MHRN’s response to Sen. Jeremy Trebas’ antisemitic retweet
On December 19, 2023, Montana State Senator Jeremy Trebas retweeted a post that repeated and amplifed the vile, antisemitic trope of blood libel that has been around for centuries. The tweet specifically attacked a Jewish woman who stated that the right to abortion care was a component of the Jewish faith.
This kind of public statement would be irresponsible and harmful at any time, but it’s especially dangerous right now, when antisemitism and Islamophobia are on the rise following the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct 7 and the Israeli military response that has resulted in the death of thousands of civilians in Gaza. Stoking animosity toward people of another religion is inexcusable, but especially when that religion is already under attack across the United States and the world.
The blood libel conspiracy theory, which dates to the Middle Ages, claims that Jewish people sacrifice Christian babies and children for religious purposes. Since that time, it has been used to justify discrimination, persecution, and violence against Jewish people. We were shocked to see echoes of it repeated in the 2023 Montana Legislative session during the hearing for HB 471, which supported the religious right to access abortion care. Representative Ed Stafman (D-Bozeman), sponsored the bill. Rep. Stafman is also Rabbi Emeritus of congregation Beth Shalom in Bozeman.
During HB 471’s hearing in the House Judiciary committee, multiple clergy members and people of many faiths testified about how their faith supported their right to protect a pregnant person’s life and their right to abortion care. In response, the Christian nationalist organization, the Montana Family Foundation, falsely claimed that the bill established abortion as a “religious rite or ritual”. Rep. Caleb Hinkle (R-Belgrade) repeated the blood libel trope almost verbatim during the hearing when he said, “This bill is quite literally codification of child sacrifice in my mind.”
It is illogical and offensive to ignore the fact that people who have survived generations of oppression and genocide have a deep reverence for life. MHRN condemns Trebas’ decision to repost this tweet that encourages antisemitism, disrespects the Jewish faith, and attacks the right to abortion care, which is protected under the right to privacy in the Montana Constitution.