U.S. Mayor wears Hamasshole gear-- is blasted by Jewish community

Mayor of major US city blasted by Jews for wearing pro-Hamas symbol

Chicago’s Jewish community just got a slap in the face, and Hamas-loving Mayor Brandon Johnson’s the one swinging. 

Johnson posed for a photo wearing a keffiyeh—yeah, that scarf—to celebrate Arab Heritage Month, arm-in-arm with the local CAIR chapter. The Chicago Jewish Alliance (CJA) isn’t having it, and frankly, who can blame them? 

CAIR is an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and they are the unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) terrorism financing trial in the US. This case, prosecuted in 2007 and 2008 involved charges that they funneled millions of dollars to Hamas. CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) along with the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) were listed, among others, as unindicted co-conspirators, who were alleged to have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and its U.S.-based networks. The 2008 retrial ended in guilty verdicts against HLF officials on 108 counts.

“This is outrageous,” the CJA said, and they’re not wrong. “For the mayor of Chicago to stand there—cloaked in a symbol now synonymous with Jewish bloodshed, flanked by an organization that justifies it—is more than tone-deaf. It’s a betrayal.” 

Exactly.

They didn’t stop there: “It tells Jewish Chicagoans: Your pain doesn’t matter. Your dead don’t count. Your safety is negotiable.” That’s not just a statement; it’s a gut punch. They called the keffiyeh “not neutral. It’s a flag of war.” Harsh? Perhaps. But it's not very different than a swastika. 

Let’s break it down. The keffiyeh isn’t just some hipster fashion statement anymore. “In today’s world, it’s worn at Hamas rallies. It’s paraded in the streets when mobs chant ‘From the river to the sea,’ a call for the eradication of Israel. It’s the uniform of those who cheered on the Oct. 7 massacre — where babies were burned, women raped, and over 1,200 Jews slaughtered.” That’s not hyperbole; that’s reality.

Then there’s CAIR. They blamed Israel for the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, got kicked out of Biden’s anti-Semitism strategy, and their bigwig Nihad Awad flat-out said Israel has no right to defend itself. Subtle, right?

The alliance isn’t saying Arab Heritage Month shouldn’t happen—nah, they’re all for it. “Food, music, poetry, and history” are the way to go, they say, not “embracing symbols of terror.” Fair point.

Lisa Katz from the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement chimed in, urging Johnson to quit posturing and start talking. “Engage in open dialogue with Chicago’s Jewish community, learn more about the evolving symbols of modern-day antisemitism, and show solidarity against antisemitism and hate in all their contemporary forms,” she said. Translation: Step up, Mayor. Be a leader, not a photo-op.

Katz sees a chance here: “This moment presents an opportunity for education, for empathy and for leadership that brings communities together rather than deepening divides.” Noble, but good luck with that when the mayor’s already picked his side.

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