Eat Crow, David

In June, 2025, David Crow, a deranged Bernie bro came to Berkeley, driving down from the Pacific Northwest, and sleeping in his little van of hate.  Crow's hate cruise rattled an already tense Jewish community, still reeling from violent attacks in Boulder, Colorado and Washington DC.

David Crow, antisemite 

David Crow's messaging was so horrific, members of the Berkeley City council made a public statement, declaring

Just this past weekend, also on June 1, there was a van parked on the 1800 block of Solano Avenue displaying anti-Jewish hate messaging laced with profanity. Antisemitism must be universally denounced in the strongest terms possible, and we rightly so condemn these vile acts.

David chose some of the busiest streets in Berkeley to park, in an effort to amplify his message of hate.  There were sightings of him on Solano Ave and on Telegraph Ave.

Are you ready for your close-up, Mr. Crow?

David Crow, Unhinged antisemite

With the dramatic increase in violent hate crimes against the Jewish community locally and worldwide,  its become a moral duty to bear witness and name and shame.   The information against those that would do us harm must be public and accessible.

UPDATE:
David Crow left Berkeley without even saying good-bye.   Maybe he felt....unwelcome?

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.

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

More Dispatches from the "Apartheid State". Arab Muslim on Israel's Supreme Court

The Judicial Selection Committee recently appointed four new justices to Israel's Supreme Court. The four are Judge Khaled Kabub, Judge Ruth Ronen, Judge Gila Kanfei-Steinitz and Yechiel Kasher, an  attorney in the private sector. Kabub is the first Arab Muslim appointed to the Supreme Court, although there have been Arab Christians on the high court in the past. 

There's a local angle, too.   (There's always a local angle) Justice Khaled Kabub is a graduate of UC Berkeley.

Justice Kabub is a graduate of the Tel Aviv‐Berkeley Executive Program which brings Israeli lawyers, judges and policymakers to study at UC Berkeley and complete their LL.M. (masters). The program is coordinated with Tel Aviv University’s Buchmann Faculty of Law. There are two semesters taught in Israel with a third  is taught on the Berkeley campus. 

Lets remember this when Berkeley's Bears for Palestine and SJP accuse Israel of Apartheid later this month.

The sanctimonious hypocrisy of Soli Alpert

On his Facebook Page, Soli Apert admits his Berkeley Rent Board anti-Israel resolution was submitted with the hope it would be passed without any "fanfare", writing.
"I submitted a resolution for tomorrow's Rent Board meeting condemning the "evictions" in Shekih Jarrah with the naïve hope that we could pass it with no fanfare on consent. It is evident that will not be the case." Soli, if your resolution can't hold up to public scrutiny, maybe you need to rethink it.

He continues: "Finally, it's been insulting and revealing how many people have seen fit to speak about me rather than to me the past few days. If you have issue with what I have written, call me." Sorry, Soli. If you wanted to have a discussion about this terribly one-sided, factually incorrect resolution, maybe you shouldn't have tried to sneak it through.

In which Berkeley's Rent Stabilization Board attempts to issue a foreign policy statement

Via Emunah: On Thursday June 17 the elected representatives at the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, whose stated mission is “to regulate residential rent increases in the City of Berkeley and to protect against unwarranted rent increases and evictions and to provide a fair return to property owners.” will be voting on a foreign policy resolution accusing Israel of violence, oppression, ethnic cleansing and calling for the “end of American funding of Israeli apartheid”

This resolution is one sided, inflammatory and does nothing to further a lasting peace between the people of the Middle East. Even more concerning is that the extremist rhetoric may led to an increase in attacks on Israeli-Americans and the local Jewish community, as we have seen worldwide. The use of false accusations against Israel including “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing” have been used to justify antisemitic violence.

Antisemitic incidents, with 83% referencing the conflict in Gaza and Israel have skyrocketed 438% in the U.K. in the last month. Four men were arrested in London for shouting “F*** the Jews. Rape their daughters.” A group of Iranian American Jews were attacked in Los Angeles – one was hospitalized. Jews were assaulted near an anti-Israel rally in downtown Toronto. In our own community, Jewish owned businesses and community centers have been targeted with anti-Israel and antisemitic graffiti

How can you help? Please write or email the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, expressing your concern. TheRentBoard@cityofberkeley.info.

CC the Berkeley City Council. rkesarwani@cityofberkeley.info,mayor@cityofberkeley.info, ttaplin@cityofberkeley.info, jchang@cityofberkeley.info , KHarrison@cityofberkeley.info, SHahn@cityofberkeley.info, swengraf@cityofberkeley.info, RRobinson@cityofberkeley.info, ldroste@cityofberkeley.info, auditor@cityofberkeley.info

To submit an e-mail comment to be read aloud during public comment, email amueller@cityofberkeley.info .

Remember, these are our elected officials- they are accountable to the voters. The resolution appears below

UPDATE

Oh, well, Soli. Better get used to the Jews fighting back.

From the River to the Sea

The Palestinians reaction to the American Peace proposal shows an unwillingness to accept a Jewish state within ANY borders.

This, not the "occupation", and not the "settlements" is the main obstacle to peace in the region.

When they chant "From the River to the Sea", this is what they mean.

Hassan Fouda of Berkeley's comically named  Jewish Voice for Peace also rejects any plan that doesn't create a Palestinian state from the "river to the sea"

The newly proposed peace plan should open the door and provide an opportunity for both sides to return to the negotiating table.  Both Palestinians and Israelis should embrace it as a chance to move closer to peace and to resume negotiations after a long hiatus.

Comprehensive peace proposals were presented to Palestinian leadership three times in the past – once by the United Nations (1947) and twice by Israel (2000, 2008). All three times Palestinian leadership rejected broad peace deals, while Israel said yes. 

Palestinian rejection – anchored in refusal to accept the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state remains the primary obstacle to peace.

Berkeley Revolution Books is truly Revolting

Berkeley's Revolution Books, an anachronism in a city known for them, is a clean well lit place for all your Marxist–Leninist–Maoist literary needs. Looking for a book on smashing patriarchy? Got a fetish for Bob Avakian fan fiction? Revolution's your place, ideally located minutes away from the UC Berkeley campus. Its where all the cool bourgeois kids from Cal pay full retail for books on dismantling capitalism.

Recently Revolution dabbled in some revolting Jew-hate, placing signs around campus trivializing the Holocaust

From the facebook page of Tikvah,  the UC Berkeley Zionist group:

This sign yet again shows us that anti-Semitism is never found far behind anti-Zionism. This kind of anti-Zionist rhetoric from the far left is becoming increasingly prevalent, and it has strong similarities with the false narratives of white supremacists and Islamists. We condemn it completely and urge Revolution Books to remove their signs immediately.

Revolution Books may have had no intention of removing the signs, but community members had other plans.

Before

After

As nature abhors a vacuum, justice abhors trip and fall hazards with racist sentiment left strewn across Berkeley. 

Berkeley's mayor Jesse Arreguin opposed to appointment of Hatem Bazian to Local Commission

Berkeley's mayor Jesse Arreguin has publicly expressed his opposition to the appointment of Hatem Bazian to the city's Peace and Justice Commission, and has expressed his frustration about his inability to prevent it.

From the J Weekly, the Jewish News of Northern California:
Berkeley mayor objects to appointment of Bazian to city commission

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin is not pleased with the appointment of controversial UC Berkeley lecturer Hatem Bazian to the city’s Peace and Justice Commission, saying Bazian is not qualified to serve as a public official because of his “anti-Semitic statements and actions.”

Bazian, a lecturer at UC Berkeley and the co-founder of American Muslims for Palestine  has called for an intifada in America, and has spread anti-semitic images and messaging through social media

Mayor Arreguin, speaking to the J Weekly: 

“There’s documentation showing things he has said that are very offensive and inappropriate and anti-Semitic.  And on that basis, I think it’s a very serious issue about whether this person should be in public office.”

Cheryl Davila, the Berkeley City Council representative from District 2 had also appointed Bazian as an emergency stand-in, in a move that prompted 3 Berkeley Rabbis to write to mayor Arreguin, expressing their deep concerns.   Davila's continued promotion of Bazian, a financial contributor to her campaign, shows her  abject disdain for the local Jewish community

Cheryl Davila is a regular at local and national anti-Israel events, and received financial support for her campaign from anti-Israel activists nationwide.

   

Berkeley City Council member Cheryl Davila  wearing T shirt in support of convicted Jew-killer Rasmeah Odeh

UPDATE: 

Hatem Bazian has circled the wagons and is attempting to orchestrate a response.

Hatem Bazian: The extremist member of Berkeley's Peace and Justice Commission

Its often quipped  "Two Jews, three opinions".   Not when it comes to Hatem Bazian, a man so extreme that the three leading congregational Rabbis in Berkeley, representing the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movement co-signed a letter in opposition to his appointment  as an emergency stand-in for Berkeley Councilperson Cheryl Davila.  The latter stated, in part:

“Prof. Bazian has a history of encouraging and personally engaging in speech which is offensive, uncivil and encourages demonization of others, including many citizens of Berkeley”

In spite of the controversy and concern over Bazian's divisive and inflammatory rhetoric Davila has now appointed him to the Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission.   Bazian, who once infamously called for an intifada in America is now on a commission tasked with advising the City Council and the School Board  "on issues of peace and social justice."  

Cheryl Davila is a regular participant in anti-Israel protests on campus, in the streets, and in front of the local Israeli consulate.

Hatem Bazian and anti-Israel activists across the nation donated to Davila's election campaign.  

Zaytuna College congratulated Bazian on his appointment.

The local Jewish community is understandably concerned about having a man who recently retweeted anti-Semitic caricatures tasked with advising the city on matters of social justice.

Zionists in Berkeley!

From Emunah:

Taking our proud, fearless Zionism into the streets. These photos were taken at the Solano Stroll Berkeley, California Street Fair 9/9/2018 . The Solano Stroll is the largest street fair in the East Bay, and attracts hundreds of thousands of participants.

ht/t SF Bay pro Israel Blog