12/7/23, 10:54 AM US House okays resolution by Jewish Republicans equating antisemitism to anti-Zionism | The Times of Israel

US House okays resolution by Jewish Republicans

equating antisemitism to anti-Zionism
timesofisrael.com/us-house-okays-resolution-by-jewish-republicans-equating-antisemitism-to-anti-zionism

By Ron Kampeas

24 Jewish Democrats among the 92 lawmakers to vote ‘present,’

disputing measure’s assertion that all forms of anti-Zionism are
antisemitic

This composite photo shows Republican Representative Max Miller of Ohio (R), speaking at
an annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, October 28, 2023, in Las
Vegas; and GOP Representative David Kustoff, of Tennessee speaking during a US House
Financial Services Committee hearing, September 30, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(AP Photo/David Becker and Al Drago/Pool via AP)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The US House of Representatives approved a nonbinding

resolution saying that anti-Zionism is antisemitism, with support from all but one Republican
and a substantial minority of Democrats.

The resolution was introduced by the two Jewish Republicans in the House, Max Miller of
Ohio and David Kustoff of Tennessee. It was notable for the number of Jewish Democrats
who voted “present,” effectively abstaining, in part because they did not agree with the
resolution’s contention that all forms of anti-Zionism were antisemitic.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-house-okays-resolution-by-jewish-republicans-equating-antisemitism-to-anti-zionism/ 1/4
12/7/23, 10:54 AM US House okays resolution by Jewish Republicans equating antisemitism to anti-Zionism | The Times of Israel

The resolution passed 311 to 14, with 92 members voting “present,” among them eight of the
24 Jewish Democrats in the House. Democrats voting in favor numbered 95. Of the 14 who
opposed, 13 were Democrats, most associated with the “Squad,” a small grouping of far-left
progressives. The other was Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, a libertarian who
opposes nonbinding resolutions and has previously said antisemitism-related legislation
restricts free speech.

Miller and Kustoff introduced the resolution to affirm US support for Jews in the wake of the
spike in antisemitic rhetoric and actions spurred by the Israel-Hamas war, which began when
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

“Whereas, since the massacre of innocent Israelis by Hamas, an Iran-backed terrorist

organization, on October 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents of harassment, vandalism, and
assault in the United States have spiked 388 percent over the same period last year,
according to reports from the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism,” the
resolution says.

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories

By signing up, you agree to the terms

The resolution comes in the wake of efforts by Jewish members, including Republicans and
Democrats, to present a united front in the wake of the war, and a week after all but two
members voted to approve a resolution affirming Israel’s right to exist. It also comes as Israel
faces increasing criticism, including from members of Congress, over its handling of its war
in Gaza.

The debate Monday on the House floor soon turned to the resolved section of the Miller-
Kustoff resolution, and its determination that the House “clearly and firmly states that anti-
Zionism is antisemitism.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-house-okays-resolution-by-jewish-republicans-equating-antisemitism-to-anti-zionism/ 2/4
12/7/23, 10:54 AM US House okays resolution by Jewish Republicans equating antisemitism to anti-Zionism | The Times of Israel

File: Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York, attends a House Judiciary Committee Field
Hearing, in New York, April 17, 2023. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler of New York, the longest-serving Jew in the House,
and a leader in advancing past denunciations of antisemitism, delivered a speech delineating
instances in which anti-Zionism does not constitute antisemitism.

“The resolution suggests that all anti-Zionism is antisemitism,” said Nadler, who attended an
Orthodox day school growing up. “That is either intellectually disingenuous or just factually
wrong. And it unfairly implicates many of my Orthodox former constituents in Brooklyn, many
of whose families rose from the ashes of the Holocaust.

“While most anti-Zionism is indeed antisemitic, the authors, if they were at all familiar with
Jewish history and culture, should know about Jewish anti-Zionism that was, and is,
expressly NOT antisemitic,” Nadler said. “This resolution ignores the fact that even today,
certain orthodox Hasidic Jewish communities — the Satmars in New York and others — as
well as adherents of the pre-state Jewish labor movement have held views that are at odds
with the modern Zionist conception.”

Nadler and his Jewish colleagues, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Dan Goldman of New
York, this week introduced a separate resolution condemning antisemitism, tying it to the
Biden administration’s antisemitism strategy, which the resolution approved on Tuesday
does not mention.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-house-okays-resolution-by-jewish-republicans-equating-antisemitism-to-anti-zionism/ 3/4
12/7/23, 10:54 AM US House okays resolution by Jewish Republicans equating antisemitism to anti-Zionism | The Times of Israel

The trio also were behind a letter in October supporting the Biden administration for its
backing for Israel in its war with Hamas; all 24 Jewish Democrats signed onto that letter, but
some have since broken away, calling on Biden to press for a ceasefire.

Kustoff in his floor speech linked anti-Israel and antisemitic biases, alluding to
Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat who has used the phrase “From the
river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which some Jewish groups see as antisemitic.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, speaks during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire
in Gaza, October 18, 2023, near the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-
Rhoades, File)

“We have seen an explosion, an absolute explosion, of antisemitic incidents, attacks, and
harassment, in Israel, here in our own nation, and across the world,” Kustoff said.

“More Jews were murdered on October 7th than on any other single day since the
Holocaust. Let that sink in,” Kustoff said. “We have even seen members of this very body
repeat blatantly antisemitic rhetoric and spread lies about Israel and her right to exist.”

Nadler said Republicans were playing politics with the resolution. “I cannot help but note
that, although this resolution strongly condemns and denounces antisemitism, its authors
carefully avoided mentioning any of the obvious instances of antisemitism coming from their
own leaders,” Nadler said, listing a number of instances in which Donald Trump, the former
president and likely 2024 presidential nominee, has been accused of antisemitism.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-house-okays-resolution-by-jewish-republicans-equating-antisemitism-to-anti-zionism/ 4/4