Right-wing activist Laura Loomer sparked controversy last week after chastising Jewish politicians and media figures for taking time off for Rosh Hashanah amid the UN General Assembly (UNGA) general debate and international friction over Palestinian statehood.
As Jews across the world came together to celebrate the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish new year, self-described “Feisty Jewess” Laura Loomer took to X/Twitter to criticize politically active Jews who decided to stay off of social media during the two-day holiday.
Loomer, who is Jewish, announced that she would spend the holiday documenting what she believed to be a “hostile Palestinian takeover” of the UN, calling on other Jews to “push [their] time off aside” and work to counter anti-Israel rhetoric. In her post, she also added that “If you really care about something, you have to push your time off aside and you need to work. Even on the holidays.”
The start of this year’s general debate of the UNGA coincided with Rosh Hashanah, one of the most important celebrations in the Hebrew calendar. Thus, while many Jews unplugged in observance of the holiday, the UNGA entered an intensive schedule of speeches from presidents, prime ministers, and other top-level representatives from the entire world. Topics ranged from subjects like climate change and gender equality to international trade, yet many of the speakers had a special focus on the Israel-Hamas War.
Israel’s struggle at the UN
This year’s general debate came at an exceptionally difficult period of time for Israel’s foreign relations. Just days before, major international forces like the UK, France, Canada, and Australia officially recognized a Palestinian state, sparking criticism from Israel and the Jewish world.
Despite support from leaders like US President Donald Trump, who in his speech denounced countries who unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state as giving in to “Hamas’s ransom demands,” many felt that the overall mood at the diplomatic gathering was against Israel. Many speeches blasted Israel’s handling of the war, and over a hundred diplomats left the hall as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the assembly.
Loomer’s post, viewed over 140,000 times as of September 28, received mixed reactions. Some users agreed with Loomer, with one follower comparing the events of the week to “harvest times,” while another implored her to instead question why such an important event was scheduled on Rosh Hashanah. Other users were of the view that holy days should be observed even during crises, stating that “if we give up being Jewish we have lost”. Loomer didn’t appear to respond to any of the criticism of her post.
Loomer’s previous statements
Loomer has a long history of controversial remarks, including spreading doubt about school shootings and spreading debunked rumors about pet-eating migrants in Ohio. She has also made statements against left-leaning Jews, saying that Jews who support the Democratic party “might as well just go put [themselves] in a gas chamber”.
Statements that she has made about members of Congress have been described as racist and Islamophobic, and public figures have warned about the influence she appears to have on President Trump’s administration in recent months.