(Demonstrators pack the lobby of Trump Tower on March 13, 2025, in protest of the Trump administration's detaining of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. Gerard Dalbon/Jewish Voice for Peace)
In what appears to be an episode of Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone, the Trump Administration, the most bigoted and antisemitic administration in modern history, would have the world believe that it is detaining and deporting Palestinian activists, cracking down on immigrants, and defunding colleges because it cares deeply about combatting antisemitism. This is like an arsonist who sets fire to a home and then rallies the crowd for the city to have better infrastructure.
It’s the upside down, but this is what happens in authoritarian regimes who traffic in lies, conspiracies, and use and abuse the most marginalized communities as a divide and conquer technique to assume power.
On Friday, The Justice Department said it would examine whether student protests at Columbia University against Israel’s war and occupation violated federal terrorism laws. Earlier this week, Trump said he’ll label violence against Tesla dealerships - and only Tesla dealerships - as acts of domestic terrorism. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, is still being detained in Louisiana with zero criminal charges or evidence that he supports Hamas. A Palestinian student activist at Columbia, Leqaa Kordia, was also arrested by ICE for immigration violations, and another student, Ranjani Srinivasan, self-deported to Canada after having her F-1 visa revoked. Columbia just expelled Grant Miner, president of the Student Workers of Columbia, without any evidence for his role in the protests.
To recap, if you wear a MAGA hat and try to overthrow a free and fair election, you’ll not only be pardoned by Donald Trump, but you’ll also be hailed a hero and a patriot. If you are a white nationalist leader, like Nick Fuentes, and praise Hitler, then Donald Trump will dine with you and refuse to condemn you. If you’re part of the gang of neo-Nazis and racists who assembled at Charlottesville and chanted, “The Jews will not replace us,” then you’re “very fine people.” Also, Musk doing Nazi salutes is perfectly fine when you’re the richest man on Earth who gives $290 million to the Trump campaign.
For some pro-Israel groups, like the ADL, or Bari Weiss’s outlet, The Free Press, students peacefully protesting Israel is a bigger threat than actual Nazis, white supremacists, or an Administration that promote anti-semitic conspiracies that has resulted in terrorism and violence against Jewish communities. They seem perfectly fine with Jews being used as battering rams against Palestinians and public universities. Thankfully, they are outliers with many Jewish leaders and groups speaking out and criticizing the Trump Administration cynically using their community to detain and punish activists and immigrants.
In this Chai Talk, I discuss this fraught moment with my friend Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and former Executive Director of Integrity First for America, which won a lawsuit against the white supremacists who were responsible for the Charlottesville violence. Amy and I have spent the past year and a half giving several talks across the nation trying to warn America about how a Trump Administration would mainstream and weaponize hate to divide our communities and advance a right-wing authoritarian agenda. Although we have our disagreements on Israel, Amy and I often find ourselves in agreement with how this right-wing hate has become intersectional, global, and will negatively impact our communities and democracy.
Give us a watch!
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