Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists at it again

Via Emunah:

The Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists is intent on proving that the fetid intersection where the hard left and the hard right meet is anti-Semitism. They'll be hosting anti-Israel activist Alison Weir for a talk on....wait for it...pro Israel activism. Alison's appearance at the BFUU  is part of a rather disturbing pattern of behavior at the fellowship, which has previously hosted holocaust denier and 9/11 truther  Ken O'Keefe  (We didn't know he was anti-Semitic. Really we didn't!) and Gilad Atzmon (We didn't know he was anti-Semitic! Really, we didn't!) 

Alison Weir is the former editor of a Marin penny-saver, who has catapulted 2 trips to the Mid-east into a career.  She is the executive director of If Americans Knew, run out of her Richmond home, and president of the Council for the National Interest 

Alison Weir is a controversial figure, even among her peers. Groups as extreme as Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine have publicly distanced themselves from her. If Americans Knew has been condemned for furthering anti-Semitism by the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation.

From Tablet:

Weir earned this remarkable wall-to-wall opprobrium by promoting anti-Semitic myths, working with white supremacists, and publishing anti-Jewish content on IAK’s web site. Among other exploits:

•  Weir published an original blog post on her personal site which justified anti-Semitism by labeling the Jewish “race” as “an object of hatred to all the peoples among whom it has established itself,” In the words of the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, the piece “effectively blam[ed] Jews for anti-Semitism.”

•  Weir has not only promoted the conspiracy theory that Israel harvests the organs of Palestinians—an update of the medieval blood libel—but has actually asserted the accuracy of the original blood libel itself, which accused Jews of ritually murdering Christian children to use their blood in Passover matzo. (Weir cited the discredited and since withdrawn research of a Jewish writer.)

•  Weir has worked repeatedly with white supremacists, while never challenging their bigoted claims. For instance, in a series of appearances on the radio show of white supremacist and Holocaust denier Clayton Douglas, Weir dismissed allegations that he was a racist, did not challenge his repeated assertions of Jewish control of the world, and did not protest when he played a speech by former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke. Writes the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, “Weir made little to no effort to challenge, confront, or rebut any of these views; on the contrary, she continued to appear on the show.”

•  Weir has also published repeatedly at the American Free Press, a white supremacist anti-Semitic site that is designated as a hate outlet by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

For these actions and others, both Jewish Voice for Peace and the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation severed ties with Weir in July 2015. (Though the same cannot be said for many other anti-Israel activists, who continue to defend and even honor Weir.)

From Political Research Associates: Challenging the Right: Advancing Social justice: 

IAK’s criticisms of Zionism and Israel dovetail with traditional antisemitic narratives, and Weir often cites antisemitic writers and publications as her sources. When asked if the work of antisemitic authors including Israel Shamir, Gilad Atzmon, and Kevin MacDonald were truly legitimate, she replied, “Yes. I suggest people read their work for themselves.”

Much of Alison's past presentations are based on a statistical study she personally undertook, alleging bias in reporting on Israeli and Palestinian dead. Her analysis has been described as "amateurish" and "flawed", with  media watchdog CAMERA concluding 

"Weir's pseudoscientific study and absurd conclusions are not so surprising in light of her history of distortion."

Weir's study claims

 "the Times reported Israeli deaths at rates up to seven to ten times greater than Palestinian deaths," and that this discrepancy is "based on the ethnicity of the person killed."  and that "Times reporting regularly gave readers the impression that equal numbers of people on both sides were being killed – or that more Israelis were being killed," and that "the majority of Palestinian deaths ... are never reported by the Times at all."

However, according to CAMERA:

The bulk of the study is based only on the headline and first paragraph – often just one sentence – of New York Times news reports, and completely ignores the remaining text of the articles. In other words, most of the news reports condemned by the study are not even read.

In an op-ed in the April 4, 2008  Greenwich Citizen,  Alison Weir described Judaism as  "such a ruthless and supremacist faith".

Information on Alison Weir's extremist conspiratorial views are widely available on the Web. Her facebook page, and those of If Americans Knew are filled with anti-Semitic imagery, conspiracy theories and classic Jew-hate 

Jewish Voice for Peace can’t seem to stay away from Alison Weir

ADL Backgrounder on Alison Weir

Professor Stanford Recommends Anti-Semitic Website to Readers, Then Kind of Takes it Back 

Campus Profile: Alison Weir If Americans Knew

Study of New York Times Coverage Severely Flawed

Alison Weir posing with convicted Palestinian terrorist Rasmea Odeh

Will the Berkeley fellowship of Unitarian Universalists still claim they didn't know?

Event details:

Thursday, February 16 at 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM PST
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists
1924 Cedar Street, Berkeley, CA 
(Corner of Cedar St and Bonita Ave)

This talk is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Social Justice Committee of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists.

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists hosts Ken O'Keefe for a talk on Jewish Power

Church sanctioned hate in Berkeley, of all places.

According to their website, the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists is a progressive spiritual community that stands proudly as a beacon for social justice.  BFUU has twice received the “Moral Beacon” Award from the Pacific Central District of the Unitarian Universalist Association, for its “extraordinary courage and commitment in the work of creating a better world.”

On March 20 this "beacon of social justice" proudly sponsored notorious anti-Semite Ken O'Keefe .
The BFUU was not simply renting out a space- they took an active role promoting O'Keefe on their mailing list, their facebook page

as well as on their community calendar.

O'Keefe  is current touring the US on what he calls his  "F**k the TSA/Homeland Security tour".  He was introduced by Vic Sadot of the BFUU Social Justice committee. His talk at the BFUU was laced with unfiltered profanity

The Unitarian Universalists in Berkeley have jumped feet-first into the anti-Semitic swimming hole with this action, and are now find themselves complicit in the promotion of abhorrent blood libels, conspiracy theories, and pure unadulterated hate.

At the event, Ken O'Keefe proudly declared   "I'm honored to be labeled a terrorist by Israel. I'm honored to be labeled an anti-Semitic by the ADL.",and expressed his disappointment that no one came to protest his event.

Early in the talk, O'Keefe stated "If there's one group on the planet you really can't criticize its pretty damn obvious. I'm sure everyone is just waiting for that word to come out", before launching into his tirade on the parallels between Jewish and American supremacism.

From his abashed support for the misunderstood and misrepresented Nazis to his admiration for the Syrian Butcher Assad who "did his job admirably", Ken O'Keefe's hate flowed with ease.   "We can't use certain words. Language has become manipulated. Political correctness is the order of the day and people like me are supposed to be vilified because I'm anti-Semitic... My problem with Judaism is based on my anti-supremacist perspective", adding  "the people I'm allegedly against aren't even Semitic They don't come from that region. They don't even speak Hebrew. Ashkenazi Jews come from the Caspian basin"

His vile unhinged and  unsubstantiated accusations were met by an appreciative audience, which included his fellow traveler on the 2010 Gaza flotilla, Paul Larudee

Spoken by Ken O'Keefe,  at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists:

"Those that are effectively running the world primarily through the financial system are psychopaths, sociopaths. Many of them, if not all of them are pedophiles. Many of them are involved in something as nasty sadistic and untouchable as f**ing little boys and little girls before they sacrifice them."

"The system is almost totally controlled by Jewish bankers"

"The Jewish supremacist state of Israel largely adheres to Talmudic Judaism and boy oh boy lets get into some religious texts that are obscene as you could imagine".

People who don't understand that "the power structure within Israel is operating largely within Talmudic dictates are naive" 

These  "Talmudic dictates" are  " the authoritative document for the Jewish supremacists who are running the country" according to Ken O'Keefe. O'Keefe  included a sickening array of lies too vile to be repeated.

Lest you assume he distinguishes between "Jews" and  "Zionists", O'Keefe added  "The Jewish people are collectively responsible for the Jewish state".

That Ken O'Keefe is capable of spewing such venomous hate and lies is unsurprising. What is shocking, however is that the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists would promote it and give it legitimacy.

Let the BFUU know how you feel. Leave them on a comment on their Facebook page, give them a call at (510) 841-4824 or write them a note at 1924 Cedar Street, Berkeley, CA 94709. 

Greta Berlin and Friends Berkeley hate fest part 2

Guest post by Emunah

“Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right’

An hour and a half of just listening to accusations of organ theft, of not being “real Semites”, of rich and powerful Jews controlling information and government was personally exhausting.  This  glimpse into the dark soul of anti-Israel activism revealed, as suspected, a core of  festering anti-Semitism.

It wasn't a surprise.  It wasn't just Greta Berlin’s now infamous tweet, or the cover-up that changed day to day. It wasn’t her step daughter Ava’s admission about the depth of Greta’s hatred .  For me, years of observing the seething anti-Semitism on the streets- and the silence of those who stood by exposed the “peace” movement for what it really was.

Illumination came to the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists in the unexpected form of a young Occupy activist, “Beth”.  Beth had been invited to the Fellowship by Janet Kobren, a flotilla participant, currently active in Occupy. Beth was invited with the expectation that she  “might learn something”.

Beth  spoke during the Question and Answer  period.

 “Hi. I appreciate all the work that is being done on behest  of the Palestinians. But I came here on the behest of Janet. She thought that I might learn things that I didn't know. I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know.  And I support the Palestinians. I support BDS. I support the flotilla. But recently there was an incident where someone in this room wrote on our non-violent list serve, that all Jews are immoral and that all Jews are secret Zionists... “

( At this point, Joseph Anderson, an audience member began screaming   "Not true, not true” )

She continued

 “... there is a danger of the mainstream  media goes totally to the right and defends Israel to no end, and won't point out any of the issues, but there is a problem on the left of going so far that anyone one who is even - when you talk about a 1 state solution, I have not heard of the particulars of how two groups, who are in this conflict and hate each other for 60 years are going to live side by side. And I've heard also there are many states that have divided into ethnic countries. Now I'm accused of being a Zionist, of being a Zionist, for saying that I believe a 2 state solution, is a better solution. So, what I'm saying is if you want the Jews to support the Palestinians,  you can't deny the history of the anti-Semitism, that started when Jesus was labeled as killed by the Jews. “

Joseph’s response ?  A variation on the theme of “all my best friends are Jews” , He then accused the young woman of being a plant and an agent provocateur .

Full disclosure:  Joseph Anderson (posting as JA on the various Indymedia sites) was alleged to have written a rant, justifying the collective punishment of the Jewish people worldwide:

“Personally, I *EXULT* everytime I see an Israeli Jew bite the dust. And the same goes for their American cousins! EVERY SINGLE JEW EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD is a just and appropriate target for anti-colonialist liberation! We need to start targeting *EVERY* synagogue, *EVERY* Jew community center, school and everywhere else that you racist devils preach and propogate your agenda.
BOUT  TO MEET YO MAKER, JEWBOY? HA, HA HA!!!!!!!!!!”

There are people on all sides of the political spectrum that question his mental stability

He began:

 “.. First of all, I come from a people that also suffered for centuries at the hands of Christians and often Jews. And no amount of suffering entitles anyone to go take, dispossess or be given  the land of another people.... Second of all, let me say I've had anti-Zionist, Jewish roommates and friends for at least 20 years. My first roommate was an anti-Zionist Jew. I've been friends with a majority of Jews in this room, for quite some time. So, for you to say, that I called all Jews immoral, is patently ridiculous. So, for my question, you know Malcom X said about the false accusation of anti-Semitism is that' that stick don't hurt me' and that's how I've conducted myself. And ironically I've been very rarely called an anti-Semite because, if Zionists tried to do something, I don't care. The other thing we have to realize with regard to the enforcement arm of the Lobby, if I were in charge of that, I would send people out on the left, to work on the left.”

 Beth attempted to have her voice  heard. Again.  She was under the impression that this was meant to be a discussion of anti-Semitism and Zionism

“This is supposed to be on anti-Semitism and Zionism… you are not allowing… to speak…You've had 3 speakers for an hour on 1 perspective and the one person who has a different… you wouldn't let speak for more than a minute.”

Alison dismissed her . “This happens frequently. There will be one person that thinks that they are entitled. That they are more important than everybody else in the whole room.”

Soon the audience joined in the attacks- threatening to call the police on her.

One patronizingly demanded, “Will you be quiet miss?”

“No. I will not,” she answered.  “Because this has been stacked with the Palestinian perspective.”

Greta Berlin, Alison Weir and Jeff Blankfort at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian  Universalists Oct 18, 2012.  Where Beth, a sensitive and involved Occupy activist learns that “groupthink” is alive and well on the fringe left, and that for them, "justice" means  "Just us".