The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) is appalled by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and state Sen. Omar Fateh’s decision to share a stage with Hasan Piker at their October 26 Minneapolis event. Elevating someone with a longstanding record of antisemitic and hateful rhetoric is a betrayal of Jewish Minnesotans and harmful to the broader public.  

This August, Piker warned that American Jews’ identification with Israel could lead someone to “take action” against “American Jews.” His record includes denigrating Orthodox Jews as “inbred,” dismissing well-documented accounts of October 7 sexual violence as “rape fantasies,” and expressing support for Hamas.  

Piker’s rhetoric dehumanizes Jews and shifts responsibility for antisemitic violence onto its potential victims. It deserves unequivocal condemnation from everyone who claims to oppose bigotry and antisemitism.   

It is also impossible to forget that Piker declared “America deserved 9/11” or his cruel mockery of Congressman Dan Crenshaw for losing an eye while serving in Afghanistan. Piker has also directed sexually degrading language at Black critics and disparaged California liberals as seeking “homo-fascism” and “gay fascism.” Finally, Piker’s hostility extends beyond criticism of Israeli policy: he advocates ending Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, even as he has praised China’s authoritarian, Communist Party–led system and defended Russia’s annexation of Crimea. These glaring double standards undermine his claim to champion human rights. 

Congresswoman Omar and Sen. Fateh’s choices deepen an already profound sense of political alienation. An AP-NORC poll released in July found that just 15% of American Jewish adults believe the Democratic Party supports their community very or extremely well; only 16% say the same of Republicans. Jewish Americans should never have to choose between political belonging and the expectation that their leaders will stand against antisemitism. 

Beyond the impact on the Jewish community, this type of antisemitic and hateful rhetoric is dangerous for all Americans. Any time elected officials platform someone who promotes conspiracy theories, uses dehumanizing language, and justifies violence, they erode public trust and weaken societal norms that protect all people, not just Jews. 

We commend Rep. Angie Craig for speaking clearly: “Hasan Piker’s rhetoric is polarizing and dangerous, and embracing him as a party is a mistake.” Her willingness to challenge her own party demonstrates the leadership this moment demands. 

We also welcome Senator Amy Klobuchar’s response, conveyed by a spokesperson for her gubernatorial campaign to Jewish Insider: “The senator believes that a number of the statements he has made are reckless and unacceptable.” 

The silence from too many other state DFL leaders is deafening. Jewish Minnesotans hear that silence, and it further erodes their trust. 

JCRC calls on Minnesota’s DFL leaders, including candidates and party officials, to publicly repudiate Piker’s antisemitism and reject the decision by Congresswoman Omar and Senator Fateh to provide him this platform. They must confront antisemitism not only when it comes from the other party, but also when it comes from their own. Jewish safety and dignity must never be subordinated to partisan convenience.