Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on September 5, 2014

Steven Sotloff's Death Raises Questions of Safety

Getty Images

Steven Sotloff (center with black helmet) talks to Libyan rebels on the Al Dafniya front line in 2011 in Misrata, Libya.

Published September 05, 2014.

(JTA) Dont bring it up. If it comes up, change the subject. If you cant change the subject, consider an outright denial. Those are some of the strategies used by Jewish reporters working in the Arab and Muslim Middle East to conceal their religious heritage.

The dangers facing Jewish journalists in the region became evident this week after the beheading of a dual American-Israeli citizen, Steven Sotloff, by the jihadist group Islamic State, or ISIS.

Its not known whether ISIS was aware that Sotloff was Jewish. Colleagues believe his kidnapping by ISIS-affiliated terrorists in 2013 in Syria was one of opportunity and not a deliberate targeting. James Foley, another journalist kidnapped by ISIS and beheaded last month by the terror group, was Catholic.

However, Sotloffs family in South Florida, his friends and colleagues indeed much of the journalistic community went to lengths to conceal his familys deep involvement in the Jewish community and his Israeli citizenship in order not to draw his captors attention to a factor that may have exacerbated his ordeal. JTA did not report on his captivity for the same reason.

The captors of Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal correspondent kidnapped and beheaded by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002, made a point of his Jewishness. In the video showing his execution, they included Pearl saying My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish. I am a Jew among his final words.

We send our deepest condolences to the family of Steven Sotloff, Pearls parents, Judea and Ruth, said in a statement emailed to JTA. We know too well the pain of such horrific loss. Once again the world has seen the horror of terrorism in action. We continue to find strength in the belief that united, civilization will triumph and humanity will prevail.

Here is the original post:
How Jewish Reporters in Muslim Countries Conceal Their Identity

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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