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In the first legislative move by a member of “The Squad” since the Democratic Civil War spilled out into the streets of Washington, DC, a pro-BDS resolution was sponsored by Ilhan Omar. Omar, who has a long history of anti-Semitic statements and a deference to radical Islamist terrorists, disguises her obvious hatred of the Jewish people and the Jewish state as a First Amendment issue. She is not alone in the Democratic Caucus on this issue. There is increasing support for anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiments in both Houses; this is only the latest symptom of a larger disease.

In a dramatic turn of events, Melinda Katz has taken the lead in the Democratic Primary for District Attorney. At least, that’s the case as I write this column. By the time it appears, who knows. We are headed for manual recount. There will probably be court challenges and maybe even another election. But while the result of the primary may not be clear for a while, we can still learn some lessons by taking a closer look at the results.

In his column last week, our Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, the Rabbinic Consultant for this newspaper, raised the subject of the Promised Land as it relates to the concept of American exceptionalism. Since the arrival of the earliest English colonists, this New World home has been described as a “city on a hill,” an “empire of liberty,” and the “land of the free,” among other oft-repeated accolades. Rabbi Schonfeld describes the United States as a “beacon of freedom and hope to the entire world.”

For the past six months, we have been complaining about Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib. From conversations in shul, one would think that these three first-term members of Congress are the most serious threat facing the Jewish community.

This week, the simmering conflict in the House Democratic Caucus boiled over when freshman Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez finally fought back against Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi. This public feud shines daylight on a conflict that has quietly been occurring since 2016: the Democratic Civil War – moderates versus socialists.

The votes are still being counted in last week’s Democratic primary for Queens District Attorney, with more than 3,500 absentee and provisional ballots separating leftist frontrunner Tiffany Cabán and establishment candidate Melinda Katz. Regardless of the outcome, leftists are now a mainstream force in Democratic primaries in local, state, and national contests. The moral strength of this force is built on idealism, closing the Rikers Island prison, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and financial reparations for descendants of slaves. In contrast to the Occupy Wall Street protests of 2011, which by design had no leaders or defined goals, today’s leftists have their national leaders, goals, and road map towards enacting policy changes.