David Bernstein, a Jewish scholar who helped advise an antisemitism initiative at the Heritage Foundation, told Newsmax on Tuesday he quit the group after the think tank's president, Kevin Roberts, painted him as part of a "venomous coalition" and a "global conspiracy" for criticizing Tucker Carlson's recent interview with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
Bernstein, founder of the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values, told "The Chris Salcedo Show" he resigned from the "Project Esther" National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism after feeling betrayed by leadership.
Project Esther, launched by Heritage in 2024 as a national strategy to fight antisemitism and clamp down on pro-Hamas activism, has seen a wave of departures in recent days following the uproar over Carlson's decision to give Fuentes an unchallenged platform.
"Well, you know, when an organization tells you that you're part of a venomous coalition for calling out antisemitism, ... then you start to think that's not the organization you thought it was," Bernstein said.
When the head of an organization like Heritage suggests critics are part of a "global conspiracy," he said, "at least that leader wasn't the leader you thought they were."
Roberts triggered the revolt after publicly backing Carlson's interview with Fuentes, also a white nationalist, in a video defending Carlson as a "close friend" and blasting his critics as a "venomous coalition."
Amid the furor, Roberts issued a second statement denouncing Fuentes' "Jew-hatred and Holocaust denial" and apologizing for his earlier defense.
Bernstein said the follow-up was insufficient.
"When you say something that extreme, and you insult people that have been your friends, and you've been working with, ... I think it's time to say, you know, something deeply is wrong here.
"Either he was clueless for not understanding who Nick Fuentes was ... I mean, you're head of a major think tank. You better know who he is or he was," he said.
"And I just don't think that's somebody who can lead an organization like the Heritage Foundation.
Asked how Roberts should have managed the crisis, Bernstein said he should have moved quickly to admit error and sever ties with Carlson.
"He needed to come out very early on and say, 'I'm sorry. I didn't understand the dynamics here,' and I think he should have taken down the video," Bernstein said.
"I think he should have clearly distanced himself with Tucker Carlson at that point. There's no reason to defend somebody who's platforming a neo-Nazi and giving him basically carte blanche ... and not challenge him on any of this."
"That's not what Heritage stands for," Bernstein added, calling the think tank "a thoughtful organization" that "goes deep into issues."
He said it is impossible for Heritage to live up to those ideals "and be so associated with that kind of radical voice."
With his resignation, Bernstein joins a growing list of Jewish scholars and organizations walking away from Project Esther, including the Coalition for Jewish Values, Young Jewish Conservatives, and the Combat Antisemitism Movement.
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