In an opinion piece from The Hollywood Reporter, some Jewish American producers, agents, and executives in Hollywood are expressing concerns that Kamala Harris may have alienated them by rejecting Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) as her vice presidential running mate. They suspect the decision was made to appease the left’s surging antisemitic base, particularly among young, “woke” progressives who often display anti-Israel sentiment that can turn into outright antisemitism.
The opinion piece was penned by THR’s new senior awards editor Steve Zeitchik, who discussed the plight of liberal Jews in Hollywood during this election season. In his piece, he wrote: “There was never going to be a way to definitively know why Harris chose [Tim] Walz over Shapiro. What is known is that the choice happened after a conscious progressive social-media campaign to brand Shapiro as ‘Genocide Josh’ and paint him as some Netanyahu water-carrier when his positions on Israel were standard Democratic two-stateism (and sharply anti-Netanyahu. And that carries with it the stench of something else.
Zeitchik further explained that those he spoke to felt that even if the pick was made based on electoral calculations, “those calculations come with baked-in antisemitic assumptions about the electorate.” One person Zeitchik spoke to said: “I didn’t say she [Kamala] was antisemitic. I said that she could not stand up to those who are.
This sentiment comes at a time when nearly half of Americans believe antisemitism is a “very serious problem” in the United States, according to a recent Gallup survey. The rising tide of antisemitism follows the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which resulted in one of the bloodiest days in the country’s history.
Kamala’s political calculation does not appear to have appeased the left’s most anti-Israel voices. During a rally Wednesday in Michigan — home to a surging Muslim population — protestors interrupted Kamala by accusing her of complicity in “genocide” in Gaza.
Hollywood has long been a reliable source of campaign donations for Democrat politicians, and Kamala Harris is no exception. She has made multiple stops at the homes of powerful entertainment industry executives, receiving tens of millions of dollars in donations over the years.
As Kamala appears ready to seize the party’s nomination, some wonder if her veep diss will prompt liberal Hollywood Jews to rethink their unconditional devotion to her. However, one producer told THR: “Of course I’ll stay on the train — Walz seems like a good dude. I just keep asking why it isn’t a Shapiro train.