Two-time World Series champion Kevin Youkilis, a Jewish baseball icon, has called out Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for what he described as a repeated pattern of ‘virtue signaling’ in response to recent acts of violence against Jewish communities in the United States. The controversy arose after Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent Democratic politician, posted a social media message expressing ‘horrified’ reactions to the recent attack in Boulder, Colorado, which targeted advocates for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Youkilis, known for his time with the Boston Red Sox, accused the Rep. of using the same rhetoric without taking concrete steps to address the growing threat against Israeli hostages and anti-Israel agitators in the country.
The attack, which occurred during a public event known as ‘Run for Their Lives,’ saw a 45-year-old man, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, allegedly use homemade incendiary devices to set fire to eight people, one of whom was in critical condition. The FBI has classified the incident as a ‘targeted terror attack,’ emphasizing the deliberate nature of the violence. The perpetrator, who was found in possession of additional devices in the aftermath of the attack, had reportedly overstayed his U.S. visa and was in the country illegally at the time of the incident.
Youkilis, whose career spans decades in Major League Baseball, took to social media to call out Ocasio-Cortez, criticizing her for not taking a firmer stance on the ‘radical mobs’ chanting for intifadas in New York and other major cities. He said, ‘Until you create a plan of action, your repeated virtue signaling after the violence occurs holds no weight.’ This critique comes amid growing concerns about rising antisemitism and extremist activities domestically, particularly in the wake of events like the 2021 campus protests at Columbia University, where Ocasio-Cortez reportedly referred to anti-Israel agitators as ‘peaceful.’
Ocasio-Cortez’s response to the Boulder attack was part of a broader public discourse on how political leaders should address acts of terrorism and antisemitism in the U.S. Her statements were seen by some as symbolic, lacking a direct strategy to counter the underlying causes of such violence. Meanwhile, Youkilis’ criticism has sparked a conversation about the responsibilities of public figures in addressing national security threats, particularly in light of the FBI’s warnings about the rise in antisemitic extremism in the U.S. since 2020. The events in Boulder have reignited debates about community safety, the role of social media in amplifying extremism, and the need for bipartisan approaches to combating terrorism at home and abroad.