• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
      Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
    • CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
      CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
    • WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
      WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
      Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
    • It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
      It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
    • What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
      What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • No image
      Pentimento’s Open Mic is Like an Old Patchwork Quilt–Worn, Yet Cozy
    • No image
      Kanye’s Antisemitism Steps on his Shoe Brand
    • Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
      Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • Student-Athlete of October
      Student-Athlete of October
    • Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
      Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
    • The Case for Body Neutrality
      The Case for Body Neutrality
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
      Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
    • Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
      Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
    • The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
      The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Sophie Hurwitz OpinionsFebruary 20, 2019

Why I stand with Ilhan

Ilhan Omar, America’s first Somali congresswoman — and, along with Rashida Tlaib, one of the first Muslim congresswomen — became the target of online criticism after tweeting the song lyric “it’s all about the Benjamins, baby” in reference to the American Israel lobby. Everyone from private individuals on Twitter to the majority of Omar’s congressional colleagues took this statement as an act of blatant anti-Semitism, claiming that in its reference to money, it played into ancient, violent anti-Semitic tropes surrounding Jews and money. House Democratic leadership released a unified statement condemning her comments. President Trump even called for her resignation — a statement that seemed cynical and opportunistic from someone who has certainly never shied away from employing anti-Semitic language himself, or from employing anti-Semites, for that matter.

As an American Jew, I feel personally and morally compelled to stand with Omar against the smear campaign she is currently facing. I am unsure whether or not Omar’s throwaway tweet — which she has since issued an apology for — was in fact a smear of all Jews or simply an assertion that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the largest pro-Israel lobbying group in the U.S., is able to influence a great deal in American politics. It is true that AIPAC puts a huge amount of money into American elections, which means that for most mainstream American politicians, criticism of the state of Israel is something that’s not worth doing if they don’t want to risk losing funding.

In the end, whether or not Omar’s tweet was anti-Semitic is not the most pressing issue. There are real, serious issues with those who hate Jews in the U.S. — look at the Pittsburgh massacre and the Nazis in Charlottesville that chanted “Jews will not replace us!” (those same Nazis that our great defender of the Jews, President Trump, called “very fine people”), for example. We should be worried about these real threats, not about a poorly worded comment by a congresswoman who has always been willing to stand up for the rights of the marginalized.

Rep. Omar, as a black Muslim woman, is held to a much higher standard than she would be, were it not for her minority identities. Those who are upset with her have their rage compounded by their bias, as they feel that given her marginalized status, she doesn’t have the right to speak freely. Even many of those who call for her resignation have said more deliberately anti-Semitic things than she ever has. The leading Republican to denounce Omar, house minority leader Kevin McCarthy, is not free of accusations of anti-Semitism himself, making his attacks on Omar seem particularly disingenuous. Last October, he tweeted, “we cannot allow Soros, Steyer, and Bloomberg to BUY this election! Get out and vote Republican November 6th. #MAGA.” This tweet, which has since been deleted, referenced a common far-right idea that a conspiracy of Jewish billionaires is essentially controlling world politics.

Ilhan Omar is a brave voice for freedom and dignity for all people. So I, as an American Jew, stand with her against this ongoing smear campaign. I hope that she continues to use her voice to speak out against injustice, despite the unfair standards she is held to when doing so.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleYour service dog’s vest is on Amazon—with free shipping
Next articleThe Wellesley College dining hall system is broken

You may also like

Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification

It’s time to put traditional grading to the test

Banner reading this website has been seized over images of a book shelf

What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top