Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on June 16, 2017

Netanyahu in Thessaloniki synagogue

Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara on Thursday visited a Thessaloniki synagogue together with Jewish community president David Shaltiel, Thessaloniki Rabbi Yisrael Aharon, Mayor Yiannis Boutaris and Jewish community leaders.

"My wife and I are delighted to be here, along with our ministers of the Israeli government and our entire delegation. We bring you greetings from Jerusalem, said Netanyahu.

This is very moving to be here in this architectural gem, but more than being a beautiful building, its evocative of the great history and the great tragedy that befell the Jews of Greece.

I have to say that Im a historians son, so I know a little about the history of the Jews of Greece, and when you think about it, the history of the Greek-Jewish community, and specifically that history anchored in Thessaloniki, withstood three of the greatest tragedies that befell our people. First, the destruction of the Temple by the Romans. This community absorbed Jews who left Judea. And second, the Great Expulsion from Spain. This community absorbed Jews who were expelled from Spain. And third, and the greatest destruction of all, is of course the Nazi Holocaust, Netanyahu said.

The fire in 1917 destroyed buildings and burned buildings; the Nazi fire burned people, and 97% were destroyed. Three percent survived. These survivors, many of them, are in Israel, and I have to say that they have a love and a remembrance of Thessaloniki that is unmatched. They speak about it, they write about it, they in many ways they remember it as a great center of culture, but also as a personal memory that is exemplified by one of the survivors who Moshe Ha-Elion who raised the torch of remembrance in our Day of Remembrance for the Nazi Holocaust. We light three torches of remembrance, and he was one of these six, and movingly spoke about how he survived. His entire family was wiped out, he continued.

So, I met him right after the ceremony. My wife and I met him, and we said, 'Please come with us to Thessaloniki so that you can close this circle in your life and the life of our people.' And he fell ill a day before we left for Greece. He asked the doctor, he begged the doctor, 'Please let me come.' And the doctor said, 'No, you cannot come.' And so I asked his daughter, who is here with us, Rachel, and his son stand up, stand up. Rachel and Eliyahu. They are the children of Moshe Ha-Elion and they continue the line of Thessaloniki Jews in Israel, but they are back here in Thessaloniki.

I think this is a testament to the rebirth of our people, which is exemplified in Israel and is a consequence also in many places in the Diaspora.

We have rebuilt our people from ashes, and we built a modern state. We came back to our ancestral homeland. We built a country. We built an army a good one. We built an economy a very good one. And we rebuilt and took our place among the nations. Among the nations, Israel and Greece have re-forged an alliance. Its a natural alliance of democracies. Israel, Greece, Cyprus are the three real democracies in the Eastern Mediterranean. And we have forged this friendship anew and we see all the benefits that accrue to it.

Netanyahu pointed out that the most interesting thing about the rebirth of the Jewish people is that Israel has become a global force a global force in technology, a global force in fighting the terrorism that threatens all of us, a global force in medicine, in agriculture, in energy, a global force for the future.

Its a tremendous pleasure to come here and to rekindle that spirit and to say one simple thing, and I think I can say this in this synagogue as best as I can say it in any place on Earth and that statement is this, three simple words: Am Israel Chai.

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Netanyahu at Greek synagogue: Am Israel Chai - Arutz Sheva

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Posted By richards on June 16, 2017

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Rabbi Joseph Dweck, the chief Sephardic rabbi of the United Kingdom, speaks at a World War I remembrance ceremony.

(JTA) The United Kingdomstop Sephardic rabbi has stepped aside from the day-to-day activity of the countrys Sephardi rabbinical court amid a furor over his statements about homosexuality.

Rabbi Joseph Dweck, who serves as senior rabbi at LondonsS&P Sephardi Community, came under fire after saying at a lecture last month that societal acceptance of homosexuality is a fantastic development.

The rabbi still has the full support of his synagogue board and membership, S&P President Sabah Zubaida said in a statement. Zubaida said a great deal of the criticism has been based on misunderstandings, some deliberate and some not.He also said that Dweck accepts that some of the criticism is justified and needs to be addressed within the wider rabbinical world.

Meanwhile, one of the British Orthodox communitys most influential figures, Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zimmerman of Gateshead, said in a message to fellow rabbis that Dweck is not fit to serve as a rabbi, the London-based Jewish Chronicle reported.

Zimmerman also said that after listening to recordings of past Dweck lectures, it is clear he is not equipped to rule on halachah, due to his limited knowledge, weak halachic reasoning skills and lack of training.

Dweck, who grew up in Los Angeles, received rabbinic ordination from Ovadia Yosef, the late Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel.

British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said Wednesday that he is concerned about the public fallout from the dispute concerning Rabbi Joseph Dweck, which has been deeply divisive and damaging for our community.

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Posted By richards on June 16, 2017

The excitement is palpable. Eitan Shushans bar mitzvah will be held this coming Shabbat, im yirtzeh Hashem, at Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck! A large crowd is expected, including many Ashkenazic guests. A typical dilemma faced by Ashkenazic guests is which siddur to use for the tefillot that Shabbat morning. The question is sharpened by the wide variety of Sephardic siddurim available at Shaarei Orah. Which should be the chosen siddur?

The first step in appreciating and enjoying a Sephardic service is to come with an open mind. A number of years ago, one Ashkenazic guest commented to me that the Sephardic siddur is all mixed up. I was very surprised by this comment, especially since the individual who made it is a talmid chacham. Other Ashkenazic Torah scholars have expressed delight when visiting Shaarei Orah, as many of the Sephardic practices they learned in either the Rambam or the Shulchan Aruch came alive during their visit.

Eilu veilu divrei Elokim Chayim, these and these are the words of the living God, is a basic Torah principle. Binary thinkingin other words, living life as a zero sum game of either/oris one advocated by Aristotelian logic, but rejected by modern science informed by more sophisticated models such as quantum mechanics. The Torah long ago rejected the Aristotelian model and embraced a logic of multiple truths as articulated by the Ritva to Eruvin 13b, Rav Soloveitchik in the Lonely Man of Faith and Rav Jonathan Sacks in his monumental work The Great Partnership: Science, Religion, and the Search for Meaning. Bottom line: come to a Sephardic synagogue with an open mind and you will enjoy!

Shaarei Orah does place a number of Ashkenazic siddurim on its shelves. However, it is not the recommended course of action. Rav Moshe Feinstein, in Teshuvot Igrot Moshe, rules that when visiting a beit knesset that prays using a different version than ones own nusach one should pray only the silent Amida in ones own nusach. All other parts of tefillah should be recited in the nusach of the host congregation, in accordance with Chazals exhortation Al yeshaneh mipnei hamachloket, a visitor should not deviate from the host communitys practice (Mishnah, Pesachim, Perek 4).

Moreover, using an Ashkenazic siddur when visiting a Sephardic kehilla might be compared to using a map of Chicago when trying to find your way in Manhattanyou just are not going to reach your destination using this strategy. By using a Sephardic siddur, one will be in tune and in step with the ambient culture.

What about the silent Amida? Most do not know the Shabbat Amida by heart. How can an Ashkenazi fulfill his obligation to pray if he recited the Amida in a nusach other than his own? The answer is that Hacham Ovadia Yosef is fond of quoting the Ari HaKadosh who asserts that while the Kabbalah teaches that each tribe has its own unique tzinor (portal) for tefillah, the Sephardic nusach (recall that the Aris father was Ashkenaziche is the descendent of the Maharshal) constitutes a universal portal that may be used by all Jews.

Interestingly, one can avoid this problem during the week by using a siddur app on ones smartphone. One can use Sephardic tefillah for all portions of the tefillah and switch to Ashkenaz for the silent Amida. Although many rabbanim have registered their displeasure at the use of electronic siddurim or the use of smartphones altogether, common practice in the Orthodox community seems to be otherwise, at least in case of great need. For example, at a Haredi wedding I recently attended in Monsey, nearly every one of the hundred or so men who joined for Arvit used their smartphones for tefillah.

Even after resolving to use a Sephardic siddur, one must decide which Sephardic siddur to use. Shaarei Orah (as is typical in Sephardic synagogues of Shaarei Orahs ilk) offers nearly a dozen varieties of Sephardic siddurim. This is because Shaarei Orah members hail from (at last count) more than 13 different Sephardic communities. Thus, we offer Moroccan, Syrian, Turkish and Yemenite siddurim as well as a variety of Rav Ovadia Yosef-style nusach Yerushalmi siddurim.

As is typical with kehillot such as Shaarei Orah, where Sephardic Jews of many different backgrounds unite, the official nusach is Yerushalmi/Hacham Ovadia. Thus, the most used siddurim at Shaarei Orah are the Yerushalmi siddurim (with the Moroccan Darkei Avot a close second and the Syrian Kol Yaakov a close third). Hence, a visitor is advised to choose a nusach Yerushalmi siddur.

Of the many varieties of nusach Yerushalmi siddurim, the Ohr VaDarech is the easiest for beginners to use. However, the Avodat Hashem, Yechave Daat and Avodah SheBalev are also excellent choices. If you choose any of these wonderful siddurim, try to notice the brief notes that add significance to the tefillah and help boost our level of kavana.

Whichever siddur one chooses, please come and enjoy Eitans bar mitzva. Bezrat Hashem it will be a beautiful and emotional event, whose warmth and wonderful memories will last a lifetime.

By Rabbi Haim Jachter

Rabbi Haim Jachter is the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck. He also serves as a Rebbe at Torah Academy of Bergen County and a Dayan on the Beth Din of Elizabeth.

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Which Siddur to Use When Visiting a Sephardic Kehilla - Jewish Link of New Jersey

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Posted By richards on June 16, 2017

Professor Lovat, an experienced consultant gastroenterologist who practices at the London Gastroenterology Centre in Harley Street, London, was involved in a recently published a report that studies the genetic complexity of Crohns disease. The report examines why Ashkenazi Jewish families are seemingly the most commonly affected by the disease.

Crohns disease is a long-term gastrointestinal condition that causes inflammation in the lining of the digestive system. It can also be referred to as ileitis or enteritis.

The disease can affect any part of the digestive tract, all the way from the mouth down to the anus. Most commonly, it is the small intestine that is affected.

Crohns disease has a number of painful and uncomfortable symptoms, including:

According to the NHS, 1 in 1500 people suffer from Crohns disease in the UK affecting both males and females equally with most patients noticing the initial symptoms of the disease between the ages of 15 and 40.

Evidence shows that Ashkenazi Jews are approximately four times more likely to develop Crohns disease than non-Jews living under the same circumstances. This is due to a genetic predisposition passed down within families from generation to generation.

The study, which Professor Lovat played a part in, found that the genetic basis of the disease is particularly complex, with a role for both common and rare genetic variations. The findings show the value of family studies and the importance of the innate immune system in the development of Crohns Disease within Ashkenazi Jewish families.

For more information, download the full report.

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Study on Crohn's disease in Ashkenazi Jews - Private Healthcare UK

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2017

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Reporty, creators of the game-changing platform which redefines public safety, announced several new board members today. Reporty's board, which already sees global luminaries such as former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, welcomed Richard M. Daley, Andy Rooke, and Prof. Isaac Ashkenazi to their ranks.

Richard M. Daley, Chicago's longest-serving mayor and vocal proponent of innovative technologies to improve city lifestyles, spoke excitedly about Reporty and how it can help revolutionize 9-1-1 and event reporting.

"As a former Mayor, I know firsthand how important it is not only to keep your residents safe, but to do so in innovative ways and manage costs," Daley said. "Reporty brings together existing infrastructure and innovative technology to save lives and keep city services accessible. Their global presence ensures cities that they're getting a world-class team to stand behind the technology, one that has seen best practices around the world and applied them to their solution. I'm proud to join Reporty's board and to help make cities safer."

Reporty also welcomed the Vice-President of the British Association of Public Safety Communication Officials (BAPCO), Andy Rooke. Rooke, as an internationally acclaimed expert on eCall, is helping position Reporty as one of the premier companies integrating into connected cars. His membership on the board reflects Reporty's embrace of technologies beyond the smartphone and integration into wearables, cars, homes, and cities.

"I am delighted to have been invited to join the advisory board of Reporty Homeland Security," Rooke said. "There are significant changes taking place on how the citizen contacts emergency services. The provision of additional data is key to ensuring that any emergency response is to the right location at the right time with the right resource. Reporty is at the forefront of the advancement in technology, and I am delighted to be associated with this innovative organisation."

Prof. Isaac Ashkenazi, one of the world's foremost authorities on complex emergencies and disasters, praised Reporty's advanced location technology as well as their video capabilities. "The amalgamation of video, location, and chat empowers bystanders to save countless lives. By removing all of the obstacles of communication between bystanders and first responders, Reporty can dramatically save time and lives by giving emergency services accurate situational awareness and a greater understanding of what resource allocation. By saving time, Reporty is saving lives."

Ashkenazi, a Colonel (Res) in the Israel Defense Force, has spent the better part of two decades involved in mass casualty and response preparedness. During his time with the IDF, Ashkenazi led humanitarian missions to Nairobi, Turkey, and Greece in the wake of major incidents such as terror attacks and earthquakes.

Reporty CEO Amir Elichai praised the three new members of the board. "Each of these new board members bring with them unrivaled experience in emergency response and public safety. We are lucky to have them, and their guidance, as Reporty expands throughout the globe. Richard, Andy, and Isaac represent the very best of their fields and are crucial in bringing Reporty to new countries across the world."

Reporty also announced a partnership with RapidDeploy, a South-African based start-up aimed at improving dispatch times through advanced technology. RapidDeploy's co-founder Steven Raucher said, "RapidDeploy is proud to announce integration and partnership with Reporty. Our combined solution provides a complete ecosystem, taking public safety into the 21st century."

The presence of Daley, Rooke, and Ashkenazi on the Reporty board further strengthens the start-up's role in utilizing innovative and advanced technologies to solve some of public safety's critical issues. The Reporty application is available on both the Apple App Store and Android Play Store.

Media Contact: Raffe Gold 163957@email4pr.com 2123801159

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/exceptional-public-safety-insight-reporty-announces-new-board-members-300472944.html

SOURCE Reporty Homeland Security

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Exceptional Public Safety Insight: Reporty Announces New Board Members - PR Newswire (press release)

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2017

Lenape Regional High School District students run an award-winning safe driving campaign.

Lenape High School student representatives are shown at the Walnut Street Theatre on June 6 where their school was among those celebrated for being designated as "No Place for Hate" by the Anti-Defamation League. Lenape earned the status for the fourth straight year.(Photo: Photo provided)

MEDFORD For the fourth straight year, Lenape High School earned a designation from the Anti-Defamation League as No Place for Hate.

The initiativeenables schools and organizations to challenge anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry in all forms, according to the ADL website.

About 10 Lenape High School student representatives accompanied Principal Tony Cattani to Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia on June 6 for the inaugural No Place for Hate Designation Celebration,which recognized schools for participating in the initiative for the 2016-17 school year.

Cherry Hill West also had a contingent there after earning the No Place for Hate designation as well. The school, which has also earned the designation multiple times,was also singled out for piloting a newly developed ADL program to more effectively reduce bias and bullying in schools.

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The Anti-Defamation League celebrated schools for their efforts to combat bullying, biasand bigotry. About 450 attendees from 50 schools in South Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware attended the event, although not every school which participated in the initiative attended the event.

It was a great, informative experience, gathering schools from districts in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware to be honored for their accomplishments in anti-bias and anti-hate activities throughout the 2016-17 school year, Lenape student Trevor Montgomery said. This was Lenape High School's fourth straight No Place For Hate designation, and I am honored to have been selected by my principal to help receive this designation.

The presentation displayed all different examples of what each school did to avoid hate and bias in their academic community, which was very helpful for the future of our own school, as we are now able to reflect on these activities and try a few out in years to come.

While theinitiative runs nationally, in this region it'scurrently active in 220 schools and organizations throughout eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware, according to the ADL website.

Schools receive their designation by:

Overall, 15 South Jersey schools earned the No Place for Hate designation this school year, and 10 of those were present at the celebratory event.

Cherry Hill High School West students hold up their "No Place for Hate" poster. The school earned the designation from the Anti-Defamation League for its efforts in combating anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry in all forms.(Photo: Amit Gabai Photography)

The celebration honored winners of the No Place for Hate Essay Contest and highlighted Cherry Hill High School West for its participation in the pilot for a newly developed No Place for Hate PLUS program this year, an intensive program that wraps numerous ADL education initiatives around the No Place for Hate framework, to more effectively reduce bias and bullying in schools.

The ADL's Philadelphia regional officefirst implemented No Place for Hate as a community-based initiative in 2001 and adapted it for schools in 2005.

Lisa Friedlander, the ADLs education director for No Place for Hate, said the organization currently has a waiting list of about 40 schools who want to be part of the program.

We have been increasing our numbers year after year, Friedlander said.

Some schools are being reactive to the incidents that are happening. Other schools are being proactive because they recognize what a volatile environment the world is experiencing right now and they really want to get ahead of it and say We are a school that respects all of our students and treats all of our community members with respect and acceptance.

Celeste E. Whittaker; (856) 486-2437; cwhittaker@gannettnj.com

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Posted By simmons on June 16, 2017

More than 350 leading citizens and government officials joined the Anti-Defamation League Tuesday to honor community leaders in Greater New Haven.

The ADL presented its Torch of Liberty Award to Asma Farid and Tariq Farid, the founder and CEO of Edible Arrangements. Lindy Lee Gold was honored with the Distinguished Community Leadership Award at Congregation Bnai Jacob, in Woodbridge.

The Torch of Liberty Award is presented annually to outstanding citizens and corporations whose extraordinary work has helped to strengthen the Greater New Haven community, according to the release. The Distinguished Community Leadership Award recognizes outstanding citizens who contribute to building strong communities that are open to all people without regard to race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

It was an unforgettable evening, said ADL Connecticut Director Steve Ginsburg in the release. Asma, Tariq and Lindy truly (are) deserving honorees, and each spoke beautifully about their journeys and the ADL values that guided them along the way. With all the divisiveness in the world today, we were blessed to have an inclusive and celebratory event. ... Last night made clear to us all that the Greater New Haven community is essential to our goal of creating a world without hate.

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2017

Jewish organizations are scrapping publicly about whether they can work together on combating anti-Muslim bigotry after a statement made Monday by the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.

Jonathan Greenblatt told the Algemeiner on Monday that he was deeply upset and troubled after discovering that a public statement his organization had signed last week condemning discrimination against Muslims was also signed by Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that supports the boycott of Israel.

The two organizations have frequently clashed. The ADLs website criticizes JVP for us[ing] its Jewish identity to shield the anti-Israel movement from allegations of anti-Semitism, and a blog post on the JVP website accuses the ADL of kill[ing] the Black-Jewish alliance.

The Algemeiner reported that the ADL added its name before it saw most of the other organizations to join the initiative, which included mainstream groups like the National Council of La Raza, but also the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker group that supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

Greenblatt promised to exercise greater caution before lending its name to letters with multiple signers. But in the meantime, the broader debate about whether attitudes toward Israel should serve as a litmus test for potential partners played out on Twitter.

Were going to be a lot more careful, but we are not going to surrender the center to the extremists, he told the Algemeiner. We cannot allow fringe groups to capitalize on our halo.

Leaders of other Jewish organizations that signed the letter were split over whether they would have joined had they known JVP and other groups were also parties.

The president and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, David Bernstein, wrote on Twitter that he agreed with Greenblatt. While we stand by letters message, regret signing w/grps that deny Israels rt to exist, he tweeted, later adding, I am a litmus test minimalist, but there are litmus tests worth having.

But Rabbi Jill Jacobs of Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, which also signed the letter, argued for a different approach, both on Twitter in response to Bernstein and Greenblatt and in an interview with the Forward.

I certainly havent vetted every single one of the, however many there were, dozens of organizations that signed to see whether I agreed with every single one of their policy positions, she said. Im sure I dont. But if we had that standard, wed never sign anything.

She cited her organizations partnership with Catholic groups to advocate against solitary confinement despite disagreements over reproductive rights and gay marriage. (The AFSC was also part of that anti-solitary confinement campaign).

JVP spokesperson Naomi Dann responded to the ADLs criticism in kind.

The ADL cant be a partner against Islamophobia if they are conditioning their support for fighting anti-Muslim bigotry on peoples politics around Israel, she told the Forward.

She added that her organization had no regrets signing the letter despite the fact that the ADL also signed. But she added that in future such circumstances, her organization also might think twice about partnering with groups that dont share their support for Palestinian rights.

Other Jewish organizations that signed the letter, like the JCPA, the Union for Reform Judaism, Bend the Arc and the National Council of Jewish Women, did not return requests for comment.

The ADL shared with the Forward a statement from Greenblatt, saying in part that they recognize that when signing onto letters of this sort we must ensure that we are not inadvertently legitimizing groups who hold positions antithetical to our core values. In this time when many communities face real challenges, the coalitions we build must allow us both to speak our conscience without unduly politicizing the work.

But Jacobs, who made clear that she was only explaining her own organizations policies, argued that such a balance would be very difficult to strike: If we said that were only going to be in coalition with groups that we have agreed with on every issue, then forget it, wed be sitting in our little bubble working with the same two organizations all the time.

Contact Aiden Pink at pink@forward.com or on Twitter @aidenpink.

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Posted By admin on June 16, 2017

DENVER Anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise in Colorado, according to a newly released Anti-Defamation League audit.

There has been a marked increase in the harassment of Jewish individuals and vandalism of Jewish institutions in the last six months, with 15 anti-Semitic already recorded in the first quarter of 2017, reports the ADL in the latest issue of ADL Dateline.

The magazine also reports the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Colorado more than double in 2016 from the previous year.

The ADLs annual Audit of Anti-Semitic incidents found 45 incidents in Colorado last year, compared to only 18 incidents in 2015.

So far this year, there have been five reported cases where swastikas have popped up in Colorado.

The latest incident Denver7 reported happened at a home in Aurora on June 2. There, a couple woke up to swastikas spray-pained on their home.

On January 3, State Rep. Jonathan Sifound a Longmont park vandalized with swastikas.

Days later,people who live near Glenmere Park in Greeley were shocked to findtwo swastikas traced into the snowon the parks frozen lake.

Then, on May 3, swastikas and other symbols of hatewere found carved into cars near DU.

That same week, firefighters foundswastikas carved into afreshly poured concrete sidewalkin Westminster.

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Anti-Semitic incidents in Colorado continue to spike, new audit shows - The Denver Channel

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Posted By richards on June 14, 2017

The blame-the-Zionists conversation included disdain for America, law enforcement and capitalism. And, of course, no progressive conversation taking aim at Zionists is complete without advocating the demise of Israel.

June 14, 2017 11:48 am

To understand the thinking behind the event, its important to understand who was hosting the conversation.Verso Booksis aself-describedradical publishing house that regularly hosts speakers that, to put it mildly, dont think too highly of America or anything remotely aligned with Western democracy. Versosauthorspage includes Fidel Castro, Mao Zedongand Leon Trotsky.

Among the Verso authors who are still breathing isSayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the current leader of Hezbollah. Hezbollah is funded and supported by Iran and Syria,and has slaughtered countless Israelis and Westerners.

For example, theBrookings Institutionreports: Hezbollah had killed more Americans than any other terrorist group before 9/11. Even today, it is still far ahead of the Islamic State on this score. And the groups1985 manifesto states, Our struggle will end only when this entity [Israel] is obliterated. We recognize no treaty with it, no ceasefire, and no peace agreements.

Nasrallahs hatred for Jews isundeniable.In 2002, he told theNew Yorkerthat, 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.

So it comes as no surprise that on this particularspring evening, Verso Books welcomed two prominent voices that happen to be fiercely anti-America and anti-Zionist.

The first wasOmar Barghouti.

Barghouti is the co-founder of the Boycott,Divestmentand Sanctions (BDS) campaign against the Jewish state. Born in Qatar and raised in Egypt and the United States, he moved to Israel after marrying an Israeli-Arab woman. Barghouti enjoys Israeli permanent residency status, and despite advocating for the international boycott of Israeli academics, he holds a masters degree from Tel Aviv University.

While Barghouti exemplifies the hypocrisy of do as I say, not as I do, the BDS campaign he promotes has served as acatapultto the growing antisemitism crisis that exists today in academia, on college campuses and across the world.

The second speaker was Nyle Fort a PhD student at Princeton University, and a prominent organizer of the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, Missouri. Forts contempt for Israel and Zionism began as early as 2012 when hestated, Zionism has become a euphemism for conquest and colonization and removal, that is, of Muslim land and its people. And thus, Zionism and Islamophobia share a symbiotic relationship. Islamophobia feeds Zionism and Zionism reinforcing Islamophobia.

During the Verso Books event, Fort talked about his work with the Black Lives Matter offshoot Dream Defenders, and their 2016 trip to the Palestinian territories. A December 2016 investigation by theHaym Salomon Centerexposed the Dream Defenders embrace of antisemitism, and itscollaborationwith a State Department-designated terror group.

During their tour, Fort and his Dream Defenders were led around east Jerusalem by convicted terrorist and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Mahmoud Jedda. Jedda served 17 years in Israeli prison for planting bombs. In 2015, PFLP claimed responsibility for a killing spree in a Jerusalem synagogue, in which four Jews were viciously slaughtered. This is the repository of wisdom from which Fort and his fellow Dream Defenders learned aboutresistance.

During the trip, Dream Defenders produced an educational curriculumthat lionized the PFLP. The curriculum, titled Blacked Out History Rebellion Curriculum Toolkit, justifies violence and terrorism under the euphemism of struggle. The common core-compatible curriculum mentions various violent PFLP strategies such as hijackings, assassinations, car bombings, suicide bombings, paramilitary operations against civilian and military targets.

Considering the perspectives and alliances shared by Barghouti and Fort, its only natural that the vitriol spewed during the nearly two-hour event in Brooklyn bore little resemblance to the sermons of Dr. King.

For example, People grow. Two years ago, I would say stuff like: I am not anti-police, Im anti-police brutality. Umm, I dont believe that anymore. Im both anti-police and anti-police brutality! Fort declared.

Fort also compared modern-day Israel to slaveholders of ancient Egypt. Comparing Israel and Zionists to those who have murdered Jews is part of the social justice warriors playbook.

If there was ever a doubt that the anti-Zionists goal is not a two-state solution, but rather the eradication of Israel, Barghouti dispelled it. Asked about Israels right to exist, he said, Does a slave-owner have a right to exist? As what? As a slave-owner? No! Hell no! No they dont have a right to exist!

That remark was also consistent with his past statements. I do not buy into the two-state solution, Barghoutisaidin 2009. It is not just pragmatically impossible, it was never a moral solution. The first issue would be the right of return, but if the refugees were to return you cannot have a two-state solution like one Palestinian commentator remarked, you will have a Palestinian state next to a Palestinian state rather than a Palestinian state next to Israel.

Fort cited injustice across the board such as what is happening in Syria, and whats happening in Libya and whats happening in Flint [Michigan]. But, curiously, he never mentioned the atrocities committed against Middle East Christians by Islamic extremists and ISIS, or the subjugation suffered by women in Saudi Arabia or the torture and executions of the LGBTQ community in Iran.

Why not? Perhaps because he couldnt blame that on Zionists.

Paul Miller is president and executive director of the news and public policy group Haym Salomon Center. Follow him on twitter @pauliespoint.

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What Links Progressive Intersectionality? Blame the 'Zionists' - Algemeiner

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