Zionist Organization President Criticizes Democrats Over Antisemitism in Congress
Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, says Democratic leaders have failed to forcefully condemn party members he accuses of antisemitism, warning that anti-Israel rhetoric has moved from the fringe into elected office.
Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, has accused Democratic Party leaders of failing to forcefully condemn members of Congress and candidates he describes as antisemitic, warning that hostility toward Israel has moved from the political fringe into elected office. In an interview, Klein said the party's response to figures such as Representative Ilhan Omar, Representative Rashida Tlaib, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been inadequate.
Klein singled out Omar as «one of the most vicious Jew haters in America» and said it was painful that Democratic leaders had not continuously and vigorously condemned her and others. He stressed that the ZOA is a 501(c)(3) organization legally barred from commenting on candidacies rather than on positions, and that his remarks were made on his own behalf rather than as the organization's leader. He argued that the figures he criticized are not merely pro-Palestinian voices but anti-Israel voices that, in his view, do not genuinely care about Palestinians either.
The immediate trigger for Klein's remarks was a Michigan Senate debate in which El-Sayed declined to say that Iran poses a greater threat to the United States than Israel. Klein said El-Sayed went further by describing both countries as dangerous to America and by equating Israel with Hamas. He criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for endorsing El-Sayed, and also named Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin and state Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Jewish Democrats, for backing his campaign. «This is disgraceful,» Klein said, arguing that the same figures would have condemned a candidate who was unequivocally anti-Black.
El-Sayed has described Judaism as «a light unto the world» and expressed gratitude for the Jewish community's contributions, saying his commitment to Jewish safety is equivalent to his commitment to the safety of his own daughters. Klein also criticized Mamdani for declining to condemn the phrase «globalize the intifada,» which Klein characterized as a call to violence against Jews worldwide. Mamdani has pledged to protect Jewish neighbors and to fight antisemitism.
Klein argued that Israel is often portrayed as the aggressor in Gaza, while in his account the atrocities were committed by Hamas on October 7, when terrorists invaded Israel to kill Jews. He said Israeli and Jewish leaders bear part of the blame for failing to make clear that the Hamas Charter calls for the murder of Jews and the destruction of Israel, and he accused Israeli governments of moving toward dangerous appeasement. Looking ahead to Israel's elections, Klein said any future government must respond to terrorism with overwhelming force and destroy Hamas. He said polls suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to win again but may need a broader coalition including left-of-center parties, which could weaken him politically.
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