ADL Fails to Protect Jews
Dear Editor:
This past weekend brought another series of dangerous assaults against Jews in Brooklyn, first in Crown Heights and later in Williamsburg. The attacks came on the heels of an already accelerated pace of violent attacks targeting Jews in the New York City area. Police reports indicate that anti-Semitic assaults are up 55% this year, which is atop an already increased rate from the previous years.
All evidence indicates that the bulk of the New York City attacks are coming from members of the Black, Hispanic, and Muslim community. Perhaps that is why the national ADL, under the new leadership of Jonathan Greenblatt, has been relatively silent in identifying and bringing to light these individuals, in contrast to its vociferous and specific condemnation when the perpetrators are labeled by the ADL “right-wing” or “white” individuals. Further, there have been attacks recently against rabbis and others in Berlin, severe physical attacks, by those speaking Arabic or those chanting Allahu Akhbar.
We understand that condemning perpetrators from minority groups that have expressed hostility to Jews is an uncomfortable endeavor for the ADL given its on-going political alliance with many of the leaders of these groups. Acknowledgment of anti-Semitism within these groups runs counter to the ADL template. Nevertheless, the national ADL must be honest by equally spotlighting and condemning perpetrators no matter what their background.
Public condemnation is a vital mechanism in focusing leaders of groups on ostracizing violent members and denouncing bigoted attitudes within their respective community. Ignoring realities and not holding people accountable allows the prejudice to remain. Having a lower level regional ADL office express alarm or focus simply on hate and intolerance is woefully inadequate, especially now that anti-Semitism coming from prominent segments of those groups has reached a tipping point.
Now, the ADL in the Detroit metro area has signed-on to and endorsed an event against “hate” at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, knowing full well that many of the participants – including Rashida Tlaib — and groups are notoriously anti-Israel and have expressed anti-Jewish feelings. The ADL was willing to partner with these groups in behalf of what it considers a greater concern, namely condemning what it labels hateful to Islamic groups.
Conference of Jewish Affairs believes that the purpose of the ADL, with its budget of over $65 million* a year, should be, as was its historic mission, to prioritize the safety and security of Jews. Indeed, many groups the ADL calls minorities are no longer minorities in relation to a shrinking Jewish community, which now, population-wise, is far smaller than those groups. Fighting general bigotry and intolerance is very worthwhile, but cannot supersede what should be the ADL’s foremost mission of defending Jews, no matter who their attackers.
Sincerely
Conference of Jewish Affairs
ISNA Convention in Houston
Dear Editor,
This Labor Day Weekend, thousands of Muslim Americans met in Houston, Texas for the annual Islamic Society of North America convention. CNN’s naive, biased opinion piece, “The star of the annual Muslim convention was a Jewish man from Brooklyn” applauds these Muslims for finding a Jew they “love.” So what kind of love fest is this? Who did they pick? If you guessed Israel basher, self-hating-Jew-in-name-only Socialist, Bernie Sanders, you win the prize. Muslims “love” Bernie because they can bond with a fellow Israel basher and together, with this “Jewish” mascot, continue to call for the end of the tiny Jewish State of Israel.
Bernie likes to appear as a warm and fuzzy likeable guy but we know better. Sanders campaigned in London for Jeremy Corbyn, a British politician serving as Leader of the Labour Party, an unapologetic antisemite, Israel basher, who has called Hamas and Hezbollah, “my friends” and who openly associates with Holocaust deniers. The Telegraph newspaper reports “In the strongest criticism of Labour’s leader yet by a senior Jewish figure, Lord Sacks said Mr Corbyn was an anti-Semite who defiles our politics and demeans the country we love. Corbyn has given support to racists, terrorists and dealers of hate who want to kill Jews and remove Israel from the map”.
The ZOA outs ‘fuzzy’ Bernie as a hard core, very far left Socialist as well: “Despite Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad shooting thousands of rockets into Israel, Sanders outrageously and falsely called Israel’s attempt to defend innocent Israeli citizens from constant rocket attacks “disproportionate”. (See, e.g., “Massively Inflating Toll, Sanders Suggests Israel Killed ‘Over 10,000 Innocents’ in Gaza,” by Eric Cortellessa, Times of Israel, Apr. 5, 2016.) It is truly shameful and despicable that Sanders repeatedly sides with and propagandizes for Hamas who are bent on murdering every Jew in Israel, and elsewhere.”
So who is this Islamic Society of North America? The Middle East Forum tells us everything we need to know in, “Islamic Society of North America’s Extremist Price of Admission” by Benjamin Baird, Jewish News Syndicate: “When it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict, there is no space for opposing viewpoints at the upcoming conference organized by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the largest Muslim advocacy group operating in the United States. While claiming to “foster the development of … interfaith relations,” ISNA also supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to isolate Israel completely and sever all diplomatic ties until certain maximalist demands are met….Islamist Society of North America, ISNA, has a history of extremist links. In 2008, it was designated by federal prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator during the terrorism financing trial of the Holy Land Foundation, an Islamic charity that funded the designated terror group Hamas. A federal judge found there was “ample evidence” establishing ISNA’s ties with Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist entity since 1997.
Woodstock was a true love fest. This one, the Islamist Society of North America is not. It is toxic to the soul. No true love anywhere in sight for most Jews or Israel. But plenty of love for those who support its destruction.
Sincerely
Ginette Weiner
Scottsdale, AZ
Condemns Mass Shooting in Odessa, TX
Dear Editor:
On Saturday, August 31, 2019, a gunman killed seven people and injured over 21 others in a series of shootings near Odessa. According to police, there were 25 shooting victims, including police officers. The string of incidents began with a traffic stop. A police officer stopped the driver, who proceeded to shoot the officer. The attacker fled along the highway, shooting at multiple people along the way. The police managed to fatally shoot the assailant.
The RAA/Igud HaRabbonim condemns this inhumane act of cold-blooded murder. Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, executive vice-president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, stated, “Words cannot express our outrage. As Jews, we are sadly all too familiar with terror, hate and violence, and the trauma of living with fear of violence. With join the people of Odessa, Texas and the law enforcement community in mourning these tragic losses. The wanton disregard of life demonstrated by these murders, the casual violence and murder, expresses a dismissal of the sanctity of human life. Every person is created in the divine image and deserves a chance to live a full life. We call upon every decent peace-loving person to lock hand in hand and to condemn this violence and resolve upon ourselves as human beings and as Americans to respect each other.”
Sincerely
Presidium – Rabbinical Alliance of America
