img

Antisemitism is Not a Political Toy

Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was compared to notorious Nazi mass murderer Adolf Hitler, with the governor’s election opponent saying he is similar to the world’s most vilified war criminal and abuser of human rights “in many ways.” 

The comparison between Governor DeSantis and Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler is one of the most detestable statements I have seen to date. Governor DeSantis is one of the loudest and clearest voices against antisemitism and anti-Israel activism, and every action he has taken has proven as such. 
This attack against Governor DeSantis was but the latest iteration of a disturbing trend, particularly recently, of politicians and activists using antisemitism and evoking the Nazis to further their own political ambitions, and we cannot remain silent. 

Several weeks ago, former President Donald Trump was accused of antisemitism for denouncing American Jews who do not support Israel. Despite having shown his love and support for both Jews and the State of Israel for decades – during his tenure as president and beforehand – Trump was pilfered as an antisemite. If anyone has the prerogative to give his perspective on issues relating to Israel, President Trump – as a lifelongstaunch advocate for Jewry and the State of Israel – is that person. 

Statements and accusations such as these must not stand. Attacking others as antisemites and students of Hitler is not only detestable and reprehensible in its own right, it also waters down what antisemitism truly is and cheapens the atrocities of the Holocaust. 
In a world of rising antisemitic attacks and Jew-hatred, it is crucial that the terms used by politicians and activists are accurate and applicable. Twisting an antisemitic or Hitler-like narrative to fit into one’s own ideology and perspective does no good for Jews worldwide who need all the support they can muster. In fact, it does the very opposite. 

We all saw what happened in Coleyville, Texas this past weekend, when a radical extremist took a synagogue, its rabbi and congregants hostage. That was true antisemitism and that deserved an outcry and condemnation from far and wide. Yet conflating that incident with personal, distorted opinions about public figures has no place in society. 

Those who demean antisemitism and the memory of the Holocaust by using them for their own political gains are perhaps the greatest threat to global efforts to combat antisemitism and increase interfaith and interculture peace and harmony. 

We condemn in the strongest terms these repugnant comparisons and accusations, and we demand better from the public figures who employ these nefarious tactics for their own gain. 

It is our hope that with a deeper understanding of the issues facing the Jewish community – and an objective, sober, and honest assessment of antisemitism in the United States and abroad – we can all work together, united as one to battle and ultimate triumph over the global scourge of antisemitism and hate. 


Duvi Honig

Duvi Honig is the founder and CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, a Wall Street-based global business and community service network. Among its various operations, the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce is at the forefront of fighting against antisemitism and all forms of hate bigotry in the United States and across the globe.