Cruz sounds alarm on rising Jew-hatred from the political right

“These are real human beings, and it’s spreading,” the senator warned, citing prominent voices on the right saying, “Maybe Hitler wasn’t that bad.”

By Jessica Russak-Hoffman, JNS

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) warned of rising Jew-hatred on the right during a speech at Hagee Ministries’ 45th Annual Night to Honor Israel at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio on Sunday evening.

The senator accused Democrats of harboring a “pro-Hamas contingent” and said the rest of the party is “terrified” of them. But in his remarks at the event, he highlighted Jew-hatred on his own side of the aisle.

Cruz described a recent conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the latter attributed online, right-wing antisemitism to funding from Qatar and Iran. Cruz disagreed.

“These are real human beings, and it is spreading,” the senator said. “In the last year, we had three prominent voices on the right publicly muse, ‘Gosh, maybe Hitler wasn’t that bad a guy after all.’”

“If I pick up my phone and send out a tweet, if I say ‘good morning,’ within minutes I will have hundreds of blatantly antisemitic responses,” Cruz said.

Speaking at the event hosted by the ministries of Pastor John Hagee, founder and national chairman of Christians United for Israel, Cruz said that in addition to Jew-hatred, isolationism is gaining ground among conservatives.

He said it is “unequivocally in the national security interest of the United States to support Israel.”

Cruz urged Christian leaders to reject replacement theology and “isolationist lies.”

“I will not remain silent,” he said, to applause from the crowd, which waved U.S. and Israeli flags. “The church is being corrupted right now,” he said. “Leaders in the church need to engage.”

The senator quoted from Jewish scripture, from what Mordecai charged Esther when he urged her to stand up for the Jews, even at her own risk. “You were put in this place right now, today, for such a time as this,” Cruz said.