Although there was little action coming out of the Middle East over the last few days, politicians seemed to have gathered to try to control Israel's existence. Their hatred for Israel has been especially sad, given the level of leaders who seem to want Israel not to defend itself while it is attacked, and they use “Zionism" as if it is a code word that is safe to use while they express their antisemitism.
And be clear, each and all of these are examples of Jew-hatred couched as anti-Israel:
On Wednesday, Zohran Mamdani praised the decision by City Comptroller Brad Lander (who is Jewish) not to resume purchasing Israeli bonds with city employee pension funds. This is the opposite of what Lander campaigned on, and given the size of the investment, it hurts Israel economically in a big way. But apparently not enough for other politicians.
Later in the day, Kamala Harris said that the Biden administration should have acted earlier and more forcefully to curb what she called "the appalling conduct of the Israeli government" in the war in Gaza. Her comment about "appalling conduct" shows that she either honestly doesn't have any idea about the evils of the Arab terrorists posing as "Palestinian freedom fighters” or she is a fraud who actually does know the truth, but is pandering for future Islamic votes. Either way, it is sad and dangerous.
Even more disturbing were the comments of former President Barack Obama in Ireland at a public dialogue event he had with Susan McKay after receiving an honorary doctorate. (Here is the content of his dialogue. There is no transcript as it was a private event.) Obama has also been actively campaigning for one of the most dangerous, Jew-hating, Sharia-law-compliant scoundrels in the public forum, Abdul El-Sayed, the DSA candidate for Michigan senator. But Obama's words in Belfast and the concepts he was clear about should be frightening not just to American Jews, but to all people who recognize the true evil of Oct. 7. And we all need to be aware of the increase in people, like all three of these politicians, who are justifying Hamas' actions. Some of Obama's points are truly despicable:
- Obama said the current Israeli government has ceded moral ground.
- He said that there needs to be a Palestine, that it is incumbent on Israel to recognize that "7 million Palestinians are not going anywhere,” and that Israel "dispossessed" them of their land.
- Obama repeated and propped up the lies of the Jew-haters, saying, "What is also undeniable is that they (Israel) took land off people and they (Israel) were excessive. And those people understandably said, ‘This is injustice and I want my land back.'”
- President Trump was drawing large audiences as he traveled the country to stump for other Republican politicians. And in those speeches, he said some noteworthy statements as well.
CPN reported that the United States is considering using the "Mother of All Bombs" against Iran if President Donald Trump orders renewed attacks on the Islamic Republic before or after the midterm elections. These bombs are the largest non-nuclear bombs in the U.S. arsenal, and weigh 9.7 tons. Using it against Iran for the first time would represent a significant escalation, and it is clearly being considered. And being willing to use these mighty weapons may be why Trump said on Wednesday, "the war against Iran will end very soon. The moment I want it to end, it will happen. They will never have nuclear weapons."
Lots of aggressive language all around. But let us all pray that Jew-hatred ceases as soon as possible and that our nation returns to embracing American Jews as equal patriots, and to returning to the America most of us grew up with: a place of freedom, liberty, and mutual respect for ALL Americans.
Chazak u'Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
October 15, 2026
4 of Tishrei, 5787