Commemorating October 7 around the Bay

 From JCRC:

On October 7, we will mark one year since the horrific attacks in Israel with a #DAYOFYELLOW. Amid the fear and shock of that terrible day, 1,200 individuals were massacred, and another 250 were taken hostage. These are not mere numbers, but lives that were ended and families forever altered. Join us in honoring the people we lost and the hostages who remain in captivity. 🎗️ Here’s how you can show your support and make a difference: Attend An Event Sunday, 10/6 4:00 p.m. @ JCCSF (San Francisco) Healing Through Art-Making: One Year Since Oct 7 4:00 p.m. @ JCC East Bay (Berkeley) 364 Remembering October 7th 6:30 p.m. @ Contra Costa JCC (Lafayette) A Service of Hope and Resilience 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. @ Walnut Park (Petaluma) Public memorial event with B'nai Israel Jewish Center, Congregation Shir Shalom and Congregation Shomrei Torah. No RSVP required. Monday, 10/7 7:00 p.m. @ Osher Marin JCC (San Rafael) An Evening of Remembrance and Hope 7:00 p.m. @ Oshman Family JCC (Palo Alto) An Evening of Remembrance and Hope  7:00 p.m. @ Peninsula JCC (Foster City) An Evening of Gathering: Reflections on October 7th 7:00 p.m. @ JCCSF (San Francisco) October 7 Yizkor Memorial Service 7:00 p.m. @ Address Provided after Registration (Berkeley) Community Commemoration with Congregation Netivot Shalom, Congregation Beth Israel, Jewish Coalition of Berkeley and others

Wear Yellow Please wear yellow on the day and to any events. This can be as small as a yellow ribbon or even by simply carrying yellow flowers, anything to commemorate the occasion and show your solidarity with the hostages. Social Media On October 7 we ask that you consider these three steps to raise awareness about the anniversary: Change your profile pic to a yellow square or a photo of you wearing yellow. Place a yellow ribbon emoji in your bio. You can copy/paste this one: 🎗️* Share a #DAYOFYELLOW post about the day. This can be as simple as a yellow image or a photograph of yellow flowers.

Hezbollah pagers go "Boom"

Its a jaw-dropping, astonishing result from a brilliant operation. Across Lebanon, the pagers of thousands of Hezbollah terrorists mysteriously exploded. The day after, walkie-talkies suffered the same fate.

An internal Hezbollah memo states that 879 terrorists were taken out of commission by the two operations. This included 131 Iranians and 79 Yeminis. Of these, 291 were senior officials.

The memo is even more specific.
602 critical condition 
509 blinded 

2186 amputees  

1735 with, er, genital "damage"  (your guess is as good as mine)

This may go down in history as the most successful preemptive strike in history. It was 15 years in the making. The Jews are a patient people. Lest you feel sorry for Hezbollah, remember that over 60 countries recognize them as a terrorist group. The EU, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council have also designated Hizballah as a terrorist group.

Hezbollah is responsible for these terror attacks:

18 July 2012  Burgas, Bulgaria Bombed a bus carrying Israeli tourists, killing six people and injuring 33.

14 February 2005  Beirut, Lebanon   A Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device  exploded killing a former Lebanese prime minister and 21 others and injuring 226 people.

18 July 1994   Buenos Aires, Argentina   Bombed a Jewish community center, killing 95 people.

14 June 1985 Athens, Greece  Hijacked TWA flight 847, held dozens of US passengers hostage and killed one—a US Navy diver.

20 September 1984  Beirut, Lebanon   Bombed the US Embassy Annex, killing 23 people, including 2 Americans.

23 October 1983  Beirut, Lebanon  Bombed the US Marine Corps barracks, killing 241 Americans and injuring 70.

18 April 1983  Beirut, Lebanon   Bombed the US Embassy, killing 78 Americans and injuring 120.

Berkeley's Bartavelle closing. Bye, Felicia.

 If you plant ice, you're going to harvest wind.

Bartavelle in Berkeley- a local Israel hating cafe ( 1621 San Pablo Ave ) will be going out of business, effective Sept 15. The cafe first came to the attention of the local Jewish community with their parroting of Hamas propaganda, resulting in an informal boycott by Jews and their allies. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Bartavelle sales were down 40 % since the summer, and that they were struggling to make payroll.

Here's hoping the informal boycott by Jewish families hastened their demise.

Batavelle: Ever think your politics might have something to do with it?

Hate Literature Distributed in Berkeley

On Friday afternoon, an 89 year old Holocaust survivor was horrified to find a baggie in front of her home filled with repulsive antisemitic propaganda. She was not alone. Many residents in the Berkeley hills found similar zip lock baggies filled with hateful antisemitic fliers and brown pellets in their driveways and on their sidewalks in recent days. Some have speculated that the pellets contained rat poison. This is being investigated

Similar bags were distributed across the East Bay, in Walnut Creek, Concord and Pleasant Hill.

Police are invigilating this hate incident. Please check your home security systems and cameras to see if footage of the incident was captured. Anyone who has information on the distribution of these baggies should report it to their local Police department.. Berkeley residents should contact Officer Bustamante at jbustamante@berkeleyca.gov or 510-981-5900 and leave a message. The messaging and delivery of the packets indicate that the extremist hate group, The Goyim Defense League.is responsible.

First do no harm, Fadi Al-Wadiya

 

Dr. Fadi Al Wadiyah, associated with Doctors Without Borders was killed in Gaza City yesterday. Depending on the unreliable source of your choice, he was either 1. Bicycling to work 2. Already at the clinic, tending to the blameless wounded

 

Liars need good memories.

According to an IDF statement Al-Wadiya was involved in developing and advancing Islamic Jihad's missile program.  Nice to see Doctors Without Borders takes the Hippocratic oath seriously in their hiring practices.

Interestingly enough, these were not the photographs chosen by Doctors without Borders to honor their deceased colleague.

According to the IDF spokesperson:

"Fadi Al-Wadiya had worked in the Islamic Jihad’s manufacturing system for more than 15 years and was considered the organization’s subject matter expert in the fields of electronics and chemistry."

Casey Goonan arrested as suspect in Berkeley Arson Attacks

The "Palestinian Affinity group" claiming responsibility for arson attacks at UC Berkeley appears to be one man, Casey Goonan.

Casey Robert Goonan, 34, of Oakland, was arrested on Monday and is currently held in Santa Rita jail on 1 million dollars bail.  He was been accused of involvement in at least 4 arson fires on and near the Berkeley campus.

Goonan has a Ph.D. in African Studies from Northwestern University. He received his BA from UC Riverside in 2013, and his MA in African American Studies in 2019.

One can only imagine how proud his parents must be feeling now.

Casey Goonan during happier times

As reported by the Berkeley Scanner

Goonan is now facing multiple felony charges,,, including "the possession and use of destructive devices and multiple counts of arson."

Casey Goonan has a history of unhinged violence, and the hammer-wielding Goonan was implicated in the vandalism of a hotel last year.

Goonan will be arraigned Thursday morning.

Palestinian Affinity Group claims responsibility for UC Berkeley arson fire

UC Berkeley has been plagued by a number of arson fires recently. Last night a small fire broke out near Koshland Hall, on the northwest corner of campus.

Today, a pro Palestinian group took responsibility for the act of eco-terrorism.  Writing in the hard left "news" site, Indybay, they stated:

UCLA STUDENTS WERE ATTACKED LAST NIGHT SO WE RETALIATED WITH A FIREBOMB ON UCB CAMPUS
NOT SURE WHAT BUILDING IT EVEN WAS. HONESTLY DONT REALLY CARE. EVERY SINGLE BUILDING ON THE UC BERKELEY CAMPUS DESERVES TO BE INCINERATED FOLLOWING THE UC SYSTEM'S TREATMENT OF STUDENT PROTESTORS. LAST NIGHT THEY ATTACKED A YOUNG WOMAN STUDENT WHO WAS SPEAKING HER MIND ON A MEGAPHONE. SO WE UNLOADED A FIREBOMB ON THE SIDE OF A CAMPUS BUILDING. THE FLAME WAS BIG AND SPREAD ACROSS THE TREES AND BUSHES ON THE SIDE OF A BUILDING.

LONG LIVE THE STUDENT INTIFADA FOR PALESTINE LIBERATION

STOP THE GENOCIDE NOW

UC SYSTEM MUST DIVEST FROM ISRAEL OR FACE OUR WRATH OF REVENGE

BLESSED IS THE FLAME

Hezbollah anti-Israel Iranian proxies in Lebanon are responsible for setting over 2,500 acres in Northern Israel on fire.  Is this a home-grown eco-terrorist group emulating Hezbollah, or is this simply an opportunistic claim?

Earlier this month, a Berkeley police car was set on fire, "in solidarity with Palestine."

If you have any further information about either incident please contact U.C.Berkeley Police at (510) 642-6760

Denis MacEoin Nails it. Again

Read this remarkable letter written by a Scottish professor, Dennis MacEoin, Dennis MacEoin, to his students who voted to boycott Israel. Prof.MacEoin is an expert in Middle Eastern affairs and was a senior editor of the Middle East Quarterly.

TO: The Committee Edinburgh University Student Association. 

May I be permitted to say a few words to members of the EUSA? I am an Edinburgh graduate (MA 1975) who studied Persian, Arabic and Islamic History in Buccleuch Place under William Montgomery Watt and Laurence Elwell Sutton, two of Britain 's great Middle East experts in their day. I later went on to do a PhD at Cambridge and to teach Arabic and Islamic Studies at Newcastle University . Naturally, I am the author of several books and hundreds of articles in this field. I say all that to show that I am well informed in Middle Eastern affairs and that, for that reason, I am shocked and disheartened by the EUSA motion and vote.

I am shocked for a simple reason: there is not and has never been a system of apartheid in Israel .

That is not my opinion, that is fact that can be tested against reality by any Edinburgh student, should he or she choose to visit Israel to see for themselves. Let me spell this out, since I have the impression that those members of EUSA who voted for this motion are absolutely clueless in matters concerning Israel, and that they are, in all likelihood, the victims of extremely biased propaganda coming from the anti-Israel lobby.

Being anti-Israel is not in itself objectionable. But I'm not talking about ordinary criticism of Israel . I'm speaking of a hatred that permits itself no boundaries in the lies and myths it pours out. Thus, Israel is repeatedly referred to as a "Nazi" state. In what sense is this true, even as a metaphor? Where are the Israeli concentration camps? The einzatsgruppen? The SS? The Nuremberg Laws? The Final Solution? None of these things nor anything remotely resembling them exists in Israel , precisely because the Jews, more than anyone on earth, understand what Nazism stood for.

It is claimed that there has been an Israeli Holocaust in Gaza (or elsewhere). Where? When? No honest historian would treat that claim with anything but the contempt it deserves. But calling Jews Nazis and saying they have committed a Holocaust is as basic a way to subvert historical fact as anything I can think of.

Likewise apartheid. For apartheid to exist, there would have to be a situation that closely resembled how things were in South Africa under the apartheid regime. Unfortunately for those who believe this, a weekend in any part of Israel would be enough to show how ridiculous the claim is.

That a body of university students actually fell for this and voted on it is a sad comment on the state of modern education. The most obvious focus for apartheid would be the country's 20% Arab population. Under Israeli law, Arab Israelis have exactly the same rights as Jews or anyone else; Muslims have the same rights as Jews or Christians; Baha'is, severely persecuted in Iran, flourish in Israel, where they have their world center; Ahmadi Muslims, severely persecuted in Pakistan and elsewhere, are kept safe by Israel; the holy places of all religions are protected under a specific Israeli law. Arabs form 20% of the university population (an exact echo of their percentage in the general population).

In Iran , the Bahai's (the largest religious minority) are forbidden to study in any university or to run their own universities: why aren't your members boycotting Iran ? Arabs in Israel can go anywhere they want, unlike blacks in apartheid South Africa . They use public transport, they eat in restaurants, they go to swimming pools, they use libraries, they go to cinemas alongside Jews - something no blacks were able to do in South Africa .

Israeli hospitals not only treat Jews and Arabs, they also treat Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank. On the same wards, in the same operating theatres.

In Israel, women have the same rights as men: there is no gender apartheid.

Gay men and women face no restrictions, and Palestinian gays often escape into Israel, knowing they may be killed at home.

It seems bizarre to me that LGBT groups call for a boycott of Israel and say nothing about countries like Iran , where gay men are hanged or stoned to death. That illustrates a mindset that beggars belief.

Intelligent students thinking it's better to be silent about regimes that kill gay people, but good to condemn the only country in theMiddle East that rescues and protects gay people. Is that supposed to be a sick joke?

University is supposed to be about learning to use your brain, to think rationally, to examine evidence, to reach conclusions based on solid evidence, to compare sources, to weigh up one view against one or more others. If the best Edinburgh can now produce are students who have no idea how to do any of these things, then the future is bleak.

I do not object to well-documented criticism of Israel . I do object when supposedly intelligent people single the Jewish state out above states that are horrific in their treatment of their populations. We are going through the biggest upheaval in the Middle East since the 7th and 8th centuries, and it's clear that Arabs and Iranians are rebelling against terrifying regimes that fight back by killing their own citizens.

Israeli citizens, Jews and Arabs alike, do not rebel (though they are free to protest). Yet Edinburgh students mount no demonstrations and call for no boycotts against Libya , Bahrain , Saudi Arabia , Yemen , and Iran . They prefer to make false accusations against one of the world's freest countries, the only country in the Middle East that has taken in Darfur refugees, the only country in the Middle East that gives refuge to gay men and women, the only country in the Middle East that protects the Bahai's.... Need I go on?

The imbalance is perceptible, and it sheds no credit on anyone who voted for this boycott. I ask you to show some common sense. Get information from the Israeli embassy. Ask for some speakers. Listen to more than one side.

Do not make your minds up until you have given a fair hearing to both parties. You have a duty to your students, and that is to protect them from one-sided argument.

They are not at university to be propagandized. And they are certainly not there to be tricked into anti-Semitism by punishing one country among all the countries of the world, which happens to be the only Jewish state. If there had been a single Jewish state in the 1930's (which, sadly, there was not), don't you think Adolf Hitler would have decided to boycott it?

Your generation has a duty to ensure that the perennial racism of anti-Semitism never sets down roots among you. Today, however, there are clear signs that it has done so and is putting down more. You have a chance to avert a very great evil, simply by using reason and a sense of fair play. Please tell me that this makes sense. I have given you some of the evidence.

It's up to you to find out more.

Yours sincerely,

Denis MacEoin

Zionist Arts and Crafts in the Bay Area

The unhinged barabism and atrocities of October 7 have unified the Bay Area community in many ways.  Its been particularly gratifying to see the various ad hoc "Arts and Crafts" collectives that have sprung up, engaging in random acts of urban beautification.

The "Kidnapped Posters" are everywhere.

They are most commonly seen in public venues, but the bravest family in Berkeley has the posters directly on their garage door.

We've also seen grafitti abatement:
From San Francisco Ocean Beach    

Before

After

Some low energy fun with Sharpies

Quick art projects and banner drops

More elaborate art projects

And some general "We're just messing with you" alterations, additions and deletions.

This may have been a Palestinian flag in a different life

Thanks for all your contributions to bring light and beauty to our community.  Remember the words of our ancestors:   "We are not obliged to complete the work, nor are we free to desist from it".   

Keep sending those photos in!  If you want to claim credit for the art work, let us know

Zionists in Berkeley

Its good to see Jews and their allies fighting back. 
As seen in Berkeley, Sunday May 5, on the pedestrian bridge over I 80.  The Berkeley action was modeled after a similar action in Lafayette that began shortly after the October 7 atrocities.

Thanks to Ido and others for the photos. 

The vigil was covered by the local Jewish paper- the J Weekly. Read the full story here:

New East Bay overpass vigil — this one in Berkeley — calls attention to hostages

No, Virginia. Its NOT a Genocide

The shrill cries of " Its a Genocide!!!!" are repeated everywhere- from social media to city council chambers, to the ubiquitous anti-Israel protests.

No, its not.

This is a war.
A war Hamas started. 
A war that Hamas is losing (badly). 
And a war that Hamas can end today, by surrendering and freeing the kidnapped Israeli hostages.

In our lifetime, there have been many wars, military actions and insurrections

1. The Second Congo War (5,000,000 dead)
2. The Vietnam War (4,000,000 dead)
3. Soviet–Afghan War (2,000,000 dead)
4. The Nigerian Civil War (2,000,000 dead)
5. The Second Sudanese Civil War (1,500,000 dead)
6. The Syrian civil war (600,000 dead) 

7. The Angolan Civil War (500,000 dead)
8. The First Sudanese Civil War (500,000 dead)
9. The Ethiopian Civil War (900,000 dead)
10. The Iran–Iraq War (1,000,000 dead)
11. The Rwandan genocide (700,000 dead)
12. The Bangladesh Liberation War (2,000,000 dead)
13. The South Sudanese Civil War (350,000 dead)
14. The Yemeni Civil War (380,000 dead)
15. The Boko Haram insurgency (350,000 dead)
16. The Somali Civil War (400,000 dead)
17. Burundian Civil War (300,000 dead)
18. The War in Darfur (300,000 dead)
19. The Russian invasion of Ukraine (300,000 dead)
20. The First Congo War (600,000 dead)
21. The Colombian conflict (400,000 dead)
22. The Mexican drug war (300,000 dead)
23. The Tigray War (350,000 dead)
24. The War in Afghanistan (250,000 dead)

Even if we believe the death toll from the Hamas run Gaza Ministry of Health (and we have no reason to believe them) the total is far far less than any of these actions. 

No, Virginia.   Its not a genocide. 

Believe Jewish Students: Antisemitism at Berkeley High

Imagine being a Jewish student at Berkeley High. Imagine being an Israeli-American student. Imagine walking into your classroom and seeing this. No nuance. Nothing with educational content or promoting critical thinking. One sided platitudes. 

Anti-Israel propaganda in a Berkeley High Classroom

What would you do? Would you say something? Or would you just remain silent, hoping that nothing slips out that might affect your grade or college recommendations?

Earlier this year,  the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a federal civil rights complaint alleging antisemitic bullying by both peers and teachers in Berkeley K-12 schools.

From the ADL 

The complaint documented how BUSD teachers are weaponizing disciplines such as art and history to promote anti-Semitic tropes about Israel. At Berkeley High School, a history teacher screened an anti-Zionist video and forced students to analyze Israel as an apartheid state. This teacher sharply squelched dissent, stating that materials which oppose the apartheid narrative are “laughable.” A high school art teacher showed students violent pro-Hamas videos and displayed anti-Israel and anti-Semitic images during class, including a fist punching through a Star of David. Indoctrination attempts occur in classes for young children. In one second-grade classroom, a teacher hung a Palestinian flag in the window and encouraged students to write “Stop Bombing Babies” on sticky notes to be posted next to the classroom of the only Jewish teacher.

Read this heartbreaking first hand account of one family's struggles with systemic antisemitism in the Berkeley Public schools.

Its a sad testament that no local news source would carry this- and that it had to published in the New York Post.

Written by  Ilana Pearlman, a Berkeley mother of three. Check out How DEI is failing my diverse, Jewish Berkeley, California family.

"Because rather than study free from fear, our kids now endure chants such as “Kill the Jews.” They must study in classrooms with posters asking, “How’s the school/work/life/genocide balance going for you today?” There’s been graffiti at the bus stop in front of Berkeley HS stating “Kill all Zionists.” Jewish students share stories of being told to pick up pennies or having their yarmulkes pushed off of their heads. 

School administrators are well aware of this abuse, but to no avail. “I just stopped reporting things because . . . all it did was make the bullying worse,” one student told me. "

The Berkeley Unified school District now faces a federal investigation.The goal- to determine whether the harassment of Jewish students violated’ protections under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and to determine whether there was retaliation against parents who complained about harassment.

If you or your children have faced antisemitism or bullying in the  Berkeley Unified School District , now is the time to speak up.  More first hand reports will strengthen the complaint and ensure that the district is held accountable for their actions.

  

Attention Students: Have you been victimized by Students for Justice in Palestine?

A class action lawsuit against Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is being planned and plaintiffs are needed If you or someone you know has experienced harassment, intimidation, or discrimination from SJP on campus, please submit your story here: http://SJPvictims.com OR email: civilrights@meforum.org OR (215)546-5406 ext. 104 OR DM StopAntisemitism on Twiter and they will connect you. Your story could be crucial in building this case and holding SJP accountable!

Meet Elana Auerbach, Candidate for Berkeley City Council

Elana Auerbach is running for Berkeley City council in District 4, in a special election scheduled for May 28.   District 4 covers the downtown business district and central Berkeley. The sudden resignation of Kate Harrison has left the 4th district seat vacant.

Elana Auerbach is a quintessential "How Berkeley can you be?" candidate. 

Elana's commitment to "public service" began with her involvement in the "genital-focused" One Taste sex cult, which has been accused of human trafficking.  Elana and her husband eventually left the cult, but Elana has found an equally dubious way to give her life meaning.

Elana Auerbach is proudly identified anti-Zionist.   One day after  October 7, the single largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, Elana joined local extremist groups to rally in front of  San Francisco's Israeli Consulate, in the time-honored local tradition of gloating over the deaths of innocents

Look at Elana's smile!

Elana Auerbach celebrating the October 7th massacre

Elana's been making appearances at UC Berkeley's "How dare the Jews fight back" encampment, proudly posing with fellow outside agitator, Russell "Rusty" Bates.

Elana Auerbach and Rusty Bates at anti-Israel encampment, UC Berkeley

Lest anyone think they are participating in a peace rally, the encampment at Cal Berkeley features a banner promoting "Victory to the resistance".

October 7 gave the world a glimpse of what Palestinian "resistance" looks like.

Who's Elana's good buddy, Rusty Bates?  Rusty's a Berkeley fixture, an unhinged antisemite known for interrupting Berkeley City Council meetings and Jewish community events on and off campus.

Rusty Bates interrupting Berkeley  City Council meeting

                                   

Rusty Bates arrested in front of the Israeli consulate, 2014

Apparently Elana Auerbach's mother never told her that you are known by the company you keep.

So Berkeley voters, its time to mobilize.  That means registering and voting.   Lets work together to keep partisan extremists off the Berkeley City Council, and lets keep the focus on building a better Berkeley.