Antisemitism, Israel, & the Democratic Party with Congressman Ritchie Torres

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when faced with Calamity where does your mind go do you blame God do you question God's plans motivations the merciless Display of Power do you blame yourself am I being punished are we being punished are we beyond redemption or do you simply bow to the randomness of the universe throw your hands up say it's chaos what can I do well I'll tell you where my mind goes because it's been going there a lot since October 7th and and it went there last week when a series of historically devastating fires engulfed my city in the west and north in the East closing in around Los Angeles like a flaming noose raising entire neighborhoods in a matter of hours friends lost their homes their businesses their most prized possessions the musical theater Studio where I spent the formative hours of my childhood gone the classic Beachside seafood restaurant where I've eaten with my wife my friends my kids gone the church the synagogue the high school the grocery store the gas station all gone schools closed events cancelled locked up back indoors like Co times because the air is too unsafe to breathe outside so where did my mind go I didn't blame God this might be a hot take for some no pun intended but if or when I believe in God which is something I've struggled with my entire life I certainly don't believe in a God that gets up out of his chair says hold my beer and sets a city on fire I also don't blame myself to me that's an unintentionally megalomaniacal level of superstition no different than thinking your favorite sports team will win if you the most important person in the world apparently wears the same shirt she wore the last time they won and I don't think it's all random so whatever and just play a fiddle while Rome Burns instead I find myself wondering am I as loving as I can be as present as I can be as kind as I can be and if I'm not these things which undoubtedly is the case am I holding myself accountable and getting better that's where my mind goes and I know that might sound like or Wellness retreat but it's the truth the line between life and death between proliferation and destruction is but a whisp our squabbles our anxieties our identities even like the one in the title of this program none of these things matter when the fire comes for your house so don't we have to use what life we have in love in service in Brotherhood and Sisterhood I mean what other worthwhile choice is there I'm reminded of a quote I love from one of Humanity's greatest leaders the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr who recognized that we have only one choice he wrote we have inherited a large house a great great worldhouse in which we have to live together black and white easterner and Westerner Gentile and Jew Catholic and Protestant Muslim and Hindu a family unduly separated in ideas culture and interest who because we can never again live apart Must Learn Somehow to live with each other in peace a simple unassailable description of reality and yet one we so often resist or let slip through our fingers we try to hold on to this ultimate perspective but then we fall into the easy rhythms of judgment and selfishness and disengagement and it's gone plus it's hard to pull yourself out of that game when so many other people are playing it and still we must continue to try to strive to be the most loving generous compassionate versions of ourselves just like packing a go bag we can't afford to wait for the next disaster to strike for one errant gust of wind to burn our dreams to the ground we need to put the work in today to expand our capacity for Humanity right now because if we don't by the time your house is in Flames be it the one you live in or the great world one we all share it'll be too late this is the 17th episode of being Jewish with me Jonah Platt [Music] [Music] today's episode of being Jewish is sponsored by Richard Sandler Richard is a great friend philanthropist Jewish leader and author whose book witnessed to a prosecution I highly recommend Richard thank you for making today's episode possible now today's episode of being Jewish will not be an ordinary episode it's going to be a little shorter and my guest is going to be appearing remotely rather than in studio why because he's a little busy legislating in the United States Congress so we take what we can get raised in Bronx public housing by a single mother today's guest has committed his life to fighting for those without a champion at age 25 he became the youngest member of the New York City Council and the first openly gay elected official from the Bronx though he was elected to congress in 2020 to represent New York's 15th District he has also become a deao representative for the Jewish people as the loudest clearest and staunchest political Ally of Israel on either side of the aisle give this man the belt because he is the people's champ ladies and Gentlemen please welcome Congressman Richie Torres Congressman thank you so much for taking the time and being here today we really appreciate it of course let's dive in so when you become governor of New York what are you going to do on day one well I've made no final decision to run for governor but if if I were to run and win uh on day one when it comes to combating anti-Semitism I would direct the division of human rights to open investigations to every College University univers that's violating the civil rights of Jewish students and creating a hostile environment for Jews on college campus and Columbia University would be on the top of my list uh and then I would replace the boards of cuni and Sunni both of which have been fundamentally ineffective at combating in anti-Semitism in public institutions and then I would issue an executive order requiring every state agency to adopt the IRA definition of anti-semitism so so clearly you've not given this any thought at all I have strong opinions on the subject the powers of the governor would allow the replacement of those boards entirely not entirely but the governor controls the majority of the appointments on Suni and CI the mayor has a few appointments and I would appoint people who are going to be Warriors in the fight against anti-Semitism that's fantastic outside of the fight against anti-Semitism what would your other day one priorities be look I would order the state police to partner with local police departments like the NPD uh to dismantle open air drug markets in places like the South Bronx you have open air drug markets where drug addicts are injecting themselves with fenel in in the presence of children and for me that is unacceptable that's not only a risk to the drug addicts themselves it's a risk to the broader community no doubt moving along you're obviously known within the Jewish world for your clear and uncompromising advocacy for Israel for your fellow Democrats who agree with you what do you think holds them back from speaking out the way that you do and for those who don't agree what do you think holds them back from grasping reality look the simple response is fear fear of what I think fear of the extremes fear of a primary challenge fear of losing one's election one's political career fear of the Twitter mob uh for me the greatest threat to our democracy the greatest threat to the US is relationship does not come from the far left or from the far right it comes from the complacency and cowardice of a center that lives in fear of the extreme know Franklin R was exactly right when he said the only thing we have to fear is fear itself and what makes me unusual is not that I'm expressing views that are far removed from the mainstream what makes me unusual is that I'm saying what many people are thinking what are too afraid to say why do you think your colleagues are are unable to look at the success you're having politically in your races in your District um nationally and and use that as a model look a lack of Courage is not only is not unique to politics it's present and pervasive in every aspect of American society in many ways what needs to be explained is not cowardice but courage courage is the exception to the rule of human nature um but you know the question of whether it's good politics remains to you know I believe in everything I fight for but I cannot honestly tell you whether you know I'm going to succeed politically because of but um if anything you do pay a heavy price um there's no issue on which I face more hate harassment and death threats than on the issue of Israel there have been anti-israel activists you know waiting to Ambush me outside my home outside my office my mother's been the target of of harassment there were activists who said to my mother you're a genocide mother and you should have aborted your son oh my God I have colleagues you know who see the vital and invective that is often directed toward me and will tell me you know Richie I agree with you but it's not worth the cost I just have far too many priorities far too many battles to fight you know I'm not going to allow one issue to completely consume my political career and so you know I disagree but I understand this enement what motivates you to keep standing so strongly for this issue despite that vitriol that you receive where so many others are getting turned off by it well for me anti-Semitism is not merely a Jewish problem it's not merely an Israeli problem uh anti-Semitism is a civilizational challenge you know any history tells us that any civilization that Embraces anti-Semitism or enables it will ultimately rot from within yep and you know if we as a society cannot condemn with moral Clarity the mass murder of Jews and Israelis then we have to ask our El what are we becoming as a society and what does that reveal about the barbarity of the American Heart uh and so I feel like by speaking out so forcefully against anti-Semitism I'm not only fighting for the Jewish Community I'm fighting for the soul of my country and civilization well we appreciate you being on the front lines of that fight you're stuck with me New York City has been home to some of the most disruptive anti-israel demonstrations in the country why you think that's happening on the scale that it has in New York City look for a long time New York City has been Ground Zero for anti-zionism in America I would submit to you that October 7th did not change the state of anti-Semitism it simply revealed a process that had been unfolding long before October 7th and I'll give you one example specific to New York so in the summer of 2020 the New York City Democratic Socialist of America sent out a questionnaire asking city council candidates a series of questions and the questioner had a foreign policy section that only had two questions question number one do you pledge never to travel to Israel if elected to the city council question number two do you pledge to support the boycott divestment and sanctions movement against Israel so in the Democratic Socialist worldview it is morally permissible to travel to China Russia North Korea and Iran but travel to the world's only Jewish state is strictly forbidden and if that is not evidence of anti-zionism as anti-Semitism then I'm not sure what would be so I was keenly aware of anti-Semitism on the far left as far back as 2020 and even long before then as far back as 2015 and I felt like most of the political establishment was asleep at the wheel to what do you attribute that you know it's it's quite obvious to anyone paying attention and clearly you are H how how have so many leaders whose job it is to be informed and be in front of things like this how's it how's it slipping through the cracks like that politics in New York and elsewhere in the country has been ideologically captured by the extremist uh you know there are democratic institutions that have been captured by the far left I would argue the Republican party has been captured by the far right uh and so we're witnessing the Triumph of the extremes over the center in American politics which is corrosive not only to the USS relationship it's corrosive to Liberal democracy and and Western Civilization which leads me right into my next question which is that many lifelong Democrats at this moment are feeling politically homeless that they can't connect to the priorities of the right but they feel afraid and and disgusted by what they're seeing on the far left and they're not sure how they fit into this party anymore what do you say to those people well I do believe that the Democratic party is the natural home for most Americans including most Jewish Americans but you know if there's disenchantment with the party the solution lies not in giving up but in fighting for the party the party belongs to you it does not belong to the anti- zionists and the anti-semites uh and so instead of conceding we should be fighting back we should be fighting for the soul of the party uh if we if if those of us who are zionists Purge ourselves from the Democratic party then it means the other side is one right where abandoning ship here's the analogy that I often make I I I feel like the DSA is to the Democratic party in American politics which jery Jeremy Corbin became to the labor party in British politics and the burden falls on pro-israel Democrats like myself to actively resist the Jeremy corbon isation of progressive politics in America so my response is fight back never give up never purge yourself never do the bidding of of the Enemy Fight Back and when we fight we win what does that look like for average people who are not in a position of political leadership like you but want to be a part of this fighting back look we see examples of people fighting back every day we see Jewish students fighting back against anti-Semitism on college campuses we see elected officials like John fedan and myself speaking out forcefully and frequently against anti-Semitism we've seen the defeat of anti-israel candidates at every level of government including Congress so we've seen real life examples of fighting back we just keep we have to keep doubling down on fighting B because we're playing catchup like I feel like most of the world was complacent and hibernating before October 7th and and post October 7th political moment has been both an Awakening and a reckoning uh and we've seen heightened political activism from the proo community and you know it feels like we're living through a i me you would know better than I but it feels like we're living through a Jewish Renaissance in in America and elsewhere in the world there's a heightened sense of Jewish identity that's for sure they call it the surge Jewish Renaissance sounds so much nicer but I guess I do like Jewish Renaissance I haven't heard that let's go with that so uh what if anything would you have handled differently in regards to the Biden administration's handling of the war in Gaza since October so look I do feel the Biden Administration has been fundamentally supportive of Israel especially in the early weeks I agree and you know President Biden proudly identifies himself as a Zionist which is a rarity in politics so I do feel he he he he feels it in his kishin nice but but having said that you know there there are moments when I felt like the administration you know made pronouncements or pursued policies that might have undercut Israel's ability to win both the ground war and the information War uh and so I think if you're if you're an ally of a country that is fighting for its security and survival you have to be careful not to take actions or even make public statements that that impair the ability to win the war uh and to achieve the military objectives so that would be my criticism of the Biden Administration you know the the insistence that Israel refrained from going into Rafa I think has proven to be unwise advice from the United States um I think the Israel was Vindicated in the end that's for sure but then we saw you know the the partnership between the United States and Israel in intercepting the Rockets the missiles from uh Iran big time was was an unprecedented Triumph yeah us isra relationship so so I feel like the the the story of the Biden Administration has largely been a story of support for Israel but far from perfect but largely supportive speaking of Israel you have been there a few times yourself what do you feel being there in that place amongst those people and and what if anything surprised you upon being there so I have been traveling to Israel for 10 years I've G on six occasions my favorite place in Israel by far is the old city is the holy land and you know it's inspiring to experience the old city as just a magical and marvelous Mosaic of religious pluralism yeah see the most devout Jews Christians and Muslims praying largely in peace and uh you know I found out something interesting about the church of Holy Seiler tell me the the church of Holy Seer is the holiest site in Christianity particularly for Catholics and it turns out that the keys to the holiest sight in Christianity is is held by a Muslim custodian in a Jewish State you got to love it captures just the special pluralism of the old city and it and it underscores Israel's role as a guardian of of of holy land that has immense meaning to billions of people across the world what if anything when you were there surprised you when I first went to Israel first I was shocked to discover that Jerusalem was home to an G btq Center the Jerusalem open house the the notion of an lgbtq Center in the holiest city the most religious City uh on Earth uh came as a shock to me 10 years ago when the Bronx not even the Bronx had its own lgbtq center right uh so that's something that that struck me as an lgbtq person um sure but when I first went to Israel it was you know learning more about the singular security situation that Israel faces it's unlike any in the world and I remember in particular a conversation I had with the local mayor of sto who said that the majority of his children struggle with post-traumatic stress because children like his live under the threat of Relentless rocket fire and I remember seeing bus stops doubling as bomb shelters I thought to myself imagine the sheer trauma of a 5-year-old Israeli child seeking refuge in a bomb shelter where Rockets are being fired and Sirens are going off and adults are panicking in a scene of pandemonium and I come from the Bronx which is a rough neighborhood know I have constituents who live in fear of bullets guns but no one anywhere in the United States lives in fear of Rockets or missiles right none of us worry that Mexico and Canada are going to fire Rockets into American homes and communities and so I came to realize early on that Israel faces a level of insecurity that has no equivalent in the American Experience like Americans have no conception of just how fragile Israeli security can be when you're surrounded by numerous enemies intent on wiping you off the map like there's a sense in which we We As Americans were privileged we live in an ivory Tower guarded by oceans surrounded by peaceful you know we're a continental Nation with the most powerful country on Earth Israel's a a tiny State the size of New Jersey yeah in the most dangerous volatile region in the world and so I think our own privilege blinds us to the complexity of the Israeli security situation I just have to say it's so refreshing to hear you lay that out in such clear simple terms because this is one of those things that you know the Jewish Community r brings our hands over why can't people get what is so clear and obvious and to hear you put it out there so clearly and obviously is just uh refreshing to hear Look I there's a sense that which it is clear but um you know I put in the work like I've been traveling to Israel for 10 years I've been thinking about Israel for 10 years and so I've come to these views based on intensive and extensive engagement with Israel as a country as a region but but not everyone is going to put in that work clearly near lies to challenge yeah if you had to choose between embracing a simplistic oppressor versus oppress narrative or traveling to Israel for 10 years and thinking about it for 10 years you know human nature will gravitate toward the simple narrative the path of least resistance you it's Bears you the burden of critical thinking right so we're about to have a big shift in power in this country what are your greatest hopes for the incoming Trump Administration and and what are your biggest fears My Hope Is that there will continue to be bipartisan support for Israel uh bipartisan commitment to combating anti-Semitism to sustaining and strengthening the US is relationship um you know I disagree with Donald Trump on most issues uh but my refrain is that even a broken clock is right twice a day I like that when a broken clock is right twice a day I'm willing to collaborate with you twice a day right but if I disagree with them I will will have no hesitation in in in opposing him so Are there specific issues in which you're particularly concerned that you're going to have to go to bat for obviously we we've much has said about democracy but I'm actually most concerned about the social safety net there will be attempts to make Savage cuts to social safety net programs uh that will disproportionately affect the lowest income people in places like the Bronx people who depend on nutritional assistance people who live in public housing or Section 8 really the the urban poor in America could be the hardest hit by Donald Trump's assaults on the social safety and and that's what keeps me up at night and that's what worries me the most if you would as a as a Parting Gift offer a piece of advice or inspiration or call to action for Jews in America right now who want to change the tide of hate against us but maybe aren't sure what the road is or what the action is to help just never lose hope you know that the long Arc of history is going to bend toward uh justice toward Jewish Liberation You know despite the tragedy and Trauma of October 7th I am hopeful that both the Jewish State and the Jewish people are going to emerge From This Moment better and stronger more resist so it more unified than ever before because history tells us that hope paktia is the anthem of the Jewish people it's the DNA and Destiny of the Jewish people uh so my best advice is never lose hope it's like you know us better than we know ourselves what's beautiful about a democracy is when you're a representative you're supposed to represent communities as if you were a member of those communities and I try to do that not only with the Jewish Community but with every Community I represent I want every constituent to know I have your back we certainly know that I know those in your District do as well if only we had more like you Congressman Taurus thank you so much for your time thank you for your cander and um thank you for continuing to be such an incredible Ally and voice for the Jewish community and the American people absolutely and please tell your mother I said hello you know it take care you too thanks for tuning in to this special episode of being Jewish a big thank you to representative Torres for squeezing Us in between sessions of Congress and thank you again to Richard Sandler for sponsoring today's episode we'll be back to our regular format next time so I hope to see you all right back here for the next scintillating episode of being Jewish with me Jonah Platt