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Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Glennon Doyle's antisemitic posts have no place at pride. Reconsider, Nashville
In Nashville — a city I love and call home — Pride Month is supposed to be a celebration of inclusion, safety and truth. Instead, Music City is platforming ignorance and hate. Glennon Doyle, a best-selling author and social media icon with millions of followers, was recently named Grand Marshal of Nashville Pride. This honor is meant to reflect the highest values of the LGBTQ+ community. But Doyle's platform has become a megaphone amplifying disinformation that endangers Jews — and distorts the truth about Israel. On May 16th, Doyle posted on Instagram: 'For the love of all humanity: FREE PALESTINE.' Four days later, she reposted a viral claim — since retracted by the United Nations — that 14,000 babies in Gaza had 'less than 48 hours to live.' She closed her caption again with the words: 'Free Palestine' Let's stop pretending this is harmless. On May 25th in Washington, D.C., two young people — Sarah Milgrim, a Jewish woman, and Yaron Lischinsky, a Christian Israeli man — were targeted and murdered at a Jewish peace event. The gathering, hosted by the American Jewish Committee and attended by Israeli embassy staff and young American delegates, focused on humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians. After pulling the trigger, the shooter shouted: 'Free Palestine.' On June 1st in Boulder, Colorado, another violent attack took place. Molotov cocktails were hurled at Jews in broad daylight — including a Holocaust survivor. The assailant screamed 'Free Palestine' as he lit Jewish bodies on fire. Let's be clear: 'Free Palestine' — a political slogan tied to the Iranian-backed BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement — is doing exactly what it was designed to do: morph into an open call for violence. More: A surge in antisemitism on campuses is changing how Jewish students pick universities These are not innocent reposts. These are narratives that demonize Jews, erase Zionism, call for the destruction of Israel and undermine American values. From Instagram captions to the final words of murderers, this is no longer just a chant. It's a weapon. And this isn't just a Jewish problem. This is an American problem. Islamist radicalization — fueled by online propaganda, spread through campus activism and now cloaked in the language of influencer 'empathy' — is here. And it is deadly. The irony is hard to ignore: Doyle champions a cause whose militant factions would criminalize her very existence as a gay woman — an identity that, in most all of these regimes, is punishable by death. Yet whether knowingly or not, she continues to echo slogans rooted in movements hostile to LGBTQ+ rights and women's freedoms. I write this not just as a Jew, but as a Nashvillian. I recently returned from a post-war delegate mission to Israel, my third since the war. I've walked through the ashes of October 7th. I've spoken to survivors. I've embraced released hostages. I've met with those on the physical front lines of this conflict as well as foreign ambassadors brokering solutions. I've attended foreign-policy conferences focused on peace and accountability. And I've seen how disinformation spreads online before the truth can take a breath. What Doyle may see as compassion is functioning as accelerant — fueling age-old antisemitic tropes and justifying hate on American soil. Her followers are not extremists. They're American women, moms, activists, authors, dreamers and influencers — many of whom now echo phrases like 'genocide,' 'apartheid' and 'settler-colonialism' without context, education or accountability. This isn't empathy. It's a polished, pastel-wrapped form of hate — and it's metastasizing. More: Nashville Jewish community reflects on Israel support since Oct. 7, rallies for road ahead It flattens geopolitical complexity into clickbait and repackages extremism as virtue. It radicalizes soccer moms in yoga pants, sipping green juice and posting 'sham spirituality' between affiliate links while chanting BDS slogans they don't understand. Chief among them: 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' — a call for the erasure of Israel and the Jewish people. Worse, it's being celebrated. Instead of confronting the harm Doyle's posts have caused, Nashville is rewarding her with the Grand Marshal title — a role that symbolizes community trust, visibility and shared values. We know false claims travel faster than truth. And their damage lingers. Nearly 70% of people still believe misinformation even after it's been debunked. And nearly half the world's population — 46%, according to the ADL — harbors antisemitic views. In this climate, elevating someone like Doyle isn't just irresponsible. It's reckless. Jewish safety is everyone's safety. What begins with the Jews never ends with us. A society that tolerates antisemitism invites violence, radicalization and collapse — for all. This isn't a call to cancel. It's a call to wake up. Doyle must take responsibility. She must meet with Jewish leaders, learn the truth behind the slogans she's amplified and publicly acknowledge the damage done. Silence is complicity. Influence is never neutral. And Nashville Pride must reconsider its decision. You cannot fight for one group's dignity by standing on the neck of another. You cannot celebrate love while platforming hate. Let this be a moment of intellectual courage and civic clarity. Because when slogans become weapons and lies go viral, our only defense is truth. And who we choose to elevate reveals who we are. Alyssa Rosenheck is a bestselling author and photographer who uses her lens to advocate for our collective home. Through her forthcoming book, White. Blonde. Jew. (Spring 2026), and firsthand insights from post-war delegations to Israel, she confronts modern antisemitism while inspiring truth-tellers and cultural clarity. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Pride Grand Marshal Doyle is complicit in hate | Opinion
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shooting of Israeli embassy staffers underscores US ‘era of violent populism'
The killing of two staff of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC comes as the war in Gaza has splintered the American body politic alongside the ongoing rise in political violence. A shooter, identified as Elias Rodriguez, shot the two people, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, outside the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday after they left an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee. Rodriguez reportedly chanted 'free, free Palestine' while being detained by security. This is the latest act of violence in a string of incidents that have affected Jewish, Arab and Muslim communities in the US. A man in Illinois attacked a six-year-old and his mother, both Palestinian American, and killed the boy in 2023 soon after Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel, and three Palestinian students were shot in Vermont in November 2023. Reports of antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism have soared since the war began. But an uptick in violence is not uniquely associated with the war in Gaza. It's a feature of this 'era of violent populism', said Robert Pape, director of the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats. Between assassination attempts on Donald Trump, ongoing threats of violence against a wide swath of government officials including judges, and an arson attack against the Pennsylvania governor, Wednesday's shooting was not one that happened in isolation. 'This is a chronic illness in our country,' Pape said. 'This is not a set of isolated events.' People who commit acts of political violence often believe they will be celebrated by some portion of the public that supports the same goals, he said. The alleged killer's supposed manifesto nods at this. 'They think about how they want to be perceived and what they want the news to be saying about them afterwards,' said Liliana Mason, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University. 'And it's a very kind of self-oriented set of motivations.' 'We know that this guy screamed Free Palestine. He probably thought that he was doing something political. But also, there are plenty of people who think we should free Palestine, who are not going to go murder a couple people.' A small portion of the pro-Palestinian movement has formally embraced the language of armed resistance, but the vast majority of those protesting against the war have been non-violent. In the day since the shooting, condemnations have come from all sides of the political spectrum, including from politicians who have opposed US involvement in the war and joined pro-Palestinian protests. It also sparked a debate over the distinction between antisemitism and anti-Israel political violence, in part because it remains unclear what the perpetrator knew about his victims. 'My heart breaks for the loved ones of the victims of last night's attack in DC,' said Rashida Tlaib, a congresswoman who is Palestinian American. 'Nobody deserves such terrible violence. Everyone in our communities deserves to live in safety and in peace.' Trump offered condolences to the loved ones of the couple killed in the attack. 'These horrible DC killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!' he wrote on Truth Social. 'Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.' Jews in the US have said it is another example of the menace they are facing as people protest against the war. Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania whose residence was the target of an antisemitic arson earlier this year, said he was 'heartbroken and horrified' by the attack. 'May their memories be a blessing and a call to action for each of us,' he wrote on social media. A writer in the conservative Jewish publication Commentary wrote that Jewish institutions would quickly work to increase security and that 'Jews will be arming ourselves'. Pape's surveys have tracked a growing acceptance of using violence to achieve political goals across the political spectrum. A poll he conducted in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League in spring 2023, before the Gaza war began, found that Americans who are highly antisemitic were three times more likely to support violence to achieve political aims than the general population. (The Anti-Defamation League is known for tracking antisemitism, but its methods have come under scrutiny for conflating antisemitism and anti-Zionism.) But the killings also show that the US is a 'tinderbox' and that political violence is a slippery slope, said Pape. People tend to compartmentalize political violence – if there's an act of violence against Jews, it's only a Jewish issue, the thinking goes, he said. But violence tends to beget more violence, and more acceptance of violence. His surveys in 2024 found increasing support for violence against Trump alongside support for violence in favor of Trump, stemming in part from a belief that the electoral and political systems won't address their grievances. 'The more political violence there is against Trump, the more there will be political violence against Democratic leaders like Josh Shapiro,' Pape said. 'The more there's political violence against Josh Shapiro, the more there will be antisemitic political violence. These are not compartmentalized issues.' Meanwhile, it's not only those in the Jewish and Palestinian communities who are being affected, but also those who have taken part in demonstrations associated with the war in Gaza. Police have used force against protesters on campuses and off, seeking to quash the mass movements that have sprung up around the globe. Thousands of students have been arrested, suspended, kicked out of colleges, lost financial aid, had their degrees withheld. Others who were in the US on visas have seen their immigration threatened and face deportation. The killings in Washington will probably lead to further crackdowns by the Trump administration on the pro-Palestinian cause. Pape's most recent survey, earlier this month, showed 39% of Democrats agreed that using force was justified to remove Trump from office and that only 44% of Republicans opposed Trump using the US military to stop protests. 'We can sleepwalk into martial law pretty easily,' Pape warned.
Fox News
04-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Antisemitic violence erupts in America as some invoke intifada and target Jews
Vitriolic antisemitic violence – driven by hate and ignorance – is becoming commonplace in American society, and far more must be done to confront it. Within the past two weeks, two cowardly criminal acts of violence aimed at Jews occurred within the "safety" of our borders. On June 1, 2025, a group of Americans in Colorado were attacked while marching to raise awareness about hostages held by Hamas for the last 20 months. Twelve Americans, including one who is reportedly a Holocaust survivor, were wounded when Mohamed Soliman targeted them with a makeshift flamethrower and incendiary devices while yelling "Free Palestine." On May 21, 2025, two young Israeli Embassy staff members were fatally shot outside a Jewish museum in our nation's capital. The victims – a man and a woman who were planning to get engaged the following week – were attending a "Young Diplomats Reception" hosted by the American Jewish Committee when Elias Rodriguez, shouting "Free Palestine," shot the two of them 21 times. Tragically, there is nothing new about Jew-hatred. For millennia, Jews have been targeted with false accusations of greed, deicide and dual loyalty – just to name a few. Unfortunately, we are now witnessing the rise of a new trend of antisemitism that ironically appeared shortly after Hamas' terror attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. On that day, Hamas – a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization – crossed into Israeli territory and murdered 1,200 innocent victims and abducted 251 others. Fifty-eight of those abductees remain in Hamas captivity today. Forty-five of those killed and 12 of those abducted were American. Four of the Americans abducted were already dead when their bodies were taken hostage – and their bodies remain in Hamas captivity to this day. After Oct. 7, antisemitic rhetoric and acts of violence throughout the world increased dramatically, and American Jews have not been spared from experiencing this horrific trend. Statistics from the Anti-Defamation League show antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached over 10,000 from October 2023 to September 2024. This is an increase of more than 200% in the year immediately following the tragedy of Oct. 7. In both recent attacks, the attackers shouted, "Free Palestine." According to witnesses at the scene of the murder in Washington, D.C., the attacker also shouted, "There is only one solution, intifada revolution." Encouraged by some university faculty members and praised by Hamas and Iran, thousands of American students have been chanting these exact phrases at protests and rallies on campuses across the country since Oct. 8, 2023. For many, these chants are not innocuous calls for Palestinian self-determination or a vision for a two-state solution. For some, the chant "Free Palestine" promotes the idea that the entire country of Israel should be only a Palestinian state, free of Jews – a call for genocide. The chant, "There is only one solution, intifada revolution," glorifies violence, as it refers to the first and second intifadas – or uprisings – in Israel and the West Bank/Gaza in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, when hundreds of terror attacks, including suicide bombings, resulted in thousands of civilian casualties for both Israelis and Palestinians. This chant implies a call for this type of violence to reoccur, targeting Israelis and Jews everywhere. President Donald Trump has vowed to combat antisemitism and has demonstrated his commitment by signing multiple executive orders, cutting federal funding to universities that fail to address campus antisemitism, deporting visa holders who are engaged in antisemitic activity and creating a multi-agency task force to combat the issue. After two recent shocking examples of post-Oct. 7 acts of antisemitic violence here at home, clearly more needs to be done to combat antisemitism in America. Hatred, lies and threats are rampant on social media and tech companies have an obligation to do more to ensure users comply with online terms of service. Law enforcement must be trained to understand symbols and phrases that are dog whistles for antisemitic violence. Hate speech is protected speech, but incitement to imminent violence cannot be ignored. Universities must ensure both students and faculty comply with campus policies regarding antisemitism – and they must be held accountable. Urgent action is needed – a much brighter spotlight must be aimed at the antisemitic poison flooding into our society. Jews in America fear what will happen next. They continue to ask why they are being targeted simply for being Jews. Is this any way for an American citizen – or a citizen of any country – to live?
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Suspect in shooting outside Jewish museum in DC faces local, federal charges: What we know
The suspect in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy workers outside a Jewish museum in the nation's capital faces charges of murder from both the federal government and D.C. accusing him of firing at close range even as one tried to get away. The May 21 shooting of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his girlfriend Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, outside the Capital Jewish Museum has drawn universal condemnation from politicians and civil rights leaders, with Attorney General Pam Bondi calling it an antisemitic act of violence. Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, was arrested after the shooting and on May 22 charged in D.C. with two counts of first-degree murder, and with federal counts of murdering foreign officials and firearm offenses. Upon arrest, Rodriguez allegedly said he "did it for Palestine." "We are going to continue to investigate this as a hate crime and as a crime of terrorism," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro told reporters. In court on May 22 for his first appearance, Rodriguez waived his right to a detention hearing. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 18. It wasn't clear if Rodriguez had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Here's what we know about the shooting: Lischinsky and Milgrim were shot while they were leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee at the museum on May 21 at about 9 p.m. According to an affidavit in the criminal complaint against Rodriguez, he was seen on surveillance video outside the museum walking across the street toward the museum. The victims were standing outside, preparing to enter a crosswalk. Rodriguez walked passed the victims and two other people, then turned to face the victims' backs and fired several times at them, the affidavit said. The victims fell to the ground, and Rodriguez then went closer to them. Milgrim was seen on the footage trying to crawl away, and he shot her several more times, the affidavit said. Rodriguez then jogged away. A witness told investigators they saw Rodriguez make a throwing motion after the shooting, and a firearm was located in that area. After the shooting, Rodriguez entered the museum, where people inside spoke with him, unaware he was a suspect. He was detained by event security inside, officials previously said. Lischinsky and Milgrim were both employees at the Israeli embassy, and were days away from getting engaged, according to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter. Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen and an "official guest" of the United States. The two were working to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, according to advocacy groups with which they were involved. Lischinsky was a research assistant for Middle East and North African affairs at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., according to his LinkedIn. Milgrim worked at the Israeli embassy since November 2023, according to her LinkedIn profile, which said her "passion lies at the intersection of peacebuilding, religious engagement, and environmental work." Sarah Milgrim remembered: Shooting victim was 'a light' who fought antisemitism Milgrim's friend, Ayelet Razin, told USA TODAY she was dedicated to fighting antisemitism and called her "a light and an enlightened person," someone whose presence could instantly lift the people around her. "That was her most powerful armor: her wit, her intelligence, and her maturity," Razin said. While he was detained, Rodriguez shouted "Free, free Palestine," video of him being escorted out of the museum shows. "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza," he told investigators, according to the affidavit. He also allegedly expressed admiration for a person who set themselves on fire outside the Israeli embassy in February 2024, calling the person a "martyr," the affidavit said. Rodriguez flew from Chicago to Washington, D.C., on May 20, according to the affidavit. He brought a firearm with him in his checked luggage. The gun used at the shooting was a 9mm handgun purchased in Illinois in March 2020. Rodriguez was born and raised in Chicago and attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, a biography accessed through the Internet Archive from the website for the nonprofit the History Makers said. He worked there as an oral history researcher, according to his LinkedIn account. At the time of the shooting he was working for the American Osteopathic Information Association, the group confirmed in a statement. Contributing: John Bacon, Thao Nguyen, Jorge L. Ortiz and Melina Khan, USA TODAY; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DC shooting suspect faces local, federal charges: What we know
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
People react to Israeli embassy shooting: It's 'the definition of antisemitism'
WASHINGTON – Sarah Remes prepared herself for the sight of yellow caution tape and blinking police lights on her walk to work the morning of May 22. It didn't help. She burst into tears anyway. At about 9 p.m. the night before, steps away from where Remes walked, two Israeli embassy staff members were fatally shot while exiting the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum. Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, had been leaving the American Jewish Committee's annual Young Diplomats reception. The murder suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, allegedly chanted "Free Palestine, Free Palestine.' Police are still investigating the motive behind the crime. More: 'Senseless hate': 2 Israeli embassy staffers fatally shot at Jewish event: Live updates But for Remes, who describes herself as a 'culturally observant jew,' the shock of seeing the crime scene this morning crystalized a terrifying thought: 'two people had been murdered because they were Jewish,' she said. Most people USA TODAY spoke to near the Capitol Jewish Museum expressed similar fear. They said the killings sparked a mix of anger, pain and sadness. Some said the murders highlighted the need for more nuanced discussions about antisemitism in the United States and the ongoing Israeli Palestinian conflict. Since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Remes' said the sight of the Capital Jewish Museum on her near-daily walks has served as a reminder of community. Its presence, she said, gave her relief. 'Like many Jewish Americans, we have buried in our DNA this idea that (expletive)could hit the fan at any time,' Remes, 41, told USA TODAY. 'The events of Oct. 7 brought that to the forefront for me and for a lot of people.' The shooting shattered any sense of safety she felt. 'Do I now have to be scared if I go there, or any other Jewish space? The answer is yes,' she wrote in a post on Facebook. A self-described critic of the Israeli government's actions in Gaza and Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, Remes said the murders have also confirmed her deep-seeded concerns about the black-and-white way people discuss the conflict. 'Some people have conflated criticism of Israel with antisemitism, and I think it is very possible and very legitimate to criticize Israel and the positions of the Israeli government, and that doing so is not in and of itself, antisemitic,' she said over the phone. 'But killing people because they are Jewish, even if you are acting out of an anger about the Israeli government's actions … is the definition of antisemitism,' Reme added. Others milling around the security perimeter near the Capitol Jewish Museum expressed similar concerns. Anna Beth Havenar, 31, had just arrived at her hotel in Washington last night from Atlanta, with her friend, Mariah Charnock, 38, for a girl's vacation when their phones began blowing up with messages from friends asking if they were safe. The pair work for a Jewish-Christian bridge building organization, though neither of them is Jewish. Their visit to the nation's capital was a consolation prize, after a trip they planned to Israel was cancelled due to Houthi missile strikes. Havenar lived in the region for several years and said she has friends who live in both Israel and Gaza. 'My mom texted me this morning. She's like, I can't believe like, you couldn't go to Israel because of violence, and you went to D.C. instead, and now look what happened,' Havenar said. The AJC's Young Diplomats event, which was themed around turning pain into purpose and addressing humanitarian crises, would have been right up their alley, Charnock said. Havenar lived in the region for several years and said she has friends who live in Israel and Gaza. 'It's really sad, and my heart's broken,' Havenar said. 'People don't understand that you can absolutely have compassion and seek justice and long for that without demonizing one side.' Nissimmi Naim Naor, 41, stood by the caution tape staring at the scene for more than half an hour. A rabbi from Jerusalem, Naim Naor had been visiting cities along the east coast of the United States for about a week to teach workshops. He said he walked the streets of Washington, D.C. last night, and heard about the shooting when he got to his hotel room. 'I just felt like I had to come,' he said of the site of the shooting. 'I'd like to remind the Jewish community in the U.S. how our hearts are open with them, and how much we feel the same way they felt on Oct. 7,' he said. 'It was important to me to come here to show this, to tell them that we're standing with them.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Definition of antisemitism:' People react to Israeli embassy shooting
