Given the political dynamics of the country, you’d think that folks on the same side would be, well, on the same side. That isn’t always the case – because folks on the same side are frequently in competition for that side’s money. A rising political tide doesn’t lift all ships because there’s only so much financial water to go around.
That’s why there are conservative groups in the Nation’s capital gunning for the large donor base of The Heritage Foundation. One method of attack is to claim that the largest conservative think tank in Washington is somehow antisemitic. This allegation is baseless and clearly a ploy to steal away donor cash from the longest-serving leader of conservatism nationwide.
Although I am not Jewish, I have some amazing experiences with the Jewish community that helps me to understand the challenge of antisemitism. Back in 2001, I was honored to take part in Project Interchange (PI), a two-week tour of Israel courtesy of the American Jewish Committee. That was an amazing trip that opened my eyes to challenges for Jewish people worldwide. This year, I have been named to PI’s Global Alumni Fellowship, which will include a return trip to the Holy Land. I am excited for that return trip, though I am deeply concerned about left-wing politicians like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib who advocate policies that ignore the sickening sneak attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians in October 2023.
The attacks on Heritage are based on a pro-First Amendment statement made by Heritage President Kevin Roberts in the wake of an interview conducted by Tucker Carlson. The virtue signaling by some who left Heritage for competing institutions have caused media outlets to run with the baseless claims of Heritage’s alleged antisemitism. The true root of the exodus of many from Heritage was a Never Trump feeling by many looking to join groups not aligned with the current administration using antisemitism as a pretext to leave.
Here are the facts. The Heritage Foundation has a whole page on their website explaining that “we stand firmly and unequivocally against antisemitism.” They pledge not “to merely condemn, antisemitism, but to defeat it.” Victoria Coates of Heritage wrote in The Wall Street Journal that the think tank, under Roberts’s leadership, is leading the conservative charge against this ancient bigotry. President Roberts spoke at the Franciscan University at the launch of Catholics Against Antisemitism to fight the ideology in America.
One might want to listen to the words of the leaders of that think tank before making the horrible allegation that an institution is promoting hate.
Allegations of antisemitism against Heritage are without merit, and clearly a claim made to draw in new donors for other conservative groups who have taken a similar stand against antisemitism. Republicans overwhelmingly support Israel more than Democrats and Orthodox Jews support President Trump more than just about any other group – so perhaps there is a feeling that this segment of the population is up for grabs for our side.
President Trump has himself been an unwavering supporter of the state of Israel, having issued an Executive Order (EO) to combat antisemitism that, “takes forceful and unprecedented steps to marshal all Federal resources to combat the explosion of anti-Semitism on our campuses and in our streets since October 7, 2023.” The order demanded a review and report on criminal and civil authorities to combat antisemitism on college campuses and American streets. The target was pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation. The Heritage Foundation supported efforts by the Trump Administration to combat antisemitism strongly.
The Heritage Foundation has gone even further than other think tanks in Washington when they set up something called Project Esther – A National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. The summary for the initiative explains, “America’s virulently anti-Israel, anti-Zionist, and anti-American ‘pro-Palestinian movement’ is part of a global Hamas Support Network (HSN) that is using psychological and economic warfare to coerce the U.S. government to abandon its long-standing support for Israel.” The goal of the task force is to organize opposition to this destructive ideology.
The bottom line is that The Heritage Foundation is not antisemitic in any sense and any allegations to the contrary are absurd. We live in an era where baseless claims are taken as fact and a better use of the media’s time would be to do deep dives into all the lesser think tanks attacking Heritage to determine why they are levelling baseless claims to steal away donors from a think tank that is clearly the long-standing leader of conservatism in America.
Jared Whitley is a longtime DC politico, having worked in the Senate, White House, and defense industry. He is also a member of Project Interchange’s 2026 Global Alumni Fellowship.