The Conversation
Julie Roginsky joined me today for the kind of crucial, personal conversation we should have with political allies when we see deeply unsettling behavior. Julie and I, both 50-something, longtime Democratic consultants, talkers, and Jews—though decidedly unreligious and not hugely culturally Jewish—felt it was time to address something that’s bothered us both: the increasingly open and virulent anti-Semitism on parts of The Left.
We both think Bibi Netanyahu is a war criminal. A criminal-criminal. And we think AIPAC are a bunch of right-wing Republican clods. None of this is anti-Semitic to point out, obviously. But we’re seeing conspiracy theories shared by people we know, and by those in our comment sections we don’t, who are otherwise progressive. Some blame American Jews for Israel. Some blame all Israeli Jews for Bibi’s crimes (akin to condemning all Americans for Trump’s). Some use “Zionist” as a slur like “white supremacist,” though their origins and belief systems couldn’t be more unalike.
Zionism: Truths & Untruths
To be clear: you can disagree with the tenets of Zionism. But you can’t make it mean something it doesn’t—there are facts, and if you don’t want to be MAGA, you must adhere to them. Zionism was popularized by a liberal Austro-Hungarian journalist in 1897, Theodor Herzl. His worry was antisemitism in Europe was so pervasive Jews needed political self-determination and sovereignty. He wanted a democratic state with civil rights, religious freedom, and legal equality. Naturally, he thought of a location Jews had called home until expelled by Roman Emperor Hadrian in an act of retribution (132-135 CE). It created the diaspora, scattering Jews throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, primarily, but really across the Earth, for over 1,700 years.
An early and key part of the movement was Labor Zionism—which fused socialism and Zionism. Yes, it was a project of The Left, its leadership center-left, social democratic, or socialist. So to compare it to white supremacy is just factually wrong.
To summarize:
Zionism: A movement advocating Jewish self-determination and a Jewish homeland in the historic land of Israel.
White Supremacy: An ideology claiming that white people are inherently superior to other races and should dominate society.
Zionism: Emerged in the late 19th century largely in response to antisemitism, pogroms, and lack of Jewish political sovereignty.
White Supremacy: Emerged from colonialism, slavery, racial hierarchy, and pseudoscientific racism.
Zionism: Does not require belief that Jews are superior to non-Jews.
White Supremacy: Explicitly depends on belief in racial superiority.
Zionism: Includes a wide spectrum—from liberal, secular, religious, socialist, and conservative versions.
White Supremacy: Includes variations, but all are based on racial hierarchy and unequal human worth.
Our Stories
Julie told stories about how her family had to flee Russia in the 1980s. How her family was nearly killed while in Israel. I talked about the anti-Semitism I encountered growing up in 1970s New York (go see the film “Gentleman’s Agreement,” if you doubt me). My family having to escape pogroms from Odessa to Vienna 120+ years ago when they came to the U.S. We both talked about how this kind of violence always starts with rhetoric and conspiracies, but never ends there.
It was an emotional conversation. But there was no ranting. We want people to understand the impact of what’s happening on us, the human beings behind the figures. What figures? The 9,354 anti-Semitic incidents in 2024, the most on record since tracking began in 1979. That Jews, 2% of the U.S. population, were targets of 70% of “religion-based hate crimes” in the U.S. n 2024, per to the FBI. And more.
Why Just Israel?
Gaza is horrific. Nobody excuses it—why would we? In fact we condemn Bibi for his atrocities there. But you know what else is horrific? Sudan. Myanmar. Syria. China puts Muslims in concentration camps. Saudi Arabia has mass-murdered Yemenis, and their “leader,” Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), ordered an American green-card holder bone-sawed to death. Murders women for the “crime” of being raped. And MBS was every bit as important in convincing Trump to attack Iran as Netanyahu.
And before you ask: the U.S. funds them too. Heavily.
But there are no protests for the rights of innocent Yemenis against Saudi Arabia on American college campuses, and few articles on Substack. Why?
Dividing Democrats
We make a plea for consistency, context and nuance. For understanding not only the moral impact of what we choose to say—or not—but the political fallout. Which a certain Russian leader whose name rhymes with Moo-Tin has a keen interest in causing. Putin just happens to hail from a country that mastered dividing the West with anti-Semitism in the 1960s, and worked at an outfit known as the KGB that planned it.
Folks, this is one of the things that could crack the Democratic coalition. It’s already happening in places.
Please watch the video, my friends. It is more emotional plea than anything else 🙏 And there is so much more in there than one can communicate in writing.
As always, all my best, friends.
—Cliff
Cliff’s Note: Look—we don’t do a conversation like this one for clicks. There’s no fun thumbnail here, no easy applause line. Julie and I did it because somebody has to, and because the people funding Blue Amp Media are the only reason we can.
That’s no figure of speech. We have no network suits, no billionaire owner, nobody whispering “go easier on this one.” It’s you. So if this conversation meant something to you, here’s how you keep them coming.
Become a paid subscriber. It’s the single most important thing you can do. Paid subscribers allow us to sit down for an hour on a hard subject instead of chasing trends. If you’ve been reading free for a while, carpe diem, friends—upgrade today! If you can swing our annual plan or Fascism-Fighter tier, you’re not buying a newsletter. You’re funding independent, progressive media that says what you think out loud.
Chip in if a subscription isn’t your thing. Not everybody wants a recurring plan. That’s fine—a one-time contribution keeps the lights on and the cameras rolling.
Share this one. Don’t just like it—send it. To the friend you’ve been arguing with, to the group chat that’s gone quiet on this, to the person who needs to hear two lifelong progressives say it plainly. A share from you reaches people no algorithm ever will.
And get in the comments. This is the part I mean most. We didn’t do this to lecture anybody—we made it to start a conversation among family. Tell me where you agree, tell me where you disagree, tell me your own story. We read them. We answer them. That’s the whole point of doing this here instead of on someone else’s platform.
We’ve shown up for every fight. Help us keep showing up. —Cliff
