Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has condemned Representative Jared Moskowitz’s (D-FL) comments about Senator Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) stance on antisemitism as “shameful.” Moskowitz had questioned Sanders’ commitment to opposing antisemitism in the wake of Sanders’ criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. In response, Ocasio-Cortez highlighted Sanders’ family’s experience during the Holocaust and his dedication to protecting the innocent. She also emphasized that Sanders and other Jewish leaders deserve respect, not accusations of antisemitism.
Moskowitz had reposted Sanders’ statement on his efforts to halt U.S. military aid to Israel’s wartime campaign, writing: “Bernie, now do Antisemitism. Why so quiet?” Sanders, who is Jewish, has been a vocal critic of continued U.S. aid to Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu given the climbing civilian death toll in Gaza. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks that triggered the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.
Antisemitism has been on the rise in the U.S. and other Western nations since the Oct. 7 attacks, which killed about 1,200 and kidnapped about 250 others. The U.S. saw more than 8,800 antisemitic incidents in 2023, according to the annual survey by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), marking an all-time record. Moskowitz has expressed concerns about the uptick.
The Hill reached out to Moskowitz’s and Sanders’s offices for further comment.
