Adam Milstein, right, with wife Gila Milstein. Image by Getty Images

By Josh Nathan-Kazis March 19, 2019

Adam Milstein, the chairman of the hawkish Israeli American Council, backed out of a commitment to moderate a panel at the upcoming AIPAC conference amid a controversy over a tweet in which he said that the values of Muslim congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib “clash with American values.”

Milstein, who also serves on the boards of a number of pro-Israel groups, including the AIPAC National Council, the Israel on Campus Coalition and StandWithUs, has a long history of controversial tweets. Below, some standouts.

1. Soros

In 2017, Milstein tweeted a picture depicting Jewish billionaire George Soros as an octopus enveloping the world — an image that drew on common anti-Semitic tropes. He later deleted the tweet. “I’ll try to be more careful in the future,” he told JTA at the time.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

2. Soros, again

Earlier that year, Milstein had described George Soros in a tweet as “a self-hating #Jew.”

Being a self-hating #Jew doesn’t help George Soros who is being called EVIL ZIONIST-AMERICAN by #Iran #Ayatollah https://t.co/rvVdmkmxEe pic.twitter.com/v9mgjcXIBx

— Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) May 28, 2017

3. “Terrorist”

On Tuesday, Milstein tweeted a video in which he said Glenn Beck had exposed Omar “as a Terrorist.”

Watch @glennbeck exposes @IlhanMN as a Terrorist, who operates on behalf #CAIR, an affiliate of #Hamas, a US designated terrorist organization. Glenn Beck takes a closer look at @Ilhan Omar and her relationship with dual leaders of Hamas and CAIR https://t.co/V8BchmqyN1

— Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) March 17, 2019

4. “Terrorist,” again.

In an October 2018 tweet, Milstein called prominent Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour a “Terrorist.”

Terrorist Linda “Nothing is creepier than Zionism” Sarsour and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand stand together at an anti-Kavanaugh rally. New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who is #Jewish, condemned Gillibrand for standing with Sarsour. https://t.co/kViozyA7D1 pic.twitter.com/RgytWkqRUl

— Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) October 10, 2018

5. “Kill #Jews”

In the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, Milstein posted tweets characterizing a conference organized by the pro-Palestinian student group Students for Justice in Palestine as “a conference calling to kill #Jews.”

Can a conference calling to kill #Jews take place after #PittsburghSynagogue shooting? YES, and it’s happening Nov. 16 at @UCLA. #SJP leaders and members often call to kill #Jews (see image for yourself) and #UCLA is undeterred in inviting their national conference to its campus pic.twitter.com/UAnpXzhtWZ

— Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) October 31, 2018

6. “#Jew hatred”

In January 2019, Milstein posted images of conflict at a pro-Palestine protest in Amsterdam, then asked how long until Tlaib and Women’s March leaders Sarsour and Tamika Mallory would be “successful in bringing this #Jew hatred and #Antisemitism to America?”

Just another day of Anti-#Israel #Jewish hate and violence by local #Palestinians in peaceful #Amsterdam few months ago. How long until @RashidaTlaib @LSarsour and @TamikaDMallory are successful in bringing this #Jew hatred and #Antisemitism to America?https://t.co/9KXG6yLkDI … pic.twitter.com/viYn1qiZrM

— Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) January 23, 2019

7. “Islamicization of Europe”

Milstein, an Israeli-American, has tweeted frequently about what he refers to as the “Islamicization of Europe,” often citing stories of crimes committed by Muslims, with many links coming from disreputable sources. (Several of the tweets cited here have since been deleted).

Wait, there’s more pic.twitter.com/YB3gCRGWeQ

— (((YousefMunayyer))) (@YousefMunayyer) March 19, 2019

Get the idea yet? pic.twitter.com/Lmbojey4Cv

— (((YousefMunayyer))) (@YousefMunayyer) March 19, 2019

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

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 polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount