Liberals have criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of late for not condemning a small group of alleged neo-Nazis who protested outside a conservative conference in Tampa at which the Republican governor spoke.
If the suggestion by the left is that DeSantis is somehow anti-Semitic for not giving these stooges political oxygen, then they should think again – or maybe just try thinking.
No governor – and few U.S. politicians generally – have been as supportive of Jewish causes as DeSantis, as The Free Press has reported in recent months.
One of DeSantis’ first acts as governor in 2019 was to take the Florida Cabinet to Israel for a ceremonial meeting. The purpose of the event was to further cement the relationship between Jerusalem and Tallahassee and to strengthen cultural and economic ties between the two partners.
Last year, DeSantis added $12 million to the state budget to benefit Jewish groups, including $4 million for added security at Jewish schools.
DeSantis was a guest speaker at an event hosted by the Jewish Federations of Florida, a sponsor of which was the Florida Anti-Defamation League.
In his comments, DeSantis said, “We are going to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters and we are absolutely going to stand strong in support of the Florida-Israel relationship. The Legislature and I have worked really hard on a lot of great legislation over the past few years on issues including Holocaust education, anti-BDS legislation, security for synagogues and Jewish day schools, and so much more.”
Last July, the Florida Department of Education for the first time set new standards for the required teaching of the Holocaust in public schools. The governor noted, “We want to make sure our students understand the evils of the Holocaust. You see people throughout the world try to diminish or even reject that the Holocaust even happened.”
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Also a year ago, when the founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream launched into a pro-Palestinian tirade and announced they would stop selling their products in Israel, DeSantis responded by putting the frozen treat-maker and its parent company, Unilever, on a watch list. The move signaled both companies that Florida would divest itself of holdings in them and stop buying their stock.
This month, Unilever said it would sell Ben & Jerry’s in Israel over the objections of its subsidiary. DeSantis called that a “step in the right direction,” but added Unilever is not yet out of the doghouse.
And just last month, the governor addressed the Jewish Leadership Conference in New York City, which had to be relocated because liberals complained about him speaking at the Museum of Jewish Heritage because of his opposition to the LGBTQ agenda being forced onto the state’s youngest schoolchildren.
The irony of those who now want to portray DeSantis as being in league with neo-Nazis because he won’t do what they do – call attention to their moronic behavior – actually support open anti-Semites. That is, the notorious “Squad” in Congress.
Left-wing Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib have been openly, frequently, and casually anti-Semitic in their comments, especially criticizing America’s support for Israel.
All three have supported the radical Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction initiative, which seeks to punish Israel economically as a show of support for Palestinians.
When Congress actually sought to take action against Omar for her bias, the Democratic leadership watered down the resolution condemning her and actually made it about “white supremacy.
But it’s not just the Squad. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia has likened Israel to the former white apartheid government that ran South Africa.
Meanwhile, several prominent Democrats, including Warnock as well as Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and Al Green (D-TX), have been cozy with Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the rabidly anti-Semitic Nation of Islam. The Anti-Defamation League has dubbed Farrakhan “America’s leading anti-Semite.”
Nothing like facts or hypocrisy will stop Democrats and their allies in the liberal media from using the nitwits who used the Turning Point USA youth summit as a photo op as a cudgel to batter DeSantis.
But perhaps voters should make the yardstick used to measure anti-Semitism and who is actively working to promote and protect Jews and the state of Israel, and who is actually trying to hurt them.
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