Yesterday @peterbeinart.bsky.social & I discussed the bad-faith attacks on Hasan Piker, why establishment Dems keep punching Left, & why it's a failed strategy. We also discussed antisemitism, Israel/Palestine, America First & coalition politics. Listen here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/n...

Navigating Bad-faith Accusations of Antisemitism

Podcast Episode · Occupied Thoughts · September 2 · 36m

podcasts.apple.com

everyone just calm down

@benlorber8.bsky.social: ‘the fight over Piker’s words reminds of the final clause of the Balfour Declaration, promising to protect “the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country” to address the concerns of Jewish critics of Zionism’ benlorber18.substack.com/p/specters-o...

Specters of Balfour

Critics of Hasan Piker’s recent warning don’t understand the time we’re in. We owe it to ourselves and our children’s children to get a grip-- and soon.

benlorber18.substack.com

My latest on Substack- Specters of Balfour "Those who dismiss Piker’s warning as victim-blaming are thinking moralistically, not politically...the point is not to assign blame for antisemitism but to understand the conditions of its emergence"

By joining the pile-on against Hasan Piker, Democrats & liberals are running the Right's disinformation playbook for them-- the same playbook the Right uses before every election. This time around the moral panic was created by a far-right pro-Israel account named Max Nordau/

Hasan Piker's statement about the relation between American Jewish support for Israel and antisemitism shouldn't be so controversial. Here's Hannah Arendt making the same point in her 1944 essay 'Zionism Reconsidered'

Deborah Lipstadt, noted Holocaust historian & antisemitism czar under Biden, just shared a hardline transphobe who compared gender-affirming surgery to genital mutilation & slammed 'gender ideology' For many self-styled 'liberals', Israel advocacy is a gateway drug to the Right

The latest issue of @jewishcurrents.bsky.social carried a bad review of my good friend @blbalthaser.bsky.social’s excellent new book on the American Jewish Left and anti-Zionism. I wanted to explain what’s wrong with the review, and why it matters

I usually keep my pettiness in check. But I do wonder if the boys at @mostmoralpod.bsky.social are having second thoughts after recording a whole episode the other month, slamming me & others for naming Susan’s antisemitism. These 3 posts are just from the last few days—

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that Mamdani’s pro-Israel critics are correct today— that when the mayor of NYC used his large platform to call Netanyahu a war criminal and urge his arrest, it helped inspire a mentally ill person to stab a Jew on the streets of Manhattan /

My latest-- Christians United for Israel, the largest Zionist group in the US, just held its annual conference in DC. An interfaith coalition led by Christians for a Free Palestine & @rabbis4ceasefire.bsky.social took the streets to demand faith beyond Empire religiondispatches.org/2026/07/16/r...

Reading Scripture from the Throne, Not the Cross

Last week, Christians United for Israel—the largest Christian Zionist organization in the United States—held its 21st annual national gathering at a resort outside Washington, DC. With over 10 million...

religiondispatches.org

In this episode, PRA's @benlorber8.bsky.social reflects on the status of the U.S. Christian Zionist movement, embodied by its largest organization: Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Tune in now to learn more: politicalresearch.org/2026/07/15/e....

End Times Crusaders go to Washington, an interview with Ben Lorber

Ben Lorber reflects on the contemporary status of the U.S. Christian Zionist movement, embodied by its largest organization: Christians United for Israel. Popular support for Israel has faltered as th...

politicalresearch.org

Perhaps he meant to say that Mamdani's positions on Israel have *helped* in maintaining a net-positive image among American Jews overall

Israel/Palestine is now central to American politics both because people don’t like genocide and because they do like politicians with real principles who aren’t afraid to stick to them, even at a cost

Hockley barely breaks 100k followers across X and YouTube-- a big step down from Fuentes' 'generational run' in 2025, when he was in front of millions. Around this time last year I insisted Nick Fuentes' time in the spotlight would be brief & pushed back against many reporters who insisted he was /

And we know what came after the Tea Party...

Liberal Currents@liberalcurrents.com · 3mo ago

“There are millions of angry Democratic voters who don’t happen to live in one of the five boroughs. And outsider candidates in Democratic primaries are polling very well with young voters and highly educated voters across the country.” www.liberalcurrents.com/the-democrat...

“no equivalent to…MAGA, where the movement’s leading platform proudly features age-old deicide charges & caricatures of Passover as a ritual of tribal bloodlust from an ‘expert’ who points his finger squarely at ‘international Jews.’” @benlorber8.bsky.social religiondispatches.org/2026/06/26/t...

Tucker Carlson's Latest Foray Into Far-Right Antisemitism Flies Under the Radar

On Tuesday, Tucker Carlson hosted Jordan Daniel Hall, a Christian nationalist blogger, for a wide-ranging interview criticizing the fundamental tenets of Christian Zionism. Carlson, who recently trade...

religiondispatches.org

This week Tucker Carlson platformed another hardline antisemite-- a pastor who told Carlson 'the Jews killed Jesus' and whose writings rail against 'international Jews'. But unlike last fall's interview with Nick Fuentes, this time the media hardly noticed. My latest at @religiondispatches.org:

Tucker Carlson's Latest Foray Into Far-Right Antisemitism Flies Under the Radar

On Tuesday, Tucker Carlson hosted Jordan Daniel Hall, a Christian nationalist blogger, for a wide-ranging interview criticizing the fundamental tenets of Christian Zionism. Carlson, who recently trade...

religiondispatches.org

if we want to talk about Jews ‘joining our oppressors’, the Zionist movement saw the Holocaust and decided that the Jewish state would serve as the Christian West’s loyal, frontline strike force for the rest of the 20th century

thanks Meghan. It felt great to win so big in NYC last night. and it's more than a bit freaky, you're right, to see the change we've yearned for so badly start to happen. we appreciate your support

The story modern antisemitism tells about ‘the Jews’— a grotesque fairy tale of rapacious, absolute elite power— holds up a funhouse mirror to all that is morally monstrous in our world. Antisemitism is a caricature of monstrosity. /

Josh Nathan-Kazis@joshnathankazis.bsky.social · 3mo ago

On "monsters," from yesterday's @jewishcurrents.bsky.social news desk newsletter.

In 15 minutes I'll be on Hitting Left Radio with Mike Klonsky, discussing the strange new alliances reshaping the American right — from Christian Zionists to the Gen‑Z ‘America First’ crowd. Tune in at WLPN 105.5 FM in Chicago or online > lumpenradio.com

Home - Lumpen

Lumpen Radio is a project of Public Media Institute a registered 501 (c) non-profit organization. We are committed to the spread of knowledge and positive vibrations on the public airwaves. None of th...

lumpenradio.com

Great to see a writeup of my forthcoming book on Christian Zionism at @publisherswkly.bsky.social! "Lorber describes those who shaped the heart of U.S. support for Israel, as well as those who are creating new visions of faith and freedom" www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Religion Book Deals: June 17, 2026

Among recent deals are a trio of inspirational romances, a look at the Christian Zionist movement, and a Bible-based guide to sex and relationships.

publishersweekly.com

Last image from tonight (short film in the morning): this brother out here with his Singer sewing machine, gifting people a custom embroidery on their jerseys and hats with the name and the date, was more artistic than anything at Burning Man and ad gorgeous as a Caravaggio. Magic! Goodnight.

This tweet isn't just about the Knicks. Zohran is hacking the culture to send a bat signal, calling forth a revolutionary subject capable of re-entering history after decades in the wilderness. Only historical materialism, he's telling us, can light the fuse which blasts open the present

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani@mayor.nyc.gov · 3mo ago

HISTORY.

End Times Orientalism-- in the eyes of Christian Zionists, Yemeni Jewish migration to Israel both civilized the savage and helped fulfill Bible prophecy From 'The Pentecostal Evangel', June 1967, right after the Six Day War

Rabbi Simcha Bunem taught that a person must carry a different note in each pocket. One, 'for my sake was the world created'; the other, 'I am but dust and ashes'. Today, when a leftist navigates an issue, they should also carry two notes. One, 'check Bluesky'; the other, 'check X'

At the risk of overextending such metaphors, there is an emotionally abusive relationship between Israel and the diaspora in the normative Jewish mentality. The ingrained attitude is that the diaspora has been superseded, is forever less-than, incomplete and dependent on Israel as the locus

Joel S.@joelhs.bsky.social · 4mo ago

"94% of [Israeli Jews] said they expect Diaspora Jews to support Israel... While 72% believe the State of Israel has a responsibility toward Jewish communities in the Diaspora, only 20%... said Israel should allocate financial resources to assist Jews abroad." www.timesofisrael.com/more-israeli...

My latest at @praeyesright.bsky.social, with Habiba Fahr "Trump’s coalition is built from many factions, motivated by diverse ideologies and interests...crafting effective strategy to oppose this war requires understanding the forces propelling it" politicalresearch.org/2026/05/20/d...

Demonize, Privatize, Profit, Repeat

The United States’ attack on Iran was a product of numerous, sometimes conflicting, sectors of the Right advocating for war—including Chrsitian Zionists, neoconservatives, and anti-Muslim ideologues.

politicalresearch.org

Last week I spoke with @peterbeinart.bsky.social and @ruwaromman.bsky.social on the rise of the Israel-critical Right "They're very savvy in trying to outflank the Democratic establishment. They see which way the wind is blowing...They know large numbers of young voters are critical of US support

“You Cannot Pick and Choose Exceptions to Your Bigotry”

YouTube video by Beinart Notebook

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