The defeat of Rep. Jamaal Bowman in New York sends a clear message to current and aspiring progressive politicians throughout the country: antisemitism is not only bad morals, it’s also bad politics.
As the first member of the so-called “Squad” to lose in a Democratic Primary, Bowman’s downward spiral and ultimate unseating must now serve as a clarion call for the rest of the left. Our movement for progress, our work to advance social, racial, economic, gender, and environmental justice in America, will fail if we do not work to eradicate the malignant antisemitism metastasizing within it.
It has been shocking to see that some who recklessly claim the mantle of progressivism are the most unapologetic in their indifference–or sometimes, malevolence—toward Jewish suffering, trauma, and victimization.
