A seminar on American Jews and political power was offered by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Philadelphia until last year, but the seminar became a point of outrage in American media when the group announced last Monday that they would be partnering with local schools to ensure inclusivity.
The workshop “American Jews and Political Power: Myth or Reality” was offered on CAIR Philadelphia's website until at least May, but according to the rights group, it hasn’t been taught since the chapter’s former executive director, Jewish American activist Jacob Bender, retired in June 2024. CAIR also assured that the seminar was not taught in schools, contrary to US media reports.
Bender’s workshop examined the “controversial topic of Jewish political power in the US in a fair and balanced manner” and included discussion of American Jewish organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the American Jewish Committee (AJC), and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC).
The program also reviewed “the heated debate inside the Jewish establishment of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands” and about Jews who support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.
“CAIR-Philadelphia’s former executive director Jacob Bender, a Jewish American peace activist who made history as the first Jewish leader of our Muslim American civil rights group, offered a workshop about the differing political perspectives of Jewish Americans on Palestinian human rights,” CAIR Philadelphia told The Jerusalem Post.
A dangerous and persistent trope
ADL Philadelphia attacked the seminar in a Tuesday social media post, asserting that the program “perpetuates one of history’s most dangerous and persistent antisemitic tropes – the notion of secretive Jewish power controlling world events and leaders.”
“The very premise of discussing ‘Jewish political power’ as a distinct phenomenon is antisemitic. The singling out of Jewish political activity for special scrutiny under the banner of ‘power’ echoes centuries of antisemitic conspiracy theories,” ADL said on X/Twitter.
“Legitimate Jewish civic organizations like the ADL, AJC, and JCRC work transparently within our democratic system, just as countless other advocacy groups do. To frame their work through the lens of ‘Jewish power’ distorts our missions and feeds harmful stereotypes.”