Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) Delivers Shocking Antisemitic Speech
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) delivered a speech at the National Conservatism Conference railing against “cosmopolitan elites” who he claimed are disloyal to America, and “loyal only to the global community.” “Cosmopolitan” is an antisemitic dog-whistle, made all the more intentional when paired with tropes about dual loyalty. Hitler and Stalin used this same word in their speeches inciting violence against Jews.
Several months later, just before the two-year commemoration of the Tree of Life shooting — the deadliest antisemitic shooting in U.S. history — several of Hawley’s Jewish constituents met with a member of his staff to demand an apology, citing that the antisemitic tropes Hawley promoted could fuel violence against Jews. They received no apology, and although Hawley’s office said it would be possible for these constituents to meet with him, the Senator’s staff soon stopped replying to emails.
In response to criticism from Jewish communities, Hawley proceeded to tweet about his love for the State of Israel, as if American Jews and Israel are one and the same. Conflating Jews with the State of Israel is antisemitic, and Republican politicians regularly engage in this type of antisemitism in an effort to defend themselves against accusations of antisemitism.
