The extremist San Francisco based Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) is attempting to breathe life into the dead horse of the widely discredited California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. You may remember Lara Kiswani, head of the AROC, for her assault on Jewish elders. Witnesses reported her physically ripping signs from the hands of the elders, and doing a victory lap with the destroyed signs held high over her head.
Lara Kiswani after her assault on a Jewish elder
Does Lara Kiswani seem like the type of person we want influencing curriculum for young people?
Lara Kiswani and the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) have helped sponsor a petition called “Save CA Ethnic Studies” which states, “Will it [the California Department of Education] institute a Ethnic Studies curriculum that uplifts the stories of all communities of color or reject one that includes Arab Americans—bending to the desires of pro-Israel groups [emphasis added]….”
Progressive Zionists points out that it was not "pro-Israel" groups alone objecting to the "exclusionary and antisemitic Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum". It widely condemned by a consortium of groups, including Armenian Americans, Greek Americans, Hindu Indian Americans, Assyrian-Americans, Sikh Americans, Korean Americans, on the grounds that it was "not inclusive enough".
They write:
To be clear, diverse communities came together to respond to the curriculum based on their own concerns. Claiming in this petition that they are “bending to the desires of” Jewish groups erases their lived experiences and concerns. This dangerous trope of Jews controlling other minorities deeply motivated the Poway, Pittsburg, New Jersey mass murders and the repeated attacks on Jews in Brooklyn and Monsey. PZC condemns this language as both racist and antisemitic.
We encourage the IQC to continue to reject extremism and antisemitism in the curriculum, and commend them for the progress they have made so far. It is crucial that the kind of hatred and misinformation Kiswani has trafficked in not be allowed to become the norm or sanctioned within any public education curriculum.
San Francisco's Arab Resource Organizing Center is celebrating the 5th anniversary of their failure to permanently prevent Zim cargo from off-loading in Oakland.
Even in the tumultuous world of international shipping, with the on again, off again tariffs, Zim's doing just fine financially, with total revenue of $834.3 million in Q2 2019, a 3.9 % increase from last year. Thats in spite of the best efforts of the BDS holes.
In the 2nd quarter of 2019, ZIM carried 731 thousand TEUs, its' second highest carried volume ever.
Yeah, nothing says "close partnership" more than yelling obscenities.
Oakland Block the Boat Bullying
Is this what solidarity looks like?
AROC and the Block the Boat campaign made it clear that the "B" in BDS stood for bullying.
Its not surprising that AROC would consider this event as one of the "most successful" in US history. Sound and fury, signifying nothing. Wishing them many more such "victories"
Read what really happened 5 years ago at the Oakland dock here:
Reem's in Fruitvale has been widely criticized for its lionization of convicted murderer Rasmea Odeh. Yesterday, a non-violent vigil meant to focus community attention on the local cafe's glorification of violence ended in an assault on the participants, including a 78 year old survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto
Lara Kiswani, the Executive Director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) in San Francisco Bay Area has been identified as one of the attackers. She is reported to have ripped a sign out of a participants hands, then strutted around the outside patio with the remnants.
Ellen Brotsky, a self identified member of Jewish Voice for Peace can also been seen on the footage attacking the non-violent protesters
Ellen Brotsky and Lara Kiswani with stolen signs
This person was reported to have assaulted a wheel-chair bound activist, cruelly twisting her fingers in an effort to steal her sign.
Sara Kershnar of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) also made an appearance, participating in the mayhem until the police arrived, then tossing on a lime green National lawyers Guild Legal Observer hat. (Pssst, Sara- the National Lawyers Guild Manual for Legal Observers specifically says "...we ask people to commit themselves to act as Legal Observers and not
protesters, and avoid blurring of lines between Legal Observer and activist.")
Oops. Fail.
As morally reprehensible as it might be, Reem Assil and her customers have the right to glorify a murderer, but they do not have the right to attack those in opposition. Organizers of the vigil are planning on returning to Fruitvale Station, committed to the sacred task of educating the community about the dangers of incitement and indoctrination and how they act as an obstacle to peace, both in Oakland and overseas.
These are just empty words from an interview with Reem Assil in Berkeleyside: “People are afraid of politics, but now more than ever people are asking. If my food can stir up a conversation — even if it’s a hard conversation — that’s what I want it to do. I welcome that in my space.” Yet when people attempting to engage in the very hard conversation Reem says she welcomes- they are met with abuse, harassment and assault.
In response to a wave of anti-Israel advertisements appearing on Bay Area buses, Israel advocacy group StandWithUs recently sponsored a 4 week run of their own ads. The ads were displayed on 20 buses, throughout the city. StandWithUs has countered anti-Israel messaging on Northern California public transit eight times since 2011.
Nothing upsets the forces of darkness as much as when the Jews fight back. This counter messaging upsets the local extremist Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC) who have called for a public meeting to pressure the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority to stop accepting these ads. From Facebook: NO MORE RACIST BUS ADS! Bay Area Community Meeting Thursday, October 27th 6pm 518 Valencia Street, SF Upset at seeing racist ads on SF Muni buses? Want to do something about it? Join us on October 27th for a community meeting. What is the history and organizing behind these racist ads? What are strategies that have been used to challenge them in the past? What do we want to do to stop these racist attacks?
In this climate of heightened anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia, most recently with the targeted racist attacks on community leaders on college campuses, Arab and Muslim families continue to have to face the inclusion of hate speech and racist attacks against them on public transportation. For years the Bay Area community has fought back against these ads and their violent nature. Yet time and time again, we find that the city continues to allow them to drape buses throughout San Francisco. We will not let this go unchallenged. Let's come together to figure out how we want to challenge racism in SF. Lara Kiswani and her colleagues at AROC understand full well that the pro-Israel messaging ads on MUNI is in direct response to the propaganda war their associates have launched against the Jewish state. As StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein has explained in the past: “StandWithUs will not allow anti-Israel campaigns to go unanswered, no matter where they appear. Our goal is to set the record straight, and to inform the public about Israel’s challenges and extraordinary achievements in helping make the world a better place.” In addition to San Francisco, SWU ads have appeared in New York City; Houston, Texas; Missoula, and Helena, Montana; Washington, DC; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Chicago, Denver, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The ads and billboards will stop when the anti-Israel messaging stops. Its that simple, AROC.
In May, the San Francisco Board of Education passed a resolution for the Unified School District to begin Arabic- and Vietnamese-language and cultural classes for the 2017 school year. Sponsored by board members Sandra Fewer, Matt Haney and Shamann Walton, the resolution was passed unanimously on May 26. The resolution called for the district to work with the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) to develop “culturally appropriate professional development opportunities” for the language programs. Why would the School District even consider a partnership with this extremist group? The San Francisco based AROC has been widely condemned for its extremist rhetoric, and for the open support of terror at its events. At the AROC sponsored "Block the Boat" rally in Oakland last year, Hamas flags were flown, and signage that glorified gun violence were displayed. AROC co-sponsored the now infamous rally at San Francisco State University that featured the theme “My heroes have always killed colonizers”. They’ve distributed handouts glorifying the Intifada- the campaign of terror that left thousands of Israelis and Palestinians dead.
AROC tabling
Just last year, in a panel discussion at UC Berkeley, the executive director of AROC, Lara Kiswani told a tearful Jewish student pleading for co-existence “As long as you continue to be on that side [of Zionism] I’m going to continue to hate you.” Responding to requests from the Jewish community , the seven-member Board is reviewing the resolution. From the San Francisco Examiner: “We fully support implementing language pathways in Vietnamese and Arabic. [The opposition] is of this group that has been named in the resolution [and] made these really ugly and divisive statements,” said Jeremy Russell, a spokesman for the Jewish council. District officials have not confirmed whether the Arab group will remain listed as a resource in the resolution, and the Board of Education in the coming weeks intends to collectively respond to community concerns regarding the resolution. AROC has responded, with (yawn) a petition.
Shattered glass. Blood. Carcasses of bombed out buses. Broken bodies. Broken families and broken lives. This is the legacy of the Intifada.
Since the start of the second Intifada, through 2013 1,227 people have been killed by Palestinian terrorism . 8,549 more have been wounded. Each of these people has a name. And a story. And a family that loved them.
To "Support the Intifada" is to support the deaths of innocents.
The San Francisco based Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) proudly supports the Intifada and the deaths of innocents.
From an AROC event- Stickers: "Support the Intifada"
AROC, incidentally was one of the sponsors of a now notorious event at San Francisco State University where attendees were encouraged to make placards declaring "My heroes have always killed colonizers"
Lara Kiswani is the current Executive Director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center. At a BDS panel at UC Berkeley several months ago, Lara was quoted as saying, "Bringing down Israel really will benefit everyone in the world, and everyone in society." To a supporter of Israel who issued a tearful plea for co-existence, she snarled "As long as you continue to be on that side, I'm going to continue to hate you." Lara's hateful rhetoric surprises no one. Hate speech, glorification of terror and genocide are commonplace at AROC sponsored events and rallies.
AROC and its allied organizations now have the Jewish Community Relations Council in their crosshairs accusing the group of "attacking " Arab, Palestinian and Muslim organizations, and calling the JCRC a 'narrow-minded, special interest group".
A brief glance at the JCRC website shows, in complete contrast to the extremist and hateful rhetoric of the AROC, a community organization deeply committed to justice for all.
JCRC today mourns the victims of last night’s horrific shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston, South Carolina. We share our condolences with their families and stand in solidarity with the African American community and AME churches across the nati
JCRC is greatly dismayed by the recent tragedies and the continued racial divide within our society. We stand with the African American community, as we have for generations, in calling for an end to racial prejudice and discrimination.on.
Tragically, the Yezidi community now lives under precarious threat from ISIS. The Yezidis are a little known community, and it is all too easy to forget, to turn the page, to move on. But today we pause, on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, to reaffirm the importance of memory and of action.
The moral inversion of AROC and their arrogant assault on a Jewish community institution proves what we've long suspected. Their vision of "Justice' is "Just us", and they are not a partner in building a more inclusive Bay Area.
On Nov. 12 a panel discussion was held at at U.C. Berkeley organized by the BDS Caucus of
UAW 2865, the union for 13,000 University of California graduate
student workers. The panel included 3 advocates for BDS, Michael Letwin, Clarence Thomas and Lara Kiswani and featured rhetoric so disturbing, a student left the room in tears.
From the J weekly, the weekly newspaper of the Northern California Jewish community, written by Jewish community hero, Tammi Benjamin-Rossman
Ms. Benjamin-Rossman is a lecturer at U.C. Santa Cruz
and co-founder of the Amcha Initiative, a nonprofit that combats
anti-Semitism on college campuses.
"Bringing down Israel will really benefit everyone in the world and everyone in society, particularly workers.”
These
words were spoken by Lara Kiswani, executive director of the Arab
Resource and Organizing Center, at a Nov. 12 panel discussion at U.C.
Berkeley organized by the BDS Caucus of UAW 2865, the union for 13,000
University of California graduate student workers. Those grad
student-teachers and other workers will be voting on a union resolution
to boycott Israel on Dec. 4.
Throughout her talk, Kiswani made crystal clear that the goal of the
boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel is not to
legitimately criticize Israeli policy, but rather to bring an end to the
Jewish state, and she claimed that UAW 2865 members will be playing an
important role in achieving that goal should they approve the BDS
resolution in their vote next week:
• “BDS is about isolating Zionism.” • “I think you should boycott any Zionist institution, academic,
organization, whether it be from 1967 occupied Palestine or 1948
occupied Palestine, because BDS really should be about shifting the
cultural framework and shifting how we see Israel and isolating it and
making it feel unwelcome anywhere and everywhere.” • “We have demanded that the world take a stand in isolating Israel everywhere.” • “We’re resisting colonialism in Palestine, and colonialism entails
all of occupied Palestine from Haifa to Jerusalem to Ramallah.”
Make no mistake: Calling for the elimination of the world’s only
Jewish state is anti-Semitic. Not only do the United States and Canada
consider denying Jews the right to self-determination a prime example of
anti-Semitism, but the vast majority of Jews around the world
experience BDS and other attempts to “bring down Israel” as a deeply
anti-Semitic assault on the entire Jewish people.
Read the full account here. The entire panel discussion is available here
The Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) has a long history of extremist rhetoric, intolerance and promotion of violence
If anything, the enemies of Israel excel at self-promoting.A proposed plan by Islamists and
anarchiststomarch on the Oaklandport to prevent a Zim shipfrom off-loading was widely publicized,with the San JoseMercury news and other media outlets picking
up the story.Zim is one of the leading
carriers in the global container shipping industry, and was targeted because of
its close ties withIsrael.The Zim fleet’s illustrious history began by
transporting refugees from war-torn Europe back home to the land of Israel.
This tactic was tried before in 2010, with mixed results.
The Father’s Day action in 2010 ultimately claimed to have prevented a
Zim liner from off-loading, though the claim of‘victory” was issued well before the ship had actually docked.Again, the mainstream media was complicit in
the spread of misinformation, printing verbatim press releases issued by
activists.
This years’ march on the docks, coordinated by an extremist
anti-Israel group, the Arab Resource and Organizing Center ( AROC ), in conjunction
with local anarchist groups and the pitiful remnants of the Occupy Oakland
contingent was to take place on Saturday, Aug 2.After an initial wave of self-congratulatory
press releases, there are now wide-spread reports of cancellation.
The coalition had failed to make inroads with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union ( ILWU), who were justifiably skepticalabout having their names linkedwith these extremist groups.
Some anarchists groups itching for a fight have expressed their desire to march on the docks nonetheless. Nothing like some random chaos and destruction and good old fashioned breaking and smashing in the name of peace, after all.
UPDATE:
"Block the Boat" is now scheduled for August 16, with or without union support
The strategy, as stated by JVP’s executive director Rebecca Vilkomerson, is to create “a wedge” within the American Jewish community to generate the impression of polarization over Israel. The tactic is to dilute support for Israel in the Jewish community, toward the goal of reducing or eliminating the United States government’s economic, military, and political support for Israel.
The group’s positions on BDS, its willingness to partner with anti Israel organizations that deny Israel’s right to exist and legitimize terror, and its refusal to support a two state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, demonstrate JVP’s hardline stance.
In fact, JVP consistently co-sponsors rallies to oppose Israeli military policy that are marked by signs and slogans comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, demonizing Jews and voicing support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. JVP has never condemned or sought to distance itself from these messages. Indeed, JVP’s Executive Director Rebecca Vilkomerson recently gave an interview to American Free Press a conspiracy-oriented anti- Semitic newspaper.
Jewish Voice for Peace embracing conspiracy theories at SF rally. Photo by Zombie
The unbridled hypocrisy of Jewish Voice for Peace may very well be their most defining characteristic. Both the NGO Monitor and the ADL report highlight JVP's willingness to partner with some of the most extremist groups in the country. For all their "we are against the occupation" rhetoric, they have no trouble partnering with some of the most committed Israel-haters out there- groups that would not accept the existence of Israel within any borders.
Just recently, in our own Bay area, JVP partnered with the Arab Resource Organizing Center for their Day of Rage against investment Giant Tiaa-Cref
Arab Resource Organizing Center partnering with JVP
In this announcement from the Arab Resource Organizing Center, a "Day of Divestment from Israel" is promoted, with "solidarity" groups JVP, Sabeel and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). Carol Sanders of JVP is listed the contact person.
How extreme is AROC? At the recent fundraiser for their Youth Group AYO, geared toward young Arabs ages 14-22, they featured bumper stickers "Support the Intifada" - the uprising that left thousands of civilians dead on both sides of the conflict. Hardly the words of a peace group.
In spite of their grandiose self-serving proclamations regarding racism and anti-Semitism, the Los Angeles chapter of JVP promoted a May 17 event featuring the man who described the burning of synagogues as "a rational act", notorious anti-Semite Gilad Atzmon.
Hosting BDS summer camps, sponsoring rallies where "Zionist Scum your time has come" is chanted, aiding and abetting those that would destroy Israel as the state of the Jewish people- all in a days work for Jewish Voice for Peace.
Why is Jewish Voice for Peace held in such disdain by members of the Jewish Community? One key reason is that they don't hesitate to stand side by side with those who seek the destruction of the Jewish homeland. In San Francisco on Tuesday July 16, JVP is pairing with anti-Israel activists from Code Pink, the Arab Resource Organizing Center, and Sabeel for a Day of Rage directed towards financial giant Tiaa-Cref, for refusing to capitulate to their divestment demands.
Looks like San Francisco is getting a "flash mob".
That'll show those investment bankers....
Pity the poor New Yorkers who will be putting up with mimes.
But at least they'll be quiet.
UPDATE:
Here's the full list of JVP's day of rage actions against Tiaa-Cref. Let us know if you are planning a counter- we'll be happy to post your info.
Ann Arbor 5:00 pm TIAA-CREF offices- 333 Maynard Street Boston 12:15 PM meet in Harvard Square (the pit) 12:30 - March to TIAA-CREF
Chicago 12: 00 pm TIAA-CREF office - 200 N. LaSalle Street Denver 5 pm TIAA-CREF Office - 17th & Broadway Detroit 11:30 am TIAA-CREF Office- 2000 Town Center in Southfiled, Michigan Ithaca 12:00 pm Meet in the center of Dewitt Park, then march to TIAA-CREF Ithaca Office- 130-131 E. Green St (between Palmers Pharmacy and Urban Outfitters) Los Angeles Time/Date TBA Louisville Time/Date TBA New York 5 pm TIAA-CREF office- 750 3rd Avenue between 45th&46th Streets (4/5 to Grand Central) Philadelphia 8:15 am TIAA-CREF office at 1835 Market Street, corner of 19th Street Sacramento Time/Date TBA San Francisco 12:00 pm TIAA-CREF Office- 560 Mission St. (near 2nd St.) Seattle Time/Date TBA Washington D.C July 14th, 2:00 pm In
front of Columbia Heights Mall -- at the Columbia Heights Metro Station
on 14th St.-- just north of the intersection with Irving St.
Pam Geller, a New York activist decided to run offensive ads on our local bus system. The message was uncomfortable to those in the Jewish community who believed our best hope for peace is a Jewish State of Israel living side by side with an Arab state of Palestine. The ads did nothing to further the cause of peace, and were damaging to the cause of community building and interfaith relations. The MUNI system clearly felt their hands were tied- they’ve issued their own disclaimers on the buses, and have pledged to donate the proceeds of the ads to the SF Human Rights Commission for educational purposes
The Jewish community took a principled stand and denounced the ads. Additionally, the Jewish Federation has pledged to match funds donated to the HRC
The response from the Arab Resource Organizing Center rivals Pam Gellers' ads in its intractable hatred, shrilly claiming "The reality is that Zionism and structural racism have the same impact whether couched in JCRC's politesse or AFDI's vulgarity." and asserting "we cannot allow HRC to accept Zionist money".
Please read an Open Letter to the Arab Resource Organizing Center crossposted at Bluetruth Written by DrMike
The recent condemnation of Pamela Geller’s MUNI ads by the Jewish Community Relations Council and the American Jewish Committee could have provided an opening for dialogue, given the shared sentiments about those ads. Yet AROC has chosen not to use this as an opportunity to build bridges but rather to throw gasoline onto hot ashes and inflame the situation further.
Your dismissal of the JCRC’s statement begins with a statement that you reject in other contexts: “We must not equate support for free speech with support for hate speech.” I completely agree. Can I assume that you then also condemn these exercises of free speech in San Francisco? I'm sure the leaders of your group saw these in person at some of the many anti-Israel demonstrations held here.
What about the new University of California report on campus anti-Semitism which explicitly states “The Principles of Community operate under the assumption that not all speech is protected. Words and accusations which at their core demean, defame and degrademust be addressed and denounced.” Will you join me in endorsing this statement, and condemn the repeated invitations by the Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine to hate speaker Amir Abdel Malik Ali?
Unfortunately it appears that your answer will be in the negative, since your statement then moves sadly but predictably on to rhetoric that far exceeds Geller’s in explicit hate. Phrases such as “the racism that drives Zionism” are dropped throughout the rest of the statement, which labels any support of Israel,whether by JCRC or by Geller’s AFDI, as “based on racism andIslamophobia”. Any review of JCRC’s statements, whether on Israel or any other topic, is of course notably absent of any trace of either racism or Islamophobia, unless one adheres to your insistence that the very existence of a Jewish state is a racist endeavor.
Since that appears to be your position, you might want to review the Working Definition of Anti-Semitism prepared by the European Union in 2002; I’m sure you agree that many Europeans are not the strongest friends of Israel and you might even be aware that the EU funds NGO’s in Israel and overseas that promote BDS and similar anti-Israel activities.
The EU stated:
“Examples of the ways in which anti-Semitism manifests itself with regard to the state of Israel taking into account the overall context could include:
Denying the Jewish people their right of self-determinatione.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor
Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior notexpected or demanded of any other democratic nation
Using the symbols and images associated with classicanti-Semitism (e.g. claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) tocharacterize Israel or Israelis
Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to thatof the Nazis.”
You close by saying that “we cannot allow HRC [the SanFrancisco Human Rights Commission] to accept Zionist money.” When “Zionist” gets thrown around repeatedly as an epithet, the words of Dr Martin Luther King spoken in 1968 come to mind: “When people criticize Zionists,they mean Jews. You are talking anti-Semitism.”
Sadly, you have lived up to the expectation that you will apply blatant hypocrisy and double standards not only to any issue involving Israel, but to concepts such as free speech as well. Not that this a surprise coming from AROC. After all, it was AROC's own program director, Lily Haskell, who exercised her free speech rights in December 2008 (a few weeks after the untimely and tragic death of Dan Kliman z"l in an elevator accident) by threatening the lives of Israel advocates by leading chants of "Israel Supporters watch your backs, or we'll push you down a shaft!"
In 1994 the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Yasir Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, for their efforts to create a lasting peace in the Middle East.
"For several decades, the conflict between Israel and its neighbour states, and between Israelis and Palestinians, has been among the most irreconcilable and menacing in international politics. The parties have caused each other great suffering.
By concluding the Oslo Accords, and subsequently following them up, Arafat, Peres and Rabin have made substantial contributions to a historic process through which peace and cooperation can replace war and hate.
In his 1895 will, Alfred Nobel wrote that the Peace Prize could be awarded to the person who, in the preceding year, "shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations". The award of the Nobel Peace Prize for 1994 to Arafat, Peres and Rabin is intended by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to honour a political act which called for great courage on both sides, and which has opened up opportunities for a new development towards fraternity in the Middle East. It is the Committee's hope that the award will serve as an encouragement to all the Israelis and Palestinians who are endeavouring to establish lasting peace in the region."
In 1996, Peres founded the Peres Center for Peace, in an effort to build a framework for his vision of peaceful coexistence.
"The Peres Center for Peace is Israel’s leading non-profit organization promoting peacebuilding between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and in particular between Israelis and Palestinians. Founded in 1996 by the President of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres, the Peres Center conducts dozens of projects, involving thousands of Israelis and Palestinians, fostering socio-economic cooperation and people-to-people interaction in a wide range of fields, such as medicine, sports, agriculture, the environment, business, education, youth, technology, the arts, and more.
The Peres Center believes that working towards peace should not just be left to governments, but rather that Israeli and Palestinian civil society should be actively engaged in peacebuilding activities. Through bringing together Israelis and Palestinians and focusing on common Arab and Israeli social, economic, developmental, cultural and educational interests, the Peres Center enables real people-to-people relationships to be formed, paving the way to a real and lasting peace between peoples. "
On Tuesday March 7, Israel President Shimon Peres will be coming to San Francisco, to speak at the venerable Temple Emanu-El.
The Arab Resource Organizing Center plans to protest the Nobel laureate that has devoted his life to encouraging peaceful co-existence between Israelis and their neighbors. Blinded by their raw hatred of anything associated with Israel, they sent out an announcement urging people to disrupt the aging dignitary.
Their announcement follows:
Peres is a war criminal - apartheid is not a vision for a just future. We must stand together to oppose Israeli Apartheid and the colonization of Palestine. Let's show Peres what OUR vision of tomorrow would look like by greeting him with a mass protest at 5pm. Bring signs, banners, chants, and your friends! Also bring flashlights and noisemakers to shine light onto Israeli apartheid and drown out Peres' lies!
Rejecting Peace. Rejecting Co-existence. Protesting a Nobel Laureate who devoted his life to justice, equality and opportunity for all. Can there be any more convincing evidence of the hatred and intolerance of the Arab Resource Organizing Center?
An intitiative organized by the Arab Resource Organizing Center (AROC), is using the cover of real and imagined LGBT groups to picket San Francisco's LGBT film festival for daring to show an Israel film, claiming "The Consulate and its supporters have threatened to brand the festival as "anti-Jewish" if they decline their money."
Where? When? If this were true, they'd be able to provide evidence, but no, this statement was completely fabricated.
The "Queen has no Crown" , a film by Tomer Heymann explores the life of a Jewish family in Israel, and their personal struggle with identity, and belonging. The family drama is framed within the larger focus of societal drama - the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, its secular and religious citizens, and the overall struggle for human rights. This acclaimed and sensitive film is only controversial because the Israeli consulate has given Frameline a grant to bring director Tomer Heymann to the Bay area to discuss his film.
AROC (Have they ever donated money to Frameline? Have they ever sponsored an Arab film maker to speak at the festival?) have sent out multiple announcements urging the community the pressure Frameline . Their latest announcement promotes a picket of opening night:
SF Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Trans Film Festival PINKWASHES War Crimes
The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival has accepted sponsorship and money from the Israeli consulate for the second year in a row. Every Palestinian queer organization in the world, along with a number of local and international queer groups, have demanded that the festival presenter, Frameline, stand up for human rights and international law by refusing to partner with the Israeli government. But by accepting it, and ignoring the voices and the lives of Palestinian queers, Frameline has shown itself to be anti-queer.
Join the Protest Friday, June 17, 5:30-7:00 pm Castro Theater, San Francisco
AROC's campaign to delegitimize the State of Israel considers any reference to Israel's excellent record in regard to gay and lesbian rights as 'pinkwashing'.
Please join StandWithUs/San Francisco Voice for Israel, GLAZE (Gays and Lesbians Advocating for the Zionist Entity) and other LGBT community organizations in countering the AROC protest at Frameline. If "all queers count", AROC- stop trying to silence OUR voices.
UPDATE Photos from Frameline Protest, June 17. Thanks to R for sending them our way!
Lily Haskell is located on the far left. She actually looks happy.
Lily Haskell, Program Director
Lily Haskell is a Moroccan American activist who has been working with AROC since 2007. She has previously interned with the National Lawyers Guild San Francisco Chapter, and worked with several youth development organizations: Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center, Girls Inc of Alameda County, and Diversity Works. As a volunteer, she currently also organizes with Break the Siege. Previously, Lily has contributed and led Arab organizing and educational initiatives through cultural and political work, as well as anti-war organizing. Lily graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology.
Husam Zakharia is located on the far right, a smug look with eyes closed.
Husam Zakharia, Legal and Outreach Coordinator
Husam Zakharia began working for the Arab Resource and Organizing Center in 2009. He has volunteered time to the organization before working, with ADC-SF and AROC on and off for four years, and has been on the board organizing at UC Berkeley for Students for Justice in Palestine. He has also assisted in coordinating university-wide elections for UC Berkeley's Associated Students of the University of California and has won campaigns for CalSERVE (Cal Students for Equal Rights and a Valid Education). Husam is a co-owner and operator of the Berkeley Free Clinic and currently volunteers his time as a lay health care worker treating acute illnesses in the East Bay. He has a degree from the University of California Berkeley majoring in Near Eastern Studies, with an emphasis in Arabic Language and Literature.
Both of them are cretins. Anti-semitic and proud of it. Haters of the Jewish community. They freely associate with other anti-semites and groups that seek the destruction of Israel, the slaughter of Jews, and the demonization and deligitimization of the Land of Israel with the use of lies and half-truths.
Lily Haskell.
She is a member of AROC, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, as well as a former intern of the National Lawyers Guild/San Francisco. On December 9, 2008, at an anti-Israel rally, with use of a bullhorn, Lily led this vile chant:
"Israel Supporters watch your backs, or we'll push you down a shaft!"
This was said in response to the untimely demise of our brother Dan Kliman who just recently had fallen to his death in an elevator shaft.
Three of us heard this loud and clear. This vile woman, Lily Haskell, entertained no moral qualms whatsoever, took no issue with issuing a threat in public, in front of police and bystanders, knowing full well that only we would understand its meaning. Her evil behavior will not be forgotten.
So, Lily and Husam are indeed together at last. Now we know where Husam gets his paycheck that allows him to take one class at UCB in order to maintain a presence there. Our eyes are on you Husam, you asshole. As for you Lily, let go of the hate, let go of the hate.
As a passive activist and full-time anarcho-Zionist, it's my duty to keep tabs on the haters - persons & things: Becky O'Malley, Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, The Berkeley Daily Planet, The Anti-Zionist Network (comprised mostly of self-loathing Jews, sadly), and of course my non-friend, Lily Haskell.
So I did a search on her name. She's still in the top 5 hits, though she appears on another fellow Zionist's blog, At the Back of the Hill. Still, 2 hits in the top 5 is impressive.
Let's continue. My second search was "Lily Haskell" in google images. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE:
