New Hampshire Young Democrats are hoping Granite State progressives will turn out to hear California Congresswoman Sara Jacobs speak at their upcoming Granite Slate Awards dinner later this month. And if they’re Democrats who support the current campus protests against Israel, or enjoy chants of “From the river to the sea,” they should like what they hear.
It’s the same NHYD event that featured notorious antisemite Rep. Ilhan Omar during the 2020 cycle.
While Jacobs is a relative unknown on the Democratic speaker’s circuit, she’s built a reputation for siding with anti-Israel members of Congress on key votes. Last month, she was one of just 43 Democrats who voted against a resolution describing the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as antisemitic.
She was joined by Omar, as well as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
The final vote was 377-44-1. Both U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas voted in favor of the resolution.
Jacobs was also one of 70 Democrats who opposed the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) when the House overwhelmingly passed it last week.
Jacobs, who is Jewish, defended her vote against the AAA by claiming in a statement it would “stifle First Amendment rights to free speech” and arguing that anti-Zionism is “not inherently antisemitism.”
“It fails to effectively address the very real rise of antisemitism, all while defunding colleges and universities across the country and punishing many, if not all, of the non-violent protestors speaking out against the Israeli military’s conduct,” Jacobs said.
But Jacobs has gone a step further than just protesting Israel’s war against Hamas. She also signed a letter sent by Omar urging the Biden administration to “withhold pending and future weapons assistance to Israel,” though she eventually voted in favor of the Israel aid package.
Jacobs’ alliance with Omar is particularly noteworthy because the Minnesota congresswoman has been repeatedly called out for her antisemitic statements.
And, like Jacobs, Omar has been a speaker at the Granite Slate Awards event.
During the 2020 First in the Nation presidential primary cycle, Omar spoke at the NHYR event despite having just been pressured into making repeated public apologies for comments her fellow Democrats describe as “vile, antisemitic slurs.” Her insults toward Jews were so offensive that House Democrats drafted a resolution condemning her antisemitism specifically, until pressure from progressives inside her party forced then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi to replace it with a watered-down version condemning hate in general.
Now, with antisemitic rhetoric on Granite State campuses and hate crimes targeting Jews on the rise, the New Hampshire Democratic Party is bringing Jacobs to the Granite State.
The New Hampshire Young Democrats did not respond to a request from NHJournal for comment.
On MSNBC last weekend, Jacobs accused Republicans of “politicizing this antisemitism,” which “is not keeping Jewish students safe.
“I would argue it’s making Jewish students less safe.”
