David Brooks. Photo: Wikipedia.

David Brooks

Political commentator 

An American conservative political and cultural commentator who writes for The New York Times, David Brooks is one of the most influential voices in the American community, and around the world, presenting perspectives that are often based on universal Jewish themes.

He often writes about Israel and the Jewish people, and stands out as one who  breaks ranks with The New York Times’ liberal stance.

In 2015, his thought-provoking column “How to Fight Anti-Semitism” addressed three strains of anti-semitism in circulation, each of them requiring a unique response.

“Thousands of Jews a year are just fleeing Europe,” he wrote. “But the best response is quarantine and confrontation. European governments can demonstrate solidarity with their Jewish citizens by providing security, cracking down — broken-windows style — on even the smallest assaults.

“Meanwhile, brave and decent people can take a page from Gandhi and stage campaigns of confrontational non-violence … the historically proven method to isolate and delegitimize social evil.”