Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of Anti-Defamation League (ADL), has accused Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) of spreading “blood libel” after she labelled Jewish students as being either “pro-genocide” or “anti-genocide”. In a video shared on Twitter, Omar was seen walking through Columbia University’s campus and stating that Jewish students should be protected regardless of whether they were deemed pro-or anti- genocidal. Greenblatt asserted in his tweet that it is false to suggest any Jewish student could fall into the category of “pro-genocide”, further labelling Omar’s comments as “gaslighting”.
Omar’s remarks, which were made during an encounter with a reporter on campus, came amidst protests against Israel popping up across various US universities. The Washington Examiner contacted Omar for comment but did not receive any response at the time of publication. Other politicians have expressed their disapproval towards her comments; Representative Carlos Giménez (R-FL) called them “hateful rhetoric” and stated that they were entirely unbecoming of a Member of Congress, adding that Omar’s latest hateful remarks are why he voted to remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Omar’s comments have sparked fierce backlash with Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) being asked by CNN if he was “comfortable” with Omar labelling some Jewish students as pro-genocide during his appearance on State of the Union. In response, Sanders said that Ilhan’s main point was to denounce antisemitism in America and asserted that “the word ‘genocide’ is something that’s being determined by the International Court of Justice”.
Eyal Yakoby, a Jewish student leader at University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), accused Omar of going to Columbia hearing on antisemitism with an aim to trivialise what Jewish students are facing. He further added that instead of focusing on distinguishing between good Jews and bad Jews, she should work towards bringing about positive change for the country.
Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs – a pro-Israel education organisation fighting against antisemitism – criticised Omar’s comments stating that they “shamefully promote ill will and misinformation” among Jewish and Zionist students, pointing out how Hamas openly calls for genocide in their charter. Rothstein further added that as many Jewish students feel connected to Israel due to various chants on campus advocating the murder of Jews or violence against them; it would be appropriate if Ilhan Omar condemned such violent rhetoric instead of attacking Jewish and Zionist students who already experience fear and anxiety because of their association with Israel.
The ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza has lasted over six months, during which time Hamas continues to hold hostages while thousands of Palestinians have been killed – around 1200 Israelis died on October 7th. A recent poll found that 65% of students belonging to the leading American Jewish fraternity and sorority feel unsafe at campus due to antisemitic incidents, whereas another poll after an increase in attacks reported nearly a four-fold rise (around 400%) in anti-Semitic occurrences. Following protests against Israel on campuses across America, the latest poll shows that over 73% of Jewish students now feel less safe than before. Greenblatt has called upon Omar to apologise for her comments and warned that such remarks could lead people into harm’s way. Yaboky, a student leader at UPenn, also expressed his disapproval stating that himself and millions of Jews await Ilhan’s next apology in the wake of similar instances in the past when Omar made “antisemitic tropes”.
Leave a Reply