Democratic Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice leaves party over antisemitism.

[RandySF]

Link to tweet

?s=20

@StephenJ_Caruso
Inbox: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht, first elected as a Democrat in 2015 and retained last year, says in a statement he is "no longer registered within any political party," because "acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common" in the Democratic Party.

[Johonny]

1. Sadly its on the rise in the country as a whole

And many can't separate Israel the country from the Jewish religion...

[Ars Longa]

16. I am in group # 2 of your observation:

The Gaza & Lebanon bombings by Netanyahu, and the Israeli Far-Right-Likud/IDF
over these last 2 years (with our bombs and $) is creating a LOT of Anti-Semitic
sentiment right here in America!! Especially among young people!
I am quite able to separate the Jewish Faith and regular Jewish
citizens, here and in Israel -from the Netanyahu/IDF Regime.

Increasingly, A lot of Americans now, are NOT making that distinction!!

[markpkessinger]

22. That's where I am also . . .

. . . but I find myself often in conflict with people from both of the other groups. For example, I have a number of Jewish friends (I live in NYC, so it would be rather odd if I didn't), who have a variety of opinions about the war in Gaza. Among them, there is one in particular -- a close, long-time friend who is a 47--year-old, gay, culturally Jewish but religiously secular Jew (I am a 65-year-old, gay WASP). But for him, this issue triggers him like nothing I've seen. I've shown him credible reporting from reputable sources (some of it even from Israeli sources. He dismisses all of it as anti-Semitic propaganda; yet he seems to be willing to believe any and every defense anyone offers of Israel and its conduct. He insists that anyone who believes any of the reporting on Israel's objectionable conduct is merely a dupe of a vast, pro-Palestinian conspiracy to defame Israel. It's really remarkable, because on any other topic, he thinks critically and has a healthy degree of skepticism. But not on this topic.

At the same time, I see, particularly from younger progressives (and I consider myself to be a progressive) an increasing unwillingness to even defend Israel's right to exist. While I concede there were problems surrounding the formation of Israel, I also acknowledge what gave rise to its formation -- not just the Holocaust, but the centuries of persecution that had forced Jews to leave one country after another. But some of the hardcore, younger supporters, including on the left, are unwilling to acknowledge the validity of any of those considerations, and some come dangerously close to outright holocaust denialism.

The extremes of both groups seem to want to deny the full complexity of the problem, and try their level best to make it seem like there is no middle ground at all.

[JohnQFunk]

2. Judge Wecht, meet Nick Fuentes & the Groyper wing of the GOP...

… there's your antisemitism, sport, yet not one blessed word out of you about them. Go Vance yourself.

[RandySF]

3. He didn't register Republican.

And there's rising antisemitism on the left that I've spoken out on.

[Cha]

5. No. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht

Is not registered to any party. It's in the OP.

[pcdb]

9. Fuentes is now endorsing democrats...

[Cha]

4. Oh No... there are many of us who

are Not Anti-Semitic.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht obviously feels it at a strong level

We here on DU read reports of Anti-Semitism from all over the world.

[Mad_Machine76]

6. He is "Fettermanning" us

For the umpteenth time: Opposition to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements, killing of innocent Palestinians or support of the Palestinian people (who are NOT Hamas) is NOT "antisemitism." There are some fringe elements on the left that take this to the extreme, of course, however, the Democratic Party does not support the extremists and condemns them (i.e. Hasan Piker). Of course, there are plenty in the Republican Party who *are* openly antisemitic AND platformed by the Republican Party. I don't understand where people like Fetterman and this Judge are getting the idea that it's the Democratic Party that has become a hotbed of antisemitism????

[RandySF]

7. I'm sure it doesn't feel that way

when candidates hang out with an influencer who calls Orthodox Jews “inbred”.

[Whiskeytide]

10. That's the least of his offensive rhetoric. But what ...

… candidates have hung out with him?

[RandySF]

12. Here is what I'm aware of...

Cori Bush, Graham Platner, Abdul El-Sayaad, Saikat Chakrabarti, Ro Khanna, Zohran Mamdani, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Chris Rabb.

[Whiskeytide]

15. Thanks for that info. n/t

[Mad_Machine76]

11. How many Democratic candidates, though?

Is this a widespread Party issue? I feel like maybe he is grossly exaggerating the issue.

[RandySF]

13. That I know of.

Cori Bush, Graham Platner, Abdul El-Sayaad, Saikat Chakrabarti, Ro Khanna, Zohran Mamdani, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Chris Rabb.

[JBTaurus83]

8. Exactly

Not sure what he wants the Democratic Party to do about this exactly. I’d love to hear some specific policy requests from him. My guess is he’s an AIPAC type and he’s butt hurt that a lot of Dems don’t like what Israel is doing.

[Initech]

19. We're not antisemitic. We're anti-Netanyahu. Big fucking difference.

Netanyahu is one evil POS.

[RandySF]

20. That point doesn't make it across

when business are vandalized, synagogues are picketed and candidates campaign with someone who says he doesn't care about rapes on Oct 7.

[Eko]

21. More info.

Wecht has been active in Jewish affairs since childhood, when he was a member of the ZOA’s youth group, called Masada. He has been to Israel 11 times, and was the chair of the pro-Israel group Yale Friends of Israel when he was an undergrad at the Ivy League school. Wecht also graduated from the Yale Law School. He was an active member of AIPAC until he took the bench in 2003 on the Court of Common Pleas, where he sat for nearly nine years before his election to the Superior Court.
https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/jewish-community-represented-on-judicial-ballots/

Altman has accused college activists protesting Israel’s reaction to Hamas’ October 2023 attack of being “brainwashed.”


https://whyy.org/articles/pennsylvania-supreme-court-justice-david-wecht-leaves-democratic-party-antisemitism/