Re: 2024 Democratic Party Platform

The last survivors and first-person witnesses of the Holocaust and Nazi hatred are almost dead now, the few survivors aging in their 90s or hundreds. And yet, as if because nature abhors a vacuum, a new generation of Jews are once again witness to a frightening Jew hatred coupled with the sudden erosion of Western values. Almost unbelievably, on October 8, 2023, American Jews awoke to discover many of their neighbors wanted to kill them.

The 2024 Jew in America experiences a menacing, pervasive, and violent hate. American mobs gather to protest, hunt down, and intimidate Jewish lay leaders at their private homes, deface Jewish businesses, bully and deny public space access to Jewish students, professors, and staff on college campuses, and deface Jewish cemeteries, all under the guise of dissatisfaction with the conduct of the only Jewish country 6,000 miles away (while no other humanitarian issues abroad raise such vehement domestic protest movements).

It has never been clearer. Anti-Zionism is a double standard directed against both the world’s Jewish minority and the only Jewish nation in the world.

We respectfully ask that the following seven concepts be reflected in the 2024 Democratic Party Platform:

I) IHRA DEFINITION ADOPTION & ENFORCEMENT:

A foundational step in eradicating antisemitism is to establish definitional boundaries for this conduct. The federal government (US State Department & US Dept of Education), along with more than 40 countries, follow the definition of antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (“IHRA”). The IHRA definition is: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” The IHRA definition also lists detailed examples of this specific hate. On 5/1/2024, the US House of Representatives passed the bi-partisan Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090), which incorporates both the IHRA definition and contemporary examples into Title VI. The contemporary examples illustrate the connection between anti-Zionism and Antisemitism.

While before the 10/7/2023 massacre, some Jews living in America might have said Zionism can be uncoupled from one’s Jewish identity, the 2024 Jewish American rejects such decoupling. Zionism is the support for the perpetuation and development of a Jewish state in Israel, the indigenous homeland of the Jewish religion, predating all other religions. The 2024 Jewish American is prepared to vociferously defend the Jewish people’s right to such self-determination. The 2024 Jewish American will no longer allow “Zionist” to be brandished as a bad word or an embarrassing label. Anti-Zionism is racism and anti-Zionism is antisemitism.

Since 10/7, American protesters have blurred any distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism by consistently directing anti-Israel messaging at Jewish American lay leaders, subway riders, students, and business owners.

We understand that a fundamental principle of Western values is safeguarding the ability to criticize government. Criticizing the decisions made by Israel’s government is not anti-Zionist just like disagreeing with America’s border policy is not anti-American. Criticizing a decision by a foreign government is distinct from: (1) questioning the legitimacy of that nation's right to exist, and (2) selectively targeting or inconsistently applying such criticism.

We ask that the 2024 Democratic Party platform (i) support the broad and consistent adoption throughout the U.S. of the IHRA definition and its contemporary examples of antisemitism, and (ii) encourage the Senate’s adoption of H.R. 6090, The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2023.

II) MASKED & MENACING PROTEST BAN:

Protest chants across our nation as well as social media posts call to “globalize the intifada.” This slogan references two prior periods of violent uprisings in the 1980s and 2000s during which Israelis were indiscriminately killed through “jihad” terrorist acts. These massacres included the participation of Palestinians men, women, and children in acts of self-destruction, wearing suicide bomb vests in civilian areas. Calls to “globalize the intifada” in America, especially on college campuses, is akin to urging students to participate in violent activities that create disorder and endanger the lives of fellow students.

The unabashed public brandishment of these slogans is a dog whistle by which violent messaging is camouflaged with unfamiliar terminology, menacing to American Jews and those who know the history and what Intifada actually means while landing as a tame call for solidarity to the uninformed. Cloaked in face coverings and masks, those engaging in these incitements to violence obscure their identities to evade accountability.

The party must commit to restoring civility and order in America and pursue means of de-escalating the masked hate, bullying, and menacing behavior towards American Jews just as would be expected if white supremacists or the KKK unrelentingly mobbed and defaced black storefronts and bullied black college students while masked for months on end. However, there has been a breakdown in civility and consequences.

We support peaceful, unmenacing protest and freedom of speech. Further, we acknowledge that individuals may have personal health concerns that necessitate wearing masks in public. However, those who choose to protest or advocate in public spaces while masked are more readily construed as intimidating, may endanger law enforcement, and hinder law enforcement from effectively performing their duties due to the inability to interpret facial cues of masked protesters. Additionally, the masking has extended far beyond the mere need for pulmonary protection, with protestors wrapping head coverings around their hair and ears, donning sunglasses, and obscuring every portion of their body save for eyes. Even a medical mask that limits its coverage to the mouth and nose is a far cry from the masks being used presently to obscure identity.

The White House’s 5/2023 U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism states:
“The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security will undertake targeted engagements with the Jewish community to understand and help address their security needs.”

This promised attention to address Jewish security needs must include the reinstatement of the same prohibitions on obscuring identity that were implemented to control the KKK and which were recently rescinded to accommodate COVID safety measures.

We ask that the 2024 Platform (i) condemn the wearing of masks at protests as well as the use of menacing slogans that are meant to terrorize Jewish citizens, and (ii) reaffirm the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism’s commitment to deploying national law enforcement resources to ensure foreign influences and terrorist groups are unable to radicalize American citizens.

III) SOCIAL MEDIA & AI REFORM:

Many of the above cited hate-filled, racist actions are inspired by misinformation and vitriol spread through social media platforms. According to a December 2023 report by the National Contagion Research Institute (“NCRI”), social media platforms (i.e., TikTok) “deliberately funnel young Americans content specifically designed to foment geopolitical instability and anti-Israel sentiment.” Both Congress and security experts have confirmed risks that China uses TikTok to spread propaganda, leading President Biden to sign a bill curbing TikTok this past April 2024.

Social media is not the only online tool vulnerable to manipulation by authoritarian regimes and ill-meaning parties. As AI becomes more pervasive, our government will need to be vigilant that the body of knowledge with which it is trained is both historically accurate and does not endanger our liberal democratic values.

The White House’s 5/2023 National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism states:
“The Biden-Harris Administration calls on Congress to hold social media platforms accountable for spreading hate-fueled violence, including antisemitism.”

We ask that the 2024 Democratic Party Platform (i) reiterate this commitment as against both domestic and foreign platforms, with renewed attention to foreign ownership standards, and (ii) call for the scrutiny of both social media algorithms and AI training materials that undermine national security and foment hate.

IV) COMMITMENT TO AMERICAN HOSTAGES:

The Party’s 2016 platform, under Civil Society (p.47), states:
“The Democrats will protect American citizens abroad. We condemn the practice of unlawful detentions or imprisonment.”

We ask that the 2024 Democratic Party Platform (i) reiterate this commitment and condemn the savage abduction of innocent American citizens in the 10/7/2023 massacre in Israel, and (ii) commit unwavering support for legislation and diplomatic efforts to bring home the five American civilians still being held by Hamas terrorists, and other Americans illegally detained abroad.

V) SAFEGUARDING K-12 EDUCATION & AUDITING TEACHERS UNIONS:

The White House’s 5/2023 National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism states:
“The Department of Labor will disseminate model resources for unions on how to recognize antisemitism and how countering antisemitism relates to workers’ rights.”

Yet, the National Education Association (NEA) teachers Union (approx. 3MM members) relentlessly pushes anti-Zionist and ahistoric educational resources into America’s K-12 public school system, contributing to anti-Israel zealotry and the propagation of modern day blood libels of Israel as a colonizer and apartheid state.

Our public school system is the single greatest means through which we ensure our continued democracy and civil society. A populace educated with historically accurate information is the best antidote to agitation propaganda and infiltration by foreign influences hostile to Western values.

Our country’s political leaders are uniquely equipped to ensure the nation’s next generation is educated with historically accurate information and to reduce the threat to American Democracy and national security. As per the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, US intelligence agencies determined that “antisemitism is one of the greatest terrorist threats to our Homeland today.”

We ask that the Party platform honor the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism and (i) call for a bi-partisan panel of expert historians to review NEA activities and teacher resources as well as education curricula. (ii) This panel should be charged with ensuring there are historically accurate teacher resources on Israel and the modern history of the Middle East to bolster NEA activities that directly support the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. (iii) Teachers must be required to adhere to this newly-established historically accurate curricula. (iv) Consequences must be imposed when educators veer from endorsed resources by introducing curricula with partisan political agendas.

VI) END “PAY TO HATE” IN HIGHER ED:

Foreign governments make substantial contributions to American Institutions of Higher Education (“IHE”s). According to a 2020 report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, foreign contributions of almost $16Bn were made to American IHEs between 2014-2019 alone. Recent non-profit and government investigations indicate that foreign gifts and contracts such as these serve as footholds for authoritarian regimes, like Qatar and China, to infiltrate American universities, gain access to proprietary research, and influence American perspectives in ways that promote narratives contrary to U.S. interests.

The pervasiveness of anti-semitism and false narratives pertaining to Israel and the Jewish people on our campuses demonstrates the effectiveness of this foreign influence. According to NCRI, institutions with Middle East donors had 300% more incidents of antisemitism than those that did not.

Currently, Section 117 of the Higher Education Act requires Universities to disclose foreign contributions of $250,000 or more. Yet, in 2019, a bipartisan report by the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee found that many IHEs routinely fail to comply with even this generous reporting threshold. Furthermore, the report found that the IHEs were not penalized for their lack of disclosure. According to NCRI, at least $13Bn in foreign funding has not been reported. Much of this concealed funding originates from authoritarian regimes and the Middle East. This study also found that higher percentages of unreported foreign gifts correlate not only with antisemitism, but with the deterioration of liberal democratic norms.

We recognize that foreign collaboration often enhances research. However, it is also true that government regulation is an accepted practice across various industries from financial to pharmaceutical. Appropriate regulation and enforcement ensures consumer safety and the stability and prosperity of our country.

The American public deserves enhanced regulation and increased transparency on IHE foreign gifts. H.R. 5933, The DETERRENT (Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions ) Act was passed on 12/6/2023. This bill expands oversight and disclosure requirements related to foreign funding of IHEs.

We ask that the Party platform (i) commit to investigating foreign infiltration of American universities that pose a national security threat, (ii) support the Senate’s adoption of H.R. 5933 The DETERRENT Act to enhance transparency in IHE funding, and (iii) ensure there is no antisemitc bias in IHE curricula and extracurricular programming.

VII) COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRACIES & THE ISRAEL ALLIANCE:

The Democratic Party’s 2016 platform, under Middle East (p.49), states:

“A strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States because we share overarching strategic interests and the common values of democracy, equality, tolerance, and pluralism. That is why we will always support Israel’s right to defend itself, including by retaining its qualitative military edge, and oppose any effort to delegitimize Israel, including at the United Nations or through the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement. We will continue to work toward a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiated directly by the parties that guarantees Israel’s future as a secure and democratic Jewish state with recognized borders and provides the Palestinians with independence, sovereignty, and dignity.”

“Israelis deserve security, recognition, and a normal life free from terror and incitement. Palestinians should be free to govern themselves in their own viable state, in peace and dignity.”

Finally, we ask the Democratic Party to reaffirm its 2016 platform’s commitment to standing steadfastly by its only Democratic ally in the Middle East by reiterating the above language.

The party now has a choice before it: to courageously take a stand and support civilization or to pander to the extremism that is undermining western ideals and jeopardizing the safety and future of our country.

Thank you for your consideration.

KEY SOURCES:

Government documents & studies:
https://www.state.gov/defining-antisemitism/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/U.S.-National-Strategy-to-Counter-Antisemitism.pdf

https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/6/64/2016_Democratic_Party_Platform.pdf
https://networkcontagion.us/reports/
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/investigations/majority-news/subcommittees-investigations-media-senators-portman-and-carper-unveil-bipartisan-report-on-confucius-institutes-at-us-universities_k-12-classrooms/
Re: Antisemitic incidents:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmhU0t1VV2U
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/12/us/nova-music-festival-exhibition-protest-in-new-york-called-heartbreaking/index.html
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/politics/gov-josh-shapiro-condemns-pro-palestinian-protest-outside-jewish-owned-goldie-restaurant-in-philly-israel-hams-war-michael-solomonov/3712417/
https://www.hrw.org/news/2004/11/01/occupied-territories-stop-use-children-suicide-bombings
https://www.hoover.org/research/bomb-under-abaya
Re: Education:
https://isgap.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ISGAP-Report-Volume-II-3.pdf
https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/institutional-compliance-section-117.pdf
https://thescif.org/foreign-money-in-u-s-universities-whats-the-real-source-e7d10a9c9d4a
https://apnews.com/article/us-news-china-russia-d3c3002e667c4f6c2359e3de820a7997
https://www.offthepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Foreign-Funding-of-U.S.-Academia-12-19-23.pdf