The common antisemitic libel goes that the Jews control the world. Anyone who's been following recent events knows that if anything, the opposite is true. The world far too often controls the Jews.
One has only to look at the areas where Jews have supposedly "taken over". Take Hollywood, where Jewish celebrities are the first to bend their knees to whatever popular movement is currently in vogue but won’t dare to raise their voices in support of their own beleaguered people. Or consider the many rich Western Jews who will gladly give their money to any progressive cause as all the while their own community languishes in need.
The Jewish people, far too often, are not concerned with their real needs. Instead, they concern themselves with what they perceive to be the primary and all-important single Jewish need: gaining the acceptance of the Gentiles.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the sphere of politics. American Jews, despite their small number, have reached disproportionally high heights in the political arena. As of 2025, there are 10 Jewish senators and 24 Jewish members of the House of Representatives serving in the United States Congress. This means that although Jews comprise only 2% of the population, they make up 12% of the composition of the 118th Congress. There are also six current Jewish governors. Jews can even claim (for better or for worse) Chuck Schumer, minority leader of the United States Senate.
With so much influence, support for Israel should be an absolute given. American Jews should be enjoying unprecedented success and support thanks to their Jewish representatives. Instead, the best way to describe the collective response of Jewish politicians post-October 7th is “overwhelmingly underwhelming,” (with some exceptions).
Most started off strong in the days directly after October 7th. They rightly decried the horrors of that terrible day and the atrocities committed. But as time went on and the shock dulled, so too did their enthusiasm. Some gave speeches (mainly to their Jewish constituents) supporting Israel but hedged their comments by making sure to mention meaningless political talking points like “peace on both sides” “living in harmony” and “a two-state solution.” Some went to the Jewish march in Washington last year, the climax and seemingly the end of Jewish activism. A few bold souls might have risked political ruin by daring to vote against blatantly anti-Israel referendums.
But how many came out in clear and courageous support of Israel and its right to defend itself? How many championed Israel in the media and the debates in the Capitol? How many were brave enough to put forward pro-Israel legislation? Perhaps most audacious of all, how many “proud American Jews” from the United States government have come to Israel to share in the situation firsthand and show their personal support? (To any American Jewish politicians reading this, please consider this both a personal challenge and a personal invitation. It's never too late.)
The reason for such shameful behavior is immediately obvious to anyone who understands the mindset of the modern American Jew. The political Jew is gladly willing to make themselves a martyr if only it will lead them to the greatest of all possible goods, the praise and acceptance of the very people martyring them. That they won’t be around to enjoy the praise is wholly irrelevant.
It’s crouched in more acceptable political ideology, of course. Jewish politicians are: “Acting against their own personal interests”, “Putting the needs of the country first”, or “Doing what’s right for everyone”. It’s necessary to rationalize when attempting to do something completely irrational (and morally indefensible).
I’d like to address these Jewish politicos. To them, I say that Purim is coming. Purim is perhaps the favorite holiday for a politician. On the surface, Hashem is nowhere to be seen. Instead, it appears superficially that everything that happens thanks to the political maneuvering of the parties involved. In that spirit, modern-day politicians would do well to learn from the leadership found in the Megillah. Even though Purim Torah is usually meant to be humorous, I assure you that I'm entirely serious.
The action in the Megillah really kicks off when Mordechai refuses to bow down to Haman. (Esther 3:3). In this act he provides a template for all future Jewish leaders. Don't bow down to power. It seems straightforward enough but how many of today's Jewish politicians can say that they've successfully met this standard? How many have vocally spoken against measures that would harm the Jewish state when such measures are put forth by their own party? How many have been willing to risk their party's ire to break the traditional talking points and speak from the heart? How many have dared to cross party lines when the need demanded it?
Most of our current US Jewish politicians are far too willing to bow down to their political masters. To nullify themselves for the good of their party. It's clear that it's there that their allegiances lie. Whatever personal convictions they have must be sacrificed in a show of party loyalty.
I have said in the past that for Jews on the left, the democratic party has become a new religion, the Progressive cause the new mitzvot. This is even more true for the Jewish leaders of the party. In a very real sense, their political affiliation has replaced their people.
I will give just one example, one that's close to home. Ronald Lee Wyden is the senior United States senator from Oregon, a seat he has held since 1996. As an idealistic young lad, I proudly volunteered for his campaigns in 1996 and 2000 and we met at a few of his events. We might have run into each other during high holiday services at Congregation Neveh Shalom.
Heretofore, Senator Wyden had been a staunch supporter of Israel. His record is truly something to be proud of. Which makes his current actions all the stranger to understand. On January 28, 2025, Senate Democrats blocked consideration of legislation sanctioning the International Criminal Court for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leaders. The measure rightly condemned the international criminal courts for issuing an arrest warrant to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes. The measure was a just and necessary condemnation of the attempt to smear the democratically elected leader of a sovereign nation with completely fabricated lies. It should have enjoyed complete bipartisan support. Instead, since the Republicans sponsored the legislation, the Democrats chose to oppose it on principle. Every Jew in the Senate, Wyden included, voted to bar this important legislation from consideration.
Wyden once promised that he would guarantee that America would be there for Israel and that he would ensure that the US would help Israel do what needed to be done. In his own words, he called the October 7th massacre “a wakeup call.”
Why then, has he himself not woken up?
It’s galling considering that in recent months, Wyden has had no compunction about capitalizing on his Jewishness when it suited his needs. The senior Oregon legislator recently published a new memoir, "It Takes Chutzpah," In it, he claims that his Jewish background is the foundation of his approach to politics and governing. Citing such trite and incorrect ideas as the progressive version of “tikun olam,” Wyden has no qualms about milking his Jewish identity when it can be used as a cute gimmick to help sell his brand.
But when the time came to stand up for the Jewish people, the people he claimed influenced him, and more importantly, when the time came up to stand up against the political powers attacking them, Wyden, along with leader Chuck ('I'm the shomer of Israel') Schumer chose instead to bow down. They did the bidding of their political masters. Because they cared more about protecting their party than protecting their people.
It would seem that the title of his book is accurate. Wyden certainly has chutzpah.
Wyden, Schumer, and his ilk would do well to learn from another hero of the megillah, Queen Esther. Today's Washington Jews will only acknowledge their Jewishness when it serves them. The rest of the time, it's something of a liability. Compare them to the heroic Esther.
When she was in the royal palace, Esther never turned her back on her people. Unlike today’s Jewish lawmakers, the midrash writes that Esther managed to keep kosher and observe the Sabbath, even in the impure atmosphere of the king’s place. Moreover, she acted together with her community. When she saw Mordechai in mourning, when in the Jewish community “there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, crying and wailing; sackcloth and ash were spread out for the masses (Esther 5:3,)” the queen was not content to stay safely protected away from the danger. Compare this to the Jewish leaders of today who choose to stay safe in their gated communities, doing almost nothing while Jews are being assaulted on campus and in antisemitic attacks across the country.
Then, when Queen Esther heard about the evil decree, she refused to use her own personal safety to separate herself from her brethren. She, using her authority, commanded the Jews to fast and pray. But her heroism went far beyond inspiring others. When the time came, she herself rose to the occasion. In the climax of the Purim tale. she fearlessly confronts both Haman and the King. It is her bold refusal to give in to her political rulers that saves the Jewish people.
Queen Esther risked her life to stand against evil. Surely American Jews can risk an election.
Jewish politicians would also do well to listen to what Mordechai told Esther before she acted. When the queen worries that her actions will be futile, accomplishing nothing and leading to her death, Mordechai responds to her "Do not think that you will escape [the fate of] all the Jews by being in the king's palace. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and salvation will come to the Jews from another source, and you and the house of your father will be lost. And who knows if it is not for just such a time that you reached this royal position (Esther 5:13-14)."
American Jews in Washington would do well to take this lesson to heart. When trouble comes, their position will not protect them. We’ve already seen this in the riots and attacks across the country. To antisemites, there is no “Good Jew.” The antisemites realize what the Jews themselves do not, that whatever else they might become, they are first and foremost Jews.
What’s more, as Mordechai warned Esther, this might be the very reason that our contemporary Jewish politicians rose to their positions of power. How will they justify themselves when they are asked why when the time came, they did not answer the call?
To be sure, there are all kinds of justifications. After all, Jewish politicians will argue, they have a lot of important factors to evaluate. Israel is a hot-button issue. There are reelections to consider. Donors to make happy.
In response, I would suggest that they take a lesson from the most unlikely source of all, Haman. Haman was willing to give up his personal fortune to destroy the Jewish people, so great was his hatred. Today we have the likes of such modern-day Hamans as Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rashida Tlaib who are willing to do anything to see the Jewish state destroyed. There is no action they won’t take, no claim they won’t make, no cost they won’t pay if it means striking a blow against Israel.
Everything they have is devoted to that single depraved goal. They don’t care if it gives them bad press or it makes them look bad. They don’t even care if they risk ending their political careers. Any hardship can be endured just as long as they can strike a blow. So strong is their hatred that they barely care what happens to themselves, just as long as they can hurt Jews.
To our political Jews, I therefore say, you should be willing to put forth as much effort as our enemies do.
If the Megillah teaches anything, it’s that the Jewish people will always prevail. This is perhaps the final lesson that our Jews in the Capitol should take to heart. They were Jews long before they won their first election. And they will be Jews long after they retire. They would do better to realize that their place should not be with a political party - that could well become irrelevant after an election or that could turn on them tomorrow. It’s not about a temporary, transient power on Earth. It’s about the eternal people who will endure forever.
Ilan Goodman- is a museum collections professional and exhibition curator. He also serves as a rabbi and educator. He made Aliyah to Israel in 2011 and lives with his wife and children in Beit Shemesh.