(JTA) At a panel on anti-Semitism, four speakers known for their outspoken criticism of Israel — including Rep. Rashida Tlaib — said that they themselves do not hate Jews.
“Tell everybody, I don’t hate you. I absolutely love you,” said Tlaib, a Palestinian American and Democrat from Michigan who supports the movement to boycott Israel. “If anybody comes through my doors or through any forum to try to push anti-Semitism forward, you will hear me being loud with my bullhorn to tell them to get the hell out.”
The panel had sparked substantial criticism from Jewish commentators and pro-Israel activists when it was announced, both for giving anti-Zionists a platform to discuss anti-Semitism and for being majority non-Jewish. Bari Weiss, the former New York Times opinion writer and editor, tweeted, “So ‘dismantling antisemitism’ is actually about dismantling *accusations* of antisemitism.”
