Democrats need to address anti-Semitism in their party

While we appreciate their concern for such things as “re-tweets,” Democrat State Committee Chairman John Currie, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, and Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver should spend some time looking inward, at their own party, and to the sickening cult of anti-Semitism present within it. 

It calls itself the BDS Movement – the Global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.  As New Jersey Democrat Josh Gottheimer has said, the BDS Movement targets Israel.  Democrat Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib are among its leaders.   

According to the co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force on Combatting Anti-Semitism, “The BDS movement demonizes Israel and Jews and applies a double standard whereby Israel is always wrong, and the ‘oppressed’ Palestinians are always in the right – regardless of whether groups such as Hamas are engaging in terrorist acts upon Israeli citizens.”

Earlier this week, the United States Congress passed a resolution denouncing the BDS Movement on a vote of 398 to 17.  The only New Jersey House member to vote against it was Bonnie Watson Coleman. 

Shouldn’t the Democrat State Committee have taken the opportunity to make its position known on the BDS Movement and on Congresswoman Watson Coleman’s vote?  We know that “tweets” are important, even “retweets,” but actual votes on legislation we believe are so much more important.

As a member of the Assembly, Democrat Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver was one of just three legislators to oppose a resolution that prohibited investment of state pension and annuity funds in anti-Jewish companies that followed the BDS Movement boycott of the Jewish State and Jewish businesses.  We would like to know if the Lt. Governor has changed her position on the BDS Movement since taking that vote?  We think that should interest the Democrat Party as well.

“Tweets” are important.  So are “re-tweets”.  But so are votes in Congress and the Legislature.