Antisemitism has risen to such high levels around the world that William Daroff says he does not know if there will ever be a moment when Jews can declare victory. The best they can hope for, he told the ILTV Podcast, is to reach a point where Jews can say “that people feel a little safer.”
Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, is in Israel for the group’s annual event, which kicks off on February 15. He visited the ILTV studio to discuss the state of world Jewry in the aftermath of October 7, pointing to the “metastasizing of antisemitism and Jew hatred to a point where it is normalized in a way that also wouldn’t have been fathomable 10 years ago.”
He described the situation as “incredibly troubling” and warned that the “biggest danger” for Jews is when any level of antisemitism becomes acceptable, especially when there is a belief that as long as it stays at a low simmer, it can be managed.
“I think what we’ve learned since October 7 is that there is no baseline that’s acceptable,” Daroff told ILTV.
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William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, 7 May 2019
(Photo: Daroff/Creative Commons)
According to Daroff, antisemitism has increasingly shifted to focus on Israel. While openly attacking Jews is no longer socially acceptable in many spaces, attacking Israelis often is. He said antisemites now hide behind what they call “legitimate criticism” of Israel, but stressed that it is not legitimate.
Since October 7, Daroff said many progressive Jews in the United States have become politically homeless, feeling alienated both from the Democratic Party and from more conservative figures like President Donald Trump.
“I think there are moderates in both parties who are looking to try to engage and bring a bigger audience towards them,” Daroff said. “I think in the mainstream in both parties there are leadership roles that [Jews] can take and are taking. I think that it is incumbent upon all of us, but particularly those who are involved in both parties, to say that this antisemitic, anti-Israel filth on the far left of the Democratic Party and the far right of the Republican Party are totally unacceptable.”
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At the same time, Daroff noted reports suggesting that as many as one-third of Jewish voters in New York supported Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is openly anti-Israel and, some argue, antisemitic. Daroff said he believes the figure is somewhat lower, but said the result highlights a deeper political failure.
“You cannot beat someone with no one,” he said.
Daroff added that “with all due respect to Mayor [Eric] Adams and Governor [Andrew] Cuomo, they were both flawed candidates, particularly flawed against a young, charismatic candidate with no negative record.”
He said the two older leaders were running against someone who promoted ideas like unicorns, free rent, and free buses, without facing serious scrutiny.
“If there had been a credible opposition, I think there would have been a credible campaign against him,” Daroff said. “It is troubling that his statements and beliefs weren’t disqualifying, but I think given the opposition, we didn’t give the voters of New York really a fair shot at voting up or down on Mayor Mamdani.”
Watch the full interview: