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When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro lit the Shabbat candles last Friday night, he was the arguable frontrunner to be Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate. But it didn’t happen, and on Tuesday, it seemed like it was because he sounded a little too Jewish.
Yes, the vice presidential nomination passed Shapiro over like sheep’s blood was smeared on the door, going instead to Tim Waltz, a Midwestern Protestant, a bland choice unlikely to anger Israel- and Jew-haters.
Leading up to Harris’ decision to ignore Shapiro in her hometown of Philadelphia, many voices, Jewish and non-Jewish, both inside and outside the party, warned that the choice of Walz reeked of obvious and abhorrent anti-Semitism.
Vice President Kamala Harris picks Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as running mate
First John King, and later several CNN hosts, expressed concern about the specific focus on Shapiro’s views on Israel, even though his views are largely in line with those of the other vice presidential candidates, and yet his position as a Jew may be a disqualifier for some progressive voters.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been selected by Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris as her running mate for vice president. (AP Photo/Carolyn Custer)
These concerns were echoed by Jewish celebrities and activists via social media, including far-left actor Josh Malina, who responded to far-left actor Cynthia Nixon on The X Show by writing, “Shapiro’s views on Israel are in line with the other vice presidential candidates, but Shapiro is… well, Jewish. This feels like gratuitous anti-Semitism, Cynthia.”
Some Democrats currently in power agree.
“Anti-Israel activists who have falsely accused the Biden-Harris administration of funding ‘genocide’ are suddenly siding with VP Harris unless she picks Governor Shapiro as her running mate,” New York Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres said on X, adding, “These hypocrites are full of lies and their anti-Semitic dog whistles should not be given veto power over the selection of a presidential nominee.”
Vice Presidential candidate Shapiro speaks out about defense of Israel after decades-old college newspaper report
By the way, what does Senator Chuck Schumer, the New Yorker and most influential Jew in Washington, think about this? To be honest, since the horrific Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, the Senate Minority Leader seems to have resigned or gone into hiding.
Needless to say, now that Shapiro’s vice presidential dream has fizzled out like the last Hanukkah candle, much of the left will likely forget all about their anger, just as many have forgotten how infuriated they were at the prospect of Joe Biden being sidelined.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was on the shortlist to be Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
It will all remain in memory and we will move on, at least they hope, but the problem is that the Republican Party is also aware of this anti-Semitism.
Pro-Harris conference call moderator urges ‘unity’ among ‘comrades’ amid criticism of Israel-Hamas war
On Tuesday, hours before the announcement, Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, in a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt, said, “Frankly, the reason they didn’t pick Shapiro is because of anti-Semitism within their own party, within their own caucus. The far left doesn’t like the fact that he’s a Jewish American.”
The Ohio senator is not without evidence to back up his claims: In the spring, many Democrats, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her Communist group, extolled the anti-Semitic campus occupiers who intimidated and harassed Jewish students.
We saw this bigotry when Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who openly lobbied for Walz against Shapiro, said the only thing Jews care about is “money.”
Was there another reason Harris didn’t pick Shapiro? Yes. Maybe Harris has more authority than Shapiro. Waltz is popular but not in the shadows. He’s a bit of a sitcom dad, but here timing is everything.
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Only when Shapiro seemed set to be Harris’ running mate did concerns emerge about his Jewish identity and his record on Israel come under scrutiny, despite his similarities to everyone on the shortlist and even to Kamala Harris herself.
It’s almost impossible to believe that Shapiro, the popular governor of one of the nation’s most important battleground states, would not have won this lucrative political prize if his last name was Smith, or Harris.
Gov. Josh Shapiro came close to becoming Kamala Harris’ running mate, but lost to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
In the early 20th century, there was a split between the older, well-established, well-assimilated, educated Jews and the newcomers from the shtetls of Eastern Europe, who wore foreign clothing and performed flamboyant, overt religious rituals.
My great-grandmother was a total fancier, but I recall her occasionally shaking her head when discussing newcomers and muttering, “Too Jewish.”
Democrats now face a similar problem. It’s okay to be Jewish in the party if you like Woody Allen movies, eat Chinese food at Christmas, and understand every quote from “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” But lighting candles and eating bread? That should only be done in the privacy of your own home.
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This year, Democrats put up a sign on the door of the vice presidency that read, “Jews need not apply” — or at least, anyone who is openly and proud of their religious faith.
This is a dark and ugly reality, but we must continue to face it, because once anti-Semitism takes root, it becomes a very dangerous weed that grows quickly when good people look the other way.
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