Schumer antisemitism Senate speech digs at young liberal protesters: ‘Learn the history’

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) issued an urgent warning about the rise of antisemitism in America since the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, directing his comments toward young liberal protesters who have confronted Democrats over their support of Israel.

“Many of the people who express these sentiments in America aren’t Neo-Nazis or card-carrying Klan members or Islamic extremists,” Schumer said during a nearly 40-minute speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday. “They’re in most cases people that most liberal Jewish Americans felt previously were their ideological fellow travelers.”

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Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the country, warned against blaming Jewish Americans for Israel’s actions and listed out various anti-Semitic incidents that have taken place in the days and weeks after the Oct. 7 attack. The New York senator also slammed the “Free Palestine” slogan that activists are chanting, calling it a “violently antisemitic message.”

“I believe there are plenty of people who chant from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, not because they hate Jewish people, but because they support a better future for Palestinians. But, there is no question that Hamas and other terrorist organizations have used this slogan to represent their intention to eliminate Jewish people not only from Israel but from every corner of the earth,” Schumer said.

“Given the history of oppression, expulsion, and state violence that is practically embedded in Jewish DNA, can you blame the Jewish people for hearing the violently antisemitic message loud and clear? We shouldn’t accept this sort of language from anybody,” he added.

Schumer spoke of how “young people who yearn for justice” are unknowingly aiding Hamas’ cause and have brushed aside the concerns of Jewish Americans around the country.

“When I’ve asked some of the marchers what they would do about Hamas, they don’t have an answer,” he said.

Schumer’s comments come as Democrats have been grappling with a more vocal left wing, which has been generally more sympathetic to Palestinians and has called for limiting financial support to Israel. The shift is the latest divide among Democrats over the war in Gaza as lawmakers face increasing pressure from liberal constituents and pro-Palestinian activists to address the humanitarian crisis.

The Senate Majority Leader offered a brief overview of the oppression and persecution Jews have faced across the world for generations.

“So my plea, my fervent plea, to the American people of all creeds and backgrounds is this — first learn the history of the Jewish people who have been abandoned repeatedly by their fellow countrymen,” Schumer said.

“I say this particularly to younger people who didn’t live with any of this history. Learn the history of the Jewish people who have been left isolated and alone to combat antisemitism through the centuries.”

Schumer’s speech comes amid a rise in hate crimes against Jewish Americans. Following Oct. 7, the Anti-Defamation League recorded a 388% increase in antisemitic incidents.

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) praised Schumer’s speech.

“I want to compliment him for providing a history lesson for Americans about the history of the Jewish people, putting it in context with the conflict that’s underway,” McConnell said.