Dov Waxman defends Jews' attachment to Israel amid Piker controversy
Dov WaxmanIsrael-studies professor, personal analysis
Waxman argues that conflating Jews with Israel can fuel antisemitism, but rejects making Jewish safety contingent on severing an attachment to Israel.
“Jews are entitled to have an attachment to Israel.”
Analysis
Where this statement fits
Hasan Piker’s August 20 remarks and Larry Klayman’s lawsuit
Hasan Piker’s August 20 remarks about American Jews and Israel prompted disagreement over whether he was warning about antisemitic violence or implicitly threatening Jews. Larry Klayman later filed a civil lawsuit seeking more than $150 million over the remarks.
Source and context
Analysis
About this source
Essay by Dov Waxman, professor of Israel studies at UCLA, published on Zeteo on August 27, 2026. Waxman separates his argument from the view, which he attributes to Hasan Piker, that Jews outside Israel should disassociate from Israel in order to be safe. Zeteo notes that the views are the author's own.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The essay responds to controversy over Piker and broader conflation of Jews, Judaism, Israel, and Zionism.
After the quotation
Waxman assigns moral responsibility to perpetrators of antisemitism.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
He agrees with the need to distinguish Jewish identity from Israel while explicitly separating his position from the safety condition he attributes to Piker.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Hasan Piker
More from this case
Read the full caseKlayman says his Piker suit put a target on his back and names The Young Turks hosts as next
“I have already filed suit against anti-Semitic podcaster Hasan Piker, who is Uygur’s nephew. That has put a target on my back, but I am doing this on behalf of our people, which includes you and your loved ones.”Read statement
Hasan Piker calls Abdul El-Sayed’s distancing insincere
“I think he is making a mistake with taking ownership over something that I think most voters understand is insincere.”Read statement
Abdul El-Sayed says he disavows Hasan Piker’s remarks
“Absolutely… when Hasan made these comments about Jewish Americans and Jewish Michiganders, I disavowed them entirely.”Read statement
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- Dov Waxman defends Jews' attachment to Israel amid Piker controversy
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The Dispute Index. "Dov Waxman defends Jews' attachment to Israel amid Piker controversy". First published: 2026-09-10. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/323-waxman-argues-that-conflating-jews-with-israel-can