Being Jewish Doesn’t Make You Right — Especially When You’re Wrong About Israel

Google the phrase “Is Dave Smith Jewish?” and you’ll find thousands of curious minds trying to make sense of how a Brooklyn-born Jew ended up parroting anti-Israel talking points that wouldn’t be out of place on Iranian state television.

Yes, Dave Smith is Jewish. No, that doesn’t make him wise, informed, or remotely correct when it comes to Israel.

In fact, the use of Jewish identity as a rhetorical shield to attack the Jewish state is one of the most intellectually bankrupt and morally hollow trends in modern discourse. “I’m Jewish, so I can say this…” has become the lazy opener for some of the worst, most dishonest critiques of Israel - often ignoring history, context, and reality itself.

Dave Smith, a self-described libertarian and podcast provocateur, has leveraged his Jewish background not just as a footnote, but as a badge of credibility when railing against Israel’s policies - or, at times, Israel’s right to exist at all. But here’s the inconvenient truth: being born to Jewish parents does not grant you immunity from ignorance, nor does it sanctify your opinions.

Let’s get one thing straight. Judaism is not a license to slander. It's not a free pass to spread oversimplified narratives about a country fighting daily for its survival in the most hostile region on Earth. And it certainly doesn’t make someone’s bad takes any better just because they light a menorah in December.

Smith’s libertarianism may push him to critique American foreign aid, but when that criticism morphs into one-sided smears against Israel - while conveniently ignoring the genocidal intentions of its enemies - it stops being “principled” and starts being dangerous.

The irony? People like Smith think their Jewish identity gives them extra credibility. In reality, it makes their ignorance even more disappointing.

So no - being Jewish doesn’t make you right. It makes you responsible. And when that responsibility is discarded in favor of cheap populism and Twitter applause, it’s not just embarrassing. It’s a betrayal.

And no matter how Jewish he is, he doesn’t get a pass for being wrong.