On Thursday, Women’s March leaders tweeted that the movement’s leaders “reject anti-Semitism in all its forms.” In addition to that statement, they offered this: the real cause of violence and oppression of various communities the movement supports is the rhetoric coming from President Trump and the members of the Republican Party.
The statement began with this:
Women’s March wouldn’t exist without the leadership of women of color, and we stand with Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory. Women’s March leaders reject anti-Semitism in all its forms.
That’s an interesting statement, since Sarsour’s history of hatred for Israel is well-documented. As recently as two months ago, Sarsour reportedly said of Israeli Jews, “If you’re on the side of the oppressor, or you’re defending the oppressor, or you’re actually trying to humanize the oppressor, then that’s a problem sisters and brothers, and we got to be able to say: that is not the position of the Muslim American community.”
The statement continued with a disavowal of Tamika Mallory favorite Louis Farrakhan: “We recognize the danger of hate rhetoric by public figures. We want to say emphatically that we do not support or endorse statements by Minister Louis Farrakhan about women, Jewish, and LGBTQ communities.”
Then the attack on member of the political Right: “It’s important to remember that many on the right are thrilled to use any tool they can find to divide and undermine our movement – one that inspired the #Women’sWave we saw this week in the midterm elections.”
The statement continued: “Our women of color leaders at the Women’s March have risked their safety to build a bold direct action strategy that addresses the real threat against our communities and our country – the threat of white nationalism, which is fueled by anti-Black racism and anti-Semitism.”
And finally, placing the blame for violence and oppression on Trump and the GOP: “We all know the real cause of violence and oppression of our communities. This is well-documented and inspired by vile rhetoric coming from the Trump administration and from members of the Republican Party.”
On Thursday, Carly Pildis , a self-described political organizer and advocacy professional based in Washington, D.C., wrote in Tablet magazine:
While American Jewish Women have been screaming themselves hoarse about the dangers of growing anti-Semitism, the Women’s March has been asleep. It has been ensconced in its biases. It has enabled hate against us by refusing to hear our pain. Embracing hate groups is not coalition building. Ignoring our voices and the reality of the threat to our community—especially now, after the massacre of Jews in Pittsburgh— is a byproduct of that hate … Yesterday the Women’s March tweeted these words: “There needs to be accountability and an honest reckoning. There’s a lot of work to do, white women. A lot of learning. A lot of growing. We want to do it with you. Stay tuned.
Linda, Tamika, Carmen, Bob. Let me repeat it back to you. There needs to be accountability and an honest reckoning. You have betrayed American Jewish women.