How the Media’s Antisemitism Machine Helped Take Down Josh Shapiro

We’ve been here before, and now Israel and the Jews are at the center of the US presidential election race.

Until Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, mainstream and social media outlets focused attention on Jewish Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who was considered a front runner.

The New York Times “Draws Fresh Scrutiny” to Take Down a Proud Jew

Despite Shapiro’s capabilities, his effectiveness as a politician, and his policies on issues that matter to the American people, the media, including The New York Times, chose to focus on him as a pro-Israel Jew who has been outspoken on antisemitism on college campuses.

Is this really such a devastating a problem for American voters who are focused on the constantly rising prices of basic necessities?

It apparently doesn’t matter that this Statista poll shows foreign policy as second-to-last on the list of top voter issues:

Or likewise, that this ABC News/IPSOS poll shows that the Israel-Hamas war is the lowest priority of all issues among US voters.

All that matters, according to the Times, is that Shapiro has “been one of the Democratic Party’s staunchest defenders of Israel at a moment when the party is splintered over the war in Gaza” and that he considers himself “a Zionist.”

The Times tried to damn him by revealing on Saturday that he volunteered “in the Israeli army” when he was 20-years-old, when he actually just did some volunteer projects on an IDF base.

An op-ed Shapiro wrote for his college newspaper, written after his experience volunteering in Israel, was initially resurfaced by the Philadelphia Inquirer. At the time, he wrote that he didn’t believe Palestinians were capable of peace because they are “too battle-minded.”

This is a view that 30 years later, created a rumble across the media, despite his attempt to take it back. Shapiro has been viewed as a centrist in the Democratic Party, and has been very outspoken about his support for a two-state solution.

Social media dictates the news agenda

Shapiro’s five-month stint doing volunteer service projects, including on an IDF base more than 30 years ago, spread across social media and the Twitterverse (or rather X-Universe). Of course, it was twisted into him “serving in a foreign military.”

Wikipedia is trying very hard to cover up that Josh Shapiro voluntarily served in a foreign military pic.twitter.com/l7A4rDrQCL

— ib (@Indian_Bronson) August 3, 2024

Josh Shapiro is likely to be our next vice president

Josh Shapiro volunteered for the IDF but not the US military

Many of these dual-citizens have more loyalty to Isreal than America pic.twitter.com/tXwrEA7R89

— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) August 3, 2024

Then, the media latched onto this antisemitic agenda, making it a central issue. The question of whether it was a good idea for Shapiro, a Jewish politician, to be up for one of the highest ranking US political positions has been an issue of debate on television broadcasts. Is this appropriate, they asked? Especially since he is pro-Israel? Is America ready for a Jewish and pro-Israel vice president?

As reports leaked of Harris’ official pick of Walz, celebrations kicked off for a Zionist losing out:

Yeah!!! A sigh of relief that Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her VP. He has a great record as governor. And it sends an important message that she did not chose Josh Shapiro.
Some of Walz policies as governor:
He cut child poverty by 1/3!!! universal school… pic.twitter.com/leBjDDvzk6

— Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) August 6, 2024

Across the country, an inherent anti-Israel narrative has taken hold since October 7, and even those well-meaning, Jewish allies filled with concern have been duped into dividing Americans even more with this conversation.

.@RepAuchincloss: “Those in the overly online left who are attacking Josh Shapiro’s pro-Israel positions in a different way than they are attacking non-Jewish veep contenders’ positions, they’re just telling on themselves. There’s a strong undercurrent of antisemitism to that.” pic.twitter.com/tI1S2satLk

— CNN This Morning with Kasie Hunt (@CNNThisMorning) August 5, 2024

While there were CNN interviews on its news broadcasts like the one above — where anchors and analysts alike were quick to condemn this narrative and discuss its antisemitic nature — this goes beyond what would be acceptable or politically correct to discuss for any other group. The fact that Shapiro was singled out among a list of alternative options for Harris who have virtually the same stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and US aid to Israel and Gaza is antisemitic.

If Americans care about inflation, the economy and immigration most out of anything, why would they vote based off of whether or not he is a Jew?

HonestReporting’s executive director Gil Hoffman brings us back to the source.

Did this @nytimes article that exaggerated Josh Shapiro’s connection to Israel lead to him not being picked at @KamalaHarris‘s running mate? You decide. https://t.co/WSTgNsYU7G

— Gil Hoffman (@Gil_Hoffman) August 6, 2024

An important point, and one that will most likely not be addressed in mainstream media.

The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.

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