Quick Take
Wynn Hausser, a member of Temple Beth El and a lifelong advocate for social and racial justice, responds to a recent Lookout op-ed about the dangers of conflating pro-Palestinian rhetoric with antisemitism. He believes the authors, three Jewish women, are ignoring “the excesses of the anti-Zionist/Free Palestine movement and the consequences of its hateful rhetoric.”
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Well, that didn’t take long. A mere five days after “Addressing antisemitism is vital, but conflating pro-Palestine activism with antisemitism is dangerous” published in Lookout’s opinion pages, its authors’ main argument was shredded by an assassin’s bullet along with the lives of two Israeli embassy staff shot by a “Free Palestine” activist.
Elias Rodriguez (31) is charged with the first-degree murders of Yaron Lischinsky (30) and Sarah Milgrim (26). Rodriguez shouted, “Free Palestine!” when arrested, later telling police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”
We then saw another horrifying antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, that left multiple people injured.
I feel compelled to speak out about the three local authors’ refusal to reflect critically on the excesses of the anti-Zionist/Free Palestine movement and the consequences of its hateful rhetoric. And I can’t ignore their blindness to their own complicity.
The authors’ extremist views align politically with our nation’s far left, which, according to Political Horseshoe Theory, places them closer to the far right than either group is to the rest of us.
Make no mistake, I’m on the left of the political spectrum. But these people are way to the left of me. There’s nothing “woke” about them. While everything I believe in is under attack from the right, I’m having to also fight hate from people like the authors on the Left.
I consider both extremes dangerous.
I decry how the authors placed targets on the backs of Temple Beth El’s rabbis, one of whom is active in the Israeli peace movement. It’s one thing for the rabbis to choose to speak publicly. It’s quite another to put them under a spotlight, easily found by zealots and extremists like Rodriguez.
I call out local groups like the UC People’s Tribunal for Palestine founded by one of the authors. A “people’s tribunal” is nothing more than a lynch mob. “Anti-Zionist” groups distort the meaning of Zionism for their anti-Jewish agenda.
It’s a sad fact that Jews have participated in hateful acts against other Jews throughout human history. So the authors’ MAGLeft stance is more discouraging than surprising. They’re the equivalent of MAGA in their bigotry and hatred of “the other.”
Which brings us to Pajaro Valley Unified School District. The State of California rejected a model ethnic studies curriculum and cut ties with the lead author after she was flagged for antisemitism. The PVUSD board initially rejected both. In 2024, three MAGLeft Pajaro Valley Unified School District board candidates ran and won on the promise of reversing that vote and bringing the rejected curriculum and its author to the district. Other trustees joined them in voting 7-0 in favor. Two trustees made antisemitic public comments justifying their votes. Only one reached out to the Jewish community in the aftermath seeking to learn why her words were hurtful.
I support ethnic studies. But I am horrified by the lack of empathy and compassion shown by PVUSD trustees and their supporters — including the op-ed’s authors — for the mental health and wellness of impressionable Jewish adolescents (plus teachers and staff).
Imagine standing in their shoes during “Jew Week.” Imagine being told in front of classmates that your people are exploitative colonizers without the context of how Jews have been victims of oppression for millennia. Imagine the antisemitic bullying you’d face. Can you imagine the effect it would have on you? Now add hormones and still-forming brains.
In short, Jewish children will now attend school where hatred for them and their culture is woven into the very fabric of the district. That’s what the authors support.
Their comments on Pajaro Valley Pride also demonstrate the authors’ myopic worldview. They don’t even consider that all Jews in attendance at the awards ceremony they describe felt safe because all of us who feel unsafe stay away.
I’ve watched MAGLeft infiltrate and bring their intolerant attitudes to groups across my life. The moment I enter a space with them I’m labeled a colonizer, regardless of when and why my family came to this country. The moment they see the jewelry I wear, I’m subjected to a Jewish litmus test. The moment I say I’m bisexual, I’m called queer, a label I reject. I don’t feel safe in their presence.
Speaking of Pride, last year, Santa Cruz Pride banned law enforcement from participating (it backtracked this year). That didn’t affect me personally, but I have friends who were affected. How long until I’m asked to sign a loyalty oath on Palestine just to participate in Pride events, here and elsewhere?
Make no mistake. I weep for those trapped in Gaza — especially the children. I’m appalled by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its reprehensible actions staining the State of Israel. I’m appalled by Hamas’ hateful reign of terror. I stand with those working for a lasting peace that stops the genocide and affirms and respects the humanity, dignity, and rights of all.
But I cannot — I will not — stay silent while members of MAGLeft demonstrate their commonality with Trump and MAGA.
Yes, using charges of antisemitism as a weapon is dangerous, as the Trump administration is doing as cover for its attack on academic research and freedom.
But denying the antisemitism and hate that is driving the loudest pro-Palestine activism is equally dangerous. As is the authors’ willful blindness as they stand in opposition to Jews like me.
Wynn Hausser is a Jewish liberal Democrat and lifelong advocate for social and racial justice. A Santa Cruz resident since 2017 and a member of Temple Beth El, he is self-employed as a nonprofit communication consultant. His views are his own.