Major US Jewish group welcomes proposed ban of China’s "antisemitic" TikTok

A US House of Representatives bill seeking to ban Chinese-owned TikTok has made headlines globally, and pro-Israel circles appear to be welcoming the proposal, citing the “rise of antisemitic content” on the platform. 

The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), an American Jewish umbrella organization representing over 350 independent Jewish groups in the country, praised the proposed ban in an official statement published on March 13.

“The single most important issue to our Jewish communities today is the dramatic rise in antisemitism,” the group said, adding that “TikTok is the worst offender by far” in antisemitism, per Anadolu.

“TikTok has helped fuel a horrific spike in antisemitism that our communities are feeling every day, and it’s time to take action,” said Eric Fingerhut, the group’s president and CEO.

On the House vote approving the measure – after which it still needs Senate approval and the president’s signature – he said: “Today’s vote showed the strong, bipartisan support for ensuring that TikTok cannot continue to push hateful messages into our communities, and we urge the Senate to quickly take up and pass this legislation.”

The federations group seeks to force ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to sell the US assets of the app or face a total ban in the country. As TikTok has a staggering 170 million users in the US, many of whom use the app for a living, lawmakers have been flooded with phone calls from disgruntled users.

It also said that ByteDance “is beholden to the Chinese government, which has squarely positioned itself against Israel” since Oct. 7, when a surprise Hamas incursion killed close to 1,200 people.

“China has filled its state-controlled media and social media channels with antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric,” the organization also claimed.

According to Human Rights Watch, the company does indeed have ties to the Chinese government and the ruling Chinese Communist Party, within the scope of a so-called “internal party committee” as part of its governance structure.

The internal party committee of ByteDance is headed by the company’s vice president, Zhang Fuping, according to Human Rights Watch.