A squalid Squad

Karen Adler and Ada Horwich (“For Democrats, it’s ok to agree to disagree on Israel,” June 25) gloss over the obvious, ignoring the fact that “The Squad” members of the Democrat Party, most notably Ilhan Omar, have a history of bigoted, blatantly racist statements and lies about Jews, and that Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s defense of Omar – “I think she has a different experience in the use of words, and doesn’t understand that some of them are fraught with meaning that she didn’t realize” – is patently absurd.

While we must not minimize the dangers of antisemitism from the extreme Right, the burgeoning antisemites of the Left are far more numerous and dangerous to the Jewish people. The Left cloaks their Jew-hatred in a disguise of morality that hides the deadly ramifications of their actions. They say they’re not antisemitic; they’re just anti-Zionist. But the inevitable result of their policies is to lump all Jews together, placing us all at risk.

Adler and Horwich say they “have no patience with antisemitism on the Left,” yet their only criticism of Omar’s statements is that they “created challenges for the Democratic leadership.” Confirmed antisemites like Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are allowed to “create challenges” with impunity because they are located on today’s “correct” end of the political spectrum. Hence Pelosi’s ludicrous assertion that, “We have no taint of [antisemitism] in the Democratic Party.”

Omar’s blatant antisemitism should disqualify her from any role whatsoever in national government. Instead, Democrat members of Congress responded to her ignorant bigotry by decrying “all forms of hate,” failing to mention antisemitism specifically or call out Omar by name. Imagine the justified uproar if a member of Congress made similarly offensive comments about blacks or Muslims.

Antisemites from the Right are universally rejected and ostracized by rational Americans regardless of their political leanings. Conversely, Jew-haters from the Left are tolerated and often lauded for their faux morality. The former will do harm to Jews as individuals. The latter seek to destroy the only Jewish state and vilify the Jewish people en masse.

While much of the Left condemns unconscious white racism and privilege, they blissfully disregard both intentional and unintentional antisemitism. Sadly, Jew-hatred is an insidious and growing characteristic of even the most polite society.

EFRAIM A. COHEN Former Asst US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism

“Of history, fairness, and justice” (June 25) is neither fair nor just. It is no “solution” to the Israel-Palestinian ongoing wars/disputes.

The main flaw in the argument is that it supposes to take a functioning state (the State of Israel) and replace it with a confederation of states – two of which are failed states (both Palestinian), and expect to get something better, utopian?

Might one also mention that it’s not a matter of justice, but hatred – we saw recently how hatred manifested itself even among those who already live among us, as Arab Israelis.

Strange idea, bad idea – and there’s no justice in that. BARRY LYNN

Efrat