William Bennett, former United States Secretary of Education, asserts that Christians have a moral obligation to stand with Jewish Americans against the backdrop of escalating antisemitism. He contends that the foundational values of the United States are deeply rooted in Judeo-Christian principles, making the protection of the Jewish community a shared responsibility.
Bennett draws a parallel between the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the current climate, noting that while many Israelis felt a kinship with Americans after the terrorist events of 2001, Americans have, in turn, become more attuned to the historical threats faced by Jewish people. He points to FBI data indicating that anti-Jewish hate crimes constitute 63% of all religion-based hate crimes in the U.S., despite Jewish people comprising only about 2% of the population. Bennett attributes this surge in hatred to the influence of the "radical socialist left."
He cites instances such as the vandalism of a synagogue in Michigan, where a Hezbollah-inspired attacker drove a truck into a building housing sleeping preschoolers. Bennett criticizes Michigan's Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, for dismissing the incident with the phrase, "hurt people hurt people." He also mentions New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's characterization of the Jewish political advocacy group AIPAC as "monsters," and the Democratic Socialists of America's (DSA) stance on anti-Zionism.
Mamadani’s anti-Israel agenda comes at New York’s expense.
Bennett emphasizes that the tenets of Christianity are based on the Old Testament prophets and that the God worshipped by Christians is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He states that the commandments taught and the language that shaped the American conscience largely originated from the prophets of Israel. The Hebrew Scriptures, he argues, imparted principles such as the inherent dignity of every human being and the existence of a moral law transcending even rulers.
Citing President George Washington's 1790 letter to the Hebrew congregation of Newport, Bennett highlights the assurance that Jews would possess full citizenship rights and that the U.S. government "gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." Washington's affirmation, he explains, was rooted in the principle that Jews are equal beneficiaries of America's promise, a right guaranteed by the nation's founding documents, irrespective of their opinions on Middle Eastern politics.
Bennett refutes the socialist argument that "anti-Zionism is not the same as antisemitism," asserting that holding American Jews accountable for Israeli policies, targeting synagogues, treating "Zionism" as an ethnic category, or warning Jews to sever their identity constitutes antisemitism. He further contends that such sentiments are also anti-American, as an embrace of American values requires acknowledging and respecting Judaism's role.
"Jews and Christians are natural partners in defending the American promise," Bennett concludes. "Only by working together can we make the self-evident truths as stated by our Founders once again self-evident in our culture." He calls on Christians to recognize the protection of Jewish citizens not as someone else's responsibility, but as a vital component of their shared Judeo-Christian heritage.