Billionaire falsely labelled Jewish by dark money group in ‘anti-Semitism’ probe

A project by a left-wing dark money group linked to anti-Israel protests wrongly labeled Hansjorg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire and philanthropist, as Jewish in an attempt to frame Republicans as anti-Semitic.

A More Perfect Union, an initiative of the Tides Center, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that funds groups behind the pro-Hamas protests following the Oct. 7 attack, published an article earlier this year stating that critics were attacking “wealthy Jewish philanthropists” like Wyss and George Soros, a Holocaust survivor, as “part of a larger effort to paint wealthy Jews as sinister puppet masters.” The article focused on the term “Zuckerbucks” that the Republican Party has used since 2020 to refer to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s grants to election agencies that they say promoted lawlessness.

“While the term may seem harmless, it has a dark side, as well as implications for Jews and for American democracy,” Sofi Hersher Andorsky, vice president of strategy and communications at A More Perfect Union, wrote in the article. “Even though Zuckerberg stopped providing donations to election offices, ‘Zuckerbucks’ has continued to resonate as a coded allusion to wealthy Jews trying to influence elections and seize power.”

There’s just one problem: Wyss, who has been thrust into the spotlight as lawmakers investigate foreign influence in the election, is not actually Jewish, a spokesman for the billionaire confirmed to the Times. Washington Examiner.

Now, a correction note is attached to the article by Andorsky, a former Twitter employee, now X.

“A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Hansborg Wyss is Jewish,” the correction said, including a misspelling of Wyss’s first name. “A spokesperson for Mr. Wyss confirmed that he is not. We have corrected this article to reflect this information.”

The factual inaccuracy published about Wyss by the dark money group ironically comes at a time when A More Perfect Union’s parent group, the Tides Center, is funding entities linked to anti-Semitic protests in the United States. The protests are being investigated by watchdog groups and Republican members of Congress over national security concerns.

The Tides Center sponsors the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, which helped coordinate the recent violent protest in Washington, D.C., against Israel. The Tides Center and its subsidiary, the Tides Foundation, also fund a charity that houses the Palestinian Youth Movement, Students for Justice in Palestine and other anti-Israel activist centers, tax records show. Soros is a financial backer of the Tides Center and the Tides Foundation.

“This emerging group claims to care about democracy and Jews,” said Scott Walter, president of the conservative think tank Capital Research Center. “It is ironic that it is fiscally funded by a massive network of Democrat-aligned ‘dark money’ that aids multiple groups supporting Hamas’ crusade against Israel.”

A More Perfect Union did not respond to a request for comment. A source close to the group told the outlet Washington Examiner He regrets the error and the misinformation that has been provided about Wyss. A spokesman for Wyss has not said whether he is religious or not.

Wyss, 88, funnels his fortune through a private foundation in Washington, which has an affiliated advocacy and lobbying arm that funds left-wing causes. In recent years, Republicans have scrutinized his donations as they investigate alleged loopholes that allow foreigners to influence elections.

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Wyss, however, insists his conduct is transparent. In 2022, the Federal Election Commission found that he had made $119,000 worth of illegal political donations between 1990 and 2006. But the regulator declined to take action against Wyss, arguing that the statute of limitations had already expired.

“The Wyss Foundation and the Berger Action Fund neither endorse nor oppose political candidates or engage in electoral activities, and they comply with the rules, laws and disclosure requirements that govern their activities,” Marnee Banks, a spokeswoman for the two groups, said recently. Washington Examiner“Any statement to the contrary is manifestly false.”