Pro-Israel supporters must change tactics amid rampant antisemitism - analysis

In a London theater, a British comedian, Paul Currie, berated an Israeli member of the audience for refusing to stand up and applaud the Palestinian flag, shouting at him in abusive language to “get out of my show.”

In Ontario, Leah Goldstein, a champion cyclist and motivational speaker whose parents are Israeli and who served in the IDF over three decades ago, was disinvited from being the keynote speaker at a women’s empowerment event because of her background.

In Arizona and New Mexico, two clubs that scheduled a performance with the Jewish rapper Matisyahu canceled shows following complaints that he performed in front of IDF soldiers and for pro-Israel groups.

All of that happened in the last week, part of a disturbing trend of what JTA described as a “growing number of incidents in which Jewish and pro-Israel athletes and celebrities have had appearances scuttled, or threatened to be canceled, amid fierce criticism by pro-Palestinan activists.”

And that is to say nothing about pro-Israeli politicians, such as Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who are badgered constantly by pro-Palestinian (pro-Hamas?) protesters asking how many children need to die before they condemn “Israel’s genocide.”

The chilling impact on pro-Israeli, Jewish performers

And the reaction from the pro-Israel community? Generally, very polite.

In London, the theater issued an apology and said Currie would never be invited back to perform; in Arizona, Matisyahu performed a benefit concert at an alternative venue; and in New York, Adams approached a group of protesters haranguing him and said simply: “Bring the hostages home.”

But these types of incidents have a chilling impact on other pro-Israeli or Jewish performers and politicians who might be unwilling to stand with Israel out of fear that they, too, will be blackballed or hounded. The result will be fewer public figures willing to voice support for Israel, creating the impression that such support is not out there.

The reflexive, polite response of the organized Jewish community to those canceling appearances, because the guest is Jewish, a Zionist, once served in the IDF, or supports Israel, is to issue a condemnation, released data showing a startling increase in antisemitism, or ask for an apology.

None of that, however, is stemming this troubling tide, so it may be time for the organized Jewish communities to encourage more active responses.

For instance, demonstrating wherever Currie is performing with signs asking why he supports Hamas murderers and rapists. For instance, picketing in front of the Rialto theater in Tucson or the Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, which canceled Matisyahu, with signs asking why the management of those clubs gave into antisemitism. For instance, showing up at events attended by Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Chris Van Hollen and peppering them with challenging questions about why they want to cut or condition aid to Israel and not place the blame for the suffering in Gaza squarely on Hamas’s shoulders.

Why are the pro-Israel supporters abroad being so civilized and polite, while the anti-Israel haters have no compunction about being rude and provocative?

And it’s not as if Jews are shy.

Ironically, sadly, many of the anti-Israel agitators who are unfurling Palestinian flags in art museums, heckling pro-Israeli politicians, and calling for the cancellation of Jewish artists are Jews themselves, from organizations such as IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace. If they can use these tactics, then why can’t pro-Israel supporters use similar devices to go after the Israel-bashers with equal passion?

If venues cancel Jewish or pro-Israel artists in the face of protests or security threats without facing significant backlash, then it will never end. Those who submit to these efforts to silence pro-Israel voices need to be held accountable and called out for it, and should not be allowed to get away with saying – as those clubs in Arizona and New Mexico did when they canceled Matisyahu – that they were concerned about their guests’ security.

The answer to concerns about security is not to cancel Matisyahu but to get more security (Matisyahu reportedly offered to pay for more security in Tuscon but was turned down). If these venues cave in, they should face pickets in front of their doors.

Anti-Israel activists need to see that their intimidation will not succeed, that the Jewish community will not be cowered and that they will not accept a situation where expressing support for Israel or serving in the IDF is a cause for cancellation.

The same type of activism needs to be demonstrated on the political plane as well.

Biden’s change of tone

US President Joe Biden is up for re-election in November, and his campaign team is paying a great deal of attention to the Arab voters in Michigan, fearful that because of his support for Israel, they may stay home on November 5 or vote for a third-party candidate, thereby potentially costing him the election.

A good degree of Biden’s change of tone on Israel lately – from sanctioning four settlers the night before he was to appear at a campaign event in Michigan, to sending top staffers to Michigan to apologize to Arab American leaders there for “missteps” made in the messaging at the outset of the war, to pushing the idea of a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state – has to do with wanting to keep Arab voters and pro-Palestinian Progressives happy.

But they are not the only demographics Biden should be worrying about. He should also be concerned about keeping pro-Israel supporters in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada happy. Those are states that Biden won by a razor-thin margin in 2020, which he will need to capture again in 2024, and where the Jewish vote could be the difference.

Someone needs to remind the president of this. Additionally, efforts should be made to reach out to pro-Israel donors within the Democratic party, of which there are many, with the message that they should utilize their contributions to ensure that Biden doesn’t excessively cater to Arab and Progressive voters, as doing so may lead to a loss of support from Jewish voters and contributors.

Israel is at war, and when at war, different tactics need to be used. Polite doesn’t always work. Those demonizing Israel abroad are not using polite methods. To counter them, Jewish organizations, Jews, and pro-Israel supporters may need to go out of their comfort zones and use impolite tactics, such as picketing the performances of an Israel-hating, Jew-bashing comedian wherever he appears.