As Hanukkah celebrations are underway, we thought we would briefly focus on President Trump’s recent Executive Order Combating Anti-Semitism (some excerpts):

While Title VI does not cover discrimination based on religion, individuals who face discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin do not lose protection under Title VI for also being a member of a group that shares common religious practices.  Discrimination against Jews may give rise to a Title VI violation when the discrimination is based on an individual’s race, color, or national origin. . . .

“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.  Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities”; and

(ii)  the “Contemporary Examples of Anti-Semitism” identified by the IHRA, to the extent that any examples might be useful as evidence of discriminatory intent.

(b)  In considering the materials described in subsections (a)(i) and (a)(ii) of this section, agencies shall not diminish or infringe upon any right protected under Federal law or under the First Amendment

Yet the left is upset.  As Alyza Lewin writes in the Jewish National Syndicate:

It is the “adoption” of this definition of anti-Semitism that is causing the ruckus.

It is important to note that there is nothing in either the IHRA Definition or the Executive Order that precludes anyone from criticizing the policies of the government of Israel. In fact, the IHRA definition explicitly states that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.” So why are some individuals opposed to this definition? Because it makes clear that opposing Israel’s existence as a Jewish homeland is anti-Semitism. Those who oppose Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish nation-state condemn the Executive Order’s adoption of the IHRA definition because it labels their position anti-Semitic. Anti-Semites don’t like to be called anti-Semites.

The last line sums it up.  The left is endorsing or at least failing to call out anti-Semites in their midst.  At best, they are ignoring a real problem.  As Ben Shapiro writes: 

Trump’s EO[Executive Order] is merely an extension of longstanding Bipartisan policy that suggests that Jews ought to be protected on college campuses by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But Trump was raked over the coals thanks to idiotic New York Times reporting, which suggested that Trump would characterize Jews as a “race or nationality” under the Civil Rights Act. That’s not what the EO did….

Nonetheless, the blue-checkmarked crew went insane, suggesting that Trump’s EO — which, again, was directly aimed at fighting anti-Semitism — was ackshually anti-Semitic. . . . In fact, many of the people supposedly concerned about anti-Semitism in Trump’s EO are proponents of the actively anti-Semitic boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

As the Daily Wire concludes in another article. 

President Trump’s recent executive order is a significant step forward in combating the anti-Semitism faced by vulnerable Jewish students on college campuses across America. . . . We applaud President Trump’s executive order for affirmatively seeking to combat the rising tide of anti-Semitic crime and discrimination head-on. We are confident that its full implementation will be a meaningful step in identifying and eradicating this “oldest hatred” on university campuses.

Thank you President Trump for fighting against anti-Semitism on campus and elsewhere. 

Happy Hanukkah!