On August 25, 2020, the Jewish Voters League of America (JVLA) hosted a Zoom Question and Answer videoconference with United States Congressman Max Rose (D, NY-11) to discuss the recent uptick in antisimitic and hate crimes across the country. Congressman Max Rose is an American veteran and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for New York’s 11th congressional district, which includes all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn. A Democrat, he defeated incumbent Republican Dan Donovan in 2018.
Organized and hosted by current JVLA president Michael Oved, the hour long conference consisted of over twenty prominent Jewish leaders from all over Brooklyn. After Mr. Oved’s opening remarks introducing the congressman, US Representative Rose began the night thanking the JVLA for their “tremendous work in registering voters as well as educating them about the most pressing issues facing our country in a bipartisan manner.” He continued by touting the JVLA’s bipartisan work hosting conferences with politicians on both sides of the aisle and thanked Mr. Oved and the JVLA leadership for their “accomplishments in rooting out antisemitism and hate crimes from America.”
Pictured is a screenshot showing some of the attendees of the conference discussed in the article.
Turning his attention to more pressing issues, Rose addressed the surge in antisemitic and hateful social media posts by stating the necessity for the federal government to “shed sunlight on the mass social media companies like Twitter and Facebook and hold them accountable” for regulating hateful content. Rose also discussed a law he sponsored called “Raising the Bar Act” which establishes an exercise program in which online terrorist content is flagged for social media companies.
And, in response to Ilhan Omar’s claims that “Israel has hypnotized the world” by virtue of their “evil doings”, Rose vehemently stated his opposition to antisemitic and hateful tropes like these. “It’s absolutely wrong, it’s hateful, and must loudly be opposed.” Rose cited himself as the first to criticize Omar’s previous antisemitic statements (when she stated “it’s all about the Benjamins,” referring to the reason behind Republicans’ support for Israel), calling himself a “friend of the Jews.”
Pictured is the official JVLA flyer sent to invitees of the exclusive conference with US Congressman Max Rose.
Another question was asked of Congressman Rose regarding his support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement despite the fact that alliances connected with the movement accused Israel of “perpetuating a genocide” against the Palestinians and labelled the country as an “aparteid” state. In answering this question, Rose turned back to the history of the Jews who “marched on the front lines for civil rights.” And while he condemned any antisemitic statement made, he defended his stance on BLM by citing the “long history of racial injustice in America.”
Among many other topics discussed such as coronavirus relief, the 2020 election, and the recent controversy with the police, Congressman Rose was sure to express his support for the Jewish community. To do so, Congressman Rose cited the history of his vocal and fierce opposition to antisemitism and all forms of hate.
And while we all acknowledged that we may not rid the country of hate crimes by virtue of this one conference, educating others about the importance of this goal is certainly the first step toward a brighter future.
Through other JVLA events in tandem with our biweekly newsletters, we are committed to keeping the conversation surrounding racism and antisemitism brewing. We are dedicated toward ensuring that our members are educated about these topics so they can easily vote when election time comes. After all, all change begins at the ballot box.
