editorials
Warnock, Sinema, Trump and Biden
D emocratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory over
Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a
Georgia runoff election last Tuesday was significant.

When it occurred, it sealed a 51-49 Democrat majority
in the Senate, which was seen as a big deal.

That’s because 51-49 would make it much easier
for Democrats to move legislation through their
chamber without having to worry about assuring
sometimes difficult party unanimity on every issue,
and because the margin would give Democrats
control on all Senate committees, making it easier,
for example, to confirm federal judge appoint-
ments more quickly.

But all of that was thrown into some doubt
three days later when Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema
announced she is leaving the Democratic Party
and registering as a political independent. While
not yet clear, Sinema’s shifted allegiance probably
won’t change the power balance that was in place
just before her announcement since Sinema’s vote
with Democrats was never a sure thing.

But whichever way Sinema goes, the Warnock
victory boosts the Democratic Party and raises
expectations. With control of the White House, the
Senate and only a very modest Republican major-
ity in the House, Democrats are going to have to
deliver on their promises if they want to hold the
Senate and regain control of the House in 2024.

President Joe Biden
can spend the next
two years focused on
doing what the
American people
elected him to do.

Beyond its impact on Senate numbers, the
Georgia runoff has other significant implications:
It is another blow to the dwindling popularity and
diminished star power of former president Donald
Trump. Quite apart from the ever-mounting legal
challenges Trump and his company are facing,
Walker is the fourth Trump-backed Senate candi-
date to lose a very winnable race.

As in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona, Georgia
was a state in which a quality Republican candi-
date would reasonably be expected to win. But like
several other Trump candidate choices, Walker was
not a quality candidate. He was, of course, a very
talented and popular football player. But when it
came to politics, policy and issue detail, Walker
was wanting. He lost the election even though
every other statewide Republican candidate in
Georgia sailed to victory.

Ever since the stunning collapse of the Republican
Party’s anticipated “red wave” in November — much
of which is attributed to the Trump allegiance of
election deniers and others on the far right of the
party — more and more Republicans are talking
about the need for new faces to lead their party
and their 2024 presidential ticket.

The good news for Republicans is that they have
a deep bench with a full range of choices to lead
their ticket. The bad news is that Trump will not get
out of the way graciously. As a result, Republicans
will need to navigate a complicated minefield in
their own nomination process.

This brings up another potential dividend of
the Warnock win: President Joe Biden can spend
the next two years focused on doing what the
American people elected him to do. And given his
well-developed political savvy and skills, he has
the tools to get that done. Biden has the time and
the support to build on his successes. He should
spend the next 24 months finishing that important
work. JE
No Time to Waste on Ceremony
L ast week, the White House hosted a roundtable
meeting on antisemitism led by second gentleman
Douglas Emhoff. Numerous administration officials
and several representatives of Jewish organizations
attended. The urgency for the meeting was clear and was
reflected in the words of one of the attendees,
Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. State Department’s spe-
cial envoy to combat antisemitism, who declared
that antisemitic beliefs “must be stopped by any
means necessary.” It begs the question of how to
get that done.

Emhoff, who is Jewish and married to Vice
President Kamala Harris, spoke of an “epidemic of
hate facing our country.” That’s certainly true. Days
before the roundtable meeting, former President
Donald Trump outraged a bipartisan chorus of
his critics and longtime supporters and friends
by hosting a dinner with the gleefully antisemitic
Kanye West, and white nationalist and Holocaust
denier Nick Fuentes. Trump giving oxygen to
hate-mongers is as offensive as the hate they spew.

Rising antisemitism has Congress worried as
well. On Dec. 7, a total of 122 members of the
12 DECEMBER 15, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Senate and House sent a letter to President Joe
Biden, urging him to develop a unified, national
strategy to monitor and combat antisemitism. The
bipartisan letter called for a “whole-of-government
approach” to combat the “anti-Semitic voices” that
are “finding new audiences, with anti-Jewish con-
spiracies gaining traction.”
Similar recognition is coming from the states.

For example, a recent report from the state-char-
tered Virginia Commission to Combat Antisemitism
tracked the growth of antisemitism in that state,
which has recorded nearly 350 reports of such acts
this year. But the Virginia report does more than just
record numbers. It explains the commonwealth’s
monitoring process, reviews the history of antisem-
itism in the state and in a frank manner admits
that “some of the most high-profile antisemitic
incidents in recent history have occurred in the
Commonwealth” — most notably, the deadly “Unite
the Right” rally in Charlottesville in August 2017.

In addition to its comprehensive review of antise-
mitic trends and activity in the commonwealth, the
Virginia report makes 21 recommendations to
address the problem. First among them is adopt-
ing the International Holocaust Remembrance
Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism,
including its “Contemporary Examples.” It calls
on the state to expand Holocaust standards of
learning and include the study of Jewish history
in world history courses. And it proposes banning
public entities from adopting and practicing BDS
positions. We are encouraged by the Virginia report. It goes
beyond traditional hand-wringing and inflated
rhetoric and suggests tangible action. That’s the
kind of comprehensive approach we need from the
federal government.

We agree with the members of Congress' letter
that urges a “whole of government approach” to
address poisonous antisemitism. But we need the
right people leading the effort. In that regard, the
designation of Emhoff to chair the task force seems
more ceremonial than substantive, as he lacks the
necessary background or experience to lead the
comprehensive government effort that is needed.

We need an experienced hand leading this
crucial government effort. We don’t have time to
waste on ceremony. JE



opinions & letters
Blowing the Whistle on FIFA’s
Systemic Antisemitism
By Jordan Cope
T he FIFA World Cup in Qatar has arguably
become the most controversial to date,
raising widespread indignation over myriad issues
concerning its host, including Qatar’s decision to
ban beer from stadiums and its mistreatment of the
press, the LGBTQ+ community and migrant workers,
6,500 of whom have died since Qatar was awarded
the Cup.

Many issues have been spotlighted, but another
has gone unaddressed: FIFA’s refusal to handle its
own systemic antisemitism. Since this World Cup’s
festivities began, Qatar and FIFA’s proxies have
made their intent to exclude Jews very clear. FIFA’s
silence has been deafening.

First, a FIFA website designed to sell World Cup
tickets and accommodations sought to make easily
identifiable Jewish guests feel unwelcome. To book
tickets, fans had to book through an intermediary
page according to their country of residence. Israel
— where nearly half of all Jews live — was ini-
tially omitted, replaced with “Occupied Palestinian
Territories.” Silence from FIFA.

Reports then emerged that Qatar had banned
Jewish guests attending the World Cup from public
prayer and reneged on a promise to offer cooked
kosher food at games, despite the demand for it,
given that 10,000 to 20,000 Israelis were expected
at the Cup. Again, silence from FIFA.

On four occasions, high-profile experts on antisem-
itism wrote to FIFA, asking that two antisemitism
advisers be permitted to attend and monitor the
tournament. The proposal could have been imple-
mented for free. These advisers and their insights
certainly could have been valuable at an event
hosted by a country that has given nearly $2 billion
to Hamas, which aspires to commit genocide against
the Jews. FIFA ignored the letters.

Antisemitism has since surged at the games. Qatar
has allegedly exercised double standards, allowing
fans to protest against Israel at the Cup, but not
against other countries. Fans have also sought to bully
Israeli reporters, at times denying the Jewish state’s
existence and screaming that Israelis are not welcome.

With FIFA evidently struck dumb in the face of
antisemitism, fans and FIFA officials must seize on
this World Cup as an opportunity to demand that
FIFA rectify its systemic antisemitism, both current
and historical.

FIFA must first do so by offering Israel the oppor-
tunity to rejoin FIFA’s Asian Football Confederation.

Israel’s expulsion from the AFC in 1974 was antise-
mitic and has permanently stifled the Jewish state’s
world soccer prospects.

Attempts to boycott Israel, including its presence
in the AFC, have long been designed to undermine
and eliminate Israel’s existence and the Jewish peo-
ple’s right to self-determination. The first large-scale
boycotts against Israel in the AFC arose during the
1958 championship — well before Israel assumed
control over the disputed territories, belying any
notion that they were based on specific political
issues. Such boycotts were predominantly spear-
headed by Muslim countries, many of which for-
feited their matches in order to avoid engaging with
Israel. This was an attempt to normalize antisemi-
tism in the global community.

Eventually, in 1974, Kuwait spearheaded a res-
olution that, based on stolid Arab rejection of
Israel’s sovereignty, resulted in Israel’s expulsion
from the AFC. Team Israel would remain a nomad
in the international soccer world until joining the
much more competitive Union of European Football
Associations 20 years later.

Israel’s expulsion from the AFC, and FIFA’s institu-
tionalization of this discriminatory conduct, stifled
Israel’s sports ambitions. Despite having won an
Asian Cup and qualified for the World Cup while in
the AFC, Israel has qualified for neither a World Cup
nor a European Championship since joining UEFA.

Israel’s presence in UEFA is unnatural. It remains
the only country in the league that is not located
in Europe.

To combat antisemitism, FIFA must combat the
double standards it has institutionalized against the
Jewish state. Article IV of FIFA’s statutes clearly pro-
scribes discrimination against a country, individual
or group based on national origin, ethnic origin, reli-
gion or political opinion. In accordance with its own
governing policies, FIFA must offer Israel the option
of returning to the AFC. FIFA must also use Article
IV, as appropriate, to punish any team that threatens
to impede such efforts.

FIFA’s senior leadership must also refrain from
normalizing antisemitism targeting Israel, such as
agreeing to meet with patent antisemites, such
as Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, a
Holocaust denier who has incited violence, and head
of the Palestinian Football Association Jibril Rajoub,
who was banned from FIFA after inciting violence
against the Argentinean team because it planned to
play in Israel.

Lastly, but perhaps most important as an immedi-
ate first step, FIFA should adopt the IHRA Working
Definition of Antisemitism in order to guide the
organization in addressing future discrimination
towards Jews and the Jewish state. The IHRA defi-
nition represents an international consensus. It has
been endorsed by 865 institutions, including nearly
40 countries and some of soccer’s greatest institu-
tions — the English Premier League, the Argentine
Football Association and Borussia Dortmund.

FIFA’s inaction in the face of antisemitism has
enabled the institutionalization and acceptance of
hate in the world of international soccer. FIFA should
give itself a thorough review and finally show
antisemitism the red card, disqualifying anti-Jewish
bigotry from the game for good. JE
Jordan Cope is the director of policy education for
StandWithUs, an international, nonpartisan educa-
tional organization that supports Israel and fights
antisemitism. letters
Sugar’s Op-ed Left a Sour Feeling
In the Nov. 24 issue of the Jewish Exponent, there
was an op-ed by Rebecca Sugar entitled “Dave
Chappelle Was More Than Funny. He Was Right.”
After watching Chappelle’s monologue twice, he
was neither funny, nor right; his monologue was
borderline or outright antisemitic. Nothing he said
was amusing.

Forever, Jews have blamed Jews as to how they
react or don’t react to antisemitism; the Jews were
too docile to the SS or our parents’ generation,
“Shhh, talking about it will only make it worse.”
As a message from the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum recently stated, “Antisemitic
rhetoric is escalating in its frequency, visibility, and
intensity.” Now is not the time to blame the Jews
for this.

Sugar did not like any of the responses to
the antisemitism of Kanye West or Kyrie Irving.

Among others, she criticized the ADL’s response to
Chappelle’s attempts at humor and did not appre-
ciate Irving’s $500,000 donation to a group that
fights hate. She even thought Chappelle making
fun of the dress of Brooklyn Jews was hilarious.

Sugar made no meaningful suggestion as to how
to respond.

The only thing worth laughing at was the non-
sense Sugar espoused. JE
Robert M. Schwartz, Bala Cynwyd
Letters should be related to articles that have run
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jewishexponent.com. JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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