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A manufactured ‘mainstream’ wants the White House to define antisemitism on its own flawed terms
(JTA) — As the Biden administration nears the long-awaited announcement of its National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, tensions have emerged over what definition of antisemitism the White House will use. According to Jewish Insider, “major mainstream Jewish groups” are battling against the “left” to define antisemitism, suggesting that the groups’ preferred definition, that of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, is the mainstream one.
The framing determines a winner before the contest even begins — this is the power play of the term “mainstream.”
Here’s how it works: A purportedly neutral source — Jewish Insider, say, or the Associated Press — names a set of players as the “mainstream.” Without any discussion of method or sources, the characterization produces reality. The self-fulfilling designation allows a select group of organizations to command the center. These groups and their spokespeople then use their “mainstream” power to naturalize and normalize their own agenda, like defining the IHRA definition as the “gold standard” despite concerns that it chills legitimate criticism of Israel, or condemning “progressive” voices for their refusal to conflate anti-Zionism and antisemitism, or chastising Rep. Rashida Tlaib for commemorating the Nakba, the “catastrophe” that befell her people with the creation of Israel.
Game on.
The strategy of claiming the center to control it is nothing new. In the annals of American Jewish institutional formation, it’s happened again and again. Just witness the names of organizations: the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the American Jewish Committee, the Zionist Organization of America, and the list could go on and on. One after the other, these groups have claimed to be the center, the “mainstream.”
RELATED: The IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and why people are fighting over it, explained (2021)
As a historian who has written about many of these groups, I can tell you that every claim to be the united front, the central address, the singular American Jewish organization has rested on the surety that most American Jews believed no such thing. Indeed, words that posture such a “mainstream” are best read as indicators of dissent, debate and fracture.
When it comes to confronting antisemitism, some of today’s Jewish leaders might imagine that American Jews can achieve unity that has long eluded them or Jewish institutional life. They might be so certain of this vision as to pretend that it is true, with fundraising and media blitzes that appear to speak on behalf of all Jews. Slick advertising campaigns, whether on television and social media or highway billboards, and a hotly contested and poorly constructed yet exclusive definition of antisemitism may make it seem that the Jewish “mainstream” speaks as one, loudly for all Jews and all people who care about fighting antisemitism.
But don’t let the powerplay bulldoze you. Those television and social media blitzes? They are the product of one megadonor’s imagination and thick wallet. The pink highway signs that deliver glib “lessons” against antisemitism in the form of snark? They are brought to you by the same high-net-worth family that advertised its storage company with similarly cheeky taglines. And even the creation of and campaigns to endorse the IHRA definition have specific histories and funding sources.
None of this is to say that those efforts should be dismissed because they have histories and are tied to narrow but deep pockets of wealth. The problem comes when those histories and sources of power go unacknowledged and instead parade themselves as the “mainstream,” the authentic truth of what all Jews must believe.
RELATED: The White House intends to fight antisemitism. That starts with a sensible definition. (Opinion)
In the power plays to claim the Jewish “mainstream,” institutions and their leaders are trying to silence those who disagree with their policies and politics. The term “mainstream” acts as a cudgel against efforts to build solidarity between Palestinians and Israelis who oppose the actions of the Israeli government. Its purveyors vocally and consistently defend harsh anti-boycott laws, on the books in several American states, that penalize institutions or individuals for engaging in or promoting boycotts against Israel. Or they helicopter onto American college campuses to pressure university administrators to subscribe to the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
Instead of arriving at the field ready to play an honest game, “mainstream” Jewish institutions and their leaders want to be the only players. To argue that we must all agree on one definition in order to talk about antisemitism is like clearing the field before the game even begins.
Because this is more than a game — because hatred and bigotry fuel violent crimes at an alarming rate in the United States — Jewish and non-Jewish people who have a stake in the conversation about antisemitism should refuse to play. Publications that insist on anointing a “mainstream” ought to be called out. And the press, instead, should investigate the role that some of its agents play in advancing the power play of the “mainstream” — including, for example, Jewish Insider, which is less than transparent about its own history and sources of funding.
As a participant in one of the “listening sessions” convened by the White House in February of this year, I can report that the scholars who joined me around the table (OK, Zoom screen) had a wide range of perspectives. When asked to share our views on antisemitism, none of us got to call ourselves the “mainstream” expert on the questions. Instead, we identified the methods, sources and theories that authorized our understandings of the roots and manifestations of antisemitism.
I can only hope that the other listening sessions and the White House process has proceeded accordingly, with little reverence for the self-appointed Jewish “mainstream.” A resolve to understand the diversity of views and what led people or groups to them will upset any single view — or definition. A successful strategy will not be cowed by the “mainstream” but instead will highlight the varieties of truly and authentically held ideas that together can animate efforts to stem the tide of antisemitism and bigotry.
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Maryland man who sent threatening letters to Jewish institutions sentenced to 3 years in prison
(JTA) — A Maryland man who sent more than 40 threatening letters to Jewish institutions, including the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, was sentenced to three years in prison Monday.
Clift Seferlis, 55, of Garrett Park, Maryland, was sentenced to 37 months in prison and three years of supervised release as well as a $40,000 fine and a $2,200 special assessment on Monday.
He had previously pleaded guilty to 17 counts of mailing threatening communications and eight counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs arising from threats to Jewish institutions, which were sent from March 2024 through at least June 2025.
“For more than a year, the defendant terrorized Jewish communities across the country, robbing his victims of their peace and security,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement. “The defendant’s sentence should be a warning to all that religious-based terror will not be tolerated in this country.”
During a sentencing hearing in Philadelphia’s federal courthouse, Seferlis, who told FBI agents that he had previously given tours at the museum, expressed remorse for the letters, which included threats to destroy buildings and harm individuals over the war in Gaza.
“My words are the worst of my venom, and they are awful and inflicted pain,” Seferlis said. “And if there was any way I could take it back, I would.”
In a joint statement, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia expressed gratitude for the sentencing, writing, “It is critically important that those who seek to intimidate Jewish institutions are identified, investigated and held accountable.”
The post Maryland man who sent threatening letters to Jewish institutions sentenced to 3 years in prison appeared first on The Forward.
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Israel says it killed Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official and close ally of Khamenei
(JTA) — The Israeli military announced on Tuesday that it had killed Ali Larijani, a top Iranian security official who was believed to be leading the country, in an overnight strike.
While Iran has not yet confirmed or denied the death of Larijani, the announcement suggests a significant blow to the Iranian regime’s leadership structure of Iran which is still reeling from the assassination of its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last month.
Larijani, who was a close confidant of Khamenei, had run Iran behind the scenes prior to Khamenei’s death, leading the deadly crackdown on protesters in the country early this year. While Larijani was ineligible to replace Khamenei because he is not a Shiite cleric, he was widely expected to serve as a top adviser in Iran.
In the wake of Khamenei’s death, the regime appointed his son, Mojtaba, as its new supreme leader, but he has not been seen in public, and Israel and the United States both suspect that he was wounded. Larijani reportedly opposed Mojtaba’s installation, instead lobbying for a more moderate choice.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Larijani as the head of a group that “effectively runs Iran,” adding that Israel was “undermining this regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people an opportunity to remove it.”
The IDF also said on Tuesday that it had killed Basij paramilitary force commander Gholamreza Soleimani in a separate strike. In a post on X announcing his death, the Israeli military said that the Basij unit, a militia unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, had “led the main repression operations in Iran.”
The killings marked the first major assassinations since the war’s first day, when Khamenei and dozens of others were killed in a strike on a building where they were meeting.
“Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight and joined the head of the annihilation program, Khamenei, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil, in the depths of hell,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday morning, according to his office.
The death of the two Iranian leaders comes as pressure has mounted on President Donald Trump to signal when the war with Iran will end. On Monday, Trump said that he was open to talks with Iran, but added that “we don’t even know their leaders,” because some officials the United States knew had been killed.
“We have people wanting to negotiate,” Trump said. “We have no idea who they are.”
The post Israel says it killed Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official and close ally of Khamenei appeared first on The Forward.
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Iran’s Soccer Federation ‘Negotiating’ With FIFA to Relocate World Cup Matches From US to Mexico
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw – John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, US – Dec. 5, 2025, General view as Draw Assistant Shaquille O’Neal draws Iran during the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Iran’s soccer federation said on Monday it is “negotiating” with FIFA to relocate the Islamic Republic’s first-round matches in the 2026 World Cup to Mexico from the United States to ensure the safety of its players.
“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” said Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, in a statement shared on X by the Iranian Embassy in Mexico. “We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”
The negotiations are taking place after the US and Israel launched joint airstrikes against Iran in late February, which led to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other high-ranking Iranian officials. Iran has since retaliated with attacks on Israel and US allies across the Middle East.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11-July 19 in cities across the US, Canada and Mexico. Iran qualified for the 48-team tournament through its participation in the Asian Football Conference and is set to compete in Group G at the World Cup. Iran’s national soccer team is scheduled to compete against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, both in Los Angeles, before going head-to-head against Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. Soccer fans from Iran are not allowed to enter the United States for the World Cup as part of a travel ban that the Trump administration imposed in June, but Iranian athletes and coaches are exempt from the ban.
Last week, US President Donald Trump wrote on the social media website Truth Social that Iran’s national soccer team is “welcome” to compete in World Cup, but he does not think “it is appropriate” for them to participate “for their own life and safety.”
The Iranian team responded to Trump’s post by saying in a statement on Telegram that a single person can not exclude a country from the World Cup. They also suggested the US “lacks the ability” to provide security for World Cup-participating teams.
“The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA — not any individual country. Iran’s national team, with strength and a series of decisive victories achieved by the brave sons of Iran, was among the first teams to qualify for this major tournament,” the statement said. “Certainly no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup. The only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of ‘host’ yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event.”
However, Iranian Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali reportedly told state television it is “not possible” for the country to participate in the World Cup this year because of the US airstrikes on Iran. “Due to the wicked acts they have done against Iran — they have imposed two wars on us over just eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people — definitely it’s not possible for us to take part in the World Cup,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
Trump later posted again on social media about the World Cup. “The United States of America looks very much forward to hosting the FIFA World Cup. Ticket sales are ‘through the roof!’” he added. “It will be the Greatest and Safest Sporting Event in American History. All Players, Officials, and Fans will be treated like the ‘STARS’ that they are!”
FIFA President said in an Instagram post last week that he met with President Trump and the latter “reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.” FIFA Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi recently said the World Cup is “too big” to postpone amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. He added that the organization hopes “everyone can participate that has qualified.”
Meanwhile, the UEFA, Europe’s governing body of soccer, has cancelled the “Finalissima” match in Doha, Qatar, between Argentina and Spain’s national soccer teams following security concerns related to the ongoing war between Iran, Israel and the United States.