Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown Scolds ZOA For Praising Steve Bannon
Image by getty images
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, scolded the Zionist Organization of America for what he perceived to be its support for Stephen Bannon, President Trump’s senior strategist.
Brown, speaking Tuesday at the conservative pro-Israel group’s annual Washington conference, appeared upset that the room had applauded the mention of Bannon’s name.
Bannon is the former CEO of the Breitbart News website, a forum for what Bannon has called the “alt-right,” a loose assemblage of anti-Establishment conservatives that includes racists, anti-Semites, anti-feminists and homophobes, but also libertarians and fierce defenders of Israel. Bannon himself started a Breitbart subsidiary aimed at pushing back against anti-Israel bias in the media; his ex-wife has said that in other circumstances, he was hostile to Jews.
Brown said that he had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be wary of the White House because of bigoted expressions Brown said came from there.
“I will always stand strong on Israel,” he said to applause. “But I also find it’s my duty to speak out when I see what’s more and more common in my country — where its issues of race or issues of religion — that bother me.”
Morton Klein, the ZOA president, told JTA on Friday that he wished Brown had confined his remarks to Israel.
“We were pleased that Sen. Brown came to speak at our luncheon, but this was a mission focusing only on Israel and U.S-Israel relations and we were disappointed and surprised that he spoke on that issue, on issues unrelated to that, in addition to making an inaccurate statement that Steve Bannon is an anti-Semite,” he said. “He is a strong supporter of Israel and it is simply untrue he has negative feelings toward Jews.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
