There is a troubling convergence taking place between major factions of the right-wing MAGA movement and elements of the progressive left. This unholy alliance is deeply disturbing, and even frightening.
Jews are a remarkable people. It seems that only the Jewish nation could unintentionally succeed in uniting two diametrically opposed ideological camps. I call this phenomenon “The Moav and Midyan Effect.”
In last week’s parsha, Rashi explains that the nations of Moav and Midyan were historically bitter enemies. Yet, despite their longstanding animosity, they came together to fight a shared enemy—the Jewish people.
This same pattern is repeating today. We see far-right and far-left groups finding common ground in their hostility toward Jews. Both the Jews of Israel and those in America are targeted. On the right, they’re called “neocons” or “globalists,” while on the left, the terms shift to “colonialists,” “genocidal,” or “apartheid supporters.”
Classical Christian Anti-Semitism
Let’s begin with the right-wing threat. For lack of a better term, I’ll call this the Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon wing of the MAGA movement. These are not marginal fringe voices we can afford to dismiss. They represent a significant portion of the movement and pose a real threat to Jews, both in America and in Israel.
In many respects, their rhetoric mirrors classical Christian anti-Semitism. They regard all Jews, even those who have been staunch MAGA supporters, as “disloyal,” traitors, unpatriotic, and beholden to a “dual loyalty” with Israel.
These are not new accusations. Anti-Semites have hurled them at Jews for millennia.
Figures like Tucker Carlson are not obscure. He commands a massive audience, with millions tuning in daily. He sets the tone for this faction of the movement. Steve Bannon and other aligned media personalities are not just cranks. They are accepted as legitimate voices. And they despise Jews. There’s no sugarcoating it.
When someone accuses a prominent Jewish figure, particularly one already hated and disgraced, of being a Mossad operative, it feeds directly into the age-old stereotype of Jews as disloyal and manipulative. Yes, many non-Jews may have harbored these beliefs quietly for years, but now they feel emboldened. It’s not taboo anymore. It’s fashionable.
Carlson, Bannon, Coulter, Posobiec, Owens—they are loudly and openly “concerned” about what “the Jews” (or, in their terms, the “neocons” and “globalists”) are doing to the country.
This attitude was especially apparent during the short-lived war with Iran. These voices raged that American troops were fighting “Netanyahu’s war.” They blamed Netanyahu and his American Jewish allies for dragging Trump into conflict, as if confronting Iran’s nuclear ambitions wasn’t a matter of critical American national interest.
Progressive?!
Now let’s “progress” to the far left, the progressive/socialist camp that has, in recent years, adopted anti-Semitism with pride and without shame.
The election of progressive socialist Zohran Mamdani as the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor was a jarring wake-up call for some, but anyone paying attention should have seen it coming.
These progressives blame Jews and Israel for virtually every global ill. In their worldview, Jews are oppressive colonialists and capitalist thieves who exploit and dispossess the underprivileged. Somehow, Islamists, despite their oppressive ideologies, have been embraced as part of the “oppressed coalition” in need of protection…from the Jews.
Don’t bother trying to understand how progressives reconcile their support for radical Islam with their own values. Their shared hatred of Jews is enough to bind them together.
The most frightening thing about Mamdani isn’t his ideology. It’s that he feels absolutely no need to hide it. He espouses his anti-Semitic views proudly, without fear of backlash.
The New Mainstream: Anti-Semitism
Put simply, anti-Semitism has gone mainstream, both on the left and on the right.
In today’s discourse, you can freely use any code word for Jews—“Zionists,” “neocons,” “capitalists,” “globalists”—and accuse them of draining national resources, starting pointless wars, and controlling the country. Everyone knows who you’re talking about…and no one objects.
Take Chuck Schumer. For all his shortcomings, I believe that he truly cares about Israel and the Jewish people. But now, he must align himself with the Mamdanis of the world and their supporters. And if doing so means sacrificing Israel, then so be it. He may care, but is he willing to give up his position as Senate Minority Leader?
Why Write This Now?
Why am I writing this? Because today is Shivah Assar B’Tammuz and I am reflecting on golus. Once, the Jewish people had a Bais Hamikdosh, and their own sovereignty, military, and commerce. And then, it all crumbled. Things looked stable, until they weren’t.
Who Are We?
Today, we, too, feel secure. We have affluent donors, some of them billionaires. There are roshei yeshiva who visit America for less than two weeks and return with over $100 million for a keren.
We feel like we’re powerful. That we have real influence.
Look at Israel: the army, the navy, the intelligence, the Iron Dome. It’s remarkable. We recognize the siyata diShmaya, the skill, and the incredible achievements.
But let’s be honest. Without American support, Israel would be vulnerable. Without missile defense systems and a steady flow of advanced weaponry, Israel could not maintain its military edge.
That means that if an American president, swayed by the rhetoric of the far right or the far left, decides that Israel is the villain they say it is, everything could change.
I recall a rosh yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel during the Biden administration who made this point clearly. He warned that we are entirely dependent on the United States, and we should not provoke the Biden camp. If they wanted to, they could make things very difficult for us. He was right.
Now imagine a post-Trump America where the MAGA faction that despises Jews rises to power.
We Cannot Take Things for Granted
Even here in America, our freedoms are not guaranteed. We cannot assume that we’ll always be allowed to educate our children as we see fit. The New York State Education Department nearly shut down some frum schools for not meeting “substantial equivalency” standards. Do we think a government filled with Mamdanis and their allies will allow us to continue?
Yes, we are affluent. Yes, we think we have clout. But that can vanish quickly. And the power of the government, when turned against us, is overwhelming.
“In Golus, One Never Knows…”
I’ll end with something I heard from Rav Matisyohu Salomon about twenty years ago, when I had the zechus to accompany him to Russia. We were visiting yeshivos and Jewish schools supported by the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel in the Former Soviet Union.
At one of the yeshivos, Rav Matisyohu spoke about the cycle of golus. He explained how Russia and Poland were once vibrant centers of Yiddishkeit and limud haTorah, until Hitler obliterated it all. Hashem, in His kindness, allowed us to rebuild, primarily in Eretz Yisroel and America.
Rav Matisyohu said, “In golus, one never knows what will come next. It’s possible that we are building yeshivos here in Russia because, one day, we may be forced to leave the countries we now call home. One never knows in golus…”
At the time, I thought he was speaking poetically, maybe even stretching a point. But now? I’m not so sure anymore.
The Three Weeks are upon us. We are still in mourning. We are still in golus. Let us daven for the ultimate geulah and the restoration of Hashem’s malchus in the world.
Because otherwise, who knows where we may end up?
