FACT CHECK: Marjorie Taylor Greene is NOT an Antisemite (and claiming that she is only hurts Jews)

One of three finalists for “Antisemite of the Year” at Stopantisemitism.org is Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. According to the group, Greene made it to the list for being stripped of several House committee assignments, “after her many anti-Semitic conspiracy theories came to light.”

The problem is, Greene is not an antisemite, and does not believe in “many antisemitic conspiracy theories.” The fact that she was stripped of her assignments indicates nothing, except that Democrats consider her a primary target. The vote was 230-199, overwhelmingly along party lines, in a clear rebuke over Greene’s support of President Trump.

To be sure, Greene has made some pretty bizarre comments on social media, promoted wild conspiracy theories, and made insensitive remarks. However they do not remotely rise to the level of antisemitism. She is, in fact, a friend of the Jews and supporter of Israel.

The notion that she is antisemitic was designed by leftists to drive a wedge between her and the Jews, and diminish her influence within the party, to weaken Trump and the GOP.

When a group that purports to stop antisemitism accuses her of hating Jews, they’re doing all of us a disservice.

Let us analyze what Ms. Greene said that led to these claims:

1. The Rothschilds used solar beams to create California wildfires

This makes for a great soundbite. But let’s look at the facts.

In a long and bizarre Facebook rant, Greene claimed that the wildfires may have been manmade, and somehow linked the Rothschild company as one of many responsible parties. She has since apologized, and claimed she was unaware that the Rothschilds were even Jewish.

Whether we take her words at face value or not, the fact is, the post does not single out Jews, nor does it focus on the Rothchild angle. She was mainly trying to blame Democrats and the California energy company for the fires, which may be quite accurate. Not to diminish the longstanding antisemitic trope that “wealthy Jews control the weather”, which is as evil as it is dangerous. However a conspiracy theorist who embraces all sorts of strange ideas, and happens to repeat a claim like this as part of a long rant, is in no way “antisemite of the year.”

2. Greene shared a video that accused “Zionists” of trying to destroy Europe

In 2018 Greene shared an anti-Muslim, anti-refugee propaganda video and claimed that “this is what the UN wants all over the world.” The problem is, the video is NOT antisemitic. It is 19 minutes long, and some leftist discovered one tiny incriminating clip.

About nine minutes in, former British National Party leader Nick Griffin says that an “unholy alliance of leftists, capitalists and Zionist supremacists have schemed to promote immigration and miscegenation”.

Did Greene even see that clip before sharing the video? We have no idea. However if we set the bar of whom we label “antisemite” as someone who shares that video, we are all doomed.

3. Earlier this year, Greene put out a tweet comparing Covid restrictions with the Nazis.

She wrote, “Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi’s forced Jewish people to wear a gold star.” She then defended her remarks from immense backlash by saying that she was not referencing the Holocaust, rather the treatment of the Jews in the early days of Nazi rule.

https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1397150992341377027

This is unspeakably bad. It is inexcusable. Comparing any government restriction to the Holocaust is extremely offensive, and it cheapens and diminishes the memory of 6 million Kedoshim who perished at the hands of the evil Nazis Y’mach Shemom.

She was rightfully blasted by Jews and non-Jews alike, including Ben Shapiro and her Republican colleague, Leader Kevin McCarthy.

With that said, these comments are not antisemitic. Does Ms. Greene not have a shred of knowledge of the horrific, unspeakable suffering that the Jews underwent? Clearly she does not, and that is unfortunate.

But that does not justify us, as Jews, throwing around the label “antisemite” when it is not warranted.

Now let us look at the pro-Jewish policies the congresswoman stands for.

For one, she blasted AOC for refusing to support funding for the Iron Dome defense system, which has saved thousands of Jewish (and Muslim) lives. In that tweet, she made it clear that Israel has a right to defend itself against the Palestinians. We highly doubt the other candidates for “Antisemite of the Year” would agree.

And she ripped the socialist squad member (who has never been condemned by fellow Democrats) for her support of terrorists, saying “aligning yourself with terrorists means you’re a terrorist.”

https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1396082654387212290?

Greene co-sponsored the “Block UN Human Rights Council Funding Act”, which
prohibits taxpayer funding from going to the antisemitic UN Human Rights Council.

On her website, it says “President Trump was correct in defunding and withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council. Since its founding in 2006, the Council has passed 0 resolutions against China and over 85 condemning Israel.”

This does not sound like a rabid antisemite talking.

Greene also happens to be extremely pro-life and supports family values. And while that does not make her pro-Jewish per se, she embraces many of our values, which is far more than liberals who have no problem killing fetuses or defunding police forces.

Antisemitism is not a soundbite. It’s a set of values and beliefs. Ilhan Omar is dangerous and vicious, not because of a comment or tweet, but a systemic pattern of hatred, combined with a radical political stance that aligns with terrorists.

Marjorie Taylor Greene aligns herself with a former president who did more for Israel than perhaps all other presidents combined. As Jews, we have many values in common with her.

Rather than label and condemn, we should look for common ground. We should embrace and educate her about our rich history, and work with her as a partner, so that she can use her influence as a Republican politician, to advance our cause and further our mission.