San Francisco State University's toxic climate for Jewish Students

From the Jewish Community Relations Council Director Abby Forth:

“Campuses across the nation experience uncivil discourse and anti-Semitism. But what sets S.F. State apart is its administration’s unwillingness to state for its entire campus community that it will not tolerate these acts.

“When Jewish students and guests are intimidated and Hillel is discriminated against, this administration fails to speak out. More than that, it has celebrated the perpetrators while privately assuring our Jewish community that it will look into these incidents,”

“In so doing, this administration is, at best, complicit in the marginalization of Jewish students, and, at worst, responsible for it.”

If case you missed it, check out the excellent series of articles on the campus climate for Jewish students at San Francisco State University, published in this weeks J the Jewish News of Northern California 

Dan Pine documents the history of anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist activism at San Francisco State University, and the current administration's tepid response

S.F. State’s Jewish problem: faculty and local leaders decry worsening climate''

Written by Max A.Cherney:

JCRC campaign aimed at ‘toxic culture’ for Jews at SFSU

Written by Mark G. Yudof  and Kenneth Waltzer of the Academic Engagement Network.

S.F. State ‘excommunicates’ Jewish students and pro-Israel speakers

Written by Marc Dollinger.the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility at San Francisco State University and  Fred Astren,chair of the Jewish studies department, stating:

"After six face-to-face meetings over the course of a year with San Francisco State University President Leslie Wong, we are obliged to report that there is no resolution in sight for problems plaguing Jewish student life on campus."
Jewish studies professors: S.F. State marginalizes Jews

Outraged? You should be.  This has been going on for a long time.

Community members are mobilizing for action.  A good first step- please sign this petition to California State University Chancellor Dr. Timothy P. White from StandWithUs  calling on him to take immediate action to "ensure the security and dignity of Jewish students"

The JCRC is encouraging people to email SFSU President Les Wong to remind him that it is the responsibility of the administration to set and enforce boundaries that protect free speech and ensure the safety of every student.  Demand he take action to protect Jewish students on campus.

Stay tuned. This is not over.

Are you ready for IsrAction Day, December 18, 2016?

Please consider participating in this great initiative- truly a triple mitzvah- from StandwithUs:

JOIN US for IsrAction Day, December 18, 2016!

StandWithUs is partnering with North West Friends of Israel and Sussex Friends of Israel for the 3rd annual IsrAction Day 2016 in an effort to fight BDS and win BIG (Buy Israeli Goods).

Launching this year on December 18, IsrAction Day is an International grassroots campaign where people buy Israeli goods in local supermarkets and donate the purchases to the needy in their community. It accomplishes its three major goals: people are able to stand up for Israel, fight BDS and support local communities.

Purchases can be dropped off at local collection centers or to directly to the selected charity. Photos and videos can be uploaded to the IsrAction Day 2016 FaceBook group and website.

IsrAction Days in Northern California will be December 18th and 19th!

StandWithUs Northern California drop off locations for your donations:

Temple Beth Abraham, Oakland: Dec 19 10a-4p
Congregation Kol Shofar, Tiburon: Dec 18 8:30a-noon and Dec 19 10a-4p
Congregation Beth Ami, Santa Rosa: Dec 19 10a-4p
Congregation Sinai of San Jose California has joined us as well as a drop off location! Dec 18th from 9a-6pm and Dec 19th from noon-4pm!

You can find non-perishable Israeli food at Trader Joes. (Harvest grains and Israeli couscous), at Safeway and Luckys in the kosher aisle. Mollie Stones in Greenbrae and in Palo Alto has a great variety of Israeli foods.  Many of the small Arab grocers also proudly carry Israeli food, and have faced harassment and vandalism because of it.  The Berkeley Bowl (both stores) also carries Israeli products.

Lets us know where you buy Israeli products, and be sure to photograph your haul and post it here

Helping Israel. Helping our community. Whats not to love?

Ad Wars Escalate in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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.

The Biggest Lies Abbas told to the 71st UN General Assembly

Created by StandWithUs

The Biggest LIES Abbas told to the 71st UN General Assembly

Check them out, here

Muhammad Zoabi is coming to Berkeley.

Muhammed Zoabi is coming to Berkeley.

Muhammad Zoabi, a self described  “proud Israeli Arab Muslim Zionist” will be the keynote speaker in a fundraiser for the Israeli advocacy group, StandWithUs.

The Israeli-Arab teenager was forced to go into hiding  after he publicly expressed support for Zionism and the State of Israel. He took refuge with terror-survivor Kay Wilson.

Outspoken bravery runs deep in the Zoabi family. His mother Sarah Zoabi was a contestant on the television broadcast of Master Chef Israel  and declared “I believe in the right of the Jewish people to have their own country, which is the state of Israel, the holy land....I’m sure that the people who hear me will say: ‘what, have you lost your mind? How can you say you are a Zionist?’ I want to say to all the Arab [citizens] of Israel to wake up. We live in paradise. Compared to other countries, to Arab countries – we live in paradise.”

Muhammad Zoabi, Arab Muslim Zionist

Muhammad  will be joining the IDF next year, and has declared "I am proud to be part of Israel, its people and for sure in the future, our DEFENSE forces."

Save the date.

Nov 13.
Congregation Netivot Shalom, Berkeley

Vile antisemitism at UC Santa Cruz

For all JVP's rhetoric about not conflating Judaism with Zionism, I don't see them running to defend this student.

Via StandWithUs

Alarming antisemitism on campus as a UC Santa Cruz Stevenson College Elected Representative, Daniel, was asked to "abstain" from voting on a BDS resolution because he is President of the Jewish Student Union and was "elected with a Jewish agenda." The original message is in the photo.

We call on the UC system to immediately take action against the unacceptable antisemitism running rampant on California college campuses.

Here is Daniel's statement:

"About two days ago, I received a Facebook message from someone I won't name, instructing me to abstain from the vote about the divestment issue because I am the Vice President of the Jewish Student Union. Furthermore, I was told that members from the Stevenson College Council were concerned that I would be biased because I was elected with a "Jewish agenda," as if my involvement in and passion for the wellbeing of the Jewish community, MY COMMUNITY, is something that I should be ashamed of, and something that will hold me back from representing my constituents fairly in the greater student assembly.

The implication that I, as a Jewish student and leader in the Jewish community, should not be allowed to vote on an issue that so deeply impacts the Jewish community, and that I should abstain because I cannot be trusted due to an alleged, “Jewish agenda,” echoes the racism Jews have faced all over the world throughout our history. I wish that me being subjected to anti-Semitism was a shocking new occurrence. But the truth is that I’m not shocked. I’m not shocked because this hatred and ignorance has followed me everywhere. I'm not shocked because Jewish students have been targeted with this vile racism all over the UC system for years, and especially since BDS became a major issue of discussion. Anti-Semitism today may not be the same as it was in the 1930s. But it has clearly evolved to become an inseparable part of campus politics right here at UC Santa Cruz and across the UC system.

This was evident when Rachel Beyda, at UCLA, was denied a position on the Judicial board because of her identity as a Jew, it was evident when my fellow AEPi brothers had swastikas painted on their house in Davis, and now I have had a firsthand experience that this volatile bile of racism is evident at UCSC.

The only "Jewish Agenda" I care about is keeping my community safe and making it so we can coexist peacefully among the other 15,000 students on our campus. I want my community to have a normal learning environment, free from hate speech and harassment, where we can enjoy college without being discriminated against. If people here see that as a legitimate reason to distrust me, to stop me from voting my conscience on issues that matter to the Jewish community, or even to remove me from positions of leadership, then so be it. But they should know that they will never silence me, and they will never stop my community from fighting for the rights and protections that we deserve on this campus.

I am calling on the leadership at UC Santa Cruz, from the student level on up to start taking concrete action to get the anti-Semitism at this campus under control. Student governments at UCLA, UCSB, and Berkeley addressed this issue last year, and the UC Regents are addressing it now. If we stand idly by in the face of this racism, we are sending a clear message that Jewish students cannot expect to be treated with a basic level of fairness and respect at this university. It’s time for the student leadership and the administration here to make a decision: are we going to ensure the fair and equal treatment of all students on this campus, or not? For the sake of future generations of Jewish students here, for the sake of the Jewish community as a whole, and for the sake of everyone on this campus, I hope that we make the right decision."

Berkeley Human Welfare Commission rejects BDS bill

On Wednesday, October 21, the Berkeley Human Welfare Commission rejected a resolution advocating divestment from companies that did business in  Israel.   Hundreds gathered in the South Berkeley Senior Center  to participate in  the public comment period.   Legendary UC Berkeley professor Ron Hassner , Rabbi Menachem Creditor,  Rabbi James Brandt,  community leaders and  grass root community members joined together to ask  the Commission to reject this hateful and divisive resolution.

The resolution was defeated, with 5 voting against it,  2 for it, and 1 abstaining.

An open letter to the commission, signed by  Rabbi James Brandt of the Jewish Federation, Rabbi Yonatan Cohen of Beth Israel, Rabbi Menachem Creditor of Netivot Shalom and Rabbi Yoel Kahn of Beth El  in the Berkeley, as well as many others expressed dissatisfaction with both the content of the resolution and the process involved in bringing it to the Commission.

From the letter:

We were deeply troubled, however to learn about the resolution before the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission recommending that the Berkeley City Council list Israel under the Oppressive States Business Policy” Not only is this resolution completely unbalanced in its representation of the heartbreaking and complex conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, it is also a major distraction from the vitally important work of the HWCAC. It is disturbing that so much time and resources are being spent by the HWCAC on a divisive international issue unrelated to its mission, at a time when we all need to work together to improve our beloved city….

Additionally, we were shocked to learn that the HWCAC has been discussing this issue for a year without consulting anyone outside the small circle of supporters of divestment. This represents a grave breach of process and diligence that should have been undertaken when considering such a sensitive  and controversial issue…”

From StandWithUs:

"BDS activists attempted to hijack the commission to further their narrow, political, extremist agenda but the commissioners refused to succumb to this pressure and defeated the resolution," said Johanna Wilder, StandWithUs Northern California Associate Director, who spoke at the Commission meeting. 

The HWCAC discussed this issue despite the Berkeley City Attorney's clear stance that divestment is outside the scope of the commission, which is charged with tackling local poverty issues. Fortunately, numerous commissioners recognized this and rejected divestment so that the HWCAC could go back to fulfilling its crucial mission. 

Divestment supporters engaged in racist slander against Israel accusing it of committing a "Holocaust" against Palestinians. In addition to this trivialization of genocide they employed more typical propaganda, smearing Israelis as colonizers and erasing the indigenous rights of the Jewish people in their homeland. 

For more information on Berkeley's defeat of the divestment resolution see

Berkeley commission rejects Israel divestment resolution

All Activists Agree: Jibril Rajoub must go.

These are days of miracles and wonder.  Israel advocacy group StandWithUs has a petition online at change.org, Petitioning Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)  to "Kick Extremism Out of Football: Show Jibril Rajoub the Red Card".

Be sure to sign it at Change.org.


Sports are a unique way to bring diverse peoples together through shared passion. International sporting events like the World Cup are wonderful examples of this. Unfortunately, the Palestinian Authority has used sports to indoctrinate children with hatred for the state of Israel, instead of allowing football, and other sports, to peacefully bring together Israelis and Palestinians of all ages. Some examples are:

- The Hilal Al-Quds club held a tournament for 12-year-olds named after Dalal Mugrahbi, the leader of a terror. The “Dalal Mugrahbi Championship."

- The Al-Amari youth center announced a soccer tournament named the “Martyr of Honor Wafa Idris Tournament.” Idris was the first Palestinian female suicide bomber.

- Eighteen teams from the Tulkarm District took part in a “Martyrs and Prisoners Soccer Tournament” at the Irtah High School. “All of the teams were named after Martyrs [terrorists],” the PA official newspaper, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, reported proudly. The top prize was the “Martyr Abu Jihad Trophy.”

- In the town of Fara’a, there is a soccer field named after Salah Khalaf, aka Abu Iyad, leader of the “Black September” gang that kidnapped and murdered 11 Israeli Olympic team members, including an American-born weightlifter, at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

One of the most egregious examples of this disturbing trend is the head of the Palestinian Football Association, head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, and former convicted terrorist Jibril Rajoub, who has been on a personal mission to suspend Israel from FIFA.

Rajoub was convicted of terrorist activities against Israeli in 1970, was released in a prisoner exchange, and rearrested for continued terrorist activity in 1985. He spent two years in prison. Following his release, he continued his path of terrorism and was deported for his activities. After the Oslo Accords, he was appointed to a position of leadership by Yasser Arafat and has "served" in the Palestinian Leadership ever since.

Rajoub has repeatedly condoned acts of terrorism and encouraged violence against Israelis. He has overseen children's football matches in the Palestinian communities that were named after murderers of Israeli civilians, he has been an outspoken advocate against any normalization or coexistence with Israelis and his statements are a direct violation of everything that both FIFA and the Olympic Games stand for. In response to a friendly match between Israeli and Palestinian children, Rajoub stated, "Any activity of normalization in sports with the Zionist enemy is a crime against humanity."

Rajoub stated about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that “[I]f we had nuclear weapons, we’d be using them." In summer 2014, while he was serving as the head of the Palestinian Football Association, Rajoub stated, “Fatah has decided that our relations with the Israelis are relations between enemies...am I stopping you from slaughtering a settlement? No one is stopping anyone."

Rajoub is a member of the Palestinian organization Fatah who is the parent organization of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade - the terrorist organization responsible for the horrific 1972 murder of the Israeli Olympic team at the Munich games. In 2012, he opposed holding a minute of silence at the London Olympic Games for the 1972 slain Israeli Olympic team stating to remember them would be "racist."

It is appalling that such an individual is a part of anything related to FIFA or the Olympic Games.

We call for Jibril Rajoub's immediate suspension from FIFA and all activities related to the International Olympic Committee immediately.

Sports should bring people together, not encourage racism, bigotry, and violence. Kick extremism out of football: show Jibril Rajoub the red card!

 Sources: 

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=12585

http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/terrorist-chief-of-palestinian-olympics-committee-calls-minute-of-silence-requests-racism/2012/07/26/

http://news.yahoo.com/moderate-palestinian-leader-swears-had-nuke-d-used-120410701.html

http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=91&doc_id=14441

Meanwhile, at Avaaz.org, there's a petition, in Arabic,  requesting the same thing, but for very different reasons.   Palestinians are furious that Jibril Rajoub withdrew the proposal for the expulsion of Israel from FIFA, and are demanding his removal as head of the Palestinian Football Association.

How often do Palestinians activists agree with StandWithUs?  Whatever your motivation, the answer is clear. Jibril Rajoub must go.

Palestinians are furious with Jibril Rajoub

Israel Soldiers Stories: Northern California Tour

Via Dr. Mike Harris at San Francisco Voice for Israel

Every spring, StandWithUs brings Israel Defense Forces veterans on tour throughout the United States. This program features reserve duty Israeli college students who talk about the Israeli-Arab conflict, giving a human face to the IDF uniform. In addition to IDF service, they are graduates of the StandWithUs Israel Fellowship, a unique public diplomacy program that selects and trains 150 student leaders each year from six Israeli universities. The soldiers speak in a number of cities across North America, in venues including university campuses, schools, synagogues, and churches. Our soldiers share their personal experiences with tens of thousands of students and community members each year.

This year's soldiers, Kokit and Tslil, will be in Northern California next week. Kokit was born in Ethiopia and moved to Israel with her family as an infant. Kokit served in the IDF for seven years as the lead officer for the Department of Basic Training, a Safety and Training Officer at the pilot cadet course, and finally serving as a training officer at the Aerospace Defense headquarters. In March 2014, Kokit participated in a delegation that traveled to South Africa to help combat “Israel Apartheid Week,” where she spoke to students about her experiences as a black Jewish woman living in Israel. Kokit is currently studying law and government at IDC Herzliya. She enjoys reading and is addicted to shopping.

Tslil was born in Kibbutz Regavim in northern Israel and is currently living in Tel- Aviv. Tslil served four years in the IDF, during the 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, Gilad Shalit`s abduction and the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Operation Cast Lead in 2008, and Operations Pillar of Defense in 2012 and Protective Edge in 2014, as a Captain Reserve in the Maglan Unit. Tslil earned his B.A. in Political Science and Communications from Tel Aviv University and is a graduate of the Koteret School of Journalism. Tslil worked as a spokesperson for the Vice Speaker of the Knesset, MP Pnina Tamano Shata of the “Yesh- Atid” Party. As an alumnus of StandWithUs` 2012 Israel Fellowship, Tslil is currently working as a digital media consultant for a firm which provides public relation services and strategic media consulting. Tslil is now a volunteer spokesperson for One Day Social Volunteering Israel.

Monday 4/20

6:00pm at Silicon Valley Hillel, San Jose

Tuesday 4/21
1:00pm at University of California Santa Cruz

Wednesday 4/22
8:30am at The San Francisco Jewish Community Federation

Thursday 4/23
10:30am at Congregation Shomrei Torah, Sonoma
7:00pm at Chico State University

Friday 4/24
1:00pm at California Capitol Building, Sacramento

Saturday 4/25
10:00am at Mosaic Law Synagogue, Sacramento

Sunday 4/26
6:00pm at Convergence House of Prayer, Fremont

San Francisco Billboard Wars. Take 6

For the sixth time, SWU Is countering anti-Israel messages in San Francisco with pro-Israel ads beginning March 2, 2015.

StandWithUs (SWU) is placing two posters on San Francisco buses that will begin March 2 for one month.  They are on eight buses (four on four.)

This is the sixth time that the Israel education organization has responded to anti-Israel messages in San Francisco. 

One StandWithUs ad  states, "Not With Our Tax Dollars. Stop U.S. Aid for Palestinian Terrorism," and directs viewers to learn more and sign a petition at:  notaxesforterror.com. 

The second ad juxtaposes ancient and modern coins that feature the Menorah, reminding commuters that "Israel has been the homeland of the Jewish people for 3,000 years."

The SWU ads counter anti-Israel ones also on buses initiated by Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SeaMAC), partnering with the local No Tax Dollars For Israel, that feature a woman sitting in rubble stating, "Israel's War Crimes. Your Tax Dollars At Work." 

"The anti-Israel ads mislead the public and try to undermine American support for Israel with factual distortions and exaggerations. They leave out the real reason Israel needs to defend itself, which is Hamas in Gaza and terrorist cells in the West Bank. They leave out the numerous times Israel has given up land for peace - such as in Gaza in 2005 when, in exchange, Hamas and other terror groups fired thousands of rockets at Israel's southern communities. Operation Protective Edge was launched this summer to protect Israeli citizens. These ads do not explain that Hamas misappropriated donor funds that should have been used to build infrastructure and instead used the money for weapons to build  terror tunnels in order to unleash cross-border terror attacks at unsuspecting Israeli citizens," states Dr.  Michael Harris, StandWithUs/SFVoicefor Israel.

StandWithUs has countered anti-Israel messages on public transit and highways wherever they appeared throughout the United States and Canada since 2007. 

"Groups that publicize misinformation about Israel should be on the alert that we will continue to challenge their lies and to inform the public," affirmed Roz Rothstein, CEO StandWithUs.

IJAN"s irrational assault on the venerable ADL

In response to the grand jury decision not to issue an indictment against the white police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American in Ferguson, Missouri, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called the tragedy a wake-up call, “reminding us that the problems we face as a nation transcend Ferguson.”

Karen J. Aroesty, ADL St. Louis Regional Director, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director issued the following statement:

The events in Ferguson, Missouri should prompt all of us to do some very serious soul-searching.
We start from the premise that America is a nation governed by the rule of law. We were not in the grand jury room, we did not see the evidence, but we respect the grand jury’s integrity and their commitment to meeting the heavy responsibility thrust upon them. Friends of the Brown family, members of his community, and people across the nation may disagree with the outcome, and that is their right. But disagreement is never an excuse for violence.

At the same time, this tragedy should be a wake-up call reminding us that the problems we face as a nation transcend Ferguson. Fifty years after the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, our society is still not free from bias, racial prejudice, and discrimination. African-Americans are still the most frequent targets of hate crimes in America, black students are suspended or expelled from our public schools at a much higher rate than white students, and there are many other examples that show the continuing racial divide.

Michael Brown’s father has said that he does not want his son’s death to have been in vain. Rather, he wants it to lead to positive change, “change that makes the St. Louis region better for everyone.” We commend him for that, and hope that we can all come away from this tragedy with an understanding that will help not only St. Louis, but our whole nation. This is an appropriate moment to look at ourselves honestly, to confront the prejudice and bigotry that tarnish our society, and to commit ourselves to ensuring that we have a justice system that all Americans can trust.

*************

The ADL statement  was widely condemned by the IJAN, the extremist International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network,  who wrote

The ADL's decision to firmly support the police and attempt to silence nation-wide collective action is no surprise given their history of collaboration with and support of police violence and surveillance in the US. The ADL directly trains tens of thousands of police and other “security forces” and leads population control training of US Police by Israeli military and police forces. By facilitating the training of US police in Ferguson and other cities, the ADL acts as a driving force in the cross-pollination of the most repressive practices and the increasing militarization of police forces in the US and Israel.

We are disgusted that the ADL continues to stick to what it knows best: racism.

Why would the extremist IJAN deliberately  mischaracterize the ADL’s statement? What kind of  irrational moral inversion does it take to call a statement that urges Americans to engage in 'soul searching" because their nation is still not free from free from “bias, racial prejudice, and discrimination.”, racist?

You’ll find the answer at the Mike report

Jeff Robbins in a guest post at the Mike Report, has provided the answer, writing,  “The plan” as far as the Arabs were concerned was to “peel” American Jews away from the major American Jewish organizations, and in that way dilute American support for Israel.

Robbins provides the background:

In late 2004, as I was nearing the end of my tenure as President of the World Affairs Council of Boston, a foreign policy forum, we invited Nabil Fahmi, the then-Ambassador of Egypt to the United States, to speak to a group of Boston’s civic leaders about the Mideast. Fahmi delivered the predictable fare, blaming Israel not only for the Arab-Israeli conflict but for the region’s problems more generally. Straying somewhat from my proper role as host, I questioned him directly, and sharply, about his version of events, and insisted that he address the recently-released United Nations Arab Human Development Report written by Arab social scientists that placed blame for the Arab countries’ woes on the Arabs.

When it was time for him to leave, Fahmi made a special point of coming to see me to say goodbye, and asked me to come see him the next time I was in Washington, D.C. This was a gracious act on his part, particularly given my critical questioning of him in a public setting, and I did go see him at the fortress-like building that is Egypt’s Embassy to the United States. The meeting took place on November 22, 2004 in Ambassador Fahmi’s office, with only the two of us and his note-taker present. For an hour, Fahmi leaned back in his chair and explained to me that “the plan” as far as the Arabs were concerned was to “peel” American Jews away from the major American Jewish organizations, and in that way dilute American support for Israel.

We've seen JVP's childish rants against AIPAC and StandWithUs.  The IJAN has the JNF and the ADL in its crosshairs.  Other Jewish organizations are also under attack. This is not a spontaneous grass-roots response- its a concerted, coordinated Arab-lead effort.

Jeff Robbins' answer to to this challenge? "Israel Advocacy Organizations Need To Up Their Game"

Hamas, ISIS and Iran kill Gays like me

NEW YORK – Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, executive director of This World: The Values Network, and Israel advocacy group Stand With Us have taken out a full page ad in The New York Times this week exposing the repression and persecution of LGBT communities throughout the Middle East

The text of the ad follows, via  Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

 

 

My name is Rennick Remley. I’m a gay American. And I support Israel.

If I lived in Gaza or Israel’s neighboring states, I would be thrown in jail, mutilated or killed.

Though I am not Jewish, Israel is the only country in the Middle East where I can live without fear. I am free to adopt children, serve openly in the military, advocate for my community’s rights and be accepted as a human being.

I visited Israel and marched with thousands of people from around the globe in Jerusalem’s Gay Pride parade, and all were treated with dignity. The freedom I experienced made me feel at home.

That’s why I’m appalled that so many in the Western world – including the media, Hollywood, and self-proclaimed human rights activists – fail to hold terrorist organizations like Hamas and autocratic governments like Iran accountable for their persecution of LGBT communities.

Have you no decency?

Hamas calls homosexuals subhuman, accusing us of engaging in a “filthy practice” that is punishable by death.

It’s not an empty threat. Gay Palestinians have been tortured and killed. That’s why many gay Palestinian men risk their lives to cross the border and seek refuge in Israel.
If I lived in Iran, or under Hamas’ ideological cousin ISIS, chances are you’d be seeing my picture.

Not in this ad, but hanging from a crane in a public square. That’s a regular practice against gay men by the Iranian regime.

The only way for gays to avoid persecution in Iran is to undergo a forced sex change operation.

To those who scapegoat Israel while pretending to care about human rights yet remain silent about the oppression and violence Hamas, Iran and other Middle East countries inflict on the gay community:

Shame on you. You are letting them murder us, literally.

Your misguided actions ensure that LGBT people in the Middle East continue to live in hiding under constant threat of violent death.

It’s time to hold oppressive dictators and religious fanatics accountable for their homophobia and violence against LGBT communities.

As a nation that respects the rights and humanity of every citizen, Israel is a model for the rest of the region. Speak up for Israel. You don’t have to be Jewish to love the only democracy in the Middle East.

Join the fight for justice and human rights in the Middle East at shmuley.com, thisworld.com and StandWithUs.com.

In Israel, I am free.

Ryan Bellerose in Israel

There is a reason the anti-Israel bigots at UCLA have focused their wrath on students who have taken educational trips to Israel.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It

 Its why Birthright scares the haters. 10 days in Israel exposes their lies, their bias and their agenda. Israeli sunshine is, and always will be the best disinfectant to BDS hate.

And its for this reason, we all owe StandWithUs thanks for having the insight and the compassion to send First Nations advocate Ryan Bellerose to Israel. Ryan was an intellectual Zionist- his attachment to Israel was the result of careful study. But now his attachment is stronger and deeper.

Via Israellycool

It can hardly be said that Ryan didn't know Israel when he got here. Or at least, through his copious reading of a wide range of historical and religious sources, he thought he knew Israel. He's written a thesis on the Merkeva tank, but he'd never before met someone who fought in one. He's read the gospels but he'd never walked along the Via de la Rose. He's read of the decadence of Rome but he'd never stood in the amphitheatre of Caesarea. He's read about Jews being blocked from their Temple Mount but he'd never reached the front of the line and been refused entry himself. He's read about the Syrians shelling civilians but he'd never stood on a hill a mile away and watched shells fly.

He did all of those things and many more.

Read Ryan’s impressions of Israel, published at Israellycool. And if you can, send StandWithUs a donation, so they can continue to sponsor trips to Israel that open hearts and minds and broaden horizons for so many people

Students for Justice in Palestine exploit Passover holiday to push their agenda

Because they can't win on a level playing field, the Students for Justice in Palestine have called for an anti-Israel day of action during Passover, when Jewish students will be celebrating with family and friends. Its cowardly and manipulative, and its just what we've come to expect from them.

Via StandWithUs

(Los Angeles, CA -- April 10, 2014) -- StandWithUs condemns Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) for planning an anti-Israel “Day of Action” during the important Jewish holiday of Passover, on April 16^th. According to SJP's advertisement of this event, their actions will include promoting anti-Israel divestment resolutions in student governments, along with other public propaganda initiatives. Holding this event during Passover is insulting and culturally insensitive at best. 

“This is yet another example of how anti-Israel activists are afraid to be challenged by those who disagree with them, and prefer to silence or marginalize opposing voices instead. Many Jewish students will not have the opportunity to make their voices heard because they will be away from campus with their families, or otherwise preoccupied because of the holiday,” observed StandWithUs National Campus Director, Brett Cohen. 

Based on previous behavior, we expect SJPs at numerous campuses to exploit the Passover holiday by attempting to launch secret divestment campaigns. In 2012 the UC Students Association passed a surprise anti-Israel resolution during Rosh Hashanah. Jewish and pro-Israel student organizations were not notified in advance or given any opportunity to raise concerns about the issue. At Loyola University of Chicago, UC Riverside, and Arizona State University divestment legislation was introduced using similar underhanded tactics. These were all transparent attempts by SJP to abuse the democratic process, prevent real debate, and silence the voices of pro-Israel students. We urge all students and people of conscience to stand against SJP's corrupt methods and bigoted propaganda.

(Thanks to Avi Mayer)

                                                

Hen Mazzig: The power of Hope

 Via Youtube: A TED talk with Hen Mazzig


Hen Mazzig, StandWithUs Northwest's Israeli representative, is an energetic, engaging, tremendous representative of Israel's next generation. Hen is a former lieutenant in a unit called COGAT, and worked as an intermediary between the the IDF and the Palestinian Authority (the PA) the UN, and the many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work in the West Bank. Hen's unit was responsible for overseeing the construction of medical facilities, schools, environmental projects, roads, and water-related infrastructure in the Palestinians, and part of the Palestinian Authority for security coordination with the Palestinian Security Forces.



Hen describes the chain of events that led him to join the IDF's COGAT Unit- the humanitarian branch of the IDF that helps the Palestinians by building infrastructure. He talks about the hope and the vision of Israelis and Palestinians, working together for a better future.

Vonvo Seminars on BDS

From the Israel Advocacy group, StandWithUs

Want to learn more about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel? Its real agenda is the elimination of the state of Israel. Learn how you can eliminate BDS, instead.
StandWithUs (SWU) is proud to present a 3- part live, interactive roundtable discussion series "Standing Up to BDS" on Vonvo.com to analyze the BDS movement and effective responses to its tactics. Our first program will focus on universities. Speakers are: Dr Michael Harris, community activist with StandWithUs San Francisco ; Brett Cohen, SWU National Campus Program Director, Hen Mazzig, Campus Coordinator SWU Northwest, and Max Samarov, SWU research assistant. Audience participants can send in questions via the live chat room.

Please join us at 12 noon Eastern 9 AM Pacific, 7 PM Israel time on Sunday March 2 at Vonvo.com.
Our second program on Sunday March 9 will feature Dr Harris in discussion with Rob Jacobs, director of StandWithUs Northwest and Barbara Mazor, one of the leaders of the successful effort to defeat the BDS movement at the Park Slope Food Co-op in Brooklyn, about ways to counter BDS attempts to coerce community organizations and businesses to boycott Israeli products.

Our third and final event on Sunday March 16 will include Dr Harris as well as Roberta Seid, director of research for StandWithUs, and Peggy Shapiro, Chicago community coordinator for StandWithUs discussing how to stop BDS in the academic community.

All 3 events will all be held at 12 noon Eastern 9 AM Pacific, 7 PM Israel time.
Vonvo recommends people use the browser Google Chrome

Finally instructions for attending and participating are listed below. We hope to see you all there!
https://www.facebook.com/events/464445546990072/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular
to download Google Chrome: https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/
Directions/Requirements:

Requirements:
1. Make sure you are using the browser Google Chrome or Firefox (preferably chrome)
2. Good internet connection on your COMPUTER (mobile doesn't work)
3. Login in with your Facebook account to actively participate (not required)
Directions:
1. Go to www.vonvo.com using Google Chrome
2. click the "log in with facebook" button and sign in
3. scroll down to the "StandWithUs" channel
4. click the "Join Live Vonvo" button (dropdown will appear)
5. click the "View Live Vonvo" button
6. enjoy the discussion!!

Nelson Mandela: Co-opted, Re-mixed and Re-delivered

Kudos to StandWithUs for exposing the lengths anti-Israel activists will go through to manipulate the truth.




Anti-Israel activists deliberately manipulated footage of Nelson Mandela, speaking at a 1990 Town Hall meeting anchored by Ted Koppel on ABC Nightline in New York, in an effort to eliminate his  declaration  "The support for Yassir Arafat in his struggle does not mean that the ANC has ever doubted the right of Israel to exist as a state. We have stood quite openly and firmly for the right of that state to exist within secured borders"

Lies. Manipulation. Selective editing. Could these ethically bankrupt anti-Israeli propagandists stoop any lower?

Sadly, the answer is probably yes.

Sorry for the clip show. Its not any less shocking the second time around.

With 15,000 recommends, and over 15,000 shares , its safe to say this article by Hen Mazzig has gone viral.  The StandWithUs Pacific Northwest Campus Coordinator's  article discussing campus anti-Israel activism and the role of American Jews was one of The Times of Israel's most read articles in 2013.

Hen's article, titled "An Israeli Soldier to American Jews: Wake Up!" implored American Jews to stand up for Israel on campus. If you missed it the first time around, check it out.

Hen writes:

As part of my work as an educator at StandWithUs, between January and May of this year, I  traveled to college campuses, high schools and churches, sharing the history of modern Israel.  I also shared personal stories about growing up in the Jewish state, and about my family. I always spoke about my military service as an officer in an IDF COGAT unit that attends to the needs of Palestinian civilians who are not involved in the conflict and promotes Palestinian civil society. Each time I would speak and take questions for an hour or more. I have shared my personal story with over 16,000 people at many, many college campuses and high schools, including UC Berkeley, Stanford, the University of Washington, Seattle University and many others. Many of those to whom I spoke were supportive, friendly, and open to hearing about my Israel. But, sadly, far too many were not...

I was further shocked by how unaware the organized Jewish community is and how little they are actually doing to counter this rising anti-Semitism, which motivated me to write this article.

 This new form of bigotry against Israel has been called the “new anti-Semitism,” with “Israel” replacing “Jew” in traditional anti-Semitic imagery and canards, singling out and discriminating against the Jewish state, and denying the Jewish people alone the right to self-determination. The new anti-Semitism is packaged in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (BDS), which claims to champion Palestinian rights though its real goal is to erode American support for Israel, discredit Jews who support Israel, and pave the way for eliminating the Jewish state. One of BDS’ central demands is the “complete right of return” for all the descendants of the original Palestinian refugees, subtle language that means the end of Israel as the Jewish homeland because it would turn Israel into a Palestinian-Arab majority state.

Hen's experiences are shocking:  

To give you a taste of the viciousness of the BDS attacks, let me cite just a few of the many shocking experiences I have had. At a BDS event in Portland, a professor from a Seattle university told the assembled crowd that the Jews of Israel have no national rights and should be forced out of the country. When I asked, “Where do you want them to go?” she calmly answered, “I don’t care. I don’t care if they don’t have any place else to go. They should not be there.” When I responded that she was calling for ethnic cleansing, both she and her supporters denied it. And during a presentation in Seattle, I spoke about my longing for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. When I was done, a woman in her 60’s stood up and yelled at me, “You are worse than the Nazis. You are just like the Nazi youth!” A number of times I was repeatedly accused of being a killer, though I have never hurt anyone in my life. On other occasions, anti-Israel activists called me a rapist. The claims go beyond being absurd – in one case, a professor asked me if I knew how many Palestinians have been raped by IDF forces. I answered that as far as I knew, none. She triumphantly responded that I was right, because, she said, “You IDF soldiers don’t rape Palestinians because Israelis are so racist and disgusted by them that you won’t touch them.”

 Read it all here

Billboard Wars, Vancouver edition: The season finale

From StandwithUs, an international non-profit organization, dedicated to informing the public about Israel and to combating  extremism and anti-Semitism.

StandWithUs [SWU] is placing posters in ten TransLink stations to counter the misinformation of anti-Israel posters currently at these sites and on buses in Vancouver.  The StandWithUs ads will run beginning the week of October 14 until November 14, 2013.

StandWithUs, the international Israel education organization, opened its first Canadian chapter in Toronto in 2012, with community leader Meryle Kates as executive director. Though StandWithUs has countered anti-Israel transit ads in the U.S. since 2007, this is the first time the organization has posted ads in Canada.

StandWithUs will display two different posters. 

 One depicts Jewish loss of land from Biblical times to the present by juxtaposing a map of the ancient Jewish kingdom circa 1000 BCE, a map of the land designated as the Jewish homeland by the League of Nations in 1920, and a map of the much smaller Israel of today.

Jewish Loss of land

The second ad, with pictures of Israeli and Canadian children waving their national flags, celebrates the shared values and freedom both countries enjoy. 

They will run on the Canada Line - Waterfront, Vancouver City Station, and Yaletown and on the SkyTrain - Commercial Station.

The SWU ads will counter the map posters sponsored by the Palestine Awareness Coalition (PAC) which depict a “disappearing Palestine,” with Israel appearing to expand into the West Bank.

“The anti-Israel ads distort facts. We have already encountered these particular 'map' ads in the U.S.  They presume there once was an Arab country called 'Palestine' when in fact no such country ever existed prior to the one being considered today.  Conversely, there has been a continuous Jewish presence in the land of Israel for 3 millenia, and the League of Nations recognized the Jews' historical connection to the land which is why it carved out the Palestine Mandate as the Jewish homeland,” explained Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs.

In reality, it is the Jewish state that has steadily gotten smaller.  It reached its largest extent during the reigns of Kings David and Solomon when it stretched into Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.  In 1920, the League of Nations designated present-day Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, and the Golan Heights as the Jewish homeland.  But over the decades, Israel shrank to its present size and is only 9 miles wide at its narrowest point and 290 miles long.

“As usual, the anti-Israel ad campaign tries to undermine North American support for Israel by misrepresenting its history.  Now the campaigners have moved to Canada in an effort to erode Canada's strong support for the Jewish state.   Many community members have been frustrated with the anti-Israel rhetoric on campuses and in the community and requested that we respond.  The StandWithUs posters balance the propaganda with the facts.  They also remind Canadians of the shared values and many benefits of Canada's steadfast alliance with Israel.  "I am proud to be with StandWithUs, an organization working to correct misrepresentations about Israel with the facts,” commented Meryle Kates, StandWithUs Canada executive director.

The anti-Israel billboard campaigns began in the U.S. and for the past six years, StandWithUs has countered each one.  SWU ran ads several times in San Francisco and New York City; Houston, Texas; Missoula, and Helena, Montana; Washington, DC; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Chicago, Denver, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

“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,” concluded Rothstein.

Action Alert: Insist that CSUN Remove David Klein's Biogoted Anti-Israel Web pages

From StandWithUs ,  an international, nonprofit organization supporting Israel around the world.

Cal State University Northridge [CSUN] mathematics professor David Klein has posted anti-Israel defamations on the CSUN server.  These inflammatory web pages violate Cal State University standards and policy, and foster a hostile environment for pro-Israel students on campus.  Thus far, CSUN officials have refused to remove the offending web pages.

Background.  David Klein, professor of mathematics at Cal State University Northridge (CSUN) posted anti-Semitic, anti-Israel material web pages on the CSUN server. One page, “Boycott Israel,” is crude anti-Israel propaganda with the inflammatory header that “Israel is the most racist state in the world at this time,” links to anti-Israel websites and materials,and gruesome photos of dead children to imply that Israel intentionally murders Palestinian babies—that is, the medieval blood libel charge. 

On a separate page, Klein posted an open letter to CSU’s Chancellor, urging CSU to reverse its decision to reinstate the study abroad program in Israel because Israel is an “apartheid,” dangerous state where American students would face discrimination and even possible death at the hands of the IDF.

These web pages should be removed immediately from the CSUN server.  They violate CSU’s policy of prohibiting misuse of the school name for political purposes.  They also are intended to incite hatred of Israel and Israel’s supporters. Professor Klein’s materials, with their double standards, distorted facts, and demonization of Israel are clear examples of what the US State Department identifies as the new Anti-Semitism.  Unfortunately, the letter urging revocation of CSUN’s study abroad program was signed by over 77 CSU faculty and staff, including the CSUN Deans of Humanities and of Arts and Humanities.  

What can you do to help?  

Sign an open letter to the university: 

    

The Amcha Initiative, founded by Professors Tammi Benjamin and Leila Beckwith, has posted a letter to Cal State University Chancellor Reed, urging that these offensive web pages be removed from the CSUN server. 

Sign here