Guest column: A promise broken: Democrats, Jim Clyburn and American Jews

In 1790, George Washington corresponded with members of Touro Synagogue in Rhode Island, discussing religious liberty in our new nation, welcoming the Jews and promising them safe haven. He ended his letter with these words:

The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy - a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.

It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my administration and fervent wishes for my felicity.

May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants - while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.

May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.

Until recently, Washington's promise held true, for America has been a haven for Jews. Now, though, things have changed.

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My name is Duke Buckner. I'm the Republican Party's nominee for U.S. House of Representatives in South Carolina's Sixth Congressional District. Today, I want to speak to you about how Democrats, generally, and Rep. Jim Clyburn, particularly, are supporting an existential war on Jews and Judaism both inside and outside the United States. I am asking for your support in the upcoming election to defeat their efforts.

Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists in Gaza launched the bloodiest single-day attack on Jews since the Holocaust, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping 255. The attack was a medieval orgy of rape, torture and murder driven by a genocidal hatred of Jews.

Since then, the conflagration has grown because Iran has turned the conflict into an existential war against Israel on multiple fronts. The UN, the world's media and several countries support Hamas and Iran against the world's only Jewish nation.

For Jews, Hamas' actions were likely predictable. After all, Hamas and Iran proclaim their hatred of Jews and repeat their genocidal intentions to obliterate Israel "from the river to the sea."

However, American Jews suffered a horrendous shock when, in the weeks after Oct. 7, they found antisemitism had been metastasizing in places where many Jews felt safe and called home - inside the United States, the Democratic Party and Western civilization itself.

Many find it mysterious how this could have happened. Historically, Jews have given around 80% of their votes to the Democrats. For decades, the party reciprocated with loyalty both to Jews and Israel. Now, though, "Per Gallup, just 35% of Dems today sympathize more with Israel than Palestinians, vs. 80% of Republicans."

Following Oct. 7, many American college campuses exploded with violent anti-Semitism. A former major Democratic Party donor, Bill Ackman, described events at Harvard:

Jewish students are being bullied, physically intimidated, spat on, and ... physically assaulted. Student Slack message boards are replete with antisemitic statements, memes, and images. On-campus protesters ... shout, "Intifada! Intifada! Intifada! From the River to the Sea, Palestine Shall Be Free!" as they knowingly call for violent insurrection and use eliminationist language seeking the destruction of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

This outpouring of antisemitism is not limited to academia. It is generalized throughout society, as described recently by NBC:

In cities across the country, highways have been blocked, trains have been delayed and sections of college campuses have been shut down by hundreds of thousands of people who have taken to the streets.

As the progressive journalist Van Jones recently admitted, antisemitism is now "marbled" into the Democratic Party. That means that Jew-haters are now a powerful Democratic Party constituency. As a result, because of their importance, Democrats try to mollify them without completely cutting ties with Jewish supporters. Thus, the Biden-Harris administration is increasingly pressing Israel to end its offensive, which would allow Hamas the opportunity to kill more Jewish people. In addition, the administration advocates for conditions such as near-zero collateral damage that would make it virtually impossible for Israel to prosecute the war. The administration has allowed the UN to take actions condemning Israel, and leftists are demonizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a proxy for openly breaking with Israel.

When Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress, nearly 100 Democrats refused to attend. Included in that number were two people of note: Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party nominee for president, and Democrat Jim Clyburn, the representative for South Carolina's Sixth District.

Rep. Clyburn's announcement that he would not attend the speech immediately caught the attention of the Democrats' anti-Semitic wing. The Council on American Islamic Relations, CAIR, used him as their most influential example:

Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24. Rep. Clyburn announced he plans to boycott the speech. Click below to urge lawmakers follow suit. Genocidal war criminals should not be invited to address Congress.

Notably, CAIR has long been associated with Hamas, which a Dept. of Justice Inspector General report acknowledged in 2013:

[E]vidence presented during the 2007 trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development...linked CAIR leaders to Hamas, a specially designated terrorist organization, and CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case.

Four months before boycotting PM Netanyahu's speech, Rep. Clyburn appeared on Meet The Press. Stunningly, when asked whether he agreed with "a growing number of Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez" who accuse Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza, Rep. Clyburn refused to challenge the question's premise, instead stating that what Israel was doing in Gaza was "wrong." He blamed Netanyahu for opposing a two-state solution and opined that the Biden-Harris administration should manipulate Israel's war effort by withholding ammunition and other supplies. Yet, incongruously, in the middle of his answers, Rep. Clyburn said that he "stands with Israel."

Notably, many of the pro-Palestinan mobs' protests have been violent and disruptive, breaking state and federal laws. Conservatives who committed such acts were held to the law and given stiff sentences, but across America, anti-israel protestors act with virtual impunity. Many were never arrested, or if arrested, were released after the charges were dropped. The few that have been tried have received minimal sentences. The Democrat party has created a two-tiered system of justice that protects its pro-Palestinan and pro-Hamas allies.

For example, hundreds of violent pro-Palestinan protestors rioted at Union Station near the Capitol during Netanyahu's speech, defacing monuments with pro-Hamas graffiti, violently assaulting police, burning American flags, and raising Palestinian flags in their stead.

Kamala Harris later issued a public statement condemning the riots and the violence. Significantly, Harris, who'd earlier expressed understanding and empathy for the protesters' feelings, did not call for the Union Station rioters to be arrested and prosecuted.

This blatant refusal to hold those responsible for acts that cross the line of "peaceful protests" protected by the First Amendment only encourages more rioting and lawlessness. It fundamentally alters American society outside of the ballot box into one that George Washington would not recognize. For the first time in American history, Jews are no longer welcome, not just in small enclaves, but everywhere.

While Rep. Clyburn, Kamala Harris, and the rest of the congressional Democrats may claim to support Jews and Israel, their embracing the Democratic Party's antisemitic wing speaks far louder than words. Their acts imperil both Jews in America and, indeed, America's fundamental fabric. Jews no longer have a home in the Democrat party.

However, Jews are welcome in the Republican Party. Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) recently stated:

I honestly feel terrible for all the Jews I know who have been lifelong Democrats. The abandonment has to be overwhelming.

I spent a week among 50,000 Republicans at the RNC wearing my kippah and never got so much as a dirty look from anyone. Rather, we couldn't give away "Jews Support Trump" signs fast enough.

You are welcome here.

I strongly second that and more: Jews not only have a home in the Republican Party, they can feel safe, and will not be abandoned. However, recent events will not allow me to say the same for Rep. Clyburn and the Democratic Party.

Duke Buckner is a candidate for the 6th Congressional District of South Carolina.