In Missouri, Jewish protesters unfurl banner calling AIPAC ‘antisemites’
The progressives were part of a pro-ceasefire coalition picketing an AIPAC dinner
Protesters outside an AIPAC dinner in Jefferson City, Missouri, on Feb. 6. Image by screenshot from X/@projostl
By Louis Keene February 7, 2024
The biggest Jewish lobbying organization in the United States — antisemitic?
Protesters identifying themselves as “Progressive Jews of St. Louis” seemingly made that accusation Tuesday while picketing an AIPAC dinner in Jefferson City, Missouri, holding up a banner calling AIPAC “white supremacist antisemites.”
HAPPENING NOW- a multi-racial, multi-faith collective of residents across Missouri is protesting an @AIPAC fundraising dinner in Jefferson City to say AIPAC’s money to further genocide in Palestine is not welcome in our state! #AIPACoutofMO pic.twitter.com/PRdbg9Rq6G
— Progressive Jews of St. Louis (@ProJoSTL) February 7, 2024
Another sign held by some protesters said, “Jews reject AIPAC.”
According to a post on X by the group, the protesters — several dozen, judging by videos from the scene — were a “multi-racial, multi-faith collective” of Missouri residents calling for a ceasefire.
The dinner, hosted at a restaurant a few blocks away from the state capitol, was reportedly an AIPAC fundraiser whose attendees included Missouri secretary of state Jay Aschroft and Jefferson City Mayor Ron Fitzwater, according to KWOS, a local conservative radio station whose host attended the event. Ashcroft and Fitzwater told KWOS they were accosted by protesters on their way in.
On X, the group posted, “AIPAC is a hawkish, warmongering bully that takes a scorched earth approach toward ensuring unconditional U.S. support for Israel,” adding, “AIPAC prioritizes the Israeli regime at any cost, and that means supporting apartheid and genocide against Palestinians abroad, and funding the campaigns of white nationalists at home.”
In a statement Wednesday responding to the protest, AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann said, “We are Americans who are proud to engage in the democratic process to strengthen the US-Israel relationship – and we won’t be deterred in our efforts by an extremist fringe.”
Progressive Jews of St. Louis, whose Instagram page says it dates back to 2018, did not respond to a request for comment.
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.
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.
Dive In
-
Fast Forward AJC, USC Shoah Foundation announce partnership to document antisemitism since World War II
-
Fast Forward Chicago mayor donned keffiyeh for Arab Heritage Month event, sparking outcry from Jewish groups
-
Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
-
Fast Forward Latvia again closes case against ‘Butcher of Riga,’ tied to mass murder of Jews
Most Popular
- 1
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
- 2
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 3
Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
- 4
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward AJC, USC Shoah Foundation announce partnership to document antisemitism since World War II
-
Yiddish יצחק באַשעװיסעס מיינונגען וועגן די אַמעריקאַנער ייִדןIsaac Bashevis’ opinion of American Jews
אין זײַנע „פֿאָרווערטס“־אַרטיקלען האָט ער קריטיקירט זייער צוגאַנג צום חורבן און צו ייִדישקײט.
-
Culture In a Haredi Jerusalem neighborhood, doctors’ visits are free, but the wait may cost you
-
Fast Forward Chicago mayor donned keffiyeh for Arab Heritage Month event, sparking outcry from Jewish groups
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.