Opinion: Governor candidate Hong is not a friend 

To the editor: 

I reluctantly write to inform the Jewish community what has happened to the Democratic Party. I am originally from England and to this day still do not understand the American Jewish mindset. The newly named “Social Democrats” are gaining ground, together with their antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric. The use of “Democratic” is to soften the blow of reality. This is why East Germany and North Korea inserted the name into that of their countries. 

For a year now, I have been fighting antisemitism on both the left as well as the right. Yes, I have found the right version as disturbing, especially as I am as engaged a Republican in Wisconsin as anyone. In 2022, I ran for state Senate against Chris Larson (D). This was my very first race and I gleaned some 26,300 votes. I have great respect for our state and federal legislators. The hate is on social media, where I deal with ignorant anti-Israel bots and loathsome anti-AIPAC nonsense. 

I grew up in England for 21 years, under the Labour Party and its failures. The antisemitism there is now even worse than here. Even if Jews want to leave, circumstances can rob a home of its value.  

People think of the communist left and Nazi right as distinctly linear in extremes. In fact, it’s a circle. 

This reluctantly brings me to the upcoming race for governor. We now have someone who I see as a communist, anti-Israel candidate running for governor. Francesca Hong recently appeared on a livestream hosted by Hasan Piker, a controversial online commentator whom many Jewish organizations and leaders have accused of promoting antisemitic rhetoric. 

Peter Gilbert, former IDF, “Defender of America and Israel” 

Racine

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