Comedian Bill Maher clashed with Jewish actress and comedian Sandra Bernhard over whether the current rise in anti-Semitism comes primarily from the left or the right in America.
Bernhard discussed the topic with Maher on a recent episode of his “Club Random” podcast, arguing that anti-Semitism has been spreading because of conservatives.
Maher rejected that notion, noting that the left’s obsession with race and identity politics has fueled the spread of anti-Semitic hatred on American college campuses.
The debate began with Bernhard talking about her Jewish heritage and how her grandparents fled to the United States from the Holocaust in Russia. She noted that while everyone was “angry” about being Jewish after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, she did not feel persecuted.
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HBO host and comedian Bill Maher clashes with actress Sandra Bernhard over the roots of the current rise in anti-Semitism. (NBC/Screenshot)
“I love being Jewish. I go to Shabbat and do my thing. But then everyone suddenly says, ‘I’m a Jew and I’m being [persecuted].’ I don’t feel persecuted,” she said.
Maher, an atheist whose mother is Jewish, acknowledged her views but added, “There is a rising anti-Semitism in this country that we haven’t had in a long time.”
“I tell you where it comes from, it comes from the right, the extreme –” she said before Maher interjected.
“No, that’s not the case,” Maher said. “The right has this ‘Jews will not replace us’ nonsense. The left is worse.”
“What? How could this happen?” she asked.
Maher responded: “This is what the elite colleges say, and they only see everything through the lens of race. They’re stupid. They don’t understand history. They think it’s all about colonizers and racists and how bad America is. .
He continued, “The United States has done some bad things, but drags Israel into it as a stand-in for every bad thing white people have ever done — which is no more complicated to most college students than the fact that Palestinians are brown and poor Israel The man was wealthy and white.
After mentioning how Israelis have been labeled colonizers, he said: “None of this is true.”
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Comedian Bill Maher on the set of his HBO talk show. (Screenshot/HBO)
Rather than fight back, Bernhard continued to criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“But can we agree that Benjamin Netanyahu is a disruptor and needs to be kicked out of Israel? He is not good for Israel. He is not good for the Jewish people. He has also done good for Israel.” Global Mistrust — it shouldn’t be the Jews, it should be the Israelis,” she said. “He is absolutely responsible for what is happening now.”
Maher responded: “He is not to blame for what happened. It is the fault of the Palestinian people and Islam, which has lost its way in all this.”
Bernhard expressed confusion at this point, prompting Maher to add, “Hamas is largely to blame.”
He continued, “This is happening now because over the years Hamas has taken aid money and instead of using it to buy food and build buildings and hospitals, they are buying bombs and building tunnels.”
Bernhard expressed confusion at this point, prompting Maher to add, “Hamas is largely to blame.” (Screenshot/Club Random Podcast)
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Pointing to the Israeli leader, the guest said: “Guess who supports Hamas?”
“Correct. Yes, you’re right. For strategic reasons, in retrospect, that may not have been wrong. But Netanyahu, in his mind, was not acting against the interests of his own people,” Maher said.
Bernhard retorted: “He was working for the benefit of only one person, himself, because he didn’t want to go to jail.”
“I don’t believe it either,” Maher replied, even as he predicted that Netanyahu would likely soon step down.
