Jerusalem Post: Should Kevin McCarthy be Speaker of the House? – opinion

September 13, 2021

Read the full article here.

By Douglass Bloomfield

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the man who wants to be the next Speaker of the House, is driven by the twin demons of ambition and fear. He has long dreamed of becoming speaker and he is terrified that former president  Donald Trump  might give his blessing to someone else.

McCarthy, a Californian Republican, is in many ways the polar opposite of the woman he seeks to replace – and threatened to “hit her” with his gavel. It goes far beyond gender and party; what drives his contempt for the first woman speaker, Nancy Pelosi, are the qualities that make  Nancy Pelosi  a strong and historic leader.

If Republicans take back control of the House next year, McCarthy wants to make sure Trump backs “my Kevin” and not someone like Ohio’s Jim Jordan, an ambitious Trump favorite and right-wing firebrand who lost his bid for the job in 2018 to McCarthy.

That is behind the House minority leader’s rush to Mar-a-Lago to kiss the royal ring right after US President Joe Biden’s inauguration and recant earlier criticism that Trump “bears responsibility” for the January 6 insurrection. Having transformed himself from critic to defender of the Big Liar, he recently told a TV station in his Bakersfield, California, district that the FBI and a Senate committee cleared Trump of any role in the attacks on the Capitol by his followers. Totally false.He’s even tried to blame the sacking of the Capitol on Pelosi for not keeping the doors locked. He is so frightened of what an impartial investigation of the January 6 events will reveal – not only about Trump but of his own role – that he has sought to sabotage a bipartisan 9/11-type commission and then a special House inquiry. Both moves were major blunders costing him and Republicans any opportunity to influence the investigations. Six weeks ago, he announced House Republicans would launch their own probe, but so far bupkes.

When the House panel asked 35 telecom companies to retain social media records of some House Republicans seeking to prevent Congress from certifying the presidential election, McCarthy threatened retribution if they complied and he became Speaker. Democrats and independent legal experts accused him of trying to impede a legitimate congressional investigation, a potential felony.His name is reportedly on the list of those telecom accounts because of his conversations with Trump on January 6. The committee also wants records on extremist groups and militias present at the insurrection and McCarthy, no doubt, is also worried about revelations of their connections to members of his caucus, particularly 11 who openly supported efforts to overturn the election. Pelosi objected when he tried to put two of them on the House committee, Jordan and Jim Banks of Indiana, because they are potential witnesses.

While there have been no consequences for those who embraced the Big Lie, lionized the violent protesters or who may have helped them and pushed efforts to block the election certification, there is an intense campaign – led by McCarthy – to punish those who seek the truth about January 6.

Capitol Police are preparing for a new rally planned by pro-Trump forces at the Capitol on Sept 18 in support of the insurrectionists currently in jail. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a North Carolinian Republican, has called them “political prisoners” and “hostages” and speaks of trying to “bust them out.” He told a group in his home state that “we have a few plans in motion” for more Washington demonstrations.

When Alabama’s Rep. Mo Brooks said he could “understand citizenry anger directed at dictatorial socialism” while a Trump supporter threatened to blow up the Library of Congress last month, McCarthy was silent.McCarthy has done little to tamp down such over-the-top talk by his flock. He criticized Holocaust comparisons but took no action in the face of frequent and continuous antisemitic tropes, particularly among the notorious 11, to say nothing of Trump himself.

Rep. Paul Gosar, who described the insurrectionists as “peaceful patriots,” has been denounced by his siblings for “anti-Semitic diatribes” and Islamophobia. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a recidivist despite visiting the Holocaust Museum; she came up with the Jewish space laser conspiracy and attempted to organize a caucus dedicated to protecting “Anglo-Saxon traditions.” Cawthorn has lamented the problems he’s encountered trying to convert Jews. McCarthy himself has accused Jewish billionaires of trying to “buy” the 2018 elections.

That may help explain why a recent poll of Jewish voters for the Jewish Electorate Institute showed a 52% favorability rating for Pelosi but only 10% for McCarthy. It also goes to telling why there are only two Jewish Republicans in the 117th Congress and nationally Jews vote 75-80% for Democrats.

Capitol Police are preparing for a new rally planned by pro-Trump forces at the Capitol on Sept 18 in support of the insurrectionists currently in jail. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a North Carolinian Republican, has called them “political prisoners” and “hostages” and speaks of trying to “bust them out.” He told a group in his home state that “we have a few plans in motion” for more Washington demonstrations.

When Alabama’s Rep. Mo Brooks said he could “understand citizenry anger directed at dictatorial socialism” while a Trump supporter threatened to blow up the Library of Congress last month, McCarthy was silent.McCarthy has done little to tamp down such over-the-top talk by his flock. He criticized Holocaust comparisons but took no action in the face of frequent and continuous antisemitic tropes, particularly among the notorious 11, to say nothing of Trump himself.

Rep. Paul Gosar, who described the insurrectionists as “peaceful patriots,” has been denounced by his siblings for “anti-Semitic diatribes” and Islamophobia. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a recidivist despite visiting the Holocaust Museum; she came up with the Jewish space laser conspiracy and attempted to organize a caucus dedicated to protecting “Anglo-Saxon traditions.” Cawthorn has lamented the problems he’s encountered trying to convert Jews. McCarthy himself has accused Jewish billionaires of trying to “buy” the 2018 elections.

That may help explain why a recent poll of Jewish voters for the Jewish Electorate Institute showed a 52% favorability rating for Pelosi but only 10% for McCarthy. It also goes to telling why there are only two Jewish Republicans in the 117th Congress and nationally Jews vote 75-80% for Democrats.

Read the full article here.

Antisemitism is a warning sign. Are we listening?

By Eileen Filler-Corn • July 3, 2025
In the nearly two years since Hamas’s brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, American Jews have watched a disturbing rise in antisemitism take place across America — and crucially, among some of our longtime allies. For decades, Jewish Americans stood at the forefront of progressive causes, marching for civil rights, fighting for reproductive freedom and advocating for immigrants and the marginalized. My Jewish faith is what first drove me to public service. The Jewish concept of tikkun olam — our responsibility to repair the world — is not just a religious tenet but a moral call to action. It’s why we’ve always shown up to defend others. Yet now, as antisemitism surges to record levels, many progressive organizations and leaders who once stood with us have gone quiet; or worse, turned their backs entirely. It’s no longer just about Israeli policy. The line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism has been crossed so many times it’s barely a line at all. “Zionist” has become a stand-in for “Jew,” and the message is clear: Unless you disavow the world’s only Jewish state, your place in many progressive spaces is no longer welcome. The picture is sobering. There have been calls to ban “Zionists” from Pride events. Many women’s groups have shrugged at Hamas’ rape of Israeli women. And the Democratic nominee for mayor of America’s most populous city has a pattern of antisemitic rhetoric and has refused to condemn the hurtful call to “globalize the intifada,” a rallying cry that has been used to incite violence against Jews. This didn’t happen overnight, but the silence from many who claim to fight for justice has been deafening and deeply painful. I know what it feels like to be targeted for who you are. In January 2020, shortly after I became the first woman and the first Jewish Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, the FBI uncovered a plot to assassinate me. Two members of a neo-Nazi domestic terrorist group had targeted me. It was the most serious of many threats I received during my time as Speaker. Thankfully, law enforcement intervened in time. But the threat was real, and it reminded me that hatred knows no single party or ideology. We’ve long seen this kind of extremist hate on the right, but today that same danger is rising on both extremes of the ideological spectrum. Antisemitism spreads under different names but with the same devastating consequences. Now, with the recent war between Israel and Iran, we’re likely to see a fresh wave of anti-Zionism and antisemitism. It is already giving rise to a new round of dangerous conspiracy theories laced with antisemitic tropes: accusing American Jews of dual loyalty; suggesting we control foreign policy; and portraying Jewish political engagement as part of a shadowy cabal influencing Washington. This is a moment of moral testing. Will our leaders speak clearly and forcefully against antisemitism, even when it’s politically inconvenient? Will those who champion diversity and inclusion apply those values to Jews as well? And will we be honest about how bad actors have exploited division, stoked extremism and enabled those who traffic in hate? Just as many Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s leadership while still loving this country and believing in its promise, the same is true for Israel. You can criticize or reject Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government and still support Israel’s right to exist, to defend itself and to thrive as a Jewish and democratic state. That distinction matters. Criticizing a government is not the same as condemning a people; but when it comes to Israel, that line is too often deliberately blurred. We must be able to hold leaders accountable without fueling hatred or questioning a nation’s fundamental legitimacy. Antisemitism is not merely a problem faced by Jews — it is a bellwether for the health of our democracy. When a society tolerates hatred against one group, it gives license to hate others. When threats against public servants go unchallenged, violence becomes normalized. I was reminded of that tragic reality when my friend and former counterpart, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, was executed in her home along with her husband, Mark. Authorities say her killer was a politically motivated extremist who had compiled a list of Democratic lawmakers. Melissa was a principled leader and a friend. Her death was a heartbreaking loss and a flashing red warning sign for the tolerance of hate in our democracy. We cannot afford to treat this moment as normal. It is time for our allies to rejoin us. To speak up when we are threatened. To see antisemitism for what it is: a growing, dangerous force that must be confronted head-on. Because if we wait until it affects everyone, it will already be too late. Eileen Filler Corn is a JEI Board Member and Former Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, and the only ever Jewish speaker in VA
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Letter to House Judiciary Committee on Anti-Semitism

July 1, 2025
July 1, 2025 U.S. House Committee On The Judiciary 2142 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Now in our ninth year, the nationally and internationally recognized Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI), an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization, continues to serve as the barometer for the Jewish electorate. We are therefore honored to submit the following Comments for the Record to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee in support of its June 24, 2025, hearing on antisemitism - Rising Threat: America’s Battle Against Antisemitic Terror. This hearing, punctuated by the moving testimony of Matt Nosanchuk, reminded us that Jewish safety in America is not a political football - it is a national imperative. Nosanchuk, a former senior official in both the Obama and Biden Administrations and a lifelong advocate against antisemitism, laid bare the stark realities we face. The murder of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, who were attending a Jewish community event just blocks from his home, brought the crisis home - literally and painfully. It also underscored a chilling truth: this could have been any one of us. Antisemitism today does not discriminate based on geography, profession, or even political identity. Nosanchuk rightly challenged both ends of the political spectrum. From the right, we've seen rising indulgence of white nationalist rhetoric, normalization of Nazi imagery, and an embrace of conspiracy theorists. When antisemitism is tolerated—or worse, weaponized—by public officials and influential institutions, it emboldens violence and undermines the rule of law. The example of the pardoning of the person wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” shirt at the riot on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not just shocking to the Jewish community – it was symptomatic of a deeper, corrosive tolerance for hate. From the left, antisemitism also too often masquerades as political critique. When Jews are asked to renounce their ties to Israel to participate in coalitions, or when pro-Palestinian activism turns violent against Jews, with intimidating targeted rhetoric and violence, that’s not solidarity – it’s exclusion and scapegoating. Our Jewish identity should never be a precondition for political participation. What we need is not partisan grandstanding, but comprehensive action. That includes implementing the Biden Administration’s well-thought-out National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, restoring funding for civil rights enforcement at the Justice Department, and condemning hate, regardless of its ideological source. Nosanchuk’s call for education, prevention, and cross-community solidarity is exactly right. In closing, it’s our view at JEI that using antisemitism as cover for draconian immigration or university policies erodes the democratic institutions that have allowed Jewish life to flourish. Fighting hate must not become an excuse to violate civil liberties - ours or anyone else’s. Our safety as Jews has always been linked to the safety of others. In this perilous moment, we must demand more than soundbites. We must demand seriousness, solidarity, and above all, solutions. We are grateful to the Committee for having held this vital hearing at a perilous moment for American Jews. Sincerely, Barbara Goldberg Goldman Chairperson The Jewish Electorate Institute

JEI Statement on escalation and Support on Israel Security

June 18, 2025
Washington, DC — As hostilities between Israel and Iran intensify, the Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI), a nonpartisan political nonprofit, is calling on Congress to take all necessary measures to support Israel’s security, halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and help bring the hostages home.