Republican Leaders Rightly Take Stand Against Local Antisemitism
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
I’m pleased to see local Republican leaders, including assemblymen Matt Slater and Anil Beephan, state Sen. Robert Rolison, Senate candidate Gina Arena and Congressman Mike Lawler, have not shied away from standing up for what’s right. Each has taken a stand against the blatantly antisemitic rhetoric espoused by Carmel school board trustee, Jim Wise, who has unwisely thrown in his lot with left-wing anti-Israel extremists.
I’m less pleased to see that state Sen. Peter Harckham, Assembly candidate Zack Couzens, congressional candidate Mondaire Jones and other elected Democrats have so far refused to take a stand against this. Sen. Harckham even went so far as to uplift and reward Wise for his work with the LGBT community. Trustee Wise evidently does not see the irony of LGBT activists rallying for Palestine; Palestine’s infamous treatment of the LGBT community ranks 190th out of 197 countries.
Congressman Lawler and his colleagues in Congress have already affirmed that “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free” (a phrase Trustee Wise has repeated several times publicly) is an antisemitic slogan promoting the destruction of Israel. Lawler has also introduced and passed the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act through Congress, and Slater has introduced similar legislation on the state level that would likewise combat antisemitism in our state.
It is now incumbent upon local Democrats to join their Republican colleagues and do the right thing. Trustee Wise has been nothing short of defiant, instead claiming that those who take issue with his statements are the real bigots. Harckham should not make the same mistake; in fact, he should immediately rescind the award he gave to Wise and join his colleagues in calling for the state to remove Wise from office over his persistent, dangerous rhetoric.
Adriana Wise
Carmel
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