Lieberman: Democratic Party Is Not Anti-Jewish, But Some Members Are
Joe Lieberman Image by Getty Images
(JTA) — Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat turned Independent who ran for vice president in 2000, said during a radio interview that the Democratic Party is not anti-Jewish, but individual members have problems with Jews.
“The Democratic Party is not an anti-Jewish party, but there are some people in the party now, including in Congress as we’ve seen from Congresswoman Omar…who are saying explicitly anti-Semitic things,” Lieberman, who is Jewish, told radio host John Catsimatidis on AM 970 in New York on Sunday, The Hill first reported.
Lieberman was referring to anti-Semitic remarks made in recent weeks by Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar charging dual loyalty to Israel and that the Jewish community buys support for Israel in Congress.
Following Omar’s latest comments, President Donald Trump tweeted ten days ago that the Democratic party is “anti-Jewish.”
Trump, quoting former campaign aide Elizabeth Pipko, also tweeted last Tuesday that “‘Jewish people are leaving the Democratic Party. We saw a lot of anti Israel policies start under the Obama Administration, and it got worsts [sic] and worse. There is anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party. They don’t care about Israel or the Jewish people.’ Elizabeth Pipko, Jexodus.” Pipko is the spokeswoman for Jexodus, a Republican effort to get millennial Jews to bolt the Democratic Party.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
