The Texas synagogue hostage situation reminds us that we must prioritize combating antisemitism
By James McAuley - WaPo
(snip)
In July, President Biden nominated Lipstadt to be the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism — a position recently elevated to the rank of ambassador. There could be no finer choice. But along with hundreds of other Biden nominees, Lipstadt’s confirmation has been obstructed by Republicans, some of whom appear to want her to apologize to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who in March said that the if Jan. 6 rioters had belonged to Black Lives Matter or antifa, instead of being Trump supporters “who love this country,” he would have felt in real danger.
“This is white supremacy/nationalism,” Lipstadt tweeted in response. “Pure and simple.”
(snip)
Lipstadt has repeatedly spoken out against antisemitism on both sides of the aisle. On the left, she has criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Mich.) for saying that Israel has “hypnotized the world” and that pro-Israel Americans have foreign “allegiance.” On the right, she has called out, among others, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for accusing the prominent Jewish donors George Soros, Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer of “buying” the 2018 midterm elections.
Clearly, the problem of antisemitism remains in American life. On Saturday, a man stormed into a synagogue outside Dallas during a Shabbat service and held four people, including the rabbi, hostage for 11 hours. The hostages were eventually rescued. The suspect had demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted in 2010 of attempting to kill U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan and who is being held in nearby Fort Worth. Siddiqui is a known antisemite. During her trial, she famously demanded that potential jurors submit to DNA tests to prove they were not Jewish. “If they have a Zionist or Israeli background … they are all mad at me,” she told the judge. “They should be excluded if you want to be fair.”
(snip)
But given events of recent years, after the chants of “Jews will not replace us!” rang out in Charlottesville and after the recycling of the “great replacement” conspiracy theory by President Donald Trump and several prominent Republican leaders (a theory that inspired the murders — yes, murders — of 11 Jews in Pittsburgh and one in Poway, Calif.), the onus should be on Republicans in particular to demonstrate that they are serious about antisemitism.
(snip)
This is an area where the U.S. envoy can make a real difference. Ira Forman, who served as the Obama administration’s appointee between 2013 and 2017, reiterated how actively governments such as Orban’s and the Law and Justice party in Poland are attempting to whitewash the history of the Holocaust in their respective countries. “It is critical that we don’t let them get away with it,” Forman said. Every day that Lipstadt is kept from the job is another day they will.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/16/with-antisemitism-rise-republicans-must-signal-their-repudiation-by-confirming-bidens-special-envoy
= new reply since forum marked as read
Deborah Lipstadt may be asked to apologize to Republican senator before confirmation as antisemitism envoy
But despite Biden’s formal nomination of Lipstadt last July, Lipstadt has yet to be confirmed by the Senate.
According to a New York Times report, Lipstadt may be asked to apologize to a Republican senator for a tweet in which she accused him of white supremacy before Republican members of Congress will agree to confirm the noted historian of the Holocaust.
On March 14, 2021, Lipstadt tweeted an article about a statement by Republican Senator Ron Johnson in which he said he would have been more concerned by the events of Jan. 6, 2021 had the rioters been “Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters” instead of Trump supporters. Lipstadt tweeted the article, saying “This is white supremacy/nationalism. Pure and simple.”
Other Republican lawmakers have faulted her for appearing in an ad during the 2020 presidential race likening former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric to those of the Nazis in the 1930s, before the Holocaust.
more...
