WEBINAR: Rise of Anti-Semitism and the Progressive Assault on the West

As part of Center for Security Policy’s Voter Education Webinar Series, David Wurmser, Director of the Center’s Program on Global Anti-Semitism and the US-Israel Relationship hosted panelists Juliana Pilon, Senior Fellow of the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization, and Joel Griffith, Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation Roe Institute.

Wurmser began by discussing how anti-Western sentiment has led Progressive Jews to attempt to erase the history of Mount Sinai and Mount Moriah. Without those elements of Jewish history, Wurmser argued, you would not have the West. Taking away a nation’s history and shared culture destroys a country’s ability to resist its own destruction.

Juliana Pilon explained the origins of American progressivism in the French revolution, and how it has morphed into anti-Americanism. Pilon explained that the civil rights movement of the 1960s that triumphed over black liberation radicals is now retreating. Pilon said the leadership of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization is far more aligned with Louis Farrakhan than Martin Luther King. Pilon also said BLM is connected with radical Palestinian groups and share a vision that is inimical to the existence of the Jewish people.

Joel Griffith shared the example of entertainer Nick Cannon’s anti-Semitic comments in July. Griffith explained that Cannon’s comments were a symptom of the way anti-Semitism has been taught and accepted in academic and social justice circles.

Griffith also explained that anti-Semitism is cloaked in anti-Zionism. Griffith said anti-Zionism is not to be confused with criticism of the Israeli government, but the outright denial of the right of the Jewish people to their have a homeland in the area they are historically and archeologically connected to.

There was a vigorous discussion during the Q&A portion of how American voters should weigh anti-Semitism in the upcoming election.

“It is important for the leadership of both political parties to call out anti-Semitism when they see it,” Griffith said. He elaborated that Representatives Tlaib and Omar have repeatedly made anti-Semitic remarks, but Rep. Omar still serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“Yes [Omar and Tlaib] have freedom of speech, but everyone else does to. Whether Republican or Democrat, other members should use their free speech to condemn anti-Semitism and explain why it is wrong,” Griffith said.