J.D. Vance Gives a Lesson in How Not to Confront Anti-Semitism

Last week, this newsletter cited an article by Rod Dreher about the troubling resurgence of anti-Semitism on the American right. Dreher wrote that, “Donald Trump and J.D. Vance could go a long way in stifling the growth of this evil by forthrightly denouncing it,” and that he hoped Vance, as “a sincere Christian,” would see the need sooner rather than later. Although Vance has made a strong show of support for the Jewish state with his recent visit, the way he handled a question from a young anti-Semite in Mississippi last week was hardly a model of how best to confront the problem. “When people say that Israel is somehow manipulating or controlling the president of the United States, they’re not controlling this president of the United States,” explained Vance.