Tuesday's elections moved a number of raging antisemites closer to becoming governmental officials. Most especially, it is still not clear if Spencer Pratt (30.4% of the vote at 4 a.m.) will be in a runoff with Karen Bass (34.8%) to become the new Mayor of Los Angeles, or if it will be Nithya Raman (22.3%) who has been dubbed "L.A.'s Mamdani,” and repeatedly demonstrated her hatred for Jews and Israel for years, and continues to call Israel "genocidal.” The other Islamic candidate for mayor, Assad Alnajjar, received 0.6% of the vote and was eliminated. I did not want to speak about it prior to the election out of respect for a friend that I care deeply about working with Alnajjar's campaign, but I had a 2-hour private conversation with Assad months ago, and his comments to me (which I taped with his permission) were beyond disturbing.
Sadly, Adam Hamawi also moved forward as the Democratic nominee for New Jersey's 12th District, basing much of his campaign on his commitment to having a full embargo on Israel. Hamawi, an Egyptian, was close to the blind Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted of his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and testified on his behalf during the trial; he received over $1.5 million from outside "Palestinian" groups and was endorsed by Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders.
The tallies are not all in nationwide, but what is clear is that there were many Muslim candidates around the country running on an anti-Israel/pro-Islamic platform, and they received significantly more support than could have been imagined even a decade ago.
Donald Trump is continuing to say that a ceasefire deal with Iran is coming, and even said on Tuesday that he expects to be meeting with the Ayatollah in the future. But Iranian officials were clear that "Americans only understand the language of missiles,” and that Iran's attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait on Tuesday were because of those nations allowing U.S. bases in their countries." The rulers of Kuwait and Bahrain bear responsibility for last night's actions. Any country that allows attacking parties to use its land, sea, and airspace or facilities and bases located on its territory to carry out or support military aggression against Iran violates the fundamental rules of international law and the principle of good neighborliness." Iran keeps expressing its hatred for America, and the U.S. keeps trying diplomacy.
All of this may seem like bad news, and a friend actually said that these daily missives seem dark and gloomy. But the truth is the exact opposite. All of these dark events are only part of the story, which is guaranteed to have a happy ending.
I have no doubt that God will always keep His covenant, and that these new waves of Jew-hatred that we see are serving a purpose. The Jew-hatred has been there for a very long time, but hiding in the shadows as it was unpopular to admit in the decades immediately following the Holocaust. But it was there. Hidden.
This new wave of Jew-hatred has allowed all people of faith to see who these haters really are. Almost three years ago, I was attacked for publicly calling out in writing both Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson as antisemites. Now, the world sees them for the crazies they have always been. While Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been the largest university donors for years, only recently have people recognized the dangers of that as they saw the riots and threats that have been taking place on university campuses around the country over the last few years, with Jewish students even at UCLA and Columbia being attacked. Over a decade ago, CAIR was promoting American Muslims to offer scholarships to Islamic students who were educated in Sharia Law in Egypt with the stated intention of pushing an extremist Islamic agenda into politics, and now we see things like AB2017 and the election of Mamdani as the result.
The hatred not only for Jews but for all of Western culture is now being seen by Americans. While some, like Carlson, Owen, and Fuentes, are supporting it under the claim that this hatred is "pro-American,” most people are seeing the truth: that this hatred, like all bigotry and hatred, is antithetical to America and to Jewish and Christian values. As Pastor Jack Hibbs said (based on Christian scriptural texts and verses), it is impossible to actually be a Christian and not support Israel.
So while all of these disturbing events are happening, both domestically and around the world, there is a great deal to be optimistic and hopeful about. The antisemites are being revealed, and so can be rejected by America at large. Like shining a light that exposes cockroaches that are hidden, what we are seeing in the world is exposing the darkness and allowing it to be combated.
And it is being exposed and fought. On Tuesday, Israel refused entry into the country to Jew-hating icon Linda Sarsour. Sec. Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday that all members of the Iranian delegation to the World Cup will be examined, and if they are supportive of the Iranian regime and the IRGC, they will not be allowed into this country. This past week, Cenk Uygur, founder of the show "The Young Turks" and a huge anti-Semite with over a million devoted followers, was denied entry into England. These actions would not have happened even five years ago and are demonstrations that the world is starting to wake up to these antisemites, to the dangers of Islamic extremism as demonstrated by the Iranian regime, and to the reality that hatred should be rejected by all human beings.
We need to remember that the majority of Americans, and Western Culture, are neither Judeophiles nor antisemites. The majority of people are "a-semites,” they have no real opinion one way or the other about Jews or Israel. According to Gallup, in 2003, only 9% of Americans viewed antisemitism as a problem. Now that number is "nearly half of Americans.” 57% of Americans viewed antisemitism as a "very or somewhat serious problem.” That number is now 81%. And the percentage of Americans saying antisemitism is “not much of a problem” has shrunk from 30% to 10%. The darkness of hate that we are experiencing is actually causing a radical shift in our culture's entire outlook.
And that is great news and a true hopeful sign for the future of our children.
Like the plagues in ancient Egypt that were so painful at the time but led to freedom and joy, these modern plagues of anti-semitism and attacks on Israel are profoundly painful, but they too will lead us to a more ecstatic joy, harmony in the world, and true peace between Jew and Christian, and between Israel, America, and the world.
We are in the midst of the movie, and it may seem dark, but the show isn't over yet. And this movie will have a happy ending, greater than most of us can even conceive.
If you want to get through this dark part quicker, then combine faith and action. Prayer and acts of charity and loving kindness.
Even more than "hope,” let us strive to believe in perfect faith that this darkness is part of the journey, but not the destination.
Chazak u'Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
June 3, 2026
18th of Sivan, 5786
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy PJ Media's conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member