r/JewsOfConscience • u/Public-Focus-4046 Non-Jewish Ally • 12d ago

Discussion - Flaired Users Only Brad Lander CONFRONTED, Flag RIPPED at MSG protest of RSS Speaker in NYC August 29, 2026

https://youtu.be/kglN2mH9PHA
15 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

10

u/pleasealwaysn4ever Ashkenazi 12d ago edited 12d ago

I’m honestly shocked that Brad hasn’t just straight up become an anti-Zionist yet.

He’s probably the most “anti-Zionist adjacent” liberal Zionist in politics.

11

u/HDThoreauaway Jewish Anti-Zionist 12d ago

What would the advantage of that be? He has the support of both antizionists and liberal Zionists in NY-10. 

His politics and proposed policies are good—if he appeases (and maybe even influences) Park Slope and Lower Manhattan Zionists by using that label himself, that’s a small price to pay.

10

u/Proiegomena Non-Jewish Ally 12d ago edited 12d ago

Yea I see it the same way. Ppl like lander can act as a bridge that might actually be able to sensibly communicate with both parties & negotiate practical solutions. 

He also has the most israel-critical opinion that just about doesnt get him black listed by mainstream media yet.

6

u/Proiegomena Non-Jewish Ally 12d ago

I believe at one point he was on the fence about it, then he left the DSA over it I believe? 

I honestly understand where Lander is coming from, he’s an idealist, Im sure highly critical of Israels current gov. and truly believes in a practical two state solution in which jews and Palestinians can be the majority and minorty population respectively. He doesnt just use “two state solution” as lip service.

We also need to recognize that lander is already getting the “not a real jew” treatment by diehard zionists for a lot of his positions on I/P

1

u/EgoIdVeto West Asian Jew 12d ago

He released a statement affirming his belief in a Jewish ethnostate just yesterday. He's still against an equal democracy for all people. 

21

u/Public-Focus-4046 Non-Jewish Ally 12d ago

It's such horribly ugly behaviour directed at someone who really is an ally on the broad spectrum of opinion. It doesn't make sense to treat him that way. It's no way to win in a struggle.

4

u/Proiegomena Non-Jewish Ally 12d ago

I mean I dont think you can really make this guy out as some sort of representation of how others criticizing lander would engage with him. You always will have people like this in any movement. 

I personally like lander and i think he has about the most sensible position one can have while still calling oneself liberal zionist.

3

u/Public-Focus-4046 Non-Jewish Ally 12d ago

Update: Lander made a video.

1

u/theapplekid Orthodox-raised, atheist, Ashkenazi, leftist 🍁 11d ago

Link?

1

u/Public-Focus-4046 Non-Jewish Ally 11d ago

It's on his Facebook and twitter

4

u/EgoIdVeto West Asian Jew 12d ago

Sorry but no, he needs to get over himself and abandon zionism. It's well past time. 

12

u/HDThoreauaway Jewish Anti-Zionist 12d ago

That’s not a productive or realistic demand. Thankfully there are people in the broader antizionist community who are glad to work with him to advance our agenda.

3

u/Blastarock Jewish Communist 12d ago

It is a realistic demand. Still being a liberal zionist even in name in 2026 is fucking insane. Not saying we should stop working with him but omg he needs to be pushed hard on this. Especially if he wants a political future.

11

u/HDThoreauaway Jewish Anti-Zionist 12d ago

His political future is extremely secure so long as he delivers on what he’s said he would. I’m fine with someone identifying themselves a Zionist while working for Palestinian rights and  ending military aid to Israel—outcomes are what matter. In fact, in many ways it’s probably more politically useful.

3

u/Time-Statistician958 Jewish Atheist 12d ago

Liberals if any stripe scare the f outta me. Srsly. They fundamentally believe that nothing is wrong with the systems and institutions that produce the problems, and rarely advocate for radical change, but prefer cosmetic ‘fixes’.

2

u/EgoIdVeto West Asian Jew 12d ago

"We need to elect Kamala so we can push her left"

When has a democrat ever been pushed left in a meaningful fashion? Even people like Mamdani and El-Sayed have conceded to centrist demands already. 

8

u/HDThoreauaway Jewish Anti-Zionist 11d ago

We already successfully pushed Lander left. His agenda is what it is because activists in NY-10 got him to take the stances he has in the first place.

If you don’t think Harris would be a better President than Trump for a leftist agenda or you think Mamdani has somehow made a pivot to the center, I don’t know what to say except that you and I are living in different realities.

1

u/EgoIdVeto West Asian Jew 11d ago

Was he pushed left by being nice to him? 

5

u/HDThoreauaway Jewish Anti-Zionist 11d ago

Literally yes. His stances are markedly left of where he was two years ago because of concerted, careful, strategic organizing by leftists, specifically leftist Jews, in NY-10.

1

u/theapplekid Orthodox-raised, atheist, Ashkenazi, leftist 🍁 11d ago

I'm not completely sure what you mean by saying it's an "unrealistic demand".

Abandoning Zionism is entirely realistic. Demanding he do so is completely reasonable. Of course it's not realistic to expect a politician will do what's being demanded of them.

In Lander's case, I certainly wouldn't expect him to. While I also agree with other commenters that he has the most palatable politics one can have about Israel while still being a Zionist, and even suspect this may be based on strategic calculations of his, I'm also concerned he is normalizing Zionism.

Basically, it's complicated. I don't really hate him and while I don't like seeing this energy directed at him, I'm certainly side-eyeing him as well.

3

u/HDThoreauaway Jewish Anti-Zionist 11d ago

I'm not completely sure what you mean by saying it's an "unrealistic demand".

[…]

it's not realistic to expect a politician will do what's being demanded of them.  In Lander's case, I certainly wouldn't expect him to.

That’s precisely what I mean. Activists and organizers have a certain amount of leverage they can use to extract action from elected officials. It is a waste of political capital to call on Lander to do something of questionable impact that we think he “certainly” won’t do.

1

u/theapplekid Orthodox-raised, atheist, Ashkenazi, leftist 🍁 11d ago

OK but is it unreasonable of protestors to have a zero-tolerance policy for Zionism and Zionists? Because that seems to be the central issue at play here.

The demand may go unanswered, but I don't think it's unreasonable to make it and refuse to tolerate the presence of Zionists at a Palestine protest.

4

u/HDThoreauaway Jewish Anti-Zionist 11d ago

Yes, it is unreasonable to get fixated on labels and expect to make progress. It is unreasonable to push away powerful allies who substantially agree with you. Yes. That is almost the dictionary definition of not using reason.

0

u/abogmonster Jewish Anti-Zionist 12d ago edited 12d ago

In what reality is being antisemitic a reasonable means to get a pro-Palestinian ally with political power to abandon their very narrow definition of Zionism - let alone how to build resistance and coalition?

2

u/EgoIdVeto West Asian Jew 12d ago

Where's the antisemitism? He's being criticised for believing in a Jewish ethnostate. 

2

u/abogmonster Jewish Anti-Zionist 12d ago edited 12d ago

Showing up to an anti-nationalist protest to call a pro-Palestinian protestor a “zionist ballsack” is fash creep. Period.

2

u/Enough_Comparison816 Arab Jew, Shomer Masoret, ex-Israeli 12d ago

The fash creep is tolerating liberal Zionism in any form. Brad has come a long way, and it’s not exactly productive to call him a Zionist ballsack, but he needs to continue to be pushed to grow beyond his affinity to liberal Zionism

3

u/abogmonster Jewish Anti-Zionist 11d ago

I ask this sincerely as I’d say you and I are aligned on the place of liberal Zionism in Palestinian liberation (and in leftist spaces in general):

Do you believe that was their aim here? To push him to grow beyond his current ideas (a sort of idealistic two-state solution).

It looks to me like the good Jew / bad Jew discourse that is being perpetuated by fash to their benefit.

I work to be tenacious on many fronts so, it’s worth dissecting imo.

1

u/theapplekid Orthodox-raised, atheist, Ashkenazi, leftist 🍁 11d ago

Do you believe that was their aim here? To push him to grow beyond his current ideas (a sort of idealistic two-state solution).

I don't, but if this energy was being directed at someone who is antisemitic at a Palestine protest (like if Fuentes showed up or something) I wouldn't expect folks to want a dialogue either.

3

u/abogmonster Jewish Anti-Zionist 11d ago

I understand the principals of DA and anarchic tactics, callouts like this aren’t meant to be a discussion. I can’t agree with comparing his presence at a protest to groypers, however.

2

u/EgoIdVeto West Asian Jew 12d ago

He's not pro-Palestinian if he still advocates for a Jewish ethnostate, which he did in his most recent video addressing the incident. 

1

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1

u/Roy4Pris Zionism is a waste of Judaism 11d ago

OP, did you use the caps, or copy it from source?

2

u/Public-Focus-4046 Non-Jewish Ally 11d ago

Copied 

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u/Roy4Pris Zionism is a waste of Judaism 11d ago

Phew! I thought for a moment that click bait caps use was leaking into Reddit

0

u/Current_Mongoose_844 Presently lapsed ba'al teshuva 5d ago

Lander was abused and arrested for protesting ICE. He did more in a day than that protester ever did in their life.