“You Cannot Pick and Choose Exceptions to Your Bigotry”

“You Cannot Pick and Choose Exceptions to Your Bigotry”

From The Beinart Notebook by Peter Beinart

May 31, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the complexities of antisemitism, the American right's stance on Israel, and the challenges faced by progressives in addressing these issues.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit peterbeinart.substack.com Palestinian-American Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman recently wrote on X of former Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene: “I’m tired of Palestine being used to erase every other misdeed once someone with a platform says anything for us.” Ben Lorber is the co-author of Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism , and a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates , who writes frequently about the American right. Topics include: Why have segments of the American right turned against Israel? Whether and how to challenge right wing hosts when progressives appear on their shows Is right-wing antisemitism influencing the left? How to talk about Israel’s undue influence on American politics without playing into antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories Is it even possible at this point to disentangle Jewishness from Israel and Zionism?

People in this episode

Host: Peter Beinart

Guest: Ben Lorber

Topics covered

  • American right and Israel
  • antisemitism
  • progressive challenges
  • Israel's influence on American politics
  • Jewishness and Zionism

Keywords

  • antisemitism
  • Israel
  • American politics
  • progressives
  • Jewishness
  • Zionism
  • right-wing
  • Marjorie Taylor Greene
  • Ruwa Romman

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Political Research Associates

Books & works: Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism

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