Following comments by Virginia Del. Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke) – see below for a screenshot of those – charging that Zionism is (supposedly) “evil” and a “supremacist ideology” – there have been a number of responses and statements by Jewish groups (see below for ones from the JCRC of Greater DC and the ADL Washington DC), former VA Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (see below), Sen. Tim Kaine (ditto), and now Abigail Spanberger (ditto).. Also, see here for yesterday’s article in Jewish Insider, which reported:
“Since soon after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Virginia state Del. Sam Rasoul, a Democrat who chairs the Education Committee in the state’s House of Delegates, has used his social media accounts to attack Israel and decry American support for the Jewish state.
But Jewish Democrats in the state fear that a series of recent posts from Rasoul vilifying Zionists has taken his anti-Israel rhetoric to a new level, prompting concerns about his leadership of the committee that is tasked with reviewing the education-related legislation that comes before the statehouse.”
The publication also had a statement from former VA Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, arguing that “Rasoul’s rhetoric is ‘fueling one of the oldest forms of hatred in the world, repackaged in the language of activism.”
Then, this morning, Jewish Insider followed up with another article, which reported that Del. Rasoul “in recent weeks called Zionism ‘evil’ and described it as “a supremacist ideology created to destroy and conquer everything and everyone in its way.'” In response, the Winsome Earle-Sears campaign stated to Jewish Insider, “If [Spanberger] has a shred of moral clarity, she’ll condemn this antisemitism.” The article also had a quote by Sen. Tim Kaine:
“I forcefully reject any claim that Zionism — the desire of Jewish people to have a state of Israel — is inherently racist or evil…Many Zionists in Israel, America and throughout the world are deeply concerned by the suffering of innocent Palestinians.”
So now, per reporter Brandon Jarvis, the Spanberger campaign has also issued a statement about Rasoul’s remarks – see below – which among other things talks about the “heartbreak,” “tragedy,” and “horrors” since October 7, 2023, adding that “one can and must denounce these tragedies without using antisemitic language, whether intentional or not.” The Spanberger campaign statement also points to antisemitic language leading to recent “attacks on peaceful protesters in Colorado and the murder of two Israeli Embassy staff members – as well as a growing, pervasive sense of fear among our Jewish neighbors.”
Which pretty much nails it. Because, the fact is, most American Jews are horrified about what’s going on in Gaza right now, after first being horrified by the vicious, brutal Hamas attacks on Israelis on October 7, 2023, plus Hamas’ horrific treatment of illegally held Israeli hostages since then. Of course, one can (and should, as far as I’m concerned) condemn the way the far-right Israeli government has waged its war on Hamas, call for a ceasefire/the end of the war and massive humanitarian aid, etc, without condemning anyone/everyone who believes in a secure Jewish state (which is presumably the vast majority of Jews around the world). Just as we shouldn’t condemn Palestinians who want their own state, living side by side in peace with Israel (e.g., as opposed to “from the River to the Sea,” which obviously means the destruction of Israel). Of course, we’re certainly not going to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict here in Virginia, but of course a LOT of people care deeply about what’s happening there. And we should all be free to state our views in a way that doesn’t dehumanize, stereotype or dismiss the concerns of other people who also have very strong feelings. And that’s clearly what many Jewish Americans have felt was the case with Del. Rasoul’s remarks…
UPDATE 4:55 pm – See below for an excellent statement by VA State Senator Ghazala Hashmi, the 2025 VA Dems’ LG nominee.
