things, and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?

Kanye’s words have emboldened hate groups to use his prominence and vitriol to their cause. This was on clear display on Saturday, October 22 in Los Angeles when a hate group demonstrated on a 405 Freeway overpass with Nazi salutes and banners that read “Kanye is right about the Jews.” 

Gabriel also spoke of text messages he has received from constituents with photos of antisemetic flyers that were dropped in Jewish neighborhoods. 

“We have seen a dramatic escalation in antisemitism following these reprehensible comments by Kanye,” Gabriel said. “And he is one of the most prominent individuals on the planet. Thirty-one million followers on Twitter, 18 million followers on Instagram. And so we are here today, because we have a very simple message: Adidas and any other company needs to end their commercial relationship with Kanye West. And that anyone who continues to do business with him is a party to his antisemitism and a party to his calls for violence against Jews. And this is a moment for people to unequivocally show where they stand.”

It was also brought up that Adidas’ founders, brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, were members of the Nazi party. 

“We believe that [Adidas has] a special responsibility, having a founder who is a member of the Nazi party,” Gabriel said. “We believe this company has a special responsibility to be extra aggressive in condemning hate and antisemitism, and extra sensitive about making sure that they are doing everything that they can to combat incitement to violence, because they should know better than anybody the terrible consequences of the failure to do that.”

Kanye’s partnership with Adidas dates back to 2013.

State Senator Wiener commended French fashion designer Balenciaga for severing ties with Kanye.

“There’s no gray area here,” Wiener said. “There is no scenario in which a company, Adidas or otherwise, should be working with Kanye, paying money to Kanye, using Kanye to represent their product when he is literally calling for the killing of Jews. We have seen violence against Jews throughout history and recently, people walking into synagogues in San Diego County or in Pittsburgh and mass murdering Jews including senior citizens. We’ve seen violence in Europe, we’ve seen it in South America. And it’s going to continue unless and until people and corporations stand up and say ‘No more, and there will be consequences for doing this.’”

ADL’s Drenick underscored how Kanye’s words are “proof positive that hate breeds more hate and words really do matter.”

“We know that right now there’s a growing list of celebrities who have denounced [Kanye’s] rhetoric, but it’s shocking, shocking that certain companies continue to profit from his name, from his clothing, from his products, while at the same time completely ignoring his hate filled rants,” Drenick said. 

Drenick urged people to go to the ADL website to sign a petition urging Adidas to drop their partnership with Kanye.

Gabriel spoke about the uptick of hate groups “coming out of the shadows.”

“And part of what we understand is that words often precipitate violence,” Gabriel said. “And that’s not just true in the Jewish experience. We saw that, for example, with hate and violence directed against our [Asian and Pacific Islander] community, which has been a terrible problem here in the state of California. So we know that words often precipitate action, and that’s why we feel that this is the moment, not when there’s another terrible act of violence, not when there’s, G-d forbid, another shooting at a synagogue or at a Jewish community center. Now is the time for people to take action.”

Jewish Legislative Caucus Calls for Adidas to Drop Kanye, Also Citing Founder’s Nazi Ties Read More »

“Kanye Was Right” Banners Held on 405 freeway

California, News /

Various white supremacists held signs stating that “Kanye was right” over an overpass on the 405 freeway on October 22.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the white supremacists were conducting Nazi salutes on the overpass, prompting District Attorney George Gascon to tweet that “#WhiteSupremacy is an intolerable cancer” and their “message is dangerous and cannot be normalized.”

Additionally, flyers blaming Jews for the COVID-19 pandemic and gun control, among other things, have popped up in various Los Angeles neighborhoods recently. The Times reported that the banners and the flyers appear to be the work of the white supremacist group Goyim Defense League (GDL); their leader, Petaluma resident Jon Minadeo II, did not respond to their request for comment. Stop Antisemitism tweeted that when a police officer confronted them over the banners, “Minadeo began yelling at one of the officers who spoke only English about ‘diversity hires’ and immigrants taking over America thanks to Jewish laws.”

“This is an outrageous effort to fan the flames of antisemitism gripping the nation,” Anti-Defamation League Los Angeles Regional Director Jeffrey I. Abrams said in a statement. “This group, known for espousing antisemitism and white supremacist ideology, is now leveraging Ye’s antisemitism and is proof that hate breeds more hate. Decisive action against antisemitism by Adidas is long overdue.”

“Once again the GDL goons have staked their claim to being among the most visible antisemitic sociopaths in America,” American Jewish Committee Los Angeles Regional Director Richard S. Hirschhaut tweeted. “The act is growing old and tired. But you remind us all that combating #Antisemitism must be all our concern.”

“Kanye Was Right” Banners Held on 405 freeway Read More »

Kanye West Dropped by CAA, Doc Canceled Following Antisemitic Remarks

Featured, News /

Superstar rapper Kanye “Ye” West has been dropped by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and a planned documentary has been canceled, as the fallout continues over his antisemitic remarks.

West has come under fire after tweeting that he was going to go “death con 3” against the Jews after he was locked out of his Instagram account. West doubled down on his remarks in an October 15 appearance on the Drink Champs podcast; a couple days later, he said in an interview with Chris Cuomo that his “death con 3” remarks were referencing “Jewish record labels” taking “ownership” of Black musicians. West proceeded to defend his remarks in a subsequent interview with Piers Morgan, going as far as calling Morgan a “Karen” before eventually saying he’s “sorry for the people I hurt” after posting the “death con 3” tweet.

The Los Angeles Times first reported the CAA news on October 24; the agency had been representing him since 2016. The Times report did not specify the exact date on which the agency dropped West, only that it had happened some time in October.

MRC, the studio behind West’s documentary, announced in an October 24 memo that they will not be moving forward with West’s documentary, per Variety. “We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform,” the memo stated. “Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3,000 years—the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain. The silence from leaders and corporations when it comes to Kanye or antisemitism in general is dismaying but not surprising. What is new and sad, is the fear Jews have about speaking out in their own defense.”

West has also been dropped by the fashion company Balenciaga and Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour has also cut all professional ties with the rapper.

“Thank you, CAA,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted. “Thank you for demonstrating what a business can and should do in response to Ye’s antisemitic comments. @adidas, are you going to be next?”

Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Rabbi Abraham Cooper told the Journal that if West “wants to remain the billionaire antisemite, CAA did exactly the right thing. There needs to be a public price for bigotry.”

Stop Antisemitism similarly tweeted, “We applaud CAA and MRC on their decision and call on Adidas to follow suit.”

The American Jewish Committee tweeted that “silence is complicity.” “Any companies working with Kanye or Yeezy, any celebrities endorsing him or his garments, or any artists collaborating with him need to know the effect that their actions have,” they tweeted. “Take a principled stand against hate.”

An effort has been under way to get Adidas to end its partnership with West. The ADL’s Greenblatt wrote a letter to the company on October 20 noting that they had said their relationship with the rapper was “under review” after West was photographed wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt. “At this point, what more do you need to review?” Greenblatt asked. “We were particularly alarmed to see that the Adidas brand intends to release new products in the Yeezy line, including the Yeezy Boost 350, in the run-up to the anniversary of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre on Oct. 27—the most violent antisemitic attack in U.S. history.”

Greenblatt went on to call West’s comments “dangerous” amidst rising antisemitism worldwide. “Many other celebrities, as well as some corporations and pundits have joined ADL in calling out his hateful rhetoric. We hope that more companies, individuals, and political leaders will take action to show that there will be consequences for such hateful rhetoric and that they do not give Ye’s antisemitism a pass,” he wrote. “This is why we are surprised and concerned that Adidas—a brand that supports inclusion and diversity—continues not only to support the Ye product line, but to release new products even as he continues to espouse hateful antisemitic ideas to his 31 million Twitter followers, and as those noxious ideas spread across social media and around the world thanks to his outsized media presence and celebrity status.”

Greenblatt told The Washington Post on October 24 that he has since had conversations with the various higher-ups at Adidas but was not pleased with their responses. “At this point we are kind of flummoxed how Adidas has dropped the ball and failed to make a clear and cogent statement about their values,” Greenblatt said. “Antisemitism should be unacceptable in any circumstance,” he said. “The fact that Adidas has not made that simple point is shocking when one considers Adidas’s history as a company that once outfitted the Hitler Youth.”

California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-San Fernando Valley) and State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) also called for Adidas to drop West. “Words have consequences,” they said in a statement. “Kanye West threatened Jews, and now other extremists are openly threatening our Jewish community with hateful banners on the 405 freeway and distributing appalling antisemitic propaganda in our neighborhoods.”

The “extremists” referenced by Gabriel and Wiener are in the white supremacist organization Goyim Defense League. “We are proud to be Jewish and we will not remain silent when hatred and bigotry are openly directed at our Jewish community or any other community in California,” Gabriel and Wiener continued. “Any company—including Adidas—that continues to do business with Kanye West is party to this attack on Jews. It is morally indefensible to turn a blind eye to antisemitism and to put profits over the safety of Jews or others targeted by hate. We are grateful to those who have spoken out in solidarity with our Jewish community. Together, we will build a stronger and safer state.” 

Even Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles (JVP-LA), an organization that supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, issued a statement condemning “the recent acts of antisemitism in Los Angeles. As an anti-racist organization, JVP-LA understands that real safety and security are only achieved through solidarity. JVP-LA condemns these instances of antisemitism as it condemns all racism and all incidents of hate.”

Various celebrities have also called for Adidas to sever ties with West. “Friends” star David Schwimmer posted a video on Instagram expressing support for Greenblatt and echoed their call for Adidas to “#RunAwayFromHate.” Other Hollywood celebrities urging Adidas to end their ties with West include Josh Gad, Kat Dennings and Valerie Bertinelli.

West has said on the Drink Champs podcast that “I can literally say antisemitic s— and [Adidas] cannot drop me. Now what? Now what?” CNBC reported that every time they have reached out to Adidas for comment, their response has simply been that their relationship with West is “under review.”

Kanye West Dropped by CAA, Doc Canceled Following Antisemitic Remarks Read More »