Leftist Woke Jews: Are You Happy Now?

by Walter E. Block (March 2024)

Are you happy now? You have supported every woke, leftist, black, feminist, gay, Democratic, liberal, “progressive,” socialist cause to come down the pike. What has been the response of these constituencies in this our hour of need in behalf of Israel? It has not been too good, and that is a good candidate for understatement of the year.

First consider political parties. Jews have voted for blue state candidates by almost a three to one margin over their red state counterparts. The aphorism that comes to mind in this regard is that Jews have the income of Episcopalians and vote like Puerto Ricans. In the view of one commentator: “Despite it all, America’s Jews are still voting for the Democrats. The loyalty remains strong even though they tax them and use quotas to exclude their children from the best universities.” And not only that: they have come out, clearly, in all too many cases, as enemies of Israel.

What has the Democratic “squad” had to say about the Hamas imbroglio? Representative Cori Bush (D., Mo.): “… the U.S. must end its support for the ‘Israeli military occupation and apartheid.'” Representative Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) opposed the Israeli “blockade of Gaza.” Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Ayanna Pressley (D., Mass.) both called for “an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation,” and opposed the elimination of the Hamas threat.

This was not too supportive of Israel. It cannot be denied that many of their fellow Democrats harshly rejected these demands.

However, consider Democratic President Biden. He poses as a friend of the only democratic country in the Middle East; he, among many other Democrats, rejects this squad’s of his “analysis.” But he continually urges pauses, cease fires, peace, while Hamas still holds Israeli hostages and has not yet surrendered. Mr. Biden all but threatens Israel into allowing food, water, medicines, etc., into the Gaza, before the terrorists have been conquered, while Hamas can benefit from them. Saith he: “I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives—not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful…” What, more leaflets, fewer bombs? He also accused the IDF of “indiscriminate bombing,” the hypocrite. Is there any other country more intent upon reducing collateral damage to civilians than Israel? If there is, it is certainly not the US. Dare I mention Dresden? Hiroshima? Nagasaki?

The next Republican nominee, whoever he is, will not likely try to hold back Israel’s defense in any such manner, at this hour of its need, when its safety is in question. It is time, it is past time, to change this unthinking knee-jerk support of the Democratic Party.

Next, consider black people. Left wing Jews have long been instrumental in coordinating with, helping, this community. They were heavily involved in the setting up of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the United Negro College Fund. What has been the reaction of the NAACP? This headline says it all: “NAACP joins mounting calls for end to violence in Middle East.” Piling on, eh? And this statement was made on 11/16/23 little more than a month after the Hamas depravity of 10/7/23, long before any serious inroads against those terrorists had been made. In contrast, to his credit, Dr. Michael Lomax, president of UNCF, rigorously condemned the savagery of 10/7/23. But on 10/13/23, less than one week after this terrible tragedy, he also called “for solidarity where there is divisiveness, peace where there is war, and love where there is hate.” Peace and love in the Middle East before the IDF had virtually any chance of acting in self-defense against Hamas? This is hardly a ringing endorsement of Israel’s right to exist. What has been the response of Black Lives Matter to the Israeli plight of October 7, 2023. Far worse. Here is how one reporter put the matter: “Many Black Lives Matter activists have taken to the streets across the U.S. in recent weeks to voice their support for pro-Palestinian causes, including calls against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the U.S.-Israel alliance.” States Jason Riley: “Black Lives Matter and the World’s Oldest Hatred. The group’s praise for Hamas’s ‘resistance’ comes as no surprise to those paying attention.”

Now for feminism. Jews have long supported the National Organization of Women. Some of the strongest leaders of this philosophy have been Jewish women. One might expect then, that feminists of all types and varieties would have been in the forefront of condemning Hamas for its mass rapes of Hebrew women. Not so, not so. Instead, they have been deafeningly quiet. It has been a case of all quiet on the feminist front. Evidently, “our bodies, ourselves” and “choice,” does not apply to Jewish girls and women.

Has the homosexual movement come to the rescue of the beleaguered Israelis? No. This is even more surprising than the other failures mentioned above. For, in addition to owing reform and indeed most Jews a great debt of gratitude for past support (gay rabbis are accepted in Reform temples), they have a self-interested motive for returning the favor to Israel. That country not only allows gay parades, it also recognizes gay marriages. In sharp contrast, their very lives are in danger in many Arab nations. There is actually a group called “Queers for Palestine.” Stated Hillel Fuld: “I welcome the LGBTQ community to go to Gaza. Let them bring their flags, let them go to Gaza and let them fight for human rights there and let’s see what happens. They’re going to get lynched and murdered.”

Socialist Jews cannot be too happy with this record of their abject failure. According to that old saying, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. It is time—it is waaaaay past time—for members of the Reform Hebrew faith to seek out very different allies, friends, supporters. They could hardly do worse than in the past.

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Walter E. Block is Harold E. Wirth Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics, College of Business, Loyola University New Orleans, and senior fellow at the Mises Institute. He earned his PhD in economics at Columbia University in 1972. He has taught at Rutgers, SUNY Stony Brook, Baruch CUNY, Holy Cross and the University of Central Arkansas. He is the author of more than 600 refereed articles in professional journals, three dozen books, and thousands of op eds (including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and numerous others). He lectures widely on college campuses, delivers seminars around the world and appears regularly on television and radio shows. He is the Schlarbaum Laureate, Mises Institute, 2011; and has won the Loyola University Research Award (2005, 2008) and the Mises Institute’s Rothbard Medal of Freedom, 2005; and the Dux Academicus award, Loyola University, 2007. Prof. Block counts among his friends Ron Paul and Murray Rothbard. He was converted to libertarianism by Ayn Rand. Block is old enough to have played chess with Friedrich Hayek and once met Ludwig von Mises, and shook his hand. Block has never washed that hand since. So, if you shake his hand (it’s pretty dirty, but what the heck) you channel Mises.

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