American Nationalism and Jewish Coexistence: An Uncomfortable Truth

Antisemitism on the political right has seen a noticeable increase in visibility across the past year. Prominent figures such as Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens have been criticized for alleged antisemitic messaging, while articles from publications such as the Wall Street Journal and prominent institutions including the Cato Institute chronicle its rise. Interesting Times with Ross Douthat’s podcast episode “It’s Deeper Than Nick Fuentes” considers the relationship between nationalism and antisemitism with guest Yoram Hazony. Hazony, a conservative Israeli-American philosopher and political theorist, strongly advocates for nationalism, having authored multiple books on the topic. Douthat and Hazony discussed whether nationalism is inherently antisemitic and the current state of antisemitism on the right. In regards to nationalism, Hazony strongly advocated for it and argued that nationalism is actually pro-Jewish, being initially “from the Jews.” While Hazony expressed concern about what he called the “aggressive anti-Jewish messages” seen in many on the right, he maintained that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is “probably the most pro-Jewish coalition that there’s ever been.” Trump needs, however, to reign in pernicious antisemitism on the right before it damages the coalition. According to Hazony, online messaging from many key voices on the right is “veering towards a wide variety of aggressive anti-Jewish messages.” Hazony singled out young people as being especially targeted by and vulnerable to this rhetoric. There are multiple reasons for vulnerability to such messages. Many young Christian Republicans reject dispensationalism, Zionism, and eschatologies where Jews are important. Rather than viewing Jews as theologically and politically relevant today, they view Christians as the Jews’ successors (supersessionism), rendering Jews obsolete. Douthat suggested a further complication stems from young conservatives’ search for tradition in Christianity. The Catholic and Orthodox churches both have a complicated past with Jews which conservatives discovering Catholicism and Orthodoxy are inevitably exposed to. In addition to discussing the current state of the political right, Hazony defended nationalism as a good and even natural political doctrine. In response to those who claim nationalism naturally tends towards antisemitism, Hazony asserted that many political and philosophical doctrines can and have used antisemitism as a political expedient. For instance, many rationalist philosophers were wildly antisemitic, hating the Jewish idea of particularism and despising the Hebrew Bible. Rather than being antisemitic, nationalism is both natural and also championed by the Jews themselves, Hazony argued. Families and tribes are the natural, fundamental mode of existence that were only later superseded by empires. Nationalism itself is “from the Jews”; God’s covenant with Abraham to make him into a nation is the basis of the Jewish state. Hazony believes that not only Jews, but other peoples, can and should do the same thing. However, Hazony’s vision is not centered solely around ethnicity. He pointed out the many passages in the Hebrew Bible that command Israelites to treat foreigners with kindness. Rather than simply ethnic, Hazony emphasized the importance of a common identity. This identity is based on three things: national independence, national interests, and national traditions. In short, national independence means national sovereignty unimpeded by international organizations; national interests focus on the state’s interests rather than global interests; and national traditions include but are not limited to the constitutional, religious, and linguistic. This national identity is in jeopardy in the U.S., Hazony believes. The U.S. tendency to get involved in foreign countries leads to neglecting its own interests, while its culture has become increasingly disunified. In order to preserve its national identity, the U.S. needs to find a cultural center, and Hazony believes it has to be “Christianity, common law inheritance, [and the] English language.” When Douthat asked if this reaffirmation of national identity might jeopardize U.S.-Israel relations, Hazony disagreed. While the relationship would inevitably shift, “No one should be thinking that Israel has to be a U.S. protectorate forever,” he said. Finally, Douthat and Hazony discussed action steps for Trump and Vice President Vance in regards to combating antisemitism. While Hazony praised Trump for “honoring different groups” within his coalition and being good at “giving honor to everybody,” he believed that Trump and Vance had not been speaking up against antisemitism as much as they needed to. Both need to decide “who’s in and who’s out” of the coalition, and tell troublemakers within the right to stop when necessary. Despite antisemitism on the right, Hazony still believes that the current administration is overall pro-Jewish, while calling for leaders in the administration to criticize antisemitic behavior. Hazony denies the idea that nationalism is fundamentally antisemitic. The U.S. can be both nationalist and pro-Jewish, and according to Hazony, it should be. More from IRD: Christian Antisemitism Mainline Protestantism vs Christian Nationalism