Harvard was also where Schumer first saw leftist anti-Semitism acted. In a 1970 campus speech by Israeli Foreign Minister Aba Evan, the gallery students deployed the flag that fought Zionist imperialism. Schumer's book reminds me of Evan's reply:
“I'm talking to you in the gallery,” Evan said. “Every time people acquire a nation, you praise it. Those who win the nation and you don't praise it, you blame it – that's Jews.” The double standard was the essence of anti-Semitism, whether they work in which profession, can move to Moscow, the emperor's empire, or have a nation.
It is noteworthy that Schumer's book devotes much space to exposing left-wing anti-Semitism, including calling out council colleagues like Minnesota's representative Ilhan Omar for an anti-Semitism outburst. He also called out anti-Israel demonstrators on campus, like Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, and protesters who “beat that fucking Jew” next to the masked thugs of Colombia, and “October will be all your days.”
Is Schumer worried that his party is leaning in anti-Israel direction? “My caucus is overwhelmingly pro-Israel,” he insisted to me. “When I voted for the biggest aid package to Israel, I lost only three Democrats.”
However, he also warned that “the biggest danger to Israel is if you lose half of America in the long run.” I'm a liberal half. On one of Netanyahu's previous visits to the US, Schumer said he urged the Prime Minister to “go to Rachel Madow, not just Sean Hannity.” Netanyahu ignored advice, and Schumer was later called in a Senate speech A new election to replace him. He is “extremely proud.” He said it is possible for Democrats to oppose Netanyahu while defending the Jewish state.
“My job,” he told me, “To maintain the left pro-Israel.”
Then there is right-wing anti-Semitism. Just as some anti-Israel demonstrators used the word “Zionist” as an alternative to Jews, the right corner also had its own coded anti-Semitic language, such as “neocon” and “globalist.”
