Two influential Jewish Americans promote two of the most pernicious anti-Semitic tropes.
In a castigating plea, Harvard professor Ruth Wisse urged Jews everywhere not only to unflinchingly support Israel but to “stand and salute” Benjamin Netanyahu as their leader, warning: “Don’t you dare minimise our leader, don’t you dare call him a chicken shit.”
Wisse will be understood by many to be saying that diaspora Jews should regard Netanyahu as their rightful leader — a statement echoing one of the most malignant anti-Semitic tropes: that Jews are more loyal to their own group, and to Israel, than to the nations they live in. Others have had their careers ruined for far less. But Wisse’s commitment to Zionism overrides any concern for how her words might appear — or what consequences they may have.
While it is true that some Jews are more loyal to Israel than to America — and Wisse herself seems to exemplify this — she appears to argue that this is not a betrayal but a duty: that the natural obligation of American Jews is not to America first, but to Israel. That Jews worldwide should regard themselves not as full and equal citizens of their own countries, but as followers of a single nationalist project centred elsewhere.
Wisse is not alone. Former U.S. Republican Senator Norm Coleman recently lamented that Israel was “losing the digital war,” as public opinion in the U.S. turns sharply against it. His response was not to question Israel’s policies but to call on Jews everywhere to counter this shift — because, in his words, “Jews are the masters of the universe.”
He backed the claim by citing Jewish leadership of major digital platforms: Sam Altman of OpenAI, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, and Jan Koum, who founded WhatsApp. In doing so, he not only echoed another classic anti-Semitic trope — that Jews control global institutions — but reinforced it, urging Jews to leverage this alleged control in Israel’s defence.
The grotesque irony of Coleman’s words is inescapable. For centuries, Jews were persecuted, expelled, and slaughtered by people who believed they were masters of the universe. Now, a Jewish political figure reclaims that language — not in warning or lament, but in encouragement.
Both Wisse and Coleman claim to speak for Jews. But what they really speak for is Zionism. And that distinction is everything.
Judaism and Zionism are not synonymous. In truth, they are antithetical. Judaism is a religion of conscience, of right conduct, of standing before God. Zionism is a political project built on land, conquest, and the domination of narrative. Judaism teaches: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour.” Zionism answers: “Dominate your neighbour before he dominates you.”
Yes, Jews are disproportionately represented in media, technology, academia, and government. But this is not evidence of collective conspiracy. And when Jews in these positions act in service of Zionist aims, they do not act as Jews — they act as Zionists. That distinction must be defended, not blurred. It is the difference between faith and chauvinism, between exile and empire.