Billboard Wars Redux. The Sacramento edition

Curiouser and Curiouser.  The original announcement from the Free Palestine Movement  largely took credit for the anti-Israel billboard that went up on I 50 near Sacramento, and even requested that donations to be sent to the FPM  "office"- which just happens to be Paul Larudee's home.  It follows:

 

Here is the new billboard, paid with your donations.  It is viewed from US-50 westbound, just before it meets with I-80, southwest of Sacramento, which is a section of the main highway belt of the city, receiving major traffic.

As you can see, the billboard was designed to appeal to persons not particularly informed about the issue, and not even necessarily sympathetic to Palestine.  This is deliberate: there is no point trying to win people who already sympathize with us.  The billboard has been up for two weeks now, and will remain for another two weeks or more.  It connects to a website that offers additional information and is another donation site.

  As we previously announced, our coalition is taking the campaign national, and we expect to announce additional advertisements in other states before long, subject to your donations.  Please continue to support our work by sending your tax-exempt check to the address below, or go to our website www.freepalestinemovement.org/donate.html and donate on line.  It’s tax deductible either way, and we encourage you to sign up for automatic monthly payments to assure continuous funding.  If you are sending a check you can mail it to:

 

FPM (Bus Ad Campaign)

405 Vista Heights Rd.  El Cerrito, CA 94530

 

But now a "clarification" has been issued.  From the FPM team:

To clarify our earlier message below: the Free Palestine Movement is proud to have provided the funds for the Sacramento billboard. We are not the sponsors, however, of this billboard or of this new Stop the Blank Check campaign.  The sponsors are the Council for the National Interest and If Americans Knew.

If you want to donate directly to the Stop the Blank Check campaign to educate the American public via billboards and other media, please send your contribution directly to either of these organizations, with a note specifying that these are for the Stop the Blank Check campaign

What comes to mind is the adage "No honor among thieves".  Paul Larudee has found himself on the outs with other activists before.   In an open letter to Paul, anti-Israel activist Lubna  Masarwa accused him of falsely taking credit for the  Welcome to Palestine campaign

You have appeared in the media over the last week, often stating that
you organized the Welcome to Palestine campaign. All statements you
have made in regards to this campaign were false.

While our not so esteemed opponents are duking it out over who takes credit for what failed project, there is some positive news from the pro-Israel side.

StandWithUs (SWU) is countering anti-Israel billboards by placing its own ad beginning November 5 for three weeks. The SWU ad encourages the public to "Tell Congress Not to Support Palestinian Groups Like Hamas Because They Don't Want Peace." It specifically targets an anti-Israel billboard that calls for ending military aid to Israel. The 12x50 foot billboard will be visible on Interstate 80 near Harbor Boulevard exit.

"We cannot allow the public to be misled by the factual distortions in yet another anti-Israel campaign. The anti-Israel ads try to undermine American support for Israel by misrepresenting Israel and its history. They leave out the real reason Israel needs to defend itself, which are ongoing threats from terrorist cells in the West Bank, from the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, and from the existential threats from countries such as Iran. They leave out the numerous times Israel has given up land for peace - such as in Gaza in 2005 when, in exchange, Israel ended up with thousands of rockets fired at its southern communities, with Hamas claiming responsibility,” states Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs.

"Most Americans are aware that Israel is on the front lines of terrorism, and know that the military aid the small country receives helps to protect its citizens. They know that the real injustice is that Palestinian Arab leaders have rejected all territorial compromises for peace and refuse to continue direct negotiations. SWU is gratified that the majority of Americans do not subscribe to the agenda of these misguided anti-Israel groups who sponsor the ads, and who, in effect, help the extremists whose goal is to destroy the only Democracy in the Middle East.  Most Americans recognize that Israel is at the forefront of advances in technology, conservation and humanitarian programs that have benefited the world. They understand that constructive exchanges are the best hope for peaceful coexistence," states Gail Rubin, StandWithUs Sacramento/Davis Area Coordinator.

StandWithUs has countered every anti-Israel billboard that has appeared in the United States since 2007, whether they called for ending military aid to Israel or used maps that distort the region's history. SWU countered anti-Israel billboards displayed in San Francisco and Berkeley BART stations and Muni buses five times in 2011-12; in one instance by highlighting Israel's achievements in AIDS research and water conservation. On October 22, 2012, SWU placed two ads in Portland, Oregon light rail and buses for a total of 19 that stress Israel's quest for peace. In July 2012, SWU placed six ads in 75 locations in New York's Metro-North stations to counter posters of maps that misrepresent Israel's history.

Crocodile invades Gaza Sewer system.

I first learned of this story through the  not so esteemed Al Arabia News, and immediately thought "What a crock".   Sound fishy to you?

A crocodile has been roaming the pipes of the sewer network in the besieged Gaza Strip and all attempts to capture him have failed, according to residents.

“The crocodile most likely escaped from one of the nearby zoos and sought refuge in the sewers,” said Rajab al-Ankah, head of the Northern Gaza Sewage Station.

Ankah added that the crocodile, whose length is estimated at 1.7 meters, escaped capture several times.

“The nets were set up to capture the crocodile, but it managed to escape. The slippery ground in the area around the swamps near Beit Lahia in northern Gaza made the escape easier and the crocodile disappeared once more.”

According to local residents, the crocodile comes out of the sewage basins to look for food then disappears quickly for fear of being captured.

According to Ankah, the crocodile has been living in the sewage network for two whole years.

“It came as a baby and now it is huge and the more it grows the more dangerous it becomes for the residents of the area and their livestock.”

One of the farmers in Beit Lahia had already reported that the crocodile ate two of his goats when they were grazing near one of the sewage basins.

This raised concerns about the possibility of the crocodile attacking human beings in the future if it is not captured shortly.

Interestingly enough, the photo offered of the Gaza Croc is a stock photo of an Australian salt water crocodile..

 How'd an  Austrailian croc end up in Gaza?  Raffah crossing, maybe?

My personal belief is this is yet another in the pantheon of Zionist spy animals.   After all, we know how much the Israelis love their crocs    Clearly they are responsible for this outrage

And we have an UPDATE;
Said Crocodile has been caught- apparently it had escaped from one of gaza's zoos.  (Yes, Gaza, just like the "Warsaw ghetto" has zoos. Plural.


From Al Jezeera

A crocodile that has been roaming the pipes of the sewer basins network in the besieged Gaza Strip has been captured, according to Bregadier General Mohammed Abu Sissi, a police officer.

"We have been chasing the crocodile to catch it before it grows more and becomes a real threat for civilians. We have used all possibilities including fishermen and civil defence men to catch it alive. We could have sniped it but we preferred to catch it alive and bring it back to the nearby zoo where it fled from," Abu Sissi said.

The crocodile, whose length is estimated at 1.7m, has been living in the sewage network for two years according to Rajab al-Ankah, head of the Northern Gaza Sewage Station.

“The crocodile escaped from one of the nearby zoos called Bissan and sought refuge in the sewers,” al-Ankah said, adding that it escaped capture several times.

“The nets were set up to capture the crocodile, but it managed to escape. The slippery ground in the area around the swamps near Beit Lahia in northern Gaza made the escape easier and the crocodile disappeared once more.”

According to local residents, the crocodile used to come out of the sewage basins to look for food then disappeared quickly for fear of being captured.

“It came as a baby and now it is huge and the more it grows the more dangerous it becomes for the residents of the area and their livestock,”  al-Ankah said.



 

The Growing Irrelevancy of the Jewish Left

Mike L.

{Cross-Posted at Israel Thrives and Geoffff's Joint, Bar and Grill.}

The Jewish left is becoming more and more irrelevant in regards the Arab-Israel conflict.

The reason for this is because the Jewish left's prescription for ending the conflict is grounded in the failed idea of a negotiated agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.  This, of course, was the basis of the Oslo Accords.  The idea, quite simply, was that the Palestinians want and deserve a state of their own in peace next to Israel and therefore Israel needed to make "painful concessions," such as dividing the city of Jerusalem, in order to get a negotiated end of hostilities.

Throughout the Clinton era there was considerable optimism on the Jewish left that an agreement could be reached because a negotiated conclusion of hostilities in a two-state solution is rational.  For the best benefit of ourselves and our children we will compromise.  For the best benefit of themselves and their children the Palestinians will compromise.  And then there will be something resembling peace.

The only problem, of course, is that the Palestinians, and the Arab world, more generally, has clearly demonstrated that they have no intention of ending the long Arab war against the Jews in the Middle East and why should they?  The Arab-Muslim world has the Jews outnumbered by a factor of 50 or 60 to 1.  They can fight on for many more decades and it will hardly leave a scratch in their broader population.  They can make life exceedingly uncomfortable for the Jews of the Middle East, as the residents of S'derot and Ashkelon know all too well, and the world will support them in their efforts.

This is why the Jewish left no longer has anything helpful to say on the matter.  The left's entire prescription is grounded in the false notion that Israelis are primarily at fault for the conflict and that if only Israel would ethnically cleanse Judea and Samaria of Jews then the Palestinians would finally agree to a state for themselves in peace next to Israel.  But does anyone, at this late date, actually believe that this is what the Palestinians want?  Despite refusing offer after offer after offer for statehood, how can anyone believe that what they want is what they perpetually refuse?

It defies all reason and rationality.

The Jewish left's lone, sole idea on the matter is the two-state solution based on a negotiated settlement.  This idea has proven itself bankrupt, but the Jewish left has absolutely nothing else to offer, yet they refuse to acknowledge the obvious.  Because they cannot admit to themselves that the Palestinians will not accept a negotiated settlement, they continue to hold the rest of us hostage to their hopeful and well-meaning delusions.  They continue to blame the "settlers" (i.e., Jews who live where neither Barack Obama nor Mahmoud Abbas want them to live) for the Arab and Palestinian intransigence and brutal anti-Jewish hostility.

The Jewish left can only do this, however, by refusing to face reality.  The Jewish left cannot face the fact that their solution has failed.  Oslo is over.  It's done.  And therefore it is time to move on and start thinking in fresh ways about the conflict.  That's the entire purpose of Israel Thrives.  Rejecting the left does not necessarily mean embracing the right, although it does suggest a willingness to listen to the right.

Speaking strictly for myself, I oppose the right's notion that the thing to do is annex Judea and Samaria because to do so would mean either potentially giving up Israel as a Jewish state or giving Israel up as a democratic state.  Thus the solution that makes the most sense is for Israel to declare its final borders and remove the IDF behind those borders, leaving a substantial portion of what Jordan dubbed "the West Bank" for a Palestinian state.

Let us take matters directly into Jewish hands.

This will not end the conflict, of course, because Arab-Muslim hostility toward Jews is encoded in the DNA of Islam and the very idea of Jewish sovereignty on any land that was at any time part of the Umma is anathema to Arabs.  But it will maintain Israel as both Jewish and democratic.

And that is the best we can hope for, I'm afraid.

We're # 1. California leads the nation in anti-Semitic incidents

 According to report released Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League incidents of anti-Semitic hate crimes declined by 13 percent nationwide in 2011.  California continues to lead in  anti-Semitic acts of vandalism, harassment, and assault .

According to the ADL, a  total of 1,080 incidents were reported across the U.S. last year, compared to 1,239 recorded in 2010.  This is the  lowest number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded by  the ADL in the past two decades. 

In California, the number of incidents against Jews declined by 21 percent, from 297 to 235. That includes 175 threats, 54 acts of vandalism, and 6 assaults. The states with the largest Jewish communities showed the most hate crimes: New York reported 195, New Jersey followed with 144 and Florida with 111.


But how seriously can we take these statistics when incidents such as the harassment of kosher restaurants and  Jewish bookstores go unreported?

Irrelevant protesters descend on Disney Hall to protest the Israeli Philharmonic

A scant handful of  "peace activists"  showed up at Walt Disney Hall  yesterday, to protest a performance of the Israeli Philharmonic.    Brandishing cardboard cut-outs of stylized weapons,  they threatened those entering the hall.

 It wasn't the pieces  by Schubert, Chopin and Brahms that disturbed them.   They weren't upset by the presence of  Chinese pianist Yuja Wang or presence of the Philharmonic's  maestro for life  Zubin Mehta   No, it was the knee jerk reaction to anything with "Israel" in the name that lead to the anemic little turnout.  When Conductor Zubin Mehta  received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last year,  the same ragtag group protested.   

From Tom Turgend:

On the ground, the actual scene was rather less colorful. When my wife and I arrived about 15 minutes before the concert, we saw somewhere between six to ten protesters, with one holding an “Israel Apartheid” placard.The hundreds of concert goers streaming into the hall paid no noticeable attention to the small group, whose members however perked up and responded vigorously when one patron suggested they turn their humanitarian impulses toward the thousands of Muslims being killed in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Mali and so forth.

And then there was this lovely couple, with an indecipherable word salad message urging us to do....something

And in the end, over 2,000 showed up to hear the Israel Philharmonic, with maybe a  dozen hapless protesters loitering aimlessly.   I'd chalk this one up as a BDS fail.  Again.



                       

AMCHA asks CSU General Counsel to Address Legality of Anti-Semitic Webpages on CSUN Server

From our friends at the AMCHA Initiative: Recently, a lawsuit was filed against California State University Monterey Bay, alleging that a professor at that university had illegally used public resources in sending an email to students encouraging them to vote “yes” on Proposition 30.  In commenting on the CSUMB professor's behavior, CSU General Counsel Christine Helwick stated: "We have previously reminded faculty and staff that it is not permissible to use state resources including classroom time for any political advocacy. This email [encouraging students to vote "Yes" on Prop 30] clearly crossed that line and the campus is taking appropriate personnel action." Generel Counsel Helwick's statement is based on a California statute which makes it illegal for any state employee to use public resources for political or personal reasons. In an effort to ensure that there is no double standard in CSU’s enforcement of California law, the AMCHA Initiative co-founders wrote to CSU General Counsel Helwick and asked her, in light of her recent statement, to rule on the legality of CSU Northridge Mathematics Professor David Klein’s use of the CSUN webserver to post his anti-Semitic webpage promoting the boycott of Israel.  You can see AMCHA's letter to General Counsel Helwick HERE.

AMCHA reveals to State Assembly members the anti-Jewish bigotry of California Scholars for Academic Freedom In late September, a group of faculty members who call themselves the California Scholars for Academic Freedom (CS4AF) wrote a letter to the California State Assembly opposing the Assembly’s unanimous passing of HR 35, a resolution condemning anti-Semitism in institutes of higher education.  This letter also openly praises boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) campaigns against Israel. CS4AF claims that their primary goal is to protect California scholars from violations of academic freedom. However, their true mission is to protect faculty that promote academic boycotts of Israel at their universities.  The founders of CS4AF are also co-founders and organizers of the anti-Semitic U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, which they feature prominently on the CS4AF website.  Ironically, an academic boycott of Israel has been declared a violation of academic freedom by the American Association of University Professors. Additionally, many of CS4AF signatories have participated in creating a harassing and anti-Semitic environment for Jewish students by engaging in various activities such as supporting campus BDS movements, organizing anti-Israel events on campus, and trying to shut down University sponsored study abroad programs in Israel. AMCHA Initiative co-founders wrote to all the members of the California State Assembly to make them aware of the true intentions of CS4AF and to expose how many of the letter’s signatories have misused their university's name and resources to promote their political hatred of the Jewish state and engage in efforts to harm it.  You can see AMCHA's letter to state legislators here.

In Which CAIR Plays Thought Police

h/t to our friend Gary over at Fousesquawk

What do you do when you find a book in the library that you don't like?   Well, CAIR- the Council on American-Islamic Relations (also known as the unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy land Foundation terrorism trial) issues an action alert, urging parents to have their children .report sightings of the book. How positively ....Soviet. of them

Anti-Islam Book Found in Broward County Public School Library

Asalamu Allaikum, CAIR has received a report that an anti-Islam book has been found in a Broward County Public School Library. The title of this book is "Islam and Terrorism" authored by Mark A. Gabriel a well know anti-Islam pundit that self proclaims scholarly knowledge of the Quran. This book contains dozens of xenophobic statements and inaccurate information regarding the Quran and teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. We have submitted a formal complaint to the Broward County Public School System and requested information through the Freedom of Information Act. While the School Board is investigating we need the Muslim communities help in identifying if this was an isolated incident or if there was mass distribution of this book into the Broward County School system. We also do not know which School Districts this book was distributed to. It may have been distributed State Wide. Action Needed. Please show your children a copy of the Action Alert and have them look in their schools library for a copy of this book. "Islam and Terrorism". If your child finds this or similar books in the library please contact CAIR Florida immediately. Thank you for your immediate attention to this extremely important matter ! Please forward this ACTION ALERT to your email list.  Here is a Picture of the Book I haven't read this book, but I certainly don't want CAIR acting as thought police regarding what  books can and can't be read.  Its highly rated on Amazon.com, with 73 reviewers giving it 5 stars. The author's biography states that Mr. Gabriel has a doctorate in Islamic studies. (And this makes him an  "anti-Islamic pundit" why?) Dr. Mark Gabriel was born and raised in Egypt as a Muslim. More than just a practicing Muslim, he was a scholar from his youth. His first milestone was to complete memorization of the Quran at age twelve. He went on to attend Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, the oldest, most prestigious Islamic University in the world, where he earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in Islamic History and culture. He also holds a master’s degree in world religion and a doctorate in Christian education. He travels and lectures for a variety of groups all over the world. So do something for freedom today.  Pick up a copy of Mark Gabriel's book.- its only $10.40.  Read it. Like what it says? Find it credible? Pass it on to a friend, or better yet, donate it to your local library.

Happy Birthday to the Blue and White

Kachol v’lavan 

Zeh tzeva sheli 

Kachol v’lavan

Tzivey admati

On Oct 28, 1948, 64 years ago, five months after the country's establishment, the  Israeli flag was adopted as a symbol of the new nation.  The flag consists of a 6 pointed  star of David between two horizontal blue stripes.   The design is evocative of the Jewish prayer shawl, or tallit .


Today is a great time to remember one of the more famous Israeli flags from history. Dubbed the "Ink flag"- it was reportedly made from a sheet  with two blue ink stripes drawn on it.  The star in the middle was removed from an old first aid kit.

On March 10, 1948  the Israeli Defense Forces reached the shores of the Red Sea near Eilat and captured  the territory without a battle- this improvised flag was raised to commemorate the victory. 

Happy birthday  to the flag of Israel.  Long may she wave

Afikomen Judaica Vandalized

Afikomen Judaica in Berkeley is a beloved community institution.  Since 1991,  we've gone there to chose our children's bat and bar mitvah invitations. We've picked out our ketubbot- and rented our chuppahs there.    Its where you can find gorgeous  havdalah candles from Safed and fair trade organic Hanukah gelt.

Tonight someone smashed the window of Afikomen.

From Rabbi Menachem Creditor of Netivot Shalom:

"Thank God, everyone is fine, and damage was minimal. But this store is our Jewish community's treasure, and an attack on it is an attack on us all, Jewish and not. Please make an effort to pay a special visit to Afikomen this week, spending some extra time and money as a statement of support and solidarity with Chaim, Nell, and the important work they do convening our community and exposing us all to new and exciting Jewish learning, books, music, art, and more."

In 2010, two Jewish businesses in Oakland were also attacked-  Holy Land Restaurant and the Grand Bakery  both had their windows smashed. Amba , a kosher restaurant in Montclair has been subject to harassment and threats recently as well. .  While its certainly too soon to assume that this was a hate crime, lets heed Rabbi Creditor and pay the store a visit-  its just about time to do your Hannukah shopping anyway.  As the days grow darker and darker, lets remember that we have it within our power to increase the light in the world. Lets start now.

Palestinian Children Celebrating Eid

 Enjoy these heartwarming photos of  Palestinian children celebrating Eid, courtesy of Pal Today

       

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".

Greta Berlin and friends: Berkeley hate-fest

(Guest post by DrMike and Emunah)

Berkeley, the home of the Free Speech Movement, is a city known for its devotion to various liberal/radical causes.  But those who preached against war and prejudice might well wonder what has happened when an otherwise liberal church has aligned itself with raw anti-Semitism.  

The Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists brought the notorious anti-Semite Gilad Atzmon to town a few years ago  and faced a community protest.  A supporter of Atzmon showed up with a Hassan Nasrallah  shirt and a  Hamas flag. Nasrallah has called for the genocide of the Jewish people, saying  “If they (Jews) all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide. (Daily Star, Oct. 23, 2002)  Since when is incitement to genocide a Unitarian value?   Atzmon delivered as expected- and people left his talk in tears, upset by his intolerance and hatred.  Can't say that we didn't warn them. 

Attorney Stephen Pearcy is wearing ashirt featuring Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the militant group Hezbollah,  who has  commented: “If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jew. Notice I do not say the Israeli.”

Now one might think that after this fiasco that the BFUU had learned its lesson.  Apparently, though, they have decided that promotion of anti-Semitism is one of their values.  In the wake of the Greta Berlin controversy, in which the leader of the Free Gaza Movement was found to have repeatedly and deliberately promoted Holocaust denial and Nazi propaganda, Berlin found herself unwelcome not only across the internet but also in person.  When the likes of Ali Abunimah, Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine--who promote vicious lies about Israel and compare Gazans to Jewish victims of the Nazis-- denounce you for anti-Semitism, you know you've gone way past the point of no return. So Berlin's speaking engagements to promote her book began to disappear.  Enter the BFUU, which decided to host Berlin after a well-respected bookstore in Marin County cancelled her appearance.  They weren't alone-- a Marin group called 14 Friends of Palestine, whose leader Jane Jewell has promoted a lame excuse that Berlin's computer was hacked and who also posts admiringly on Atzmon's website, came on board to co-sponsor the event.  Jane stood gleefully in the BUU, selling t-shirts and absorbing the hate.

Not content to have only Berlin speak, the BFUU then invited two other charter members of the "not only do we hate Israel, we're not so keen on Jews" club--Alison Weir  and Jeffrey Blankfort.  And they had the unmitigated gall to title the evening "On Zionism and Anti-Semitism".

Though Berlin was visibly disappointed that there were fewer than 2 dozen people in attendance, we're happy to help spread her words, as well as Weir's and Blankfort's, to a wider audience.  Because when confronted by Jew-hatred and lies, it's important to out, name and shame not only the perpetrators, but those who facilitate them.

On October 18 , the BFUU hosted Greta Berlin, Alison Weir and Jeff Blankfort in a talk on anti-Semitism and Zionism.  This is the first part of our summary of the talk

The BFUU’s own Rev. Ben Myers began the talk with a sincere blessing for dialog and communication. Rev Myers led the room in song evoking Rabbi Nachman of Breslav’s teaching that the whole world is a narrow bridge.  The main thing is to not to fear at all.   He left the hall before the speakers began.  It was a smart choice.

Greta’s handlers were very carefully not to let her speak about her most current outing as a card-carrying holocaust denier.  Greta’s time was limited to discussing her book “Freedom Sailors”., the story of the first blockade-running flotilla to Gaza.   She discussed the role of Texas Activist Riad Hamad in organizing the flotilla and  his $25,000 donation of matching funds to help buy the boat.  Its a generous amount of money for a middle school teacher to have at his disposal. She discussed how his suicide was inadvertently caught on camera, though she neglected to mention how he had clumsily taped his mouth and bound his hands together in an effort to implicate the “Zionists” in his death.  She discussed readily lying on her press releases in an effort to mislead the Israelis.  Greta’s world  appears to be truth optional- facts be damned if they don't advance her ideology.

Even before the flotilla departed there was trouble. Then as now, infighting plagued the anti-Israeli activists. Greta declared: 

“When the boats finally arrived on the 21st of August, nobody was talking to anybody else. Because we were mad at the Greeks. The Greeks hated the Americans. The Americans hated the Greeks. We had boat people vs. land people. If you get 2 activists in a room, you get 14 opinions.  If you get  44 activists in a room, you get a war, I'm not kidding.”

After arrival in Gaza, Greta described how “ the Palestinians took care of us for 5 days. “.

Greta Berlin greeting her minions in Gaza

 Indeed they did.  As Paul Larudee reported  in his talk on the flotilla in Hayward, a while back:

“It was a huge celebration. It was just amazing After that it was Palestinian hospitality run amok. They put us in the best hotels. They still have nice hotels there... The prime Minister and his entire cabinet invited us to dinner near his home...it was right after the Olympics you remember so he gave us all medals that said “Free Gaza”...one honor after the other....”    This was in what they allege is the world's largest outdoor prison, and an equivalent to Auschwitz

Free Gaza  and Ismail Haniyeh

 

 Greta is convinced of the success of her mission, saying  "We made them 3 promises before we left."

#1 - We would return.

#2 - We would take out Palestinians. And

#3    We would make sure that the world would know.

"And we have done all 3 of those. Gaza has been put on the map because of the Free Gaza Movement. Viva Palestina, the Global March to Jerusalem, the Gaza Freedom March. None of those would have happened had it not been for Free Gaza. "

Shhh. Don't tell Greta- all of those high profile publicity stunts have been abject failures.

Later:: Alison Weir on anti-Semitism

Juan Cole gets it wrong again

Why context matters.

 Juan Cole has published a post entitled  "Creepy Israeli planning for Palestinian Food Insecurity in Gaza revealed."  (No, I'm not going to link to it. You can find it yourself. I know you can)

In it, he states

"The food blockade had real effects. About ten percent of Palestinian children in Gaza under 5 have had their growth stunted by malnutrition."

Lets give Juan Cole some needed context.  An estimated 200 million children aged under five in the developing world suffer from stunted growth due to maternal and childhood malnutrition

The Palestinians actually have the second lowest rate of stunting in the Arab Middle east, according to a 2009 UNICEF Document: Tracking Progress on Child and  Maternal Nutrition 

Qatar   8%
Palestinian Territories- 10%
Lebanon - 11
Jordan - 12
Oman - 13
UAE - 17
Saudi Arabia - 20
Kuwait - 24
Iraq - 26
Syria - 28
Egypt - 29
Yemen – 58

If their really was a food blockade, why are children in Gaza  better nourished than their neighbors, Juan? 

Recent BDS fails, Great and Small

Lets start small.

Sighted at the Berkeley Bowl - an independent  and much beloved grocery store deep in the belly of the beast, Berkeley, in occupied northern California.  These are etrogim from Israel

Israeli Etrogim Available in Berkeley. Another BDS Fail

New Yorkers might not realize the significance of this.  This is Berkeley.   Even after years of dealing with the rage of angry anti-Israel activists- lame  flash mobs, vandalized Israel products, tabling, protests and boycotts, the local independent grocery is still proudly featuring Israeli produce.  Same as always. Do you know why?  Because these products sell.

BDS fail.

Lets get bigger, now.

From YNET

The Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego, today announced the launch of the U.S. - Israel Center on Innovation and Economic Sustainability, supported in part by the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego’s Israel Studies Fund.

The center will promote collaboration between businesses, entrepreneurs, researchers and the diverse cultures of Israel to enable the translation of technology into new global market opportunities. It also will facilitate interactions between the respective innovation communities of the U.S. and Israel. The center has entered into discussions with four universities in Israel ­— Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Technion and IDC Herzliya and plans to collaborate with the UC Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law and Israeli Law, Economy, and Society and the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at UCLA.“

This center will be the first U.S. - Israel center at a major university to focus on innovation, sustainability and job creation,” said Rady School Dean Robert S. Sullivan. “It is also about community building. The center will provide opportunities for the Israeli and San Diego entrepreneurial communities to interact, to identify new opportunities and to provide unparalleled immersion learning for students and the community.”

“Technology and global business development means the world is becoming ever smaller,” said Charlene Seidle, Jewish Community Foundation senior vice president. “Strategic relationship building and shared learning make sense. The center will build from the already robust connections between Israel and San Diego in order to reach new heights of innovation that fill real-time needs.”

Massive, Epic BDS fail.

While the BDS cru were busying themselves  annoying shoppers in the Castro,  and inventing new BDS victories they've missed quite a bit. And I say this with a smile.

Hadassah Hospital. Making Miracles Happen every Day

We don't hear enough about this amazing organization. Hadassah Hospital is a model of peaceful co-existence in a difficult region. At Hadassah, Arab doctors treat Jewish patients. Jewish doctors treat Arab patients.  Hadassah- the largest Zionist Women's organization  in the world is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. Here's  what they've been up to:

A Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Osnat Moskowitz

Prof Eitan Kerem is Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Cystic Fibrosis Center at Hadassah-Mt. Scopus and Coordinator of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS) Registry. And he was very concerned about the reception he would receive when he made his presentation to the ECFS meeting in June this year in Spain. He was scheduled to speak about Hadassah’s work with Cystic Fibrosis patients in Gaza and the CF Center Hadassah recently created there with support from the Peres Center for Peace.
The Gaza CF Center is an amazing story in itself. In years past, Hadassah’s CF Center treated dozens of young patients from Gaza since there was no CF specialist in Gaza. When politics prevented them coming to Israel, some of them traveled to Cairo to undergo CF treatment there – a 12-hour trip – but this soon became difficult, and then impossible. The parents of these chronically sick children turned to the international community for help in establishing a CF center in Gaza.

And Hadassah responded. “We devised a program together with the Peres Center,” Prof. Kerem said. “Three doctors came from Gaza to Hadassah for an intensive one-year training course at Mt. Scopus. We organized dormitory accommodations in Jerusalem, and the Peres Center arranged the complex logistics.
“Just three months ago a nurse and a physiotherapist also began training with us. Just like the doctors who trained here last year, they work in harmony with the entire team, the patients and their families.”
Prof. Kerem was pleased he would be able to tell this remarkable story.

Yet when the time came, he left for Spain some trepidation. His place on the program had been planned early in 2010. The ECFS meeting took place in June – after the Gaza flotilla incident. He had been warned that many delegates from Arab countries were attending and that the audience and the atmosphere could be hostile.

His presentation is powerful and professional. The pictures and the facts speak for themselves. It concludes with a photograph of a beautiful river whose flowing waters are bright red.
“There was an audible gasp of shock from the entire audience when the picture appeared on the screen,” Prof. Kerem said, “and I knew I had made my point.” He then showed the same photograph from a wider angle – revealing trees with autumn leaves turning deep red that were reflected in the water.
He told his audience: “Not everything you see is what it seems to be. Never take things at face value.

“The applause almost deafening,” Prof. Kerem said, “and the response totally positive. People congratulated me and many wanted more details. I was even approached by medical professionals from Arab countries who were interested in coming to specialize in CF at Hadassah.”

Yascher Koach, Hadassah. May you go from strength to strength

The Huffington Posts' Lying Headline

The shrill headline on the Huffington Post reads:

Israel Gaza Blockade: Calories Calculated By Israelis To Force Malnutrition 

Yet that's not what the body of the article says. Not by a long shot.  In fact, its quite the opposite

The article reads:

JERUSALEM, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Israel calculated the number of calories Palestinians would need to avoid malnutrition under its blockade of the Gaza Strip, according to a study which the Supreme Court forced the government to release.

 "Avoid" malnutrition. Not "force" it.

The study, "Food Consumption in the Gaza Strip - The Red Lines", estimated the required daily calorie intake in the territory at 2,279 per person.  Apparently the  calorie calculations were based on a model formulated by Israel's Health Ministry and were  in line with average Israeli consumption.

Here's a screen shot of the deliberately misleading headline

 

The Huffington Post has a reputation for  demonizing Israel- and has spawned a  website "Huffington Post Monitor"  that exists to debunk its lies.  How long with this hateful and misleading headline remain?  Your guess is as good as mine.

UPDATE:
The answer is less than 24 hours.  As of today, a corrected headline appears, as well as this statement:

Correction: The original version of this article had a headline of "Israel Gaza Blockade: Calories Calculated By Israelis To Force Malnutrition." This version has been corrected to reflect the text.

Here's a screen shot of the new headline

i Phones selling well in Concentration camp Gaza

Lets hope the Estelle, the Swedish Boat to Gaza is bringing in i Phones

From Reuters, of all places.

Apple's new iPhone 5 is selling well in the Gaza Strip despite inflated prices, reaching the Palestinian enclave via smuggling tunnels even before high-tech hub Israel next door.

The cutting edge smart phone is being snapped up for almost double what it costs in the United States, its price jacked up by middlemen on its circuitous delivery route from Dubai via tunnels linking the blockaded territory with Egypt.

The iPhone 5 will not be available until December from mobile operators in tech-mad Israel, which along with Egypt maintains a partial blockade of Gaza to prevent the entry of anything that could be used for military purposes.

But the phones have been available for a couple of weeks in Gaza and they were on display on Monday in three independent mobile stores in a one-block radius in downtown Gaza City.

Prices ranged from 4,500 Israeli shekels ($1,170) for the 16 gigabyte model to 5,700 ($1,480) for 64 gb.

"I ordered 30 and I've sold 20 so far," said one dealer. "We can order as many as we want. But most people are waiting for the price to go down. They're pretty expensive."

iPhones in poor suffering Gaza.   My soul cries out in anguish over the inhumanity of it all.

Between two worlds

From our friend DrMike over at Bluetruth, who we are delighted to see is blogging again.

Last week I went to see a screening of the movie Between Two Worlds at UC Berkeley.  I had missed the film when it was shown at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival last year, and I was curious to see it (after all, not only was I briefly in the film, I had played a role in the event that the filmmakers, Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman,  acknowledge as the motivation ). I was also curious as to what the tenor of the discussion would be afterwards, given that another key event in the film was the rancorous debate before the Cal Student Senate over the divestment bill several years ago. 

The movie itself starts with the controversy that arose at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival in 2009, and immediately portrays the situation inaccurately. The cause of the widespread community furor was not simply the choice of the film “Rachel”, a film about the death of Rachel Corrie, the idealistic young woman recruited by the International Solidarity Movement to go to Gaza and serve as human shields for weapons smuggling.  It was the additional invitation to Rachel’s mother Cindy to speak at the showing, and the choice by the SFJFF to partner with two organizations (Jewish Voice for Peace and American Friends Service Committee) that support the BDS movement.    The SFJFF has a history of showing films that portray Israel negatively; none had created the reaction that this program engendered.  Claiming that the outcry was simply on the basis of the film allowed Peter Stein, then the executive director of the SFJFF, to proclaim his surprise at the reaction—when in fact it was immediately obvious on publication of the SFJFF program that this was a very unusual event.

The portion of the film that dealt with the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation funding guidelines, which the filmmakers themselves outspokenly oppose, was far from even handed.  While interviewing Peter Stein, Jewish Voice for Peace spokesperson Cecilie Surasky, and others opposed to the guidelines, there was no interview of JCRC Executive Director Doug Kahn or JCF CEO Jennifer Gorovitz.   John Rothmann, formerly of KGO Radio and a prominent local author, speaker and activist, was interviewed but only one sentence of his was included in that segment.  The fact that even this film did not generate a lot of controversy when shown at the SFJFF is proof that the guidelines are NOT precluding discussion; they just provide that the Federation isn’t going to use its funds to provide legitimacy for anti-Israel groups.
  

The film then meandered through the Berkeley divestment debate, the filmmakers’ own family histories and made its way to Jerusalem and the controversy over the proposed Museum of Tolerance to be built over the site of an abandoned Muslim cemetery.  While Rabbi Hier from the SWC was at least given an opportunity to state his case, the film failed to include a key point that Rabbi Hier could not have failed to mention:  that in 1945 the Supreme Muslim Council in Jerusalem had planned a six story building on the site to house, among other offices, their own! The museum itself was to be built on the site of a municipal parking lot that had existed there for decades without any complaints from the religious authorities, and which prior to that had been the site of a hotel proposed by Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

Though I had not seen the film prior to that night, none of this was really surprising.  Alan Snitow had defended the SFJFF and claimed that I provoked the audience’s response to the film that day at the Castro Theater;  you can view my speech yourself and judge whether an audience at a Jewish Film Festival should have been provoked by my words. (At least in the discussion section afterwards, Snitow did allow me to point out a few of the flaws I noted in the film—and nobody jeered. )

After the film, I approached one of the other members of the audience, Tom Pessah, a perpetual UC Berkeley student who is one of the leaders of Students for Justice in Palestine and a proponent of the so-called “one state solution” which would turn Israel into the 24^th Arab nation. (Not only would this turn the Jews into a minority in an area noteworthy for its treatment of those who are different , it would-- if recent trends are any indication-- lead to Islamist rule extended from Gaza to the entire land of Israel).   I wanted to ask Pessah why he wrote an article in 972 Magazine appropriately condemning the anti-Semitism displayed by Greta Berlin, leader of the Free Gaza Movement, but tolerated the same Holocaust revisionism, blood libels and other anti-Semitic ideology from Hamas and the PA—backed with missiles in the case of Hamas.  His answer—that he wasn’t responsible for Hamas, but only for his own “civil society movement”—doesn’t really wash given that he supports the flotillas which provide PR benefits to Hamas and which Hamas is involved in organizing.   And given that his own group, SJP, still adheres to the “Zionism is racism” libel that even the UN abandoned years ago.  He even had the temerity to later post this on an anti-Israel listserve:   “Stand With Us guy comes up to me in an event this week to tell me my article against antisemitism was a "good start". A bit patronizing, but I'm glad he and his kind read it - especially the parts aligning this anti-racism to the support of BDS and the Right of Return”.

News flash, Tom.  The fact that you can at least recognize Nazi-level Jew hatred when it slaps you in the face doesn’t make you the arbiter of “anti-racism”.  BDS is racist at its core:  it  has at its core the anti-Semitic concept that among all the nations, ONLY THE JEWS do not have the right to national self-determination.  That of all nations, ONLY ISRAEL does not have the right to define who can enter its country and become a citizen.  And that anti-Israel activists can create their own “international law” – the fictional “right of return”--that applies only to Palestinians.    And if you think that Greta Berlin was an exception and that the anti-Israel movement isn’t rife with anti-Semitism, we’ve already seen plenty of evidence that she’s just the tip of the iceberg.  I think the next few months will show how the Israel-hating Jews will find themselves caught between a Jewish community that rejects them politically and their fellow Israel haters who use anti-Zionism as a front for anti-Semitism—essentially, between two worlds.

Many Young Israel Advocates identify as politically liberal.

Putting to rest once and for all that support for Israel is the realm of the neo-con, a new survey shows tremendous diversity  among young pro-Israel activists, with  45% self identifying as liberal.

 “Next Generation Advocacy: A Study of Young Israel Advocates,” was released this week by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. The study was conducted by Ezra Kopelowitz and Daniel Chesir-Teran of Research Success Technologies.

Young pro Israel advocates truly reflect the diversity of the Jewish community, reflecting both religious and ideological diversity.

From JTA:

Of the 4,000 or so Israel advocates age 30 and younger who were surveyed, 87 percent said they welcomed “multiple perspectives” on the pro-Israel spectrum. Ideologically speaking, 45 percent self-identified as either politically liberal or slightly liberal; 30 percent said they were conservative or slightly conservative; and 21 percent called themselves moderate. Four percent said they were extremely conservative and 2 percent said they were extremely liberal.The respondents came from diverse religious backgrounds, too: 37 percent said they were Conservative Jews, 27 percent Orthodox, 18 percent Reform and 16 percent “other Jewish.”

The survey also shows the tremendous potential of this group. Lisa Eisen, the director of the Schusterman Foundation  reports “The motivation is there, the passion is there, the interest is there,... “We just haven’t fully tapped the potential.”    While 85 percent of high school seniors and 66 percent of college seniors said they wanted to continue pro-Israel work after graduation, only 27 percent and 33 percent, respectively, reported being asked to do so by a Jewish organization.