Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., noted that the alleged killer of 11 Jewish worshippers embraced an ideology particular to the far right. Last week numerous speakers at the AIPAC conference denounced anti-Semitism, mentioning Omar’s tweets as well as the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre in October. It has become a central argument in Jewish and pro-Israel politics. Partisan blame for anti-Semitism, however, wasn’t just a Twitter distraction. is primarily a right-wing force,'” he told Adam Serwer, a Jewish writer for The Atlantic. “I should have said ‘Violent anti-Semitism in the U.S. Slevin, replying to his critics on Twitter, said his tweet was poorly phrased. We had a great conversation about the trans-partisan nature of anti-Semitism and the danger of assuming that people with otherwise good progressive politics are exempt.” Ninety minutes after posting her response, Moser posted: “Wow - am really impressed that actually *did* reach out to me. What happened next comported more with the Slevin described by Susskind, Ellison and others close to him: He accepted the criticism from Jewish organizational leaders and progressive Jews who said that anti-Semitism on the left was indeed a problem, and reached out privately to some of them. (She was defeated.) “In the meantime, you should rethink this terrible, terrible tweet.” “If you’d ever like to hear about my experiences with Anti-semitism on the left **in this country**, Jeremy, I’d be happy to talk,” said Laura Moser, who ran as a progressive last year in a Houston-area primary.
Jewish Twitter wasn’t having it, and hundreds responded that he had his facts wrong. Slevin repeated the phrase “Anti-semitism is a right-wing force” until his 280 characters ran out. Watching speaker after speaker at last week’s AIPAC conference make Omar the poster girl for anti-Semitism, he let loose on Twitter. Slevin, who declined a request for an interview, earned instant social media infamy last week, however, not by tamping down Omar’s confrontational demeanor but by seeming to embrace it. Omar, a Somali refugee, is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. The relationship between Omar and her Jewish constituents is more tense, and Slevin, as a Washington hire, does not deal with that sphere. Omar is his successor in the state’s Minneapolis area 5th District.Įllison as a congressman worked well with his Jewish constituents. He retired last year from the Congress to make a run, ultimately successful, for the Minnesota attorney general’s post. His thing is ‘where are you at really? Let’s find that kernel of truth and shape it,'” said Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress when he won in 2006.
That’s Jeremy.”Įllison said Slevin’s strength was in getting to the essence of a politician, not trying to re-create her, and then shaping her message in a way that will get people to pay attention rather than react in anger.
When that goes awry, you need someone to help you. “No politician runs to get into trouble,” Keith Ellison, the former congressman who also employed Slevin as a communications director, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. (She apologized for that tweet, but has not apologized for the “allegiance” claim.) In 2012, she accused Israel of “hypnotizing” the world. In addition to her AIPAC tweet, seen as affirming slanders about Jews and control, she has said that she feels pressure to pledge “allegiance” to Israel, which to many invoked the dual loyalty slander.
He has been key in trying to stem the tide of rancor stirred by Omar’s statements, which are seen as playing into anti-Semitic stereotypes. Slevin’s interlocutors and former colleagues describe a youthful, soft-spoken aide whose anti-poverty activism is rooted in his Jewish upbringing. “That’s the nuance and the voice he brings in, getting past the zero-sum game of ‘I’m right and you’re wrong,’ and actually building community and getting people to work together,” Susskind said. But Susskind knew right away that the tone belonged to Omar’s communications director, Jeremy Slevin. The words - and the voice - were Omar’s, and she seemed sincere, said Susskind, a longtime leader of mainstream and progressive Jewish groups.
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