Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s abstention on 'antizionism is antisemitism' resolution is a blunder

The French diplomat Talleyrand of the 18th and 19th centuries is a famous historical source for quotes.  Perhaps his most famous was: “It is worse than a crime — it is a blunder.”

The major New Jersey congressional blunder of 2023 was committed by Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-Montclair. This blunder has not yet been widely publicized, but is certain to put her on a collision course with the New Jersey Jewish community and jeopardize her future political aspirations.

Specifically, the Sherrill blunder was her abstention on Dec. 5, 2023, on U.S. House of Representatives Resolution 894. The major purpose of this resolution was to condemn antizionism with the words “antizionism is antisemitism.”

What is antizionism and why is it important?

In recent years, the word “antizionism” has been a word used by virulent antisemitic leftists and Arabs to claim that they are not antisemitic — just antizionist. This is both a sophistic and intellectually dishonest claim.

Zionism is the belief in the right of the Jewish people to establish a state in the Land of Israel, the ancient Jewish homeland. At one time in Jewish history, before the Holocaust and large-scale Jewish emigration to the Holy Land, antizionism would not necessarily have been equivalent with antisemitism. In those years, Zionism was still a minority movement among the Jewish people. Today, Zionism has virtually universal support among Jewry, and Israel has the largest Jewish community in the world.

This House resolution was passed by a vote of 311-14, with 92 voting "present" (abstaining) and 17 not voting. It had wide bipartisan support in the New Jersey congressional delegation, including among Democrats — Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., Rep. Frank Pallone and Rep. Donald Norcross — and Republicans — Rep. Tom Kean Jr. and Rep. Jeff Van Drew. The support from Pascrell was remarkably courageous, in that he represents a district with the largest Arab population in the state.

Outside the Congress, the resolution has the unequivocal support of first lady Tammy Murphy, wife of Gov. Phil Murphy and a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. Still, Sherrill abstained on this resolution. This abstention left her isolated among major New Jersey mainstream Democrats as the only one who failed to condemn antizionism as antisemitism.

She is now on the far left among New Jersey Democratic members of the Congress on the antizionism issue, along with Rep. Andy Kim, who did not vote on the measure, and Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman, who voted against it and has an appalling anti-Israel record.

The failure of so many Democratic members of Congress to vote for this resolution was due to the opposition by the far-left wing of the Democratic Party. This vote was extremely important to the Jewish community nationwide, in that violence against Jews linked to the Israel-Hamas war has risen astronomically. Apologists for that violence rationalize it by saying opposition to Israel is based on antizionism and not antisemitism and the falsehood that Zionism is inherently apartheid.

Yet as the renowned scholar Joshua Muravchik has noted, today’s antizionism has as its core belief the destruction of the state of Israel. Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah all proclaim that the destruction of Israel will mean the genocide of its Jews. As Muravchik notes, “There is no escaping the reality that the end of Israel could only mean the death of millions of its Jews. The fulfillment of antizionism means nothing less than a second Holocaust.” And left-wing Democrats will still deny that antizionism is antisemitism?

The Anti-Defamation League CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, stated unequivocally in a speech in 2022 to ADL leaders that “antizionism is antisemitism.” He singled out Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace as groups that “epitomize the radical left, the photo inverse of the extreme right that ADL long has tracked.”

How will Sherrill be affected?

Sherrill abstained on the “antizionism is antisemitism” resolution. This was an unmistakable and shameful example of her Chamberlainesque sacrificing of support of the American-Israel alliance to appease the far-left progressive Democrats and the growing Arab population of New Jersey, groups whose support she seeks for her future political aspirations. Opposition to Israel and Zionism is now an article of faith among extremist left-wing Democrats, including their leader, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose statements against supporters of Israel are extremely vitriolic. All this is having an intimidating effect on center-left Democrats.

Still, in her effort to appease the AOC Democrats, Sherrill is now headed on a political collision course with the New Jersey Jewish community.

A 2020 survey published by the Brandeis Jewish Electorate Institute showed a majority of the American Jewish electorate residing in four states, including New Jersey, with 440,000 adults. This makes Israel a major issue for New Jersey political candidates. And Sherrill’s destructive appeasement of the Democratic Party fringe left and her inevitable major loss of Jewish support could result in her future political prospects being severely affected.

Alan J. Steinberg of Highland Park, New Jersey, served as regional administrator of Region 2 U.S. EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and executive director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin Law School.  

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rep. Mikie Sherrill antizionism position is a blunder