Senior Jewish American leader William Daroff urges conservatives to confront Tucker Carlson

 

Senior Jewish American leader William Daroff urges conservatives to confront Tucker Carlson

 

By AMICHAI STEIN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF

FEBRUARY 15, 2026 21:22

Updated: FEBRUARY 16, 2026 00:47

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-886749

 

William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, urged leaders in the American conservative movement to publicly condemn Tucker Carlson, comparing him to Charles Coughlin, the influential 1930s radio priest known for antisemitic broadcasts.

 

Daroff spoke Sunday evening at a Jerusalem gathering attended by Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside American Jewish leaders visiting Israel as part of the Conference’s annual leadership mission.

 

In the remarks, Daroff described what he called a deepened bond between Israel and the United States since the October 7 attacks, telling Netanyahu that “American Jews and Israelis have felt their hearts beat as one.” He said the weeks after the Hamas attack produced a surge of unity, along with a harsher clarity about the threats facing Jewish communities.

 

Daroff then pivoted to Carlson, describing him as “the Father Coughlin of our age,” and argued that mainstream conservative leaders should respond the way Catholic authorities eventually did with Coughlin.

 

“What stopped Father Coughlin was when the Catholic Church, which had supported him, stood up and stopped him and called him out,” Daroff said, according to a transcript and contemporaneous reporting. “Today, the American conservative movement should do exactly the same,” he added.

 

Coughlin, once among the most prominent voices on American radio, promoted antisemitic and pro-fascist themes during the 1930s, reaching a mass audience before his public activity was curtailed during World War II through pressure from both US authorities and church leadership.

 

'We are one people'

The Conference’s 51st national leadership mission, led by chair Betsy Berns Korn, brought senior representatives of its member organizations to Israel for meetings with political, military, and civic leaders, as well as briefings on the war and Israel’s strategic challenges.

 

In his speech, Daroff also framed Israel-Diaspora relations in peoplehood terms, telling the audience: “We are one people bound by shared destiny and responsibility.” He called unity between Israeli and American Jewry “essential,” and said that when one part of the Jewish world comes under attack, “all of us feel it.”

 

At the close of the event, Daroff thanked Netanyahu for what he called his “leadership” and “friendship” with the American Jewish community, and presented a sculpture to the prime minister on behalf of the delegation, describing it as a work by noted Jerusalem artist Sharon Binder. He also referenced former Conference leader Malcolm Hoenlein during the presentation.

 

Carlson, a former Fox News prime-time host who now runs his own interview and commentary platforms, has remained a major voice in US conservative media.