Harris punished Jewish loyalty to Israel, empowering extremists while demanding silence from Jews facing antisemitic violence.
Revelations from Josh Shapiro’s memoir expose a disturbing reality inside the 2024 Democratic campaign: being openly Jewish and unapologetically supportive of Israel was treated as disqualifying.
While under consideration as a running mate, Shapiro was reportedly questioned by staff of Kamala Harris about whether his teenage volunteering on an Israeli kibbutz and an IDF base made him an “Israeli agent.” The implication echoed classic antisemitic smears of dual loyalty—suggesting Jews with any formative connection to Israel are inherently suspect.
More alarming was Harris’s personal demand that Shapiro apologize for condemning anti-Israel encampments at University of Pennsylvania in April 2024. His statements were measured and lawful: he urged enforcement of campus safety rules and warned against antisemitism—while explicitly condemning all forms of bigotry. That a Jewish governor was pressured to recant defending Jewish students reveals a moral inversion at the highest level.
UPenn’s record only deepens the concern. Following the October 7 massacre, Jewish students faced threats and intimidation. Institutional responses were evasive, culminating in a failing grade from StopAntisemitism for handling antisemitism. Yet instead of confronting those inciting hatred, the campaign’s focus turned to silencing Jews who noticed it.
This pattern—tolerating or excusing antisemitic agitation while rebuking Jews for objecting—has consequences. Violent rhetoric, when praised as “human emotion,” predictably metastasizes into real-world attacks. History is unequivocal: indulgence of Jew-hatred empowers extremists hostile to Israel, the West, and basic democratic values.
Disturbingly, similar indulgence has appeared across the political spectrum. Jewish figures who call out antisemitism—whether cloaked in “anti-Zionism” or conspiracy—are told to be quiet, while provocateurs are defended and elevated. The target is not a policy, but Jewish visibility, Jewish self-defense, and Jewish solidarity with Israel.
Electorally, the strategy failed. Passing over Shapiro alienated Pennsylvania and every swing state in 2024. Morally, it failed even more profoundly. Democracies do not survive by appeasing hatred or by demanding minorities accept threats in silence.
Jews will not be quiet. Defending Israel’s right to exist, enforcing the law, and opposing antisemitism are not extremism—they are the baseline of civilization. Any leader who cannot recognize that is unfit for office.
