Ocasio-Cortez Claims She’s Jewish For Hanukkah, Then She Gets ‘Nasty Surprise’

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told a Jewish group in New York she is Jewish, too. The 29-year-old former bartender claimed for the first time publicly on Sunday that she has Jewish ancestry while speaking during a Hanukkah event in her home borough of Queens. When she went on to explain her new Jewish heritage, something went wrong and then the New Yorker got a nasty surprise. Don’t miss this. 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Photo Credit: Rick Loomis/Getty Images)

Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York made a surprise revelation to a progressive Jewish group on the final night of Hannukah on Sunday: She traces her ancestry back to 15th-century Sephardic Jews.

Or so she claimed. Speaking at an event organized by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice at the Jackson Heights Jewish Center in Queens, the bumbling Democratic darling at first drew cheers with the revelation. 

Then, she went on the try and explain her so-called Jewish heritage. “One of the things that we discovered about ourselves is that a very very long time ago, generations and generations ago, my family consisted of Sephardic Jews,” she said, referring to Jews who are originally from Spain or the Iberian Peninsula.

“And … the story goes that during the Spanish Inquisition, so many people were forced to convert on the exterior to Catholicism, but on the interior, continued to practice their faith, continued to be who they were, even though they were pressured to not be that on the outside world,” Ocasio-Cortez explained. 

So let’s get this straight. The gaffe-prone New Yorker is claiming she’s Jewish because there were many Jews who fled Spain who pretended to convert to Catholicism but they really didn’t. So, since she somehow found out she has some Sephardic Jewish blood or had a Sephardic Jewish relative, many, many generations ago, well she’s one too. Is that all that ties her to this story of Jewish heritage?

NBC reported, “Ocasio-Cortez, who made the comments after lighting Hanukkah candles, said some of those practitioners fled Spain, with some landing in Puerto Rico, where she descends from. Ocasio-Cortez added that the lineage showed that ‘so many of our destinies are tied.”‘

Well, now there are conflicting reports about her religion, too. “The Sunday revelation was not the first time Ocasio-Cortez has discussed her religion. In the Jesuit publication America Magazine, Ocasio-Cortez wrote earlier this year that the ultimate goal of reforming the criminal justice system ties ‘directly to the heart of our’ Catholic faith,” added NBC. 

If you are confused, you are not alone. Like most of the newly elected Representative’s remarks, it makes no sense at all. But, isn’t that what Democrats do better than anyone else? Play identity politics? 

And Americans weren’t quite on board with her newly discovered Jewish heritage. Twitter user “Jorozez” tweeted, “This is the official list of Sephardic last names published by the Spanish Government. You won’t find Ocasio nor Cortez.”

Brooks Misha wasn’t buying Ocasio-Cortez’s story either. He posted, “Good old identity politics. This Christmas I am claiming to be jewish/christian and multi spiritual/religiously fluid. That should cover most of the bases at the ‘holiday season’ party.”

Then, there is Twitter user “Jude” who really gave her a piece of his mind: This is most blatant attempt at pandering I have seen. @Ocasio2018 I relate to the animal kingdom. You see many generations ago I had a distant cousin who was cro-magnon man. I’m not sure if you have any relations to them either. You should check. You may get some more votes.”

Well, the former bartender from New York will never live this down. Didn’t she see what happened to Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren? There is one good thing that might come from this Jewish heritage snafu. If and when the 29-year-old attempts re-election, you bet the first thing her opponent is going to ask for is a real DNA test. 

The Democrats are the gift that just keeps on giving. From “Low IQ” Maxine Waters, to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, we never know what kind of nonsense they will be trying to sell us. If this New Yorker wasn’t such a laughingstock, she might be dangerous. 

About Rebecca Diserio, Opinion Columnist 1557 Articles
Rebecca Diserio is a conservative writer and speaker who has been featured in numerous high profile publications. She's a graduate of St. Joseph High School in Lakewood, CA and worked as a Critical Care Registered Nurse at USC Medical Center. A former Tea Party spokesman, she helped manage Star Parker’s campaign for US Congress and hosted a popular conservative radio show where she interviewed Dr. Alveda King, Ann Coulter, David Limbaugh, and Michelle Malkin. A police widow, she resides in Southern California.