Republican Smear Campaign Calls ‘Anti-Semitism’ On Occupy Wall Street

There hasn’t been much reporting done on what would appear a small but noteworthy minority in the Occupy Wall Street movement that is strongly anti-Zionist. And this is enough for the hedge-fund bankrolled Republican front group Emergency Committee For Israel to run ads smearing the movement’s participants and organizers as anti-Semites:

The ad is airing on cable and clearly aimed at preventing the elite class in New York from getting behind this thing as politicians, celebrities, and columnists have increasingly jumped on board.

And as Michelle Goldberg at Tabletpoints out, the fringe getting too much public attention is a problem with non-hierarchical grassroots movements that shun discipline and unity, and this remains the movement’s greatest weakness:

The charge that Occupy Wall Street is shot through with anti-Semitism is dishonest and deceptive. But it’s built around a kernel of truth. There are a few Jew-baiters at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan, though they are marginal, particularly compared to the large numbers of Jewish activists taking part. Yet the leaderless, diffuse nature of the movement, in some ways its greatest strength, also makes it hard to police bigots, bullies, and cranks. This isn’t just about Jews—Occupy Wall Street’s ability to find some measure of unity and discipline amid a commitment to anarchy will determine whether it is able to grow beyond demonstrating widespread disaffection with the status quo.

Read the whole piece as it handles all of this deftly.