Spitalnick is speaking at the Peninsula Jewish Community Center on December 3 at 7:00 p.m. in a talk entitled “Antisemitism and Our Democracy.” Click here for event registration.
Amy Spitalnick, to appear at the PJCC, is becoming increasingly known for her affiliation with left-wing politicians, and does not shy away from national controversy. On Thursday, Congresswoman AOC appeared to single out and blame AIPAC, the pro-Israel organization, for Democrats’ election loss, calling it a special interest group “pushing a wildly unpopular agenda that pushes voters away from Democrats.”
Instead of condemning the classic antisemitic trope that Jews have outsize influence, Amy Spitalnick, formerly of J Street, an anti-Israel organization, and now head of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (“JCPA”), responded by partially agreeing with AOC about how dangerous AIPAC is. The post created a firestorm on X.
Joel Petlin, Superintendent of the Kiryas Joel School District, responded that “AOC is not interested in a ‘critical conversation’ about AIPAC. She’s made up her mind when they helped defeat her Antisemitic friends Jamaal Bowman & Cori Bush. There’s no reason to defend @AOC & treat her like she cares about fighting Antisemitism. She actually encourages it.”
Professor David. E. Bernstein pointed out that it would have been “[m]uch easier to say, explicitly, that @AOC is trafficking in antisemitic tropes, and it’s hardly the first time.”
Jeff Goldklang responded: “Wrong playbook. Junk it. The party lost so spectacularly because of this type of comment. Call out a raging antisemitism for making a ragingly antisemitism statement without prefacing it with personally protective language. Shielding the worst people is pathetic.”
Spitalnick’s Promotion of Progressive Agenda Above Jewish Concerns
This is not the first time JCPA under Spitalnick has been criticized for appearing to promote progressive politicians above Jewish concerns.
Spitalnick recently appeared with Reverend Al Sharpton, another questionable left-wing antisemitic affiliation. Sharpton has a long history of antisemitism, notably, during the 1991 Crown Heights riot in Brooklyn, Sharpton led marches where participants chanted slogans like “No justice, no peace” and “Kill the Jews,” and in his eulogy for Gavin Cato, a child whose death sparked the unrest, he referred to “diamond merchants” and criticized what he termed an “apartheid ambulance service” in Crown Heights.
Ron M noted it was easy to tell Spitalnick used to work for J Street by showing that Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris adopted identical language promoting the idea that all Jews are Democrats that had been espoused by both J Street and Spitalnick.
Shelley Goldschmidt points out that although her title is the CEO of the “Jewish” Center for Public Affairs, she isn’t an advocate for Jews. Instead, she uses her position to whitewash leftwing antisemitism. She platforms, AOC, who accuses Israel of genocide and retweets Wajahat Ali, an anti-Israel Radical.
After Spitalnick’s Prediction of 2024 Election Violence Failed, She Defamed Her Political Opponents, Including a Record Number of Jews
Spitalnick actually blames “white nationalists” not only for their own actions, but also for any “divisions” that exist between minority groups, or as she says, “Jewish, Arab, Black and Muslim American communities.”
Prior to the election, Spitalnick predicted that there would be disinformation, extremism, and political violence, holding a webinar entitled “Preparing for and addressing Post-Election Day Disinformation and Political Violence.” Without her predictions coming true, she then attacked Americans that voted against her, likely destroying any hope of having a relationship with half of the country, by emailing out, the day after the election:
The American people have decided to return former President Trump to the White House. And we need to be clear: this outcome is, frankly, terrifying for so many communities who have been consistently threatened and demonized by his campaign.
President-elect Trump’s embrace of anti-democratic, antisemitic, xenophobic, and racist conspiracy theories seeks to pit communities against one another and sow distrust in our democratic institutions, while making all of us less safe. These increasingly normalized hate fueled conspiracy theories go hand-in-hand with the dehumanizing and dangerous agenda outlined by the Trump campaign and Project 2025.
As Jews, we know precisely where such hate, extremism, and dehumanization lead. I want you to know that JCPA will be on the frontlines of the fights ahead because our values and our safety as Jews depend on it.
This is spectacular partisanship from a “Jewish” organization. How does Spitalnick justify calling people who voted for Trump “anti-democratic, antisemitic, xenophobic, and racist” when it was well documented that Trump received an increased percentage of Jewish and Muslim votes compared to Harris and compared to four years ago. Many people, including Israelis, thought that Trump would be better for Israel. Was that a legitimate reason to vote for Trump? Does Spitalnick dismiss all these Jews?
Spitalnick says Jews who disagree with DEI are Extremists
Spitalnick treats Jews who vote against her with contempt. Spitalnick’s report actually attacks Jews who oppose Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) as extremists. These Jews have “exploited legitimate concerns about antisemitism” to “advance an extremist agenda” such as “attacking DEI programs.” Spitalnick writes:
At the same time, some within the Jewish community are creating a false binary, arguing that we should not focus on threats against others, such as the Muslim American, Arab American, and Palestinian American communities, when Jews themselves are experiencing so much pain. Some have exploited legitimate concerns about antisemitism to advance an extremist agenda, such as attacking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, pitting Jewish and Black communities against one another, and more. This is all the more dangerous at a time when allyship is essential to opening doors of communication and relationship, dispensing with zero-sum frameworks, and charting a better, more pluralistic path forward
Spitalnick’s “report” is recycled “Intersectionality” propaganda that is only causing more division. Her emphasis on how antisemitism intersects with other forms of hate could inadvertently alienate potential allies who feel their struggles are being minimized or subsumed under this broader framework. Intersectionality is also a failed approach to fighting antisemitism that ends up portraying Jews as white oppressors and does not achieve the vision of exchanging mutual sympathy between minority groups when it comes to Jewish people.
Spitalnick Used Artificial Intelligence to Create 67 Pages that Say “Democracy” Means Voting for Democrats
Spitalnick attempts to explain her ideology in her 67 page “Report on Democracy.” She argues that if we inform non-Jewish people that Jewish people are fighting conspiracy theories, that non-Jewish people will join in our effort against antisemitism. She explains that “promoting inclusive, multiracial democracy,” is one and the same with fighting antisemitism.
But what does she mean by “promoting inclusive, multiracial democracy?” Spitalnick’s “report” merely cycles through all the progressive buzzwords in a rehash of pre-election Democrat philosophy, naming all the usual suspects — racism, white supremacy, LBGTQ+, anti-trans, anti-drag panic, Neo-Nazis, anti-abortion, misogyny. She argues it “would be unwise to separate the fight against antisemitism from the fights against xenophobia, white supremacy, racism, Islamophobia, anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, misogyny, and other forms of hate and violence—or from broader efforts to advance inclusive, multiracial democracy.”
Spitalnick lets the cat out of the bag when she finally admits when she refers to “democracy,” her definition is so vague she likely just means promoting left-wing causes generally. She says on page 10:
“We intentionally take a broad view of democracy. For the purposes of this report, “democracy” should not be considered a political or partisan term, even if some individuals or groups attempt to paint it that way. Rather, we define it as the fundamental belief that everyone deserves to live in a society where they can feel safe and thrive, and where that right is reinforced by basic norms, values, and the rule of law. In this report, democracy includes both the institutions of democracy, such as free and fair elections and an independent judiciary and media as well as the values of an inclusive, multiracial, multifaith democracy, such as civil and human rights for all, safety, pluralism, equality, and more
Signs of Artificial Intelligence Plagiarism
When asked by ChatGPT, it pointed out that Spitalnick’s gobbledygook was so vague and meaningless that it indicated it was likely generated by AI. “These phrases are often characterized by their broad, non-specific nature or formulaic style,” ChatGPT said.
Several phrases in the report reflect polished, generic, or over-structured language that could resemble outputs commonly produced by AI tools. Below are examples of such phrases and why they appear to be AI-generated:
- “We know that there is no silver bullet.”
- Why it sounds like AI: This cliché phrase is often used by AI to introduce complexity or acknowledge challenges in a discussion.
- “This crisis further exposed the lack of understanding of antisemitism in various spaces.”
- Why it sounds like AI: The phrasing is overly broad, avoiding specifics about what “spaces” are being referred to and what constitutes the “lack of understanding.”
- “It is critical to engage non-Jewish leaders and communities in understanding antisemitism and how its impact extends well beyond the Jewish community.”
- Why it sounds like AI: The phrase is polished but generic, providing a directive without offering much nuance or specificity.
- “The safety and fates of all communities are deeply intertwined.”
- Why it sounds like AI: The sentence is broad and abstract, often a result of AI’s tendency to summarize complex relationships without delving into specifics.
- “None of this extremism exists in isolation.”
- Why it sounds like AI: While valid, this broad statement is often how AI introduces interconnectivity in its analyses.
- “By combating antisemitism, we not only protect Jewish communities, but make America a safer and more welcoming place for all of us, no matter our religion, gender, or skin color.”
- Why it sounds like AI: The use of “safer and more welcoming place for all of us” reflects AI’s pattern of including universally agreeable but non-specific goals.
- “This tells us that the fight for democracy and for the safety of all communities requires countering antisemitism because it animates and fuels broader extremism and hate.”
- Why it sounds like AI: The phrase’s structure—assertion followed by a justification—reads like AI’s method of tying concepts together.
- “This shared future is possible if we can successfully frame the fight against antisemitism as inherent to the safety of everyone.”
- Why it sounds like AI: The phrase “shared future” and the conditional “if we can successfully frame” are aspirational but lack grounding in concrete steps or evidence.
- “At its core, this strategy recognizes that combating antisemitism requires protecting and advancing our democracy and the fundamental rights and safety of all communities.”
- Why it sounds like AI: The use of “at its core” to signal a primary takeaway is a common tactic AI uses to organize arguments.
- “Jewish safety is often most assured in inclusive, liberal democracies where all communities are safe and free.”
- Why it sounds like AI: The phrase follows a formula: “X is most assured in Y where Z,” which AI often uses to connect ideas in a structured, predictable manner.
ChatGPT recommends to Spitalnick, that for “human authors,” her writing may benefit from sounding less like Artificial Intelligence if she tries to “seek[] a conversational or engaging tone” and uses “less formal language.”
Spitalnick was formerly a communications official with J Street. J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said that she was the “primary face of the organization to the media since the fall of 2008.“
Other resources on Spitalnick
Jews Don’t Need Another Left-Wing Advocacy Group – The JCPA used to pretend to work for communal interests while promoting partisan political causes. Now it’s steering the Jews down a woke path of self-destruction. December 21, 2022.
Progressive activist Amy Spitalnick tapped to head Jewish Council for Public Affairs – JCPA, is pursuing a more assertively liberal approach. For nearly 80 years, it was an umbrella for local Jewish community relations groups, and was affiliated with the Jewish Federations of North America. May 9, 2023.
The JCPA will fight for the hard left, not Jewish interests – The community relations umbrella group has broken from the Federations, and has now chosen a veteran of J Street and progressive Democratic politics. May 10, 2023.
