Israel or antisemitism. I write what I write, and say what I say, because it’s what I believe. Period.” It is Australian Quillette founder Claire Lehmann coming through with something along much the same lines: “I’m not Jewish,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “but they can put me on the Zion- ists in Publishing list anytime they want.” (This was in reference to anti-Zionist lists that were circulating at the time, and aimed at would-be Israel boycotters.) Philosemitism is not something that hap- pens sealed-off from actual Jews, but rath- er something Jewish communities have welcomed, particularly since October 7. Michael Moynihan, once Tablet magazine’s “Righteous Gentile” columnist (the name a reference to non-Jews who saved Jews dur- ing the Holocaust) remains on the philosem- itic beat, having recently defended Israel’s war in Gaza for Bari Weiss’s The Free Press . Tristin Hopper, of the National Post , came to Vancouver’s Congregation Schara Tzedeck to speak on January 14. On February 28, the conservative British journalist Douglas Murray spoke at Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (BAYT) synagogue, a packed event covered on The CJN’s website. I will now voice a question I have heard asked privately: Are our non-Jewish support- ers—how to put this delicately—being paid? Yes, and no. Someone with philosemitic tendencies may wind up working for a Jewish organiza- tion, or a heterodox one with pro-Israel lean- ings, but I have trouble seeing this as ne- farious evidence that Jews (or, for the less conspiracy-minded, Christian Zionists) are bankrolling support. It seems of a piece with people of all inclinations working for a place in line with their interests and values. Pol- iticians are doubtless making calculations when deciding which communities to align themselves with—witness the Conservatives presenting Justin Trudeau and the Liberals as bad-for-the-Jews and gaining themselves a win in a midtown Toronto byelection. This is no more suspect when it’s the Jewish community than when it’s any other group. The new philosemites don’t hold identical views on all issues, but their politics con- verge in ways that give political coherence to their pro-Jewish advocacy. Barring other mitigating modifiers, a Star of David or Is- raeli flag emoji in a non-Jew’s social media bio most often functions as a proxy for lib- eral or centrist anti-wokeness. The same is the case for pro-Jewish gestures that go
T he new philosemitism is less about liking Jews and more about defending us from all enemies, real and perceived. It’s not about gravitating towards Jews, but rather about speaking up for us (or over us) as allies. It’s centrally about Is- rael—not the nitty-gritty of Israeli politics, but rather defending the right to be pro-Is- rael in the diaspora. In more concrete terms: the new philosem- itism is MP Kevin Vuong posting photos of himself dining at Toronto restaurants tar- geted by pro-Palestinian protestors, not be- cause this set of cuisines appeals to him, but to defend Canada’s Jewish community. It is U.S. senator John Fetterman pasting Israeli hostage flyers all over his office. It’s the Canadian author, lawyer, and political operative Warren Kinsella posting on X, “I’m not Jewish. My partner isn’t Jewish. I don’t have a Jewish client. I haven’t been asked to go on a trip to Israel. I’m not get- ting an award for what I write or say about
outsiderness not just embraced, but made magnificent.” Burchill also considered and ultimately rejected converting to Judaism, but recalls dyeing her hair black and in- venting Jewish ancestry in order to get her own first job in journalism. There is a fine line between admiration and ambition-driven emulation. Whoopi Goldberg, originally Caryn Elaine Johnson, grew up Christian but has mentioned a feeling of Jewishness in interviews. “Gold- berg” is a stage surname, one that may have originated from her sense (or her mother’s sense?) that Jews succeeded in show business. In 2022, she made head- lines for an antisemitism controversy: statements she made on The View , and subsequently apologized for, that were per- ceived of as dismissive of the Holocaust. The head of the Anti-Defamation League responded to the kerfuffle by suggesting The View hire a Jewish host, a reminder that “Goldberg”-ness is not enough.
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