Tens of thousands of American Jews gathered in Washington on Tuesday for the March for Israel rally. Its stated aims were to support Israel; to call for the release of the over 200 hostages captured and held by Hamas since Oct. 7; and to stand against antisemitism.
There were many speakers throughout the day, including relatives of hostages and members of Congress from both parties. Also on the stage, apparently unbeknownst to the liberal Zionist groups in attendance until the day of rally, was John Hagee, pastor, televangelist and chair of Christians United for Israel.
One could reasonably object to this person being on a stage at a rally against antisemitism.
It is unsurprising that more progressive groups in attendance objected to Hagee’s presence. After all, he has a history of deeply offensive comments: that God sent Hitler to carry out the Holocaust “to help Jews reach the promised land,” that Hitler was a “half-breed Jew,” and that Israel is the only home God ever intended the Jewish people to have. One could reasonably object to this person being on a stage at a rally against antisemitism.
While Tuesday’s rally was held to both support Israel and fight antisemitism, the organizers’ invitation to Hagee illustrates that these two things are not necessarily the same. One can support Israel and also spread antisemitism.
Whatever else one can say about Hagee, one must admit he supports Israel. True, in the long term, many Christian Zionists believe that Israel is necessary to bring about the end of the world, at which point Jews will be eternally damned and Christ will return. But in the short term, he has been an active partner and vocally supportive of the state just as it is.
One could argue that Hagee’s support goes against the actual interests of peace and security for Israelis and Jews, or that it is not up to him to proclaim, as he did at Tuesday’s march, that “you’re either for the Jewish people or you’re not” and that there is “no middle ground” in this conflict. “Israel’s victory will come when Hamas and Hezbollah are in the ash heap of history along with Haman and Hitler,” Hagee concluded on Tuesday, and one could wonder why he decided to yet again invoke the Nazi leader. Yet there is no question that Hagee is committed to Israel.
Hagee’s speech was billed at the march as one of the “Voices of Allies.” To whom is Hagee an ally? To the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? Certainly: Netanyahu has, in the past, joined Hagee’s telecast. To the Israeli people? That is less clear. But to Jews? There are some Jews who do consider Hagee an ally. But for those of us who do not believe that the Holocaust was a gift or that Hitler was a “half-breed Jew” or that Jews are only meant to live in Israel — and not in, say, the United States, where millions of us do live and where, in fact, Hagee was addressing a crowd of Jews — he is more foe than friend.
There was Hagee, quite literally embodying the distinction between supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism.
There are, of course, other reasons that the ideas of supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism should not be conflated. As antisemitic incidents increase in the United States and around the world, with people lashing out at random Jews in response to Israeli government action, it is perhaps not useful to Jewish people to have American Jewish organizations putting both of these causes forward at the same rally. Further, there is criticism of Israel that is not antisemitic, and collapsing these two causes into one another could risk chilling speech and discussion on matters related not only to Israeli politics, but also American foreign policy.
But if those reasons do not suffice, there was Hagee, quite literally embodying the distinction between supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism. People do one and not the other all the time. Including John Hagee, speaking at a march that was meant to do both.