SEKULOW

Logan Sekulow: Serenity now. On today’s show, law talker Ilhan Omar comes after Jerry Seinfeld. Welcome to Sekulow. We made it to a Friday, folks. Here we are. Let's open up those phone lines. They're open now at 1-800-684-3110 because I want to hear from you today. We made it here to Friday. It's a big weekend as the UFC is on the lawn of the White House.

Guest (Male): It's an abomination, I've heard.

Logan Sekulow: How dare you! I don't get into a lot of online discourse with people. I don't like it. I think arguing with someone on Facebook is something you never win. You go back and forth. But I won! I won!

Guest (Male): So you're the first one.

Logan Sekulow: This guy, a good friend and a friend of the family for years, went on a rant about how the UFC was like a modern-day blood sport. He said, "How dare the President on the Lord’s day spend his time on his birthday watching the modern-day equivalent of the Christians versus the lions and the gladiators?" I said, "Say what you want about Republicans, this is my line. My line is defending my precious combat sports."

He even put out that $60 million is being spent by the federal government. I said, "Not so fast, sir."

Guest (Male): Logan coming with facts.

Logan Sekulow: I told him to go read the article he posted first. It said $60 million would be spent, all of which will be incurred by the UFC. The only thing the American people will be paying for is the normal security costs that happen in these kinds of things, like the Christmas tree lighting. He had to issue a correction. I won a Facebook argument.

Guest (Male): That is really one of the first times that has ever happened. I have to applaud you, Logan. Everyone should applaud Logan on Friday and call in to applaud him at 1-800-684-3110.

Logan Sekulow: I put up a GIF of Alex Pereira going "Victory!" and I said I won.

Guest (Male): You are going to have to explain that for 90% of the people.

Logan Sekulow: That is not true. We have some fighters. It looks amazing and I can't wait to watch it this weekend. I'm having people over. My son said that we had to be very selective on who gets invited because he is not going to spend the time explaining who these people are. He said he wants to be focused on the fight.

Guest (Male): Your son is you.

Logan Sekulow: He does not want to be sitting there talking to people who are talking during the fights. We have to focus. That being said, I do not know how I got on that rant, but I had to. It is Friday. Phone lines are open for you at 1-800-684-3110.

We are also talking about a response that Ilhan Omar had specifically to Jerry Seinfeld, who was cornered leaving the Knicks game after the big historic win. It was the best basketball game I have probably ever watched in my life as the Knicks won their first game at home in the finals. Listen to what happened on the streets first. Let's play Jerry Seinfeld and then we will let you know what happened there.

Guest (Male): What's up, Seinfeld? What's up? Can we get a Free Palestine? Can we get a Free Palestine? Come on, give us one Free Palestine.

Jerry Seinfeld: It doesn't exist. It doesn't exist.

Logan Sekulow: Later on, that influencer is like, "We got him! We got a quote! We got him to say something!" This dude has been the most consistent of anyone. He is very loud and outspoken. He was there when the attacks were happening because he was visiting. There are pictures of him in the bunkers meeting with people. He has been very active in his support of Israel.

How did this guy even get up to Jerry Seinfeld on the streets of New York? That needs to be discussed. Good for Jerry for being a man of the people, but it is wild. Guess who decided to respond? Ilhan Omar was asked what she thinks about Jerry Seinfeld. When we get back, we will play what she had to say. Nothing is going to surprise you too much, but I love that we are building beef between an American treasure and icon and someone like Ilhan Omar.

Seinfeld is the number one most successful television figure ever. Phone lines are open at 1-800-684-3110. It is Friday and we are having a lot more fun here. We are monitoring other news as well. Let me know what you think about the UFC event happening this week. I think this is another cool moment in American history. If they want to leave up that structure like President Trump said, like the Eiffel Tower...

Guest (Male): You're for it.

Logan Sekulow: 100%. I cannot wait to get in on the video game playing next month. We will be right back.

Welcome back to Sekulow. Phone lines are still open at 1-800-684-3110. I would love to hear from you.

Guest (Male): George is calling on line two. Do you think it is George Costanza?

Logan Sekulow: Maybe. We will see. He's from California, so I don't think so.

Guest (Male): That would be top five moments of this broadcast if a fictional character, or any of the cast, were to call in.

Logan Sekulow: Well, if anyone is listening, we will take it. You do not have to be cast. You can be not even recurring.

Guest (Male): You are at least a couple degrees away.

Logan Sekulow: At least. I probably know a few people who have made a guest spot or did one scene. There are a lot of Seinfeld one-offs. With that, we are continuing this conversation. Jerry Seinfeld was approached after the Knicks' historic win in the NBA Finals outside of Madison Square Garden. He was walking down the street immediately following and someone approached him.

This is not uncommon. Jerry Seinfeld has been heckled over the last couple of years at his shows. People yell things out. It happened at a show I went to see him probably almost two years ago in Nashville. Someone yelled something out and the crowd overwhelmingly turned on the person in the audience and that person was removed. Usually, it is about his support of Israel.

His show does not even address it. It is not like you sit there and Jerry Seinfeld goes on a rant about Israel. But when he has been approached about it, he has had conversations in interviews about how he feels about the Israeli people and the Jewish people in general. It is not uncommon for him to get heckled right now. He usually takes it well because he is one of the more untouchable celebrities. There is nothing you could do to his career at this point to hurt it.

He is financially doing fine. He is still touring the country because he loves it. He does not even need the money. He is taking this hit because of his support of the Jewish people. I want to play what happened on the streets of New York following that Knicks game the other night.

Jerry Seinfeld: It doesn't exist. It doesn't exist.

Logan Sekulow: He laughs it off and moves on. People start cheering. Everyone was in a celebratory mood and someone had to come in and try to get a "gotcha" moment from Jerry Seinfeld. He does not seem to care. Of course, then we have to get a response. We have to get a "reacts to" video.

Guest (Male): That is how the internet works.

Logan Sekulow: People wanted Ilhan Omar reacts to Jerry Seinfeld. This is from TMZ. TMZ now has this DC office because DC has become so circus-like that it is the perfect place for them. Speaking of circuses, send in the clowns for all the clownishness we are having today. This is a TMZ reporter going up to Ilhan Omar, a squad member, and here is what she had to say about Jerry Seinfeld.

Guest (Male): Jerry Seinfeld has said again last night, "Palestine doesn't exist." Do you think that's dangerous rhetoric for someone with such a big platform?

Ilhan Omar: Jerry Seinfeld has been a horrific human being and an example when it comes to talking about the reality of the genocide that Israel has carried out. I think when people prioritize their own people in the interest of harming others, it's very dangerous. I don't even think of him as just a celebrity or someone who has a platform, but it is dangerous as a human being to talk the way that he does. It's very disgusting, very disturbing, and it's very genocidal language that he uses.

Logan Sekulow: I do not think she knows who Jerry Seinfeld is. She says he is not a celebrity or someone with a platform, like he is not dangerous enough. It is as if someone asked if she saw what Jerry Seinfeld said and she asked "Who?" and then read it and said "That's awful." This goes further to her not knowing who he is. Let's play bite three from Ilhan Omar where she continues with more questions from this reporter.

Guest (Male): Do you think people here hear words he says and get into their own brains as well? Does it have an impact, someone of his stature saying such things?

Ilhan Omar: It does, because it carries weight. So many people are able to see it and hear it. I'm assuming he's of Jewish heritage, and for him knowing that his people suffered the Holocaust and experienced what genocide looks like, for him not to recognize the genocidal language that he's using to wipe out a whole group of people is very disturbing. People need to recognize that.

Logan Sekulow: Jerry Seinfeld may be one of the most famous Jewish comedians. He has brought Jewish culture to be household culture in America.

Guest (Male): I would say he is the top five, maybe number one most famous comedian walking the planet. You have a Rogan or a Dave Chappelle currently, but talking long-term history, Jerry Seinfeld is top five at least. It is not a secret that Jerry Seinfeld is Jewish. That is part of his whole bit. The fact that she says she is assuming he is of Jewish heritage goes further to show she does not know who he is.

Logan Sekulow: Beyond that, Jerry Seinfeld did this in a way that the Jewish community has always appreciated. The show Seinfeld was on NBC for so many years and in reruns for decades. It was probably the most Jewish television show without really ever addressing it.

Guest (Male): It was Jewish culture being brought into the mainstream and a way for it to become acceptable to embrace Jewish culture, whether that was stealing a babka or whatever it may be. That probably would not have made its way into the middle of the country otherwise. Jewish culture was really planted into our entire zeitgeist because of Seinfeld. You had characters that were not even technically Jewish, like George Costanza, but eventually, the character essentially became Jewish. These characters meant a lot to the Jewish people.

On the other hand, you have the comedian himself. He is also a father and a husband. His wife is one of the leading activists and Zionists in the celebrity culture of Israel. This is why he is a target. This is happening to other people too. Look at Gwyneth Paltrow. She released a video promoting a condominium with New York-style apartments being built in Herzliya, Israel. She is a very smart woman. She knew by doing this ad campaign that she was going to be bringing on a lot of people who would be upset.

I am very proud of some of these celebrities. A lot of conservative figureheads talk badly about celebrities. But some make strategic moves that mean more and say more than making a political statement. Someone like Gwyneth Paltrow or Jerry Seinfeld, people who do not need the money, becoming a spokesperson for Israel at this point says a lot. These are top of the A-list.

Guest (Male): I saw an interview with Jerry Seinfeld where he said he was offered $100 million to do another season and turned it down. It was $10 million an episode. He had the ability to say he does not need another $100 million. That is the level of A-list celebrity we are talking about. This entire back-and-forth almost feels like a bit from Seinfeld where a member of Congress has no clue who Jerry Seinfeld is and says she is assuming he is Jewish. The whole thing feels like a Seinfeld bit, but here we are in reality with Ilhan Omar saying he is a horrific person.

Logan Sekulow: I thought she said prolific and she said horrific. Prolific would be accurate because he has done a lot, like The Bee Movie and the Pop-Tart movie. My kids love that Pop-Tart movie, Unfrosted. My son actually had us go see Jerry Seinfeld after that. It was fun.

Phone lines are open at 1-800-684-3110. We are having a bit more fun here on a Friday, but we are dealing with real challenges in the world right now. We can glaze over it a bit because it is humorous in nature, but in reality, we are dealing with a lot. Let's take some calls when we get back.

Welcome back to Sekulow. We are going to take some calls. 1-800-684-3110. We are live and we will be covering a few different topics today, including some Iran talk. President Trump made a statement saying we are calling it all off. He said to pretend like it didn't happen. It is like George Costanza. You just go back to work the day after you quit and pretend it never happened.

I want to take some calls related to Israel right now. We are going to George in California, who is watching on Salem News Channel. You can watch us on YouTube, Rumble, and ACLJ.org. But if you want a different experience, we are live on Salem News Channel. George, go ahead.

Guest (Male): Thanks for taking my call, guys. I watch your show every morning and really enjoy it. I want to comment on the Israel and Jerry Seinfeld thing. I am a big supporter of Israel, but I see a bit of hypocrisy. Are the Palestinians a Semitic people? What do we do with them?

Logan Sekulow: We can easily have that conversation. It is not one that you tread into lightly. People's support of Israel is understandable, specifically if you are just getting attuned to the situations in the Middle East over the last few years where you can be very confused. Even as someone who has spent a lot of time in the Middle East and in Israel, I have had to make sure I stay brushed up on my history.

Our team put together a video shortly after October 7th because there was that conversation about who the Palestinian people are. What is their background? How did they end up where they are? Did the Jewish people have a right to be there in the first place? Historically, the modern state of Israel was founded in 1948. Whether you agree with them being put there in the first place, generations have passed now and this is where we are.

You could wheel that back to almost any country, including America. How far back are we going to go? But the Palestinian people actually have a very interesting background. The Israeli community will say it's an amalgamation of Arabs in that area from Persia and other regions.

Guest (Male): They are mostly from Jordan and Syria because of the proximity. Really, the entire area was called the Transjordan area for a while. Palestine was given under the British mandate as a nickname. But it was never a place and the Palestinians were never a distinct people group separate from those in the neighborhood.

Logan referenced a video we have called "Everything You Need to Know About the History of Palestine and Israel." We refer to the piece as "The Myth of Palestine." It is very well-researched. I remember the painstaking amount of edits we went through to ensure every sentence was analyzed. We were confident that if people consumed this seven-minute video, they would be able to speak with authority and with historical facts. We are having similar questions come in. George was asking if they are a Semitic people and what to do with the thought of the Palestinian people when Jerry Seinfeld says Palestine doesn't exist.

Logan Sekulow: That is what this piece really does. It breaks down the history of it and the position of the ACLJ, which is the true position of reality. When you look at what this entire fight you see in public now about "from the river to the sea," they are essentially saying to wipe out the entire state of Israel. This shows the history of it.

It is worth watching, George, but it is a big question. I am not going to pretend that there aren't people on each side who get a little dehumanizing when talking about human life. There are incredible people and things happening in these areas. They have been under a stranglehold of bad leadership. Israel has tried to work with the PLO and other iterations of Palestinian leadership over the years to try to come to solutions. It often cannot get there because the goals of the leadership are much different.

When you go to Israel, it is a very Western society. It is still rooted in Judaism, but it is a Western secular country. Women have full rights and people have the same rights as you would expect in America. Politically, it is very split between conservatives and liberals. But you go one step outside of Israel and women have very little rights. You do not want to be a member of a different sexual orientation. Things happen to people that are really disturbing. It is being controlled and that narrative somehow is winning. I do not get that, but I understand the sensitivity and I never want to devalue human life. Hopefully, in that video, you can have a history lesson that informs what we do in the future. Israel is there and those people are there too. We have to come up with answers that work for everybody.

Guest (Male): To that point, when you look at the politics of Israel and people who do not like Benjamin Netanyahu, it would genuinely shock people to know it's not an apartheid state. They hear rhetoric that they are keeping the Arabs with no rights. But 10% of the Knesset, which is their parliament and the equivalent of our Congress, are Israeli Arabs. What kind of apartheid state lets the people have political parties and be part of the government? That is where these myths and lies you hear on TV and social media need to be put to rest.

Logan Sekulow: I am going to be very interested to see the next time there is a general election in Israel and there is a new Prime Minister who is very liberal and the opposite of Benjamin Netanyahu. Do people suddenly become pro-Israel? I do not think so. It is deeper rooted than that. It does not actually have to do with the government. You would not be approaching Jerry Seinfeld on the streets and having someone else respond if that were the case. We know where the roots are.

We have a second half-hour of this show coming up. We are monitoring what is happening around the world. We are going to talk more about what is happening with the Iranian war when we get back on Sekulow. Don't go anywhere. If you lose us on your local station, find us at ACLJ.org.