FOX 32: Jewish leaders criticize Chicago mayor over handling of antisemitism | Ahmed Rehab highlights bias in Palestinian advocacy
WATCH: Executive Director, Ahmed Rehab, speaks on FOX’s Paris on Politics on Gazan starvation, D.C. shooting, and challenging media’s hypocrisy on Israel’s genocide.
The Brief
Jewish groups say city leaders have allowed antisemitism to thrive after the killings of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.
The Anti-Defamation League criticized Mayor Brandon Johnson for hiring officials with histories of antisemitic statements.
A local Muslim group condemned the killings but sparked further controversy with comments seen as conditional.
CHICAGO - The killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim has local Jewish groups upset at what they call a culture of antisemitism that has been allowed to fester on social media, and throughout the city of Chicago.
What we know: Groups like the Anti-Defamation League say Mayor Brandon Johnson and city leaders have "fanned the flames" of antisemitic activity, pointing to Johnson’s hiring of people to top-level positions who had espoused antisemitic views. That includes the mayor's choice for school board president – Rev. Mitchell Johnson – who had antisemitic social media postings and was removed after a week on the job.
"As long as he and others say it’s okay, and ‘I’m going to permit and allow protests to occur, even though we know it’s breaking the law because you’re supposed to have a permit,’" said David Goldenberg, head of the Chicago chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. "Or we know that students on college campuses are being harassed on these campuses, and (the mayor’s) going to prohibit CPD from removing the encampments, that’s how you tolerate it."
The other side: Mayor Johnson condemned the killings and said antisemitism and hate have no place in our country.
Dig deeper: Goldenberg and other representatives of the Chicago Jewish community also say some of the hate has only increased, especially on social media, in the days since the D.C. murders. Goldenberg referred to a group called the Bronx Anti-War Coalition that posted on X: "What Elias Rodriguez did is the highest expression of anti-Zionism," and followed it up with a post that read: "We need more Elias Rodriguez’ in this world."
"When those of you in the media report about that, understand that, in their echo chambers, this is what they’re saying," Goldenberg said.
Meanwhile, a prominent Muslim group – the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations – put out a statement condemning the killings, adding the phrase: "Even of those who may be complicit in genocide." Last night on Paris on Politics, CAIR Chicago president Ahmed Rehab defended the comments and said he believes the media doesn’t give the same level of attention to the killings in Gaza as it does to acts of hate against American Jews.
"There hasn’t been the same outrage that I share now when it comes to the innocent civilians in Gaza that are being murdered every day," Rehab said.