ADL’s Center on Extremism scores Axios’ interview with Piker
SDJW staff report
The Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism commented on an interview Axios aired today with Hasan Piker, a streamer and political commentator who has long stoked controversy with his comments about American Jews.
The host brought up Piker’s controversial August comments that “if Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action. Not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.”
Instead of directly addressing his comments about American Jews bringing violence upon themselves, Piker leaned into blaming Israel, re-asserting his claim that “Israel is making Jews less safe” and that “it’s contributing to antisemitism increasing.”
The journalist also asked about Piker’s insistence that “any kind of fucking Zionist tendency should be treated in the same way as being a fucking rabid neo-Nazi.”
“Yes, I do,” Piker replied. “I believe Zionism is fascism.” He quickly pivoted: “The goal in a country like the United States or a country like Israel is to move people away from these far-right tendencies. It’s not to fight them. It’s not to kill them. It’s to try to get them to no longer believe these things.”
Let us explain
Piker’s interview was a case study in equivocations and contradictions. Predicting inevitable violence against Jews because of their identity and beliefs is a form of antisemitic collective blame, regardless of what Piker calls it.
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Oren: Fighters against antisemitism should donate to Technion
In a fundraising appeal for the Technion, Israel’s Institute for Technology, Michael Oren, Israel’s former ambassador to the United States, had this to say:
The old model for fighting antisemitism — identifying it, shaming it, and re-educating — no longer works. Antisemites no longer hide. They are proud. Now we must respond by strengthening institutions like the Technion.
By giving to the Technion, you are supporting the innovation the world wants, strengthening Israel’s resilience.
The ground beneath us is shifting. I believe Israel is moving toward a new relationship with the United States — from a country that receives aid to a country that is a partner in areas of mutual concern, such as technology.
The Technion will play a central role in this change because the areas of mutual interest will be fields like cyber, artificial intelligence, and laser technologies. This is how the Technion can contribute to a much healthier U.S.-Israel relationship.
I hope this gives you a clearer picture of why no donation to the Technion is too small. Every single dollar powers an institution that is absolutely critical to combating antisemitism and preserving Israel’s place in the world.
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SDJW staff report