JooTube.TV

Israel's Lifeline When Missiles Strike - "Magen David Adom" Explained

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:56:00 +0000

At a time of renewed war pressure on Israeli civilians, Magen David Adom remains the emergency network that runs toward the blast sites, supplies the nation’s blood, and helps hold Israel’s civilian resilience together.

By Scott Jacobs | JooTube.TV

As Israel faces renewed rocket and missile attacks, the country’s civilian first responders are once again being pushed to the front lines.

When missiles hit homes, apartment blocks, or public gathering places, the people rushing toward the destruction are often paramedics and volunteers from Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical service.

“While Israelis stay in shelters, the men and women of Magen David Adom run out of the shelters toward the buildings that were hit.”
— Uri Shacham
Video: 8:21–8:48

At the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville in February, I spoke with Uri Shacham, Chief of Staff of Magen David Adom, about what MDA actually does, how it prepares for wartime mass-casualty events, and why its role has become even more critical as Israel confronts escalating regional threats.

More Than Ambulances

Magen David Adom is often described abroad as Israel’s version of the Red Cross. But that shorthand barely captures its real function. In practice, MDA serves as Israel’s nationwide ambulance service, a central pillar of its blood services system, a humanitarian network, and a mass-casualty response force all at once.

“Magen David Adom is Israel’s emergency services system. In practical words, it is the ambulance service for the entire State of Israel — but it is also the national blood service supplying hospitals and the IDF.”
— Uri Shacham
Video: 0:18–0:44

Shacham explained that MDA collects more than 250,000 units of blood annually, processes those units, and distributes them to hospitals throughout Israel. The Israel Defense Forces also rely on blood supplied through MDA’s system. In wartime, that function becomes indispensable, because rapid access to blood can directly reduce mortality for critically wounded soldiers and civilians alike.

Israel's Red Cross, Magen David Adom's Chief Uri Shacham, shows stats of their operation

MDA also operates across the full social fabric of Israeli life. Shacham stressed that there is no discrimination in its lifesaving mission, whether in blood services, volunteering, or emergency treatment. In the field, the patient comes first.

“It’s not uncommon to see an ambulance with a Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew as one team… because the only thing that matters is the person who needs help.”
— Uri Shacham
Video: 1:55–2:34

A Nationwide Network of Lifesavers

According to Shacham, MDA operates roughly 2,000 ambulances, about 200 ambulance stations, and more than 3,000 emergency vehicles in all. It is supported by nearly 40,000 people, the overwhelming majority of them volunteers.

One of the most important innovations in MDA’s model is the motorcycle fleet. These medics can cut through traffic and reach patients before an ambulance does, allowing treatment to begin in the earliest minutes of a crisis.

“The motorcycles rush through traffic and arrive first to the scene, allowing the paramedic to begin treatment before the ambulance even arrives.”
— Uri Shacham
Video: 3:27–4:21

The Protected Blood Center That Came Online After October 7

Among the most consequential projects MDA undertook was the creation of a secure blood services center capable of operating during wartime. With the help of American donors, that vision became the Marcus National Blood Services Center, much of it built underground for security.

“When Israel needed a secure blood compound after the atrocities of October 7th, the new blood center became operational two days later and provided what the soldiers and the injured needed most.”
— Uri Shacham
Video: 5:22–6:06

According to Shacham, the facility became fully operational on October 9, 2023, just two days after the October 7 atrocities. That meant that when Israel suddenly needed a secure, high-capacity blood operation under wartime conditions, MDA was ready.

“Magen David Adom is much more than an ambulance service… it is the backbone of Israel’s resilience.”
— Uri Shacham
Video: 6:24–6:46

Missiles, Mass Casualty, and the Scale of Threat

Shacham drew a sharp distinction between the kind of rockets long fired from Gaza or by Hezbollah and the much larger destructive potential of Iranian ballistic missiles. The scale of the threat changes the emergency burden dramatically for first responders.

“An Iranian missile carries at least a thousand pounds of explosives — like a bus full of explosives falling from the sky.”
— Uri Shacham
Video: 7:53–8:18

“While all the Israelis stay in the shelter, Magen David Adom people run out of the shelter… toward that whole block that collapsed when the missile hit.”
— Uri Shacham
Video: 8:21–8:48

Preparing Now, Not Later

Shacham said MDA has been expanding ambulance readiness, stocking vehicles, increasing training, conducting surprise drills, and improving coordination with the IDF. That preparation is based on the understanding that if a major escalation comes, it may come suddenly.

“We don’t know when it will happen, but we understand that it will. So it’s not a matter of if — it’s a matter of when.”
— Uri Shacham
Video: 9:44–10:17

How Supporters Abroad Can Help

Magen David Adom relies heavily on donations to expand its fleet, acquire medical equipment, strengthen blood services, train paramedics, and prepare for large-scale emergencies.

“When you support Magen David Adom, you support Israel.”
— Uri Shacham
Video: 12:29–12:38

What Shacham describes is a model of national resilience built not only on military defense but also on civilian response. In Israel, where threats can emerge with little warning, Magen David Adom remains one of the institutions that makes ordinary life possible.

That is why MDA’s importance rises every time the war reaches deeper into civilian life. It is not merely there after tragedy. It is one of the reasons more people survive it.

For readers who want to learn more or contribute, the site that Mr. Shacham gave is https://savinglivesinisrael.org.

Team Israel at the 2026 World Baseball Classic - Athletic Competitors as Wartime Ambassadors

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 17:52:00 +0000

By JewTube.Info | March 2026 | South Florida

In an exhibition game, Team Israel held a 2-1 lead over the NY Mets in the 8th inning

A fan's TeamIsrael T-shirt
carictacures Kevin Youkilis
in Jew Crew's center spot

Against the backdrop of an ongoing war in the Middle East, rising antisemitism around the world, and the weight of collective Jewish identity, Team Israel arrived in South Florida to compete in the 2026 World Baseball Classic — and they are not just here to play ball. From the stands at Clover Park to the concourses of Miami, a clear message is emerging from team executives, federation officials, and fans alike: Israel's presence at this tournament carries meaning far beyond the diamond.

In conversations at the tournament venues across South Florida, team executives and federation officials shared what this moment means — for the players, for the diaspora, and for the sport itself in Israel.

"The Name on the Front": On Jewish Pride and Resilience

Jason Pressberg, U.S. Operations Managing Director for Team Israel, was candid and passionate when asked what it means for Israel to compete during such a fraught moment in Jewish history. His answer centered on a single word: resilience.

"The Jewish people, thank God, are tremendously resilient. Israel is going through a tremendously challenging time and yet the Jewish people continue to celebrate — people are getting married, having babies, life is continuing even from the Israeli bunker."

Jason Pressberg on resilience — 0:23 to 0:56

Pressberg described the unique composition of Team Israel, noting that the roster is built largely of American Jews with Israeli citizenship — including star pitcher Dean Kramer of the Baltimore Orioles, who has two Israeli parents. But it is the spirit of the enterprise, he said, that defines it.

"In professional sports, you place the name on the back — you're enriching yourself. With Team Israel, it's always about the name on the front. You care so deeply about representing Israel and the global Jewish people who truly are one united family."

Pressberg on the team's identity — 2:10 to 2:30

Pressberg acknowledged the difficult competitive landscape Team Israel faces in what he called the "pool of death" — matched against the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the Netherlands, and Nicaragua, each a formidable baseball nation. The Dominicans and Venezuelans, he noted, field rosters that resemble MLB All-Star teams.

"We think there's a real opportunity to beat the Nicaraguans like we did in 2023, compete against the Netherlands, and hopefully sneak one through on either the Dominicans or the Venezuelans and make our way into the next stage."

Pressberg on competitive expectations — 4:56 to 5:31

Looking beyond the WBC, Pressberg set his sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where baseball is returning as an event. Team Israel qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Games — one of just six nations worldwide to do so — and is determined to return. He described the organization's long-term mission as one of cultural connection and nation-building through sport, growing the game among Israeli children even as rockets fall.

"This national team is really about Jewish pride and facing growing antisemitism head on. There's no better way than succeeding on the base path, playing at the highest level with Israel across your chest and with a heavy but determined and resilient heart."

Pressberg on antisemitism and purpose — 6:07 to 6:24

"We Flew Here to Play Baseball," Attracting Support as Athletic Competitors, Whatever Our Circumstances
TeamIsrael's bench coach, Kevin Youkilis revealed his
yarmulke during singing of Hatikvah in this clip shared
by fan, Ari Ackerman. Youkilis said, "It's not just about
Israel- it's about the Jewish community all over the world!"

At Clover Park in South Florida, David Friesem — a U.S.-based executive with Team Israel — offered a notably different perspective. Where Pressberg spoke of symbolism and pride, Friesem drew a firm line between sport and politics.

"I think it's wrong to connect politics and baseball. We planned this way in advance. It's really important for the sport in Israel. So we come here, we play baseball, and then we go home and deal with our trouble."

David Friesem on separating sport from politics — 0:06 to 0:43

Friesem acknowledged the personal weight of the moment — noting he has family in Israel navigating hard times — while maintaining that the WBC commitment was made long before the current conflict escalated. For him, the tournament's importance is fundamentally about sport development.

"From overseas, there's a lot of support — from various federations, Jewish federations, Christian federations. We're based on donations from abroad. So it's very important that we make a good impression here and people feel that we're growing."

Friesem on international support for Israeli baseball — 0:46 to 1:04

Friesem's remarks underscore an important operational reality: the Israeli baseball program runs on philanthropic support from abroad, making tournaments like the WBC not just athletic showcases but critical fundraising and visibility platforms. A strong showing — or even a respectable one — translates directly into sustained interest and donations.

"Peaceful Approach": ex-I.A.B. President Dr. Jordy Alter on Sports Diplomacy and Grassroots Growth

Perhaps the most evocative interview came from Dr. Jordy Alter, the immediate past President of the Israel Association of Baseball ("I.A.B.") a — the federation that governs the sport on the ground in Israel itself. Speaking from the WBC venue, Dr. Alter framed Team Israel's participation in explicitly diplomatic terms.

"It's an incredible opportunity for us as a team representing Israel to share with the world the peaceful approach that the Jewish people have towards the world — and this is reflected in sports. To be representative of the country of Israel at a time like this gives tremendous strength to our friends and families back home, and also to all Jews all around the diaspora."

Israel Association of Baseball executive on sports diplomacy — 0:01 to 0:40

He went on to describe the scope of baseball in Israel today — a sport that has grown from a niche American import into an organized national program with over a thousand young players competing in six levels of leagues across the country, from the south to the north.

"The Israel Association of Baseball runs leagues in Israel from ages six and up. We have six different levels of leagues, over a thousand kids playing all over the country — from the south up to the north."

On baseball's grassroots growth in Israel — 0:44 to 0:58

Three Voices, One Team

What emerges from these three conversations is a portrait of an organization navigating multiple identities at once. Team Israel is a competitive baseball program with serious athletic ambitions — gunning for the next round of the WBC and eyeing the 2028 Olympics. It is also a fundraising enterprise dependent on diaspora goodwill and international federation support. And it is, inescapably, a symbol: of Jewish endurance, of Israel's presence on the world stage, and of the complicated, sometimes contradictory relationship between sport and geopolitics.

TeamIsrael fan sports a team cap
and a clever"Matzo Ball'er" t-shirt

Pressberg wears that symbolism proudly and speaks of it freely. Friesem prefers to compartmentalize, insisting that baseball is baseball and the war is the war. The Israeli federation executive threads a middle path — acknowledging the moment's weight while framing the team's participation as an act of peaceful engagement with the world.

Together, they represent a microcosm of how diaspora and Israeli Jews are processing an extraordinarily difficult chapter — not in spite of the game, but through it.

Update: Team Israel finished Pool D with a 2-2 record, defeating Nicaragua and the Netherlands before falling to Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. While the result ended their run in the 2026 Classic, the finish was sufficient to maintain their qualification status — ensuring Team Israel will return to the next World Baseball Classic, scheduled for 2029.

Videos produced by JewTube.Info. Interviews conducted at Clover Park and in Miami, South Florida, March 2026, during World Baseball Classic pre-tournament activity.

The Israel Film Festival in Hollywood: Cinema, Culture, and Circling Our Wagons During Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 05:00:00 +0000

(Photo credit: Times of Israel)

As Israel faces intensified scrutiny not only in diplomatic arenas but across cultural institutions, the question of hasbara—public representation and legitimacy—has taken on renewed urgency. For the Israel Film Festival, however, that question is answered less through messaging than through cultural presence.

That posture comes at a moment of heightened international tension. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Washington to coordinate with the White House on the escalating threat posed by Iran, the broader context is impossible to ignore.

Protest sign in D.C. reads "Save Israel From Netanyahu"

Iran’s long-term preparation and arming of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis set the stage for the current conflict; Hamas’ October 7 '23 attack—widely understood as having jumped the gun on Tehran’s regional strategy—triggered Israel’s incursion into Gaza. The military damage inflicted on Hamas’ infrastructure and guerrilla forces has since been reframed in much of the global discourse as a moral indictment of Israel itself, intensifying the parallel information war that now surrounds the conflict.

It is against this backdrop that cultural platforms, including film festivals, are increasingly scrutinized for how Israel is portrayed—or whether it is portrayed at all.

The Festival’s Answer: Culture, Not Curation by Ideology

Festival Director Meir Fenigstein does not approach hasbara as something to be engineered film by film. In his view, the act of holding the festival—year after year, in Los Angeles—is itself a meaningful form of representation.

“We have different kinds of films,” Mr. Fenigstein explains. “We have films about October 7. We have action movies. We have comedies. We have dramas.” Some of this year’s selections are already enjoying strong theatrical runs in Israel, while others are being introduced to American audiences for the first time.

The festival, which opened on Wednesday, February 4, runs through February 21, with tickets available at https://israelfilmfestival.com. Beyond screenings, it brings Israeli directors, producers, and actors to Los Angeles, creating direct encounters between artists and audiences. Over the years, Mr. Fenigstein has brought hundreds of Israeli film professionals to the United States, a practice he sees as central to the festival’s mission.

Eti Tsicko, director, interviewed by Israeli-American
actor / director, Mike Burstyn

While the term hasbara often invites expectations of political filtering, Mr. Fenigstein rejects that premise. “The festival itself, by having the festival, is good hasbara for Israel,” he says. “But to go into each film and decide if it’s good or not good for us—we’re not there. We are doing a film festival.”

This year’s lineup includes films such as Nandauri, directed by Eti Tsicko, which has been running successfully in Israel for several months, as well as A Burning Man, featuring Shai Avivi. For Mr. Fenigstein, the relevance of these films lies not in whether they deliver an explicit message, but in the fact that they emerge from Israeli society and are presented without ideological pre-screening.

The cumulative effect, he believes, is credibility: Israeli life shown as it is, rather than as it is argued.

Honoring Lawrence Bender: Memory and Meaning

The festival’s cultural emphasis is further reflected in its decision to honor Lawrence Bender with the 2026 Visionary Award.

Israel Film Fest director Meir Fenigstein and
Lawrence Bender, recipient Visionary Award 2026

While Mr. Bender’s long collaboration with director Quentin Tarantino includes films such as Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, it is Inglourious Basterds that stands apart in its resonance for Jewish audiences. The film’s imagined rewriting of history—granting Jews a decisive victory over the Nazi leadership—has come to be viewed by many as a form of symbolic justice.

Reflecting on the script, Mr. Bender recalled telling Tarantino, “Thank you so much on behalf of all the Jewish people in the world. Thank you.” That reaction, he has said, came from recognizing what the film offered emotionally, even as it departed from historical fact.

What's Inglorious Basterds producer Lawrence Bender working on next?

Bearing Witness in Israel

Mr. Bender’s connection to Israel deepened further through his recent work on Red Alert, filmed in Israel after October 7 and during active hostilities. It was his first time filming in the country, and the experience proved transformative.

“From my first day, being in the middle of a missile alert,” he recalled, “it’s a very strange experience being someplace where someone’s trying to kill you.” The production placed him in direct contact with families of hostages and victims, including time spent at Hostage Square while the war was still ongoing. “It was extremely life-changing,” he said. “I felt I needed to make a great show—to show the world these families and what they had to go through.”

Asked at the festival about a past political position related to Iran and the JCPOA, Mr. Bender declined to address the question publicly. “I’m not here to talk politics,” he said. “I’m happy to be here, to be with my people, and not to really talk politics.”

That decision mirrored the festival’s own stance.

Culture as Counterweight

At a time when Israel’s military actions are often divorced from their initiating causes in public discourse, the Israel Film Festival does not attempt to rebut accusations point by point. Instead, it insists on something more durable: sustained cultural presence. By presenting Israeli cinema without reducing it to advocacy, and by honoring artists whose work engages history and lived experience, the festival advances a quieter but resilient form of hasbara—one rooted in humanity, ethics, and creative truth.

Red Alert helped earn Inglorious Basterds producer, Lawrence Bender a Visionary Award" from "Israel Film Festival.

Praying with tablets in the desert: How the war affected Jews and Israelis attending Consumer Electronics Show in Nevada

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 17:00:00 +0000

At Consumer Electronics Show / C.E.S: What effect has the Gaza War had on the appeal of Israeli brands at the annual conventions? Mr. Lior Konitski, Vice Dir. Gen., Israel Export Institute.

Orthodox Jews at #CES gather for daily prayers quorum at exhibition.

GlobalFoundries' sales director, Yossi Benizri, a French-Israeli at CES

Yossi Benizri tells JewTube.Info about his experiences with religious practices and prejudice in different countries. The French-born, Israeli man discusses the uniqueness of encountering Orthodox Jewish prayer practices at a tradeshow booth in France and shares his observation that it's Muslim prayers that are commonly seen in public spaces in France. When asked about discomfort with praying in public or potential discrimination, Mr. Benizri expresses confidence and pride in his identity as an engineer working in the high-tech industry with a business connecting Israeli companies to the manufacturing of semiconductor devices.

Candid explanation of Orthodox Jewish philosophy from leader of religious Jewish prayers at C.E.S.: Maurice Ashear of Vivitar Corp of New Jersey.

"Hailo" edge A.I. processors from Israel - Made in Israel - Sold from Germany throughout Europe

Are Public Chanukah Menorah Lightings Days After Bondi Massacre Prudent?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 12:39:00 +0000

At a public Hanukah menorah lighting on Bondi Beach, Sydney Australia on December 14th, Sajid Akram (50) and his son Naveed Akram (24) fired rifles that injured more than 40 people and killed 15 people (including British-born Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger (a father of five children).

Two days prior to the attack in Sydney, the FBI in arrested four L.A. members of a far-left, pro-Palestinian extremist group for plotting to detonate pipe bombs at five or more locations on New Year's Eve (labeled Operation Midnight Sun).

In the wake of news of the this anti-Jewish influenced violence, Rabbi Moshe Levin of Lubavitch synagogue Beis Bezalel in Los Angeles defended holding his community's public menorah lighting with attractive music.

Speaking at that community gathering, Levin declared that Hanukkah menorah lightings are more important than ever. He particularly emphasized that the menorah’s flame represents an unbroken spiritual light stretching back more than 2,000 years — a light no empire or act of hatred has ever been able to extinguish. “When things grow dark, Jews don’t retreat,” he said. “We respond by lighting more light."

How wise a public Hanukah menorah lighting this week? Chabad Rabbi Moshe Levin, Beis Bezalel

Rabbi Levin said the goal of such violence is to intimidate Jews into silence and fear. Instead, he argued, the proper response is to strengthen Jewish identity and public expression.

Chabad of L.A. held its scheduled public menorah lightings and music with private security
as well as local police around the city - including at a carnival / concert on Sunday 21 Dec.

Drawing on the teachings of King Solomon and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, he noted that Jewish history shows light emerging strongest from darkness, and that pride in Jewish faith is a source of protection, rather than vulnerability.

Rabbi Levin concluded that public displays of Jewish life are not acts of defiance - but affirmations of continuity and faith. “A little light pushes away a lot of darkness,” he said, adding that each mitzvah strengthens the world and brings humanity closer to redemption.

Alan Zipper, Community Engagement Liason, for L.A. Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky's district participated in a different orthodox menorah lighting on a different day.

What "We Think it's Funny" podcaster, Daniel Lobell takes seriously this holiday season.

Gad Elbaz wows Jewish crowd; gets teens dancing, singing MidEast melodies at L.A Chanukah Carnival

Israel as America’s Will-to-Act: Stark Warning from "Save-the-West's" Ken Abramowitz

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 00:30:00 +0000

Ken Abramowitz of SaveTheWest
at the Republican Jewish Coalition

In a recent interview, security analyst Ken Abramowitz delivered a blunt assessment of today’s Middle East power dynamics: Israel, not the United States, is the only nation capable—and willing—to stop Hamas and disrupt Iran’s march toward nuclear weapons. It’s a provocative claim, but Abramowitz’s reasoning is rooted in a simple formula he repeats throughout the conversation: to win a war, a nation needs the ability to act and the will to act. According to him, America has the first, Israel has both—and in the current geopolitical environment, willpower is the decisive force.

Mr. Abramowitz, founder and President of Save The West, begins by describing what he calls the “two elephants in the Middle East room”—the Qatar–Turkey–Muslim Brotherhood bloc representing Sunni Islamist power, and the Iranian regime leading the Shiite axis. He characterizes both as “death cults” that gain influence through intimidation and violence. These regimes, he warns, are not passive observers. They actively maneuver to shape U.S. foreign policy, often to the detriment of American allies.

From his perspective, Qatar and Turkey have successfully pressured the White House to restrain Israel, particularly in its campaign to dismantle Hamas. Washington’s desire to manage diplomacy, hostage negotiations, and global perception creates what Abramowitz sees as an unnecessary straightjacket around Israeli action.

This is where his larger point emerges. America possesses overwhelming military capability, but frequently lacks the political will to use it decisively. Israel, in contrast, is a small nation surrounded by existential threats; hesitation is a luxury it cannot afford. As Abramowitz puts it, Israel “has the arms and the will,” a combination no other Western ally possesses.

This fusion of capability and resolve makes Israel, in his view, a kind of extension of American power—the actor that will do what Washington cannot or will not. For Abramowitz, this is not a criticism of the United States as much as a recognition of geopolitical reality. Democracies with global commitments tend to avoid prolonged or high-risk military actions. Israel, by virtue of its geography and history, makes decisions through a different lens: survival.

He applies this logic directly to Hamas and Iran. Abramowitz argues that Hamas cannot be appeased or reformed and that attempts at negotiation inevitably fail because violent ideological movements only stop when they are forcibly stopped. He draws comparisons to Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, al-Qaeda, and ISIS—entities ultimately defeated not by diplomacy but by sustained military force.

The same logic, he says, applies to Iran’s nuclear program. While the United States has the technical ability to eliminate Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, it lacks the political will to risk escalation. Israel, he insists, has both—because it must. The difference between “should” and “must,” he suggests, is the gap between American caution and Israeli necessity.

Abramowitz also acknowledges a tension inside U.S.–Israeli cooperation: the prioritization of hostage recovery in Gaza. He says President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu made a conscious choice to allow Qatar and Turkey to mediate in order to secure the release of 20 living hostages. That humanitarian decision, he argues, came with a strategic cost—slowing Israel’s military momentum. Yet he views this as a calculated tradeoff rather than a strategic blunder.

Ultimately, Abramowitz’s warning is less about today’s headlines and more about tomorrow’s stakes. The Middle East is not a region where ideological movements retire peacefully. He believes the U.S. will eventually come to the same conclusion he has: force, not negotiation, will determine the future of Hamas and Iran. When that moment arrives, he argues, Israel will be the nation carrying out actions that align with American interests—even if Washington cannot say so openly.

Whether one agrees with Abramowitz or not, his message is clear: capability is not enough. In the Middle East, the will to act is the ultimate currency of survival—and he believes Israel is the only nation prepared to spend it.

Apathy towards the assassin of Rabbi Kahane (and now, the murder of Paul Kessler) contributed to the lack of deterrent in attacks on Jewish people

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 00:30:00 +0000

Zohran Mamdani led a protest in New York City in 2021, calling for an end to US aid to Israel. (photo: Javier Soriano in NY Post 10/31/25)

New Yorkers' electing Islamist-Marxist, Zohran Mamdani to the mayoralty of New York City last night is a bookend to another milestone in NYC Muslim supremacist Jew-hatred. On today's date November 5th 1990, 35-years ago, Egyptian-Islamist, El Sayid Nosair assassinated Israeli Parliamentarian Rabbi Meir Kahane the NYC-raised founder of the Jewish Defense League following a talk the Jewish leader delivered at a NYC Marriott hotel.

The Jewish Defense League, which served as a deterrent to violence against Jews on US streets - would also counter-protest anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hate protests on US streets. The JDL'ers own street protests to free Jews persecuted for practicing their faith in the Soviet Union contributed to the Soviet government opening their gates for the Jews to emigrate, which led to the ultimate opening of emigration and the end of Communism in the Soviet Union.

Rabbi Meir Kahane's Jewish Defense League rallied for police protections, deploying civic patrols and retaliatory deterrents.

How ironic that within 35-years of an Islamist's slaying Rabbi Kahane, who was loathed by Islamists for standing up for Jews' rights against Muslim persecution (as well as confronting their slanderous street protests against Israel) that New York Democratic voters would elect a practicing Islamo-Marxist who directed anti-Israel protests in the US himself - to oversee and manage New York City entirely!

Within days, a trial is scheduled for another Muslim anti-Zionist, Loay Alnaji, who is charged in the death of Jewish-American, Paul Kessler in Los Angeles 2023. Mr. Kessler, 69, brought a flag to counter-protest a vitriolic Islamist protest of the Jewish State, not too dissimilar to the anti-Israel protests that helped bring Zohran Mamdani to prominence and power. Lacking a Jewish Defense League-like counter-protest, such as Stand with Us used to organize, Mr. Kessler and his colleague, Jonathan Oswaks, came without adequate deterrent protection.

Paul Kessler (on left) died after Loay Alnaji (seated on right) struck him in the face with a bullhorn he protested Israel with at a Thousand Oaks, Calif demonstration by the Islamic Society of Simi Valley

We spoke with former Kahanist, Jewish Defense Leaguers, Mr. Shannon Taylor and Ms. Fern Sidman in NYC in 2018. They assess the state of anti-Semitism from the far-right and the far-left. How will pro-Israel and pro-Jewish demonstrators be organized to counter the inevitably emboldened anti-Israel demonstrations that will grow under the Mamdani regime in NYC?

New Yorkers' electing Mamdani occurred during this week of Kristalnacht and the assassinations Rabbi Meir Kahane and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin. Mr. Shannon Taylor, an acolyte of Rabbi Kahane, recalled in video the context of the event and its aftermath. He assesses the Kahane and Jewish Defense League legacy in Jewish leadership today.

Recorded November, 2018 in Manhattan.

Question: This is the 28th commemoration of the night of the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane. What was the event like to your recollection?


Mr. Shannon Taylor, eyewitness to Islamist assassination of JDL leader Rabbi Meir Kahane

Taylor: "I've been, as I said, on every unhappy event that ever would take place. I was also at Avery Fisher Hall when Arafat came in with his two guns - and Bruce Teitelbaum and Suri Kasira and Mayor Guiliani's head staff, Mastro, the new chief of staff told me he was there with his guns. I was the first to challenge him and I was going to take the picture of a lifetime like I took the picture for evidence of the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane on November 5th 1990 at 9:00 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel not too far from here on the eastside. But I was so mad at Arafat I couldn't concentrate on the picture and I took his ponytails. And the result was that I'm still looking for jobs because I could have retired on that picture.

But every Jew in that place hugged him. They hugged Arafat, the same ones who condemned Kahane and wouldn't have him in B'nai Zion-invited Arafat in the B'nai Zion when he was on that tour. He was uninvited to Avery Fisher Hall and after I challenged him, Rudy Guiliani (to his credit and he got credit from all over the world for this because I put the story in the Post enough the New York Times) Rudy Giuliani summarily threw him out he left with a whimper.

Florence Schwartz (left) and Izzy Katz (right) comforts Rabbi Meir Kahane, whom Islamist, El Sayyid Nosair shot through the neck at the east-side Marriott in Manhattan in the first Islamist terror attack on US soil. Police had no translators for his Arabic documents containing plans to blow-up the WTC. (Photo: Shannon Taylor)

And on Kahane's assassination, I want you to know the police station was no more than five minutes away- but it took 20 minutes for them to get there. And the detectives have since been dishonorably investigated. And they commingled all the evidence the Homeland Security took away every evidence that was relevant. I went to Jeff Sessions who was the head of the FBI who believed me it was a conspiracy. As did the A.D.A. Greenbaum from Morgenthau's office. And Sessions was fired by Clinton because he didn't want to have anything to do with fighting terrorists. And then New York was supposed to be a terrorist-ridden city , so they didn't publicize anything the stories died away and Nosair was acquitted the first time!"

Question: What was the scene like?

"Well, picture that synagogue today in Pittsburgh. Picture a guy in a civilian crowd well nobody has a gun (except my friend Ralph Elder who had just left). And in comes a gunman and shoots him right square in the face where I was standing. And I was taken away from security so this could be done. So you wonder about the security, you wonder about the enforcement. But Kahane was so strong and so healthy at 58 - 10-years younger than Meir when Meir died that his heart beat for another hour.

But the same Jewish doctors who couldn't save him - saved his assassinator, Nosair.

El Sayyid Nosair mugshot 1993

And Nosair said it was a Jew killed him, it was a Jew! And counselor a Jew came to defend him when Ron Kuby who was not a Jew but pretended to be a Jew and a member of the JDL. It was the farce of farces - on one side were all of Al Qaeda . Everybody involved in the bombing in 9/11 was there protesting in favor of the assassination of Kahane. And everybody who was a righteous Jew was on the other side protesting them!

And when the sentence came down that acquitted the murderer of the murder that everybody knew he did, even Schlessinger, my mother-in-law's opera mate, who I had a sit next to the judge who never got certiorari after that to stay on longer, he said the verdict make no sense and because of the evidence I had of the gun that I saw Nosair had (I took a picture of he spent another year and a half in jail) and so they had the evidence when in '93 the World Trade Center blew up the first time to keep him there after that event and then read in Arabic what they should have read in the beginning. It' still didn't help them for 9/11. No matter how many times I warn the mayor and his staff and them and the FBI and so on they were all blind deaf and dumb as they are today - except for Trump.

Trump is the only person who was seeing and hearing and knows. And because all the villains of the world know he knows - they condemn him instead of saying "come and rescue us! Come bring in more terrorists! Don't keep them out!" This is the Jewish organizations' answer. And there's a protest tomorrow for Trump, so we're on the streets, too."

Question: Who's on the streets?

"The ones who believe in the Trump administration, that America protects Jews at it did my father who performed the French and American armies and in the resistance and the Israeli independence War. He came here found a marvelous life in this marvelous country and these bastards are not going to ruin it. And the media that protects them is not going to ruin it. And the politicians on the Left are not gonna ruin it. They are losing - they will lose, they will always lose. Am Yisrael Chai! As Carlebach wrote for Meir Kahane's rescue of Soviet Jews."

Question: Do you believe there was a conspiracy to hide El Sayid Nosair's notes about leading to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing?

Mr. Taylor: "No question that there was a conspiracy and the death of Meir and Binyamin Kahane. Binyamin killed on the Millennium and Israel and Meir killed November 5th, 1990. But it was not a conspiracy to conceal the notes the notes were there nobody wanted to read them nobody in law enforcement bothered. I went to every . . .

I went to every law-enforcement agency the Federals confiscated most of it and they didn't have Arabic translators. And Morganthau's office was convinced it was one person on Prozac. Like the one who downed the Egyptian airplane who was out of a job and who was in fact an emissary of the PLO.

Etz Chaim synagogue massacre memorial

These are not lone soldiers! They are part of conspiracies with deep money and deep training. And the one who went into the (Pittsburgh) temple today was an assassin! He had us he had rifles and handguns and only experts use! And he led his men know and his women know who watch his blog that this is the day and we're too dumb to recognize it or take it seriously! Meir Kahane took it seriously, as did Shlomo Carlebach. They brought Jews to Judaism, they said not one inch from Israel, and they would have protected us today - but we don't have any Jews today to protect us anywhere!

I might add that Dov Hikind was in the forefront of always protecting Jews. And he was there in Crown Heights when the locals went up against us and the Mayor Dinkins and his staff were told by Governor Cuomo to do nothing. So if you're expecting protection from government, or you're expecting protection from your friends, you're not gonna get it.

Speaks with my father's voice who went through everything, that God Almighty should see us through. We have the strength and the intelligence and the ingenuity to overcome all adversity - but we don't have the ability to confront ourselves. We have to, somehow or other , put reason in the minds of people who are normally reasonable. To see who the enemy is - that this is not an Orwellian world - that there is right and wrong there are no gray areas where events like this take place. The assassination of Kahane or the death of Carlebach, where they should have had a defibrillator on the plane. Now he would have been alive today and now they do. And certainly not a synagogue that should have had guns.

But I want to make one last point- that Cincinnati, that everybody talks about. The Democratic mayor the Democratic white mayor of Cincinnati allowed the Nazis to hold submachine guns in front of the synagogue doors."

Question: No, you mean Charlottesville?

"Yes, Charlottesville. I love Cincinnati of course, it has challenged me but I love Jefferson. So they allowed the machine guns in front of the synagogue doors the entire morning and that's the responsibility of the mayor and his police to have removed them. And the Jews had to go out through the back. But our days of going out through the back or depending on law enforcement are over! We are now going to take ourselves very seriously against our own enemy and against the enemy from outside. And I put my faith and trust in this administration with Trump and Governor Cuomo - because they are both very good friends of the Jews and have always been."

Fern Sidman, editor-in-chief of the Jewish Voice of New York weekly newspaper (and former activist with Rabbi Meir Kahane joins the discussion).

Ex-JDL'ers on Kahane's yahrzeit- anti-semitism on the Left and Right, but who will organize opposition against them under the expected Mamdani emboldenment?

Shannon Taylor: "Obviously no one ever condemned anti-semitism from a White House stronger than Trump. Certainly not FDR- who sent six million Jews to their death- happily! And it's certainly not Truman who begrudgingly allowed Israel a few months to breath. No, this is the finest president for Jews and the most against hate. And this guy (Bowers) has hate-sites of Trump on his web. He has said over and over again that Trump is a globalist and not a nationalist. He would never have voted for him. And the other guy, with his silly pipe-bombs that don't explode because he doesn't know what he's doing and wasn't meant to- he was a hanger-on who wasn't the supporter either he just a hanger-on like the guy who followed John Lennon for six months until he shot him. You have to understand that these are maneuvers used against us, against the Jews, against the Trump administration (who is a best friend of Israel ever) to try and derail momentum before the midterms. That's what this is. These are not isolated acts and they're certainly not done by Trump people. Rather quite the contrary so on this night of Rabbi Kahane's yahrzeit."

Question: "What words would you have for Jews who are feeling sympathy, obviously at this time and don't have an outlet for expressing their indignation against this anti-semitism?"

Fern Sidman: "Look, Jews can always have an outlet for expressing their indignation. You know Jews are great writers, they can be on radio programs, they can organize within themselves. They can realize that self-defense is not something that's verboten- that's not something that's evil. That Rabbi Kahane implored Jews to learn to use guns to defend themselves. And I think it's very important for American Jews to realize that the alarming escalation of Jew-hatred didn't just happen yesterday or the day before. It's been slowly percolating over the last few decades.


Fern Sidman, Editor-in-Chief, Jewish Voice of New York

It's high time for Jews to realize that the real enemies, the ones who are fomenting anti-semitism in the world, yes are the sick hate-filled people like Bowers. But the real enemy are the BDS movement that has taken over our college campuses. Every single campus has an Israel Apartheid Week. Mr. Taylor, I'm sure, will elaborate on his recent experiences at Columbia University. BDS to those folks who don't know is Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel. It's a movement that was created to economically, academically, culturally, politically boycott Israel."

Question: "But are you saying that the that the BDS movement is a bigger problem than outright anti-semitism from the far left and far right?"

Ms. Sidman: "I think that the anti-semitism from the far left especially I mean we're talking about the ante for people and the far right has all got it is be the wind beneath their wings is the BDS movement the fact that you see with a person says look I'm anti-israel they'll go on campus oh yeah Jewish I have nothing against you could shoot you I just need Israel don't believe it Israel's the bogeyman in the world it's the Jew of the world when Israel is attacked the Jew is attacked and those two isms anti Israel it it they're inextricably intertwined and nobody can really debate that and yes there are anti-semitic websites and anti but we living at a time where people are not doing enough to stop the expression of hatred against Jews on campuses and who's not doing enough the ADL the liberal Jews to say but what about the freedom of speech freedom of expression we can't silence them because if we silence them there will be silence and so on and so forth no it's high time to speak the truth to challenge the BDS to be out there and to have sympathetic media behind us we already have the president behind us but to talk about the dangers of BBS is really an ethereal thing once you here we occurred a Columbia University courtesy of Mr. Taylor I am sure your image of us will change."

Shannon Taylor: "I agree with everything that Fern said and she says it mildly. I might add she's very mild appear to be I have gone to Tufts University I've given panels at Columbia on diversity we have an organization of diversity multiculturalism Tufts University developed from a anti-Zionism course - now colonizing Palestine it's a symbolic of what's happened to all the universities at Columbia it escalated to the point where all free Diane the daughter of the Consul General to New York was assaulted and threatened and feared for her safety and went out publicly and to show you the paucity of our ranks you asked about the Jewish establishment leaders there are none there are no leaders we have no leaders anymore Carl Beck was a leader Kahane was a leader snoozer was a leader there are no leaders today except Netanyahu who has his hands full they even go after his wife for God's sakes at Columbia every member of the Faculty of political science and South Asian departments is a Muslim or hates Israel and Jews and they condemn every Israeli and Jew see and they tell you if you don't even have brown eyes you're not entitled to Israel and and bigger affect their grades and their graduation who would want to go to these schools anyway but did you send the money and the Jews want to go they don't know but I'm telling you that hatred it's from the BDS movement first spoke about and yes that is a far greater danger in America than these isolated right-wing people because I'm sure they're coordinated I'm sure that's a conspiracy I'm sure they're meant for political purposes and to try and dissuade voters but though BDS means hate against Jews in Israel across the world."

24th month of October 7th captivities - Jewish & Israeli gaming-industry conventioneers gather for attack-survivor's perspectives

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 09:49:00 +0000

At G2E Expo, gaming-industry executives, Benjie Cherniak and Joe Asher introduce Israeli photographer, Inor Kagno, who testifies his experience and views since surviving the Oct 7th massacre 2-years ago.

It's a cruel irony that Israelis who built some of the world’s most trusted verification and compliance systems now find themselves defamed by outlets that republish, without scrutiny, the unverifiable claims of a terror regime.

That inversion of truth set the stage for Inor "Roni" Kagno’s remarks. Standing before gaming professionals who live by evidence, he told them he had nothing to sell and no platform to promote — only the story of survival that began at dawn on October 7, 2023, when his camera stopped being a tool of art and became a witness.

Mr. Kagno described the Nova Music Festival not as a battlefield but as a trap sprung on civilians — thousands of young people caught between gunfire and flaming cars, running through open fields that offered no cover. Kagno refused to call it “cross-fire.” “There was only one side shooting,” he said. “And there were no soldiers among us.”

In recounting how information was manipulated after the massacre, Mr. Kagno warned: “And the same people giving this information to Hamas.” He explained that roughly three thousand infiltrators crossed from Gaza that morning — “a thousand of them soldiers with a uniform, Nukhba and stuff … just to kidnap, just to rape civilians.” His point was clear: the same networks that feed Western reporters unverifiable casualty tallies were, in many cases, the very pipelines through which Hamas coordinated its atrocities.

He told the audience how Hamas filmed its own massacres — the deliberate mutilations, the executions in traffic jams — and how those videos now circulate as recruitment propaganda while global media amplify casualty numbers supplied by the perpetrators. “The same organizations that cannot account for the bodies of the hostages,” he said, “are the ones the press still trusts to count the dead.”

Kagno warned that Hamas’s failure even to deliver the cadavers of Israeli hostages in the agreed numbers revealed not only contempt for human life but also for truth itself. In negotiations, he said, the terror group substituted random corpses to meet quotas — and still the world called it diplomacy.

“Integrity,” he told them, “is not a luxury of peace. It’s the only thing that survives when peace collapses.” The line drew a long silence in the room — a rare pause at a convention built on the mathematics of chance.

From there he pivoted to the information war, urging his listeners — many of them data analysts and compliance officers — to recognize the parallel between statistical integrity in gaming and moral integrity in reporting. He said that if their industry demanded provable odds and verifiable data, the world should demand no less from those narrating this war.

Kagno’s closing words turned from indictment to invitation: that those who build systems of transparency, verification, and trust in commerce must be willing to defend those same principles when they’re assaulted in public discourse. “Because if truth becomes negotiable,” he said, “then so does every contract, every partnership, every life.”

The audience rose in spontaneous applause — not the perfunctory kind reserved for keynote speakers, but the quiet, standing kind that marks the boundary between professional respect and moral recognition.

During the Question and Answer period, several attendees asked questions that reflected both professional curiosity and personal unease. One compliance officer from a European sportsbook said he had never heard a survivor speak so directly about “the information pipelines behind atrocity.” Kagno answered that he had no monopoly on truth — only firsthand experience. “I saw who they shot, who they dragged, and who they filmed,” he said. “Everything else is commentary.”

A data-security consultant asked whether he still believed in communication across divides. Kagno paused. “You cannot make peace with people who believe murder is prayer,” he replied quietly. “But you can still make peace with the truth.” The room fell silent again.

Another attendee asked what message he wanted the gaming industry to carry forward. Kagno said that people who work with risk understand that every system has an edge case — the one event that proves whether the model can withstand chaos. “October 7 was Israel’s edge case,” he said. “It showed which values hold under fire, and which dissolve.”

When the session ended, Benjie Cherniak, who had organized the memorial gathering with Joe Asher, took the microphone. He thanked Kagno for his courage and reminded the audience that the event was not an official G2E session but an act of conscience by colleagues who felt they could not let the anniversary pass unmarked. Cherniak said the intent was simple: ““to create a space to pause, to remember, and to be decent human beings for a few minutes before we go back out there.”

He acknowledged that among the crowd were Israelis and diaspora Jews who had spent the past two years under a cloud of hostility, caricatured for defending their own right to exist. “We wanted to give them a place to stand upright,” Cherniak said, “and remind everyone that truth still matters in business — and in history.”

As people filed out, some paused to shake Kagno’s hand, others simply nodded. Outside the ballroom, the convention floor buzzed again with lights and pitches and the sound of deals being made. But for those who had stepped into that side room, the metrics of value had shifted.

For a few minutes on October 7, 2025, in a city built on odds, integrity had the final word.

How You Can Improve Your Fate for the Hebrew New Year - 5786

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 20:50:00 +0000

Rabbi Moshe Parry teaches us about repentance and forgiveness protocols for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement of the New Year.

Heaven obligates us to pursue forgiveness from others we may have offended- and for those recipients of sincere appeals- to grant forgiveness, wipe the slate clean, and start afresh in the New Year. Just how long do we have to atone in a way which will enhance our fate for the New Year? It doesn't end at Yom Kippur's Neilah prayer.

Rabbi Moshe Parry breaks his absence from YouTube to deliver this message for atoning and redeeming ourselves through these acts now.

Judaism teaches that we can influence Heaven's forgiveness of our sins for the year though demonstrating charity, repentance, and prayer. These acts can alleviate the severity of His decree for our fate for this Hebrew New Year 5786, which we're only days into.

In "Teshuvah, Tefillah, and Tzedakah: Alleviating the severity of the Decree," in Mark's BlogSpot:

"We are told that the proof text for this central assertion of Unetaneh Tokef comes from a verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14: R. Yudan said in the name of R. Leazar: Three things discharge the decree, and they are: Tefillah, Tzedakah, and Teshuvah,

And these three are found together in a single verse: “when My people… pray,” – this is tefillah “seek my face,” – this refers to tzedakah, as it says: “and I, with righteousness (tzedek) will grasp Your face,” (Ps 17:15) “and turn from their evil ways,” – this is teshuvah - then, “…I will forgive their sins…” (Midrash Bereshit Rabba 44.)

Rabbi Moshe Parry encourages you (and your family and friends) to donate charitably to sustain the efforts of JewTube.Info - North America's original, Jewish video news and information magazine.

In a world of resurgent anti-Semitism, contribute to JewTube to continue illuminating our quest for survival and dignity.

Please don't let the light burn out. Use this charitable opportunity to sustain JooTube's effort by making a one-time or (even better) recurring donation (via the icon in the right margin). May you and your family merit heaven's judgement for a year of good and health!

On September 11th, synagogue presents "good" Arabs to diaspora Jews and press

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 18:27:00 +0000

Arab group, Sharaka, with Israeli leader Noam Meirov on left, Rabbi Erez Sherman in center

Bridges Built on Remembrance: Sharaka's Message of Middle Eastern Reconciliation on September 11th

On September 11, 2025—24 years after the terrorist attacks that transformed American consciousness about jihadist imperialism — Sinai Temple in Los Angeles hosted an evening that would have seemed inconceivable to many in 2001. The Conservative Jewish synagogue welcomed Sharaka, an initiative bringing together Arab Muslims, Christians, and Israeli Jews in dialogue about peace and cooperation in the Middle East.

The Context of September 11th Programming

Rabbi Erez Sherman opened the evening by acknowledging the significance of the date, recalling his experience as a Columbia University student watching ash-covered fire trucks return to their stations on that September day in 2001. The temple's annual tradition of honoring the Los Angeles Fire Department preceded the main program, creating a framework that explicitly connected American sacrifice with Middle Eastern reconciliation efforts.

The choice to host this particular dialogue on September 11th was deliberate. As Rabbi Sherman noted, the prospect of commemorating this date "with a dialogue and a panel of Muslims, Jews, and Christians from the Abraham Accords countries" would have seemed like fantasy two decades ago. The programming represented both remembrance of tragedy and a assertion that constructive engagement, rather than perpetual conflict, offers the path forward.

Sharaka's Mission and Methodology

Sharaka, meaning "partnership" in Arabic, emerged from the 2020 Abraham Accords with a specific theory: government-to-government peace agreements fail without people-to-people connections. Noam Meirov, the organization's managing director, explained that previous Arab-Israeli peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan had not translated into comfortable civilian interactions or genuine normalization.

The organization operates on multiple fronts: bringing impactful leaders from Abraham Accords countries to Israel, conducting Holocaust education programs in the Arab world, and engaging with university campuses where anti-Israel sentiment often flourishes. Their approach deliberately targets influential individuals—mayors, business leaders, academics—who can amplify moderate messages within their home communities.

Video of Sharaka Arab program at Sinai Temple on September 11, 2025

Personal Narratives of Transformation

Fatima Al-Harbi: From Curiosity to Advocacy

Fatima Al-Harbi's journey from Bahrain illustrates the complex dynamics Sharaka seeks to address. Raised in a relatively tolerant environment where Jews and Christians were indigenous community members, she nonetheless absorbed broader Arab media narratives portraying Israelis as enemies. Her first visit to Israel shattered these preconceptions when a Jewish stranger welcomed her warmly in Tel Aviv, recognizing her as being from an Abraham Accords country.

Her subsequent social media documentation of positive interactions—praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque without harassment, being welcomed at the Western Wall—generated significant backlash at home. However, it also enabled her to serve as what she calls "a bridge" between communities, ultimately leading her to publish a children's book promoting interfaith understanding.

Yousef's Moroccan Perspective

Youssef Elazhari, the representative from Morocco, described a different dynamic, noting that Morocco's Jewish history provided some immunity from "Arabic propaganda" that demonized Israel. However, his decision to visit Israel still resulted in accusations of being a "Mossad agent" upon his return.

Yousef's most significant contribution may be his theological reframing of Muslim-Jewish relations. He directly challenged hadith traditions that prophesy end-times warfare between Muslims and Jews, instead pointing to Quranic verses that promise the land of Israel to Jewish people. This approach—using Islamic scripture to support rather than oppose Jewish claims—represents a fundamental shift in religious argumentation.

The Egyptian Academic's Discovery

Hisam's story reflects the power of direct experience over media narratives. As an Egyptian studying in American universities, he encountered Jewish students who spoke Arabic, studied Islam, and traveled extensively in Arab countries—knowledge that contrasted sharply with his own ignorance about Jewish life and Israeli society.

His "secret" study year in Israel exposed him to the country's ethnic and religious diversity: Russian immigrants, Moroccan Jews, Egyptian Jews, Arab citizens, Christian Arabs, and American immigrants. This complexity challenged simplistic enemy narratives while his academic success there—becoming the first Egyptian valedictorian at Tel Aviv University—demonstrated possibilities for constructive engagement.

Addressing Religious and Ideological Dimensions

The evening's most substantive discussion occurred when audience members raised questions about Islamic texts and their relationship to Jewish-Muslim relations. Yousef acknowledged that certain hadith traditions do contain problematic content about Jewish-Muslim conflict, but he argued for distinguishing between Quranic authority and later traditions.

His theological position—that the Quran itself supports Jewish claims to the land of Israel and that Muslim recognition of this represents fulfillment of prophecy—directly challenges both traditional Islamic anti-Zionism and assumptions about inherent religious conflict. However, he also admitted that advancing such arguments publicly in Morocco nearly resulted in imprisonment, illustrating the risks these moderate voices face.

The Question of Authenticity and Representation

Critical observers might question whether Sharaka's speakers represent genuine grassroots sentiment or merely exceptional individuals whose views don't reflect broader Arab and Muslim populations. The speakers themselves addressed this concern directly, with Fatima asserting that "the majority of Muslims and Arabs living in our countries are like us" but remain silent due to social and political pressures.

The organization's methodology of targeting influential individuals rather than conducting mass outreach suggests recognition that changing elite opinion may be more effective than attempting to shift popular sentiment directly. Their success in bringing hundreds of Moroccans to Holocaust education programs and their social media reach to "tens of thousands" of regional followers indicates some broader resonance.

Security and Strategic Considerations

The presentation occurred against the backdrop of ongoing regional conflicts, including the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and subsequent warfare. Israeli speaker Noam, who responded to those attacks as a reservist, framed Sharaka's work explicitly as strategic response to terrorism: "the only real revenge or real victory" against Hamas's goal of canceling the Abraham Accords' expansion would be achieving more peace agreements.

This framing positions moderate Arab voices not as naive peaceniks but as strategic partners in confronting shared enemies. The speakers consistently characterized groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis as obstacles to both Israeli security and Arab progress, suggesting alignment rather than contradiction between security concerns and peace-building efforts.

Historical Context and September 11th Connections

The timing of this dialogue on September 11th raises questions about appropriateness and messaging. The speakers explicitly connected their Middle Eastern experiences to American trauma, with Noam Meirov noting that 9/11 showed Americans "something that is very similar to what we have to like this eternal war that we are feeling" in the Middle East.

This framing positions the attacks as part of broader extremist ideology that threatens both American and moderate Middle Eastern interests. The speakers argued that the same terrorist mindset that attacked America continues to impede regional progress, making American-Middle Eastern cooperation essential for confronting shared threats.

Challenges and Limitations

Several limitations emerge from this presentation. First, the speakers' safety concerns—with some facing imprisonment or death threats—highlight how exceptional their positions may be within their home societies. Second, their focus on elite outreach may not address deeper popular sentiments that fuel conflict. Third, the Abraham Accords' limited scope (excluding Palestinians) means their model may not address the core issues that generate regional tension.

Additionally, the speakers' emphasis on ignorance rather than ideology as the root of anti-Israel sentiment may underestimate more fundamental religious and political disagreements. While ignorance certainly plays a role, attributing all hostility to misunderstanding may oversimplify complex historical grievances and competing national narratives.

Conclusion: Promise and Peril of People-to-People Peace

The Sharaka presentation at Sinai Temple represented both remarkable progress and persistent challenges in Middle Eastern relations. The very existence of Arab Muslims and Christians willing to publicly advocate for Jewish-Muslim cooperation, particularly on September 11th, demonstrates significant shifts since 2001.

However, the speakers' acknowledgment of personal risks, government constraints, and popular resistance illustrates how fragile these developments remain. Their work represents a crucial test case for whether people-to-people connections can indeed create sustainable peace where government agreements have previously failed.

The September 11th timing, rather than being inappropriate, may actually highlight the stakes involved. If moderate voices like those in Sharaka can build bridges across the religious and ethnic divides that extremists seek to exploit, their success could honor the memory of 9/11 victims by demonstrating that dialogue and cooperation offer better paths forward than perpetual conflict and suspicion.

Whether such efforts can scale beyond exceptional individuals to broader populations remains the crucial question for Middle Eastern peace and non-Muslim security interests alike.

How "Stop-Iran Rally" experts' arguments in Times Square - this week 10-years ago - ought be applied in policy today

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 14:12:00 +0000

Stop Iran Rally in Times Square NY drew 1000's in support

In July 2015, more than 10,000 concerned American citizens gathered in New York's Times Square to protest the then pending Obama's-ratifying, Iran nuclear weapons agreement (JCPOA), fearing it would empower a regime with a history of deceit and aggression. How accurate were experts' arguments then that warrant being applied in US and EU policies towards Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile weaponizing today?

Watch addresses by Lt. Col. Allen West, Alan Dershowitz, Caroline Glick, Wiesenthal's Rabbi Abe Cooper, British Col. Richard Kemp, Americans for a Safe Israel co-founder Helen Freedman, Monica Crowley, Mort Zuckerman, Steven Emerson, former Manhattan district attorney Robert Morganthau, and former NY State Gov. George Pataki, among others on Playlist.

Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, co-organizer of the rally, emphasized that the success of the rally hinged on its bipartisan and cross-community participation: [Watch Clip: Part D, 0:55–1:06]

The rally’s intent was clear: to apply public pressure on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other key Democrats to oppose the Obama-backed JCPOA.

To broaden the coalition, organizers emphasized that this was more than a Jewish issue—it was a national security issue that united Americans across faiths and political lines: [Watch Clip: Part D, 1:10–1:25]

Despite this powerful protest, the Obama administration pushed the JCPOA through. Although the deal was presented as a diplomatic breakthrough, critics pointed out that it lacked robust verification and sunset clauses allowed Iran to resume sensitive nuclear activities within a decade. While Democratic leaders like Chuck Schumer ultimately opposed the deal, their votes came only after its passage was assured.

In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed a trove of secret Iranian nuclear documents, exposing Iran’s covert work on nuclear weapons under the codename "Project Amad" — proof that the regime had been lying to international inspectors even during negotiations. These revelations confirmed what the Stop Iran Rally organizers had warned: that the regime’s intentions remained unchanged.

The Obama administration’s strategy of engagement, built on hopeful assumptions, had empowered Iran with billions in sanctions relief. Tehran funneled much of that windfall to its Revolutionary Guard, proxies like Hezbollah, and regional destabilization.

Political Cowardice and Schumer’s Strategic Betrayal

He urged the Jewish community to withhold support from politicians who betray existential issues. [Watch Clip: Part D, 8:48–9:12]

A Missed Opportunity — and a Temporary Reprieve

When Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018, many saw it as vindication of the warnings raised at the rally. The Trump administration imposed a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran, including sanctions that crippled Iran’s economy. Yet regime change never materialized. Wiesenfeld later remarked that Trump backed away from a decisive endgame — and subsequent administrations sought to revive the same flawed agreement.

By early 2021, negotiations with Tehran had resumed. Iran was closer to nuclear breakout than ever, and the original critics of the deal were proven right — but largely ignored.

Iran Escalates — and the World Looks Away

Since the original deal, Iran has steadily enriched uranium beyond the JCPOA's limits, expanded its ballistic missile program, hardened and fortified its enrichment facilities underground, and continued arming its terror proxies. The regime supported attacks on Israel from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and even Yemen. In October 2023, Iran-backed Hamas launched a war from Gaza resulting in the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

In response, both the Trump and Netanyahu governments coordinated targeted cyberattacks, sabotage, and assassinations to delay Iran's nuclear timeline. Iran has since informed the EU of its intention to resume and expand uranium enrichment using preserved equipment.

Wiesenfeld warned this moment demands urgent moral clarity and civic action. “We need to engage synagogues, churches, and media platforms to unify people again — or we will relive the tragedies of our ancestors.” [Watch Clip: Part E, 1:35–2:05]

“American Jews are at risk of repeating their silence from 1942 — even now, some won’t show up. But we must.” [Watch Clip: Part E, 2:06–2:23]

Lessons Unlearned and a Renewed Call to Action

In a later segment, Wiesenfeld warned that history would judge American Jewry harshly if they again failed to organize against threats to Israel and Western civilization. He urged grassroots activism, collaboration with churches, and a rejection of political complacency: [Watch Clip: Part E, 1:00–1:34]

Drawing comparisons to Jewish silence during the Holocaust, he emphasized the moral obligation of today’s generation to speak and act before catastrophe strikes.

In the years since the JCPOA’s passage, Iran and its regional proxies have launched sustained military campaigns aimed at weakening and eventually eliminating Israel. Armed by Iranian funding and weaponry, Hamas and Hezbollah have opened multiple fronts, while Houthi and Syrian-based militias have attacked from the south and northeast. The October 7, 2023 massacre by Hamas marked a turning point, confirming that the regime’s goal is not diplomacy, but destruction.

In response, U.S. and Israeli forces conducted cyber operations and precision strikes aimed at delaying Iran’s progress. Yet Iran has already pledged to resume uranium refinement and rebuild its program with preserved infrastructure — now more fortified and dispersed than before.

Wiesenfeld warned that documentation alone — even secret archives like Israel’s 2018 revelation of “Project Amad” — has not changed Iran’s ambitions or the international community’s evasions. “We tried warnings. We tried deals. We tried limited strikes. Now we must try truth and courage,” he stated in a separate interview. [Watch Clip: Part E, 2:23–2:40]

As Iran nears weapons-grade enrichment again, the lessons of 2015 must be fully absorbed. Western strategy must no longer rely on unenforceable agreements and wishful thinking — but on unity, strength, and moral clarity.

Lessons since the '02 L.A.X. Shootings include deporting foreign jihadists

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 04:45:00 +0000

On July 4, 2002, Egyptian-Muslim sleeper cell jihadist,
Hesham Hedayat, shot-up the LAX check-in for an El Al
Toronto flight, wounding 4 people and killing Israeli-
Americans Vicky Hen, 25, and Yaakov Aminov, father of 6

The past 18 months of Islamists sacrificing Gazans to vilify the Jewish state have redirected the public's perception of Islamism as deleterious to Judeo-Christian Western freedoms - to instead defensive victimhood to Jewish expansionist power. This has justified in the eyes of the press and public- resistance to Israel and Zionism in the form of violent protests and violence, such as what motivated Hesham Hedayat, Mohammed Soliman, and Loay AlNaji to murder Jews. Now it's open-season on Jews by Muslims and Marxists. What are the key themes that society should have, but failed to, learn from the LAX Massacre that we must now apply in deterrent justice towards AlNaji and Soliman - and recognition to defend against this threat?

Hesham Mohamed Hadayet perpetrated July 4th LAX Massacre
An Egyptian national who entered the U.S.on a tourist visa, his
terror ties inhibited asylum in '95 yet he wasn't deported.

The violence targeting Jews in the U.S. and abroad, including the tragic deaths of Paul Kessler in 2023 and the LAX massacre, highlight the growing urgency of confronting and understanding the dynamics of Islamist and leftist violence against Jewish communities. There are several key themes and lessons society should have learned from the LAX massacre that are essential to addressing current and future threats.

Daniel Greenfield, CEO of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, addressed a gathering at an annual July 4th, Independence (from Terror) Commemoration at L.A.X.'s Vicky Hen monument. Standing with Avi Hen, Vicky's bereaved father, argues that as most of the Islamic terror attacks in the US could have been prevented through stricter immigration enforcement, active enforcement and deportations is necessary to inhibit Islamist Iran attacking inside the US homeland with radioactive materials through sleeper cells.

Key Themes and Lessons:

The Dangers of Victimhood Narratives in Political Agendas:
- The shift in public perception where Islamism is increasingly portrayed as a victim of "Jewish expansionism" rather than as a threat to global stability has emboldened extremists. The narrative of victimhood has been manipulated to justify violence against Jews under the guise of resistance to Israeli policy. This distortion has framed violent protests, such as those led by figures like Hesham Hedayat, Mohammed Soliman, and Loay alNaji, as acts of legitimate political dissent rather than terrorism.
- Lesson: Society must recognize that the manipulation of victimhood, especially in the context of extremism, is dangerous. It distorts facts and justifies violence. Critical thinking and media literacy are essential in distinguishing between legitimate political critique and inflammatory rhetoric that encourages violence.
The Role of Anti-Zionism in Fostering Anti-Semitism:
- Anti-Zionism, which masquerades as opposition to the policies of the Israeli government, often crosses the line into classic anti-Semitism. As the LAX massacre and subsequent murders show, hostility towards the state of Israel can translate into direct violence against Jewish individuals, regardless of their stance on Israeli politics.
- Lesson: Society must make a clear distinction between political criticism of Israel and the demonization of Jews. Efforts to delegitimize Israel often serve as a cover for anti-Semitic sentiments and violence. The failure to distinguish these can enable further violence.

The Need for Stronger Protection Against Radicalization:

Just weeks after Palestinians massacred >1,000 Israelis on October 7, 2023, Los Angeleno counter-protester, Paul Kessler, 69, died from being smashed backwards by Jordanian immigrant Loay Alnaji, for bearing the flag of Israel in opposition to anti-Jewish Muslim antagonists in the L.A. suburb of Thousand Oaks. The court has allowed Alnaji's lawyer to postpone the case until at least mid-August.

Individuals like Hesham Hedayat and Loay Alnaji were radicalized to the point of committing murder in the name of a distorted ideology. The LAX massacre and other such incidents should have prompted a greater emphasis on early detection and intervention strategies to prevent radicalization, particularly among those who harbor extremist views and may act on them.
Lesson: Society must invest in counter-radicalization programs and law enforcement efforts that can detect and deter potential terrorist activity before it leads to violence. This includes monitoring hate speech and ideologically driven violence while respecting civil liberties.

The Dangers of Underestimating the Threat from Both Islamist Extremists and Leftist Movements:
- The rise of violent protests, fueled by both Islamist and left-wing extremist movements, has blurred the lines between political activism and violent extremism. Figures like Mohammed Soliman and Loay alNaji highlight the deadly consequences of such ideologies, where radical leftist and Islamist agendas intersect in their shared hatred for Israel and the Jewish people.
- Lesson: The intersection of these ideologies must be carefully examined. Leftist movements that legitimize violent protests against Israel and Jews must not be allowed to foster environments that tolerate or encourage extremism. Society must be vigilant about the threat posed by the convergence of extremist ideologies.
The Need for Vigilant Security and Legal Frameworks:
- While law enforcement has made efforts to protect Jewish communities, more needs to be done to ensure that attacks like those on Jews in the U.S. are prosecuted effectively. The justice system needs to send a clear message that attacks on Jewish individuals, regardless of ideological motivation, will not be tolerated.
- Lesson: There must be stronger legal frameworks to combat hate crimes and terrorism, ensuring swift and fair trials for those who commit violence in the name of ideology. Loay alNaji’s upcoming trial should set a precedent for justice in these matters.
The Role of the Media in Shaping Public Perception:
- The media has a critical role to play in shaping public attitudes toward violence against Jews and other communities. By framing terrorism or hate crimes as acts of "resistance" rather than what they truly are—acts of terrorism and hatred—the press indirectly fuels extremist ideologies.
- Lesson: The media must take responsibility for its portrayal of political violence. It must avoid giving a platform to extremist ideologies that seek to justify violence in the name of political causes. Balanced, accurate reporting is essential to preventing the spread of dangerous narratives.
The Importance of Solidarity Among Communities:
- The LAX massacre was not only a tragedy for the Jewish community but also a wake-up call to all communities about the interconnectedness of global threats. Solidarity between Jews, Christians, Muslims, and other groups is essential in confronting the threat of jihadist violence and defending the principles of freedom and democracy.
- Lesson: Society must work to foster interfaith and cross-cultural solidarity to effectively combat extremism. The rise in attacks against Jews underscores the importance of unity in the face of shared threats to democratic and human values.

Moving Forward:

As society continues to confront the growing threats of Islamist terrorism and left-wing extremism, the lessons from the LAX massacre and subsequent attacks must be remembered. The deterrent justice applied to Loay alNaji and Mohammed Soliman, along with continued vigilance, can send a strong message that violence against Jews, and by extension any group, will not be tolerated.

In addition to legal measures, it is critical that society cultivate an environment of open dialogue, education, and resistance to hate-driven ideologies. The fight against violent extremism is far from over, but only through unity, vigilance, and a commitment to justice can society hope to protect future generations from the scourge of ideological violence.

Is Washington reapplying Chamberlain's Munich-Playbook in the Middle East?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 21:54:00 +0000

🪖 "How the Trump-Witkoff Gulf investment-strategy mirrors Chamberlain’s 1938 appeasement—with Israel now cornered against Iran and Hamas."

🛮️ 1. D-Day's Cost of Delay

On this 81st anniversary of D-Day, we recall the blood price exacted by World War II's delayed justice. The Allies had once hoped that diplomacy—the 1938 Munich Agreement—would contain Hitler. Instead, it gave him five years to build a war machine, forcing the free world to fight a more powerful enemy at greater cost.

The question confronting the U.S. and Israel today is this: are we repeating the same mistake by letting Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranian regime fester under the illusion of restraint and “deals”?

Iran is negotiating nuclear weapons terms with this White House that are considered worse than Obama's JCPOA in 2015 - referenced by this NY Times ad placed that summer by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

🧊 2. The Trump–Witkoff–Qatar Modus Vivendi

In 2025, President Donald Trump returned to office with a more personalized and transactional style of diplomacy. His appointment of real estate magnate Steve Witkoff as Middle East envoy has raised eyebrows, not just because of Witkoff’s lack of formal diplomatic experience, but due to his extensive business ties in the Gulf.

Trump’s strategy appears focused not on defeating Islamism outright, but managing its optics. This includes:

Allowing Qatar to host Hamas leadership while mediating ceasefires
Refraining from dismantling Hezbollah outright
Quietly accepting Qatari and Saudi incentives, including:
- $2 trillion in Gulf investment pledges in U.S. infrastructure, defense, and tech
- Real estate partnerships, airline and leisure deals involving the Trump Organization or its allies

🔫 3. Weaponizing Hamas as Proxy Theater

Qatar bankrolls Hamas while posing as a peacemaker. By maintaining Hamas and tolerating Hezbollah’s posture, Doha:

Appeases pan-Islamist sentiment at home
Makes itself indispensable to Israel and Washington
Secures capital leverage and diplomatic protection

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, while warming toward Israel in public, still benefits from having Iran and Hamas absorb Islamist fervor that might otherwise challenge the Kingdom directly.

⚖️ 4. The Strategic Trap for Israel

Israel is strategically cornered. It faces:

An Iran growing closer to nuclear breakout
A Hezbollah that, though weakened, retains missile and drone capacity
A U.S. partner unwilling to commit to full dismantling of terror proxies

The Netanyahu government must weigh existential risk against economic, diplomatic, and military constraints imposed by its strongest ally—now tethered to Gulf financial flows.

🔥 5. The Cost of Avoiding “War” May Be War Later

Like 1938–1944, appeasement today may set the stage for a deadlier confrontation tomorrow:

Iran may be emboldened to cross the nuclear threshold
Hamas may regroup for another Oct. 7-scale attack
The U.S. military remains overstretched and unprepared for multitheater conflict

📌 6. The Moral Crossroads

To act decisively now is costly. But to wait may be worse. Just as the Allies ultimately had to storm Europe after years of delay, Israel and the West may be forced to wage a broader regional war, under worse conditions, due to today’s short-term expedience.

🧮 7. Investment Leverage and the Munich Bind

One reason today’s leaders may ignore the lessons of Munich is that strategic clarity now comes at a steep economic cost.

The Trump administration has secured over $3 trillion in Gulf investments into U.S. businesses, infrastructure, defense, and tech. While presented as economic triumphs, they create a shadow incentive structure where foreign powers can indirectly influence U.S. and Israeli restraint.

↺ The Apparent Cycle:

Gulf nations pledge long-term capital flows.
These same nations host and protect regional Islamist actors.
Quietly, U.S. officials are expected not to crush those actors.
In doing so, Washington suppresses the impulse to apply the 1938 lesson.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, with active family and business ties to Gulf state developments, is a central figure in this diplomatic-economic tangle. The more intertwined the U.S. economy becomes with Qatar or the UAE, the less political will exists to challenge their Islamist clients.

📸 Eric Trump and the Qatar Diorama

Eric Trump beside the diorama for the Trump International Golf Club & Villas in Doha. (Image: Reuters/Bassam Masoud via Economic Times)

This photograph highlights Eric Trump's direct role in promoting the Qatar resort deal—standing beside a detailed diorama of the planned luxury development. It's a powerful symbol of the transactional alliances linking Gulf money, the Trump Organization, and U.S. diplomatic posture.

⚠️ Appeasement by Design

This isn’t appeasement from cowardice. It’s appeasement from commercial entanglement. While Neville Chamberlain hoped for peace, today's leaders calculate that temporary quiet and economic deals outweigh decisive action.

By letting Qatari investments shape restraint toward Hamas and Iranian militancy, Washington risks enabling its enemies’ buildup—and leaving Israel isolated on the frontlines.

“Diplomacy that defers confrontation doesn’t prevent war—it ensures it happens later, on the enemy’s terms.”

"The Media IS Hamas" by Daniel Greenfield

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:21:00 +0000

The massacre hoax and attacks on aid to Gaza expose the media’s true agenda. Jihad Watch.org June 4, 2025.

⚫️ CLEARED FOR PUBLICATION - Phone call from Gaza: “The people who fired were Hamas terrorists. They don’t want the people to receive aid, they want to foil the plan so that the aid will go to them, allowing them to steal it. They've gone completely bankrupt."

The IDF and COGAT have revealed recordings in which Gazan residents tell an IDF officer about Hamas’ attempts to obstruct the distribution of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza. Hamas is a brutal and murderous terrorist organization who is starving the residents of Gaza. It is doing everything in its power to sabotage the successful distribution of food in Gaza.… (Plays Video) pic.twitter.com/Tn7M4mYhLI
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 5, 2025

When Israel kills Hamas terrorists, that’s “controversial.” When Israel insists on existing, that’s not only controversial, it’s very nearly provocative, and even when Israel hands out food to its worst enemies who raped and murdered its citizens, and held its children hostage, that’s also… “controversial.”

“Controversial” is the word that the United Nations, the political establishments of multiple countries and the media would like the public to associate with Israel bringing aid into Gaza.

After UN lies about a famine in Gaza no matter how much food came in, Israel and the United States decided to take control of the corrupt UN aid system being used to benefit Hamas.

The media immediately began calling it “controversial.”

What’s controversial about delivering aid to the people the media had told us were starving to death? Two weeks ago, CNN claimed that “1 in 5 people in Gaza face starvation.” (People in Gaza are always “on the edge”, “facing” or “threatened” by starvation, but they never actually starve to death.) Now feeding those same supposed starvation victims is controversial.

But yet here was CNN trying to get the word “controversial” into every headline about the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. You might think that only CNN could manage to make Israel feeding hungry people “controversial”, but the AP, whose personnel on the ground have a long ‘controversial’ relationship with Hamas, began its stories by making “controversial” the first word in its headlines lest anyone miss the point that feeding hungry people is very “controversial.”

“Controversial new U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza aid effort gets off to a slow, tumultuous start”, the AP blared. “Controversial US and Israel-backed aid group starts operations in Gaza,” Sky News agitated and there were even fake explainers like, “Here’s what to know about the controversial new aid program in Gaza” from the Washington Post. And what everyone needed to know was that feeding the people that the Post earlier this month claimed “face critical famine risk” (they’re always facing famine, never actually famished) was very deeply “controversial”.

The media’s agenda was very blatant even before it allied with Hamas to fake a massacre.

This time the headlines screamed about a tank massacre. “Israeli troops kill over 30 near U.S. aid site in Gaza,” Washington Post. “Dozens feared killed after Israeli tank fires on crowd waiting for aid in Gaza, witnesses say,” NBC News. “At least 31 Palestinians killed after Israeli forces open fire near Gaza aid distribution center, Palestinian officials say,” CNN.

A BBC report falsely claimed that “Israeli tanks opened fire” and that “the injuries are all gunshot wounds.” Video released by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation shows nothing of the sort. The “officials” being quoted by the media are Hamas. The tank massacre of civilians was invented by Hamas which gets much of its money from reselling aid delivered by the UN. The media, determined to keep Hamas alive, promoted this lie to sabotage the “controversial” plan to deliver aid directly to those who need it, rather than delivering it to Islamic terrorists to resell to them.

Massacres are more “controversial” than feeding hungry people. The media’s “controversial” headlines had failed to stir up enough controversy. It switched to headlines describing the aid distribution as both “controversial” and in the throes of “chaos.” (“Chaos” is currently a favorite media term for discrediting operations that it opposes” which is why it’s used for Trump.) But when “controversial” and “chaos” weren’t enough, Hamas and the media escalated to a massacre. The massacre never happened, but neither did the famine or the tens of thousands of dead children, and much of the population of the civilized world believes in both.

This is certainly not the first time that the media pushed a fake Hamas massacre. It’s not even the twentieth time. And every time Hamas terrorists built hideouts in UN compounds, schools and hospitals, the media dutifully reported that Israel was bombing schools and hospitals.

The public story of the October 7 war is a tale of the media broadcasting and normalizing fake Hamas casualty numbers to the point that everyone quotes them. What the majority of the public knows about the war comes from the media and what comes from the media is Hamas propaganda. The media was even caught rewriting Hamas press releases, while leaving in telltale lines about “martyrs”, and publishing those as breaking news out of Gaza.

But what is particularly revealing about the collusion in this case is that the media, NGOs and Islamic terrorists appeared to coordinate an information warfare campaign against something completely benign, aid distribution, for no other reason than to help the terrorists. Unlike opposition to the broader war, the media cannot hide its propaganda campaign behind general leftist sentiments against fighting wars rather than specifically supporting Hamas.

The only reason to sabotage U.S. and Israeli aid distribution in Gaza is to help Hamas.

When the media promoted the famine hoax, the excuse might have been that CNN, the AP and assorted other outlets wanted to make sure that food was coming in, but once they took a stance against food coming in, they could no longer hide behind concern about aid.

The media’s positions and agendas are identical to those of Hamas. The attacks on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation show that it’s not about the war or about getting aid in, it’s about a Hamas victory. Anything that does not serve Hamas is immediately attacked as “controversial” even if it’s handing out food to the people that the media told us last week were starving.

Hamas is not fooling the media. It’s not even a case of the media pushing Hamas propaganda because it shares a parallel agenda of ending the war and bringing relief to Arab Muslims in Gaza, as most people think, the media is undermining aid to Gaza in order to help Hamas.

The media doesn’t have a parallel agenda with Hamas. It has a single, common agenda.

The only possible takeaway from the media’s disinformation campaign against the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is that what we call the news media wants Hamas to win!

After a year of lies about famine in Gaza, the media took to sabotaging aid distribution because it did not go through Hamas. The media never cared whether anyone in Gaza was hungry. What it wanted (and what the UN and other NGOs wanted as well) was for the aid to finance Hamas.

If the aid was going to people, not to Hamas, then the media didn’t want it entering Gaza.

Why does the media want Hamas to win? Because the Left has come to be so closely aligned with Hamas that it seeks a victory for the terrorists. It’s not just the campus radicals, whom the media plays defense for, who cheer for Hamas and want to see Israel destroyed. It’s the media.

The media was always biased against Israel, but in 2024, it turned into Hamas war propaganda. The broader realignment of the Left around support, not just for a terrorist ‘Palestinian’ state, but for Hamas, has made the media into the communications arm of an Islamic terrorist group.

When it benefits Hamas, the media claims that Gaza is starving. And, when it benefits Hamas, the media denounces sending aid to Gaza as “controversial.” Then it fakes a massacre.

Israeli-Americans Rise Above Scapegoaters, Reviving History of Independence through Songs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 May 2025 02:47:00 +0000

Sam Firstenberg teaches about Jewish life in Gaza in
1946. Kfar Darom remembered in song, uprooted in 2005

Inside the guarded walls of Congregation Beth Jacob in Beverly Hills, over 100 Israeli-Americans gathered on Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) 2024 - not just to celebrate, but to reaffirm a history increasingly under attack. The traditional public celebrations were absent this year, replaced by this more private gathering where participants sang the soundtrack of Israel's legitimate birth and development—songs they know not from textbooks but from lived experience.

In the hostile climate that has emerged since October 8th, 2023, following Hamas's attack on Israel, these aging pioneers of the Israeli state find themselves in an unimaginable position: having to defend the very legitimacy of their history against a coordinated Islamo-Marxist campaign that has successfully rewritten the narrative in much of the public consciousness.

Sing-alongs (shira b'tzibur) have long been a part of the
culture of Jewish Palestine. These musicians entertained
during the Palmach defenders era in the early 1940's

These Hebrew songs—ranging from pre-statehood anthems to ballads commemorating the development of cities, infrastructure, and social cohesion—form a cultural archive that directly contradicts the portrayal of Israel as a colonial project. The elderly participants singing these songs are not reading history—they lived it. They cleared malarial swamps, built irrigation systems, established democratic institutions, developed arts and sciences, and created a thriving multicultural society, all with international legal recognition.

Singers: Cantor Arik Wollheim, Dr. Judea Pearl, Ms. Anat Sadan, pianist Amit Sternberg. (Helpers not pictured: Orly Lavi-Travish, Vered Hopenstand, Nirit Brand, and Ilana Green). Watch and hear the sing-along in the video playlist at the end of this article.

Living Witnesses to Contested History: Dr. Judea Pearl

Helping leading the singing (especially helpful with the songs of early Israel) was Dr. Judea Pearl, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at UCLA, who was born in Tel Aviv in 1936 during the British Mandate for Palestine— a living witness to pre-state Jewish life in the region and Israel's legitimate founding.

"Most of us here are Israeli-Americans. Most of us speak Hebrew. Most of us were born in Israel. Some of us like me are old enough to remember 1948 and the songs that preceded it,"

explains Dr. Pearl. For him and many others present, these songs aren't merely nostalgic—they are documentary evidence of a history now being systematically erased in public discourse.

The cruel irony isn't lost on those familiar with Pearl's story. His son Daniel, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, was murdered in 2002 by terrorists partly because of his Jewish identity. Now, on the very campus where Dr. Pearl taught his entire career, Islamo-Marxist encampments and protests have created an environment where Jewish students and supporters of Israel's right to exist face harassment and intimidation.

When asked if he ever imagined having to explain the legitimacy of Israel 76 years after its UN ratification, Dr. Pearl reflected:

"Yes and no, because for 20 years now I see the erosion of legitimacy going on increasing, and I warned against it, but we didn't take care of it at the time, and now we have to carry the consequences."

Cultural Resistance Through Song: Anat Sadan

Ms. Anat Sadan, who has organized these sing-along events for 14 years, explains how what began as community-building has transformed into cultural resistance.

[]

"After October 7th, we felt that we cannot sing anymore. We were deeply disturbed and sad," Sadan explains. "But we decided that it's such an important time to bring the community together because the songs tell the story of the establishment of Israel and the history of Israel."

As a Holocaust educator and docent at the Holocaust Museum Los Angeles, Sadan draws disturbing parallels between historical patterns and current events.

"We've seen the Islamo-Left reviving the techniques of the Communists and German National Socialists - vilifying the Jews through propagandized media reporting - but the liberal press hasn't pointed it out - and social-media makes for more malicious propagandizing."

The Israeli participants' intimate knowledge of these songs—their ability to recall lyrics that detail specific historical moments in Israel's development—stands as powerful testimony against revisionist narratives that portray Israel's founding as an act of colonization rather than the legitimate return and nation-building that these seniors personally witnessed and participated in.

Preserving an Embattled Truth: Sam Firstenberg

Hollywood filmmaker Sam Firstenberg, who selects the songs and prepares the multimedia presentation, sees his role as not just preserving culture but safeguarding historical truth.

[ ]

"We are people who preserve the nostalgic culture and taste and sound of Israel,"

Firstenberg explains. But in today's political climate, this preservation work has taken on greater urgency. Each song in the carefully curated program serves as a time marker in the legitimate development of the state—from pre-1948 compositions through the various struggles, wars, and aspirations for peace.

Firstenberg guides the audience through a chronological journey of Israel's history, projecting photographs and historical context that directly challenge the false narratives that have gained traction in media, academia, and activist circles. These aren't abstract talking points for the attendees—they are the soundtrack of their youth, their military service, their nation-building efforts.

"Jews lived in Palestine of course in the Biblical times and but even after the Diaspora after the destruction of the Second Temple there were still here and there Jews in the land of Israel... mainly in Jerusalem in Safed, in Tiberius in Hebron in the holy cities ..."

explains Mr. Firstenberg, countering the revisionist claim that Jewish presence in the region is a modern European transplant.

The Power of Musical Testimony: Amit Sternberg

Pianist Amit Sternberg, who provides the musical foundation for the sing-along, understands the documentation value of these gatherings.

"Each song represents a period in the country's development,"

[

Sternberg explains.

"It's a way to learn about history... through schools, through synagogues."

The urgency in his voice is evident when discussing the importance of transmitting this knowledge to younger generations who are increasingly exposed only to delegitimizing narratives about Israel's founding.

For Sternberg and many participants, these songs serve as primary sources—cultural artifacts that preserve the actual chronology and sentiment of Israel's development in a way that counters the revisionist history now dominant in many spaces.

A Sacred Act of Remembrance: Cantor Arik Wollheim

Cantor Arik Wollheim of Congregation Beth Jacob, who also led some of the singing, sees profound parallels between these cultural gatherings and religious observance in a time of threat.

"It's definitely therapeutic to all of us,"

Wollheim explains.

"We all listen to the news. We're all very much connected. We all have family and friends in Israel. We're all in one way or another affected."

The cantor made a point of bringing his children, including his seven-year-old, understanding that in the current climate, exposure to this firsthand testimony has become essential.

"It was important for me that today, even if they don't know all the music, just to experience that, to know it exists."

In a poignant comparison, Wollheim notes the similarity between the communal singing and religious services:

"It's the same thing. You want—I don't care how you sing—I want you to sing."

In this context, singing becomes not just participation but affirmation—bearing witness to a truth under threat.

Behind Guarded Walls: A Living Testimony

Anti-Israel UCLA faculty and students protest Israel's fending
off five, invading Arab armies in '48 which caused the death
or displacement of some Arab residents of Israel - Nakba Day-
to justify Muslims' irredentist quest of conquering the Jewish state

The symbolism is impossible to ignore: Israeli-Americans gathering behind guarded walls to affirm their history through song, while just five weeks later, an organized mob of anti-Israel protestors would march antagonistically through the streets surrounding this very synagogue. For many participants, the echoes of historical persecution are unmistakable—"never again" is happening now.

The irony is profound: at a moment when campuses like UCLA have become hotbeds of anti-Israel activism, these Israeli-Americans—many of whom contributed significantly to American academia, arts, and industry—find themselves having to defend not just political perspectives but their lived experiences, their memories, their truth.

As Ms. Anat Sadan reflected on Dr. Pearl's participation, she described it as "closing the circle" for someone who has experienced the full arc of Israel's modern history.

Sam Firstenberg and Judea Pearl read lyrics
projected on screen. Judea plays piano and for
years conducted the Los Angeles Hebrew Choir

"He's coming back to his country that he loves ... It's like a circle of life!"

In this modest gathering organized at Congregation Beth Jacob with Cantor Wollheim- there was defiance in every note sung—not the defiance of militancy, but the quiet insistence of truth against falsehood, of lived experience against revisionist ideology. Every song served as documentary evidence of a history these participants not only witnessed but helped create—a history now contested by those who weren't there to see it unfold.

Amit Sternberg plays the soundtrack of
Israel's evolution

The question remains: in a media environment increasingly hostile to their narrative, who will amplify these voices? Who will recognize that in these songs lay not just cultural nostalgia but historical testimony that directly contradicts the newly dominant narrative about Israel's founding and development?

As the world seems to close in once again on Jewish communities, these elderly Israeli-Americans sing their defense — but how will they get heard above the din?

Watch the singalong by clicking through these segments. (Flip through the playlist of videos of the sing-along using the icon menu in the upper right corner).

(Your donating can repay part of the cost of producing this informative multimedia for you now and in the future. Get the mitzvah by please donating here or utilize the Donate window at the top of the column in the margin on the right. We'd appreciate if you do)!

Here is also playlist of the videos of the interviewees above which you can play sequentially on a wider screen or television for a sit-back experience with higher fidelity audio.

(As with the playlist above, move through the playlist by clicking the icon menu in the upper right corner. Or the arrows in the lower left corner will advance forward or backward. To close the dropdown menu when it's open, just click somewhere else).

Shmulik insists that in case you didn't realize that the link in the text above would take you to the 12 videos on YouTube and you'd prefer to watch it there and step through them, here is another link if you'd prefer to watch the playlist of all the song videos:

Sing-along recharges spirits of beleaguered Israeli ex-pats on Independence Day abroad

Happy singing!

"The Qatari - Led World Order" by Seth Mandel

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 May 2025 09:41:00 +0000

by Seth Mandel

Let it never be said that the president is a cheap date. May 12, 2025 in Commentary Magazine

On the heels of reports that Donald Trump—sorry, the “United States Air Force”—will be gifted a new presidential airplane from the Qataris, American-born Edan Alexander was released from his captivity in a Hamas dungeon funded and enabled by Qatar. All of this coincides with Trump’s visit this week to the Gulf, the goal of which is “to return home with $1 trillion worth of deals and investment pledges,” according to Axios.

Doha has expanded its portfolio far beyond European soccer teams.

Pres. Trump greeted by Qatar's emir, Sheikh al-Thani
(photo courtesy: The Guardian)

Qatar is expected to ink deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. investments while also buying military hardware totaling $2 billion. The Saudis are joining the party, too: In Trump’s own words, he told the Saudis: “I will go [to Riyadh] if you pay $1 trillion to American companies over four years.” And voila, off he goes.

Let’s not lose sight of the excellent news about Edan Alexander. He deserves his freedom and his parents deserve to have their son home, and his return is something to celebrate.

But Hamas did not publicly parade Alexander before jeering crowds in Gaza, as it has done with other hostages, because Qatar has asked for the privilege of hosting that humiliation instead. “Edan Alexander’s family told [Israel’s Channel 12] that the plan is for Edan to fly to Qatar and meet with Trump and the Emir of Qatar on Wednesday or Thursday,” reported Amit Segal. The family later clarified that such a trip would depend on Alexander’s condition, and that he would ultimately make the choice.

The backlash to the Qatar trip was swift. It was not directed at the family, of course, but at Trump, who reportedly wants it. That means the Qataris requested it. That way they can try to humiliate an Israeli hostage and the president of the United States in one fell swoop.

It’s important to remember here the genesis of Qatar’s financial relationship with Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy and main hostage negotiator. In 2018, Qatar essentially bailed Witkoff out of a real-estate deal that was quickly going sour. Witkoff and a partner were seeking to convert Manhattan’s Park Lane hotel into condos, but the business partner found himself in legal hot water and Witkoff needed a replacement investor or a way to offload the property. Qatar gave him $623 million to take the problem off his hands.

It’s either a real-estate deal or a bailout, depending on how you’d like to spin it. But it was reportedly part of what attracted Trump to hiring Witkoff as a senior adviser, though the two go back further.

So genuflecting to the Qataris has been good for Witkoff’s career. His son, Alex, visited a Qatari government real-estate forum on the eve of the 2024 election. Alex is CEO of the family real-estate company and was appointed by Trump to the board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Eric Trump, the president’s son, was also recently in Qatar—this time to finalize a Trump Organization deal to build a golf course and villa complex there.

Once upon a time Trump had not-so-nice things to say about his new friends the Qataris. They have, he correctly noted in 2017, “historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.” This was during Trump’s first term as president, and he backed a plan by regional Gulf allies to impose a blockade on Qatar. “I decided, along with secretary of state Rex Tillerson, our great generals and military people, the time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding, they have to end that funding and its extremist ideology.”

A mere ten months later, however, the Qatari emir was in the Oval Office with the president for a friendly chat and some smiley photos. “You’ve now become a very big advocate” of stopping terrorism financing, Trump told the emir, “and we appreciate that.”

Of course, Edan Alexander’s case offers a reality check. Qatar’s support for Hamas has been crucial to the terror group’s survival. Israeli (and American) officials were under the impression that Qatari cash to Hamas would at least have the effect of keeping a lid on Hamas’s terror activity. But that was a ruse, and Hamas used its cash and clout to plan and carry out Oct. 7.

It was at that moment that Qatar had an obligation to intervene and either get the hostages home or cut Hamas loose. Instead, if floundered and dragged its feet.

Edan Alexander is free. But as the scheme to drag him to Qatar for a photo op with the emir and Trump shows, he isn’t yet free of Qatar’s malign influence. And neither, apparently, is the United States.

Beleaguered Los Angelenos find solace in Holocaust commemoration - courtesy of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 May 2025 04:21:00 +0000

For longer than 500 days since Hamas massacred Israelis and abducted hostages, Jewish Los Angelenos have been plagued by anti-Zionist antagonists, amplified by mainstream media. For the Jews (and gentiles) of Los Angeles seeking to mourn the genocide which affected our people (and the entire civilized world) the most prominent public ceremony for Yom ha Shoah ("Catastrophe Day") during the business day of April 24th was presented, of all places, by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Los Angeles.

This has been a tradition which began 41-years ago, according to Dr. Leo Gordon of Surgery Group L.A. In 1933, Jewish physicians, he explained, were among the first professions to be excluded from professional life by Germany National Socialist government. In some areas, like Munich, Jewish doctors were prohibited from treating non-Jewish patients.

L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center presented a Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration on April 24, 2025

These restrictions were part of a broader wave of over 400 anti-Jewish laws and decrees between 1933 and 1939, which progressively isolated people with Jewish bloodlines from public and professional life. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 further entrenched these exclusions, but the 1933 laws specifically targeted civil servants, lawyers, and doctors as the first occupations to be restricted.

The educational and cultural ceremony was
officiated by Rabbi Jason Weiner, executive
director of the Spiritual Care Department

Nazis worked and starved Jews and
other inmates to death, as revealed
in documentary film of liberation
of Bergen-Belsen Nazi Camp

Rabbi Jason Weiner, executive director of the Spiritual Care Department, provides contextual overview of this year's ceremony:

Rabbi Meir Soloveichik of Yeshiva University drew parallels
between the Nazi Holocaust and Hamas' war against Israel

Visiting speaker, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, of New York City, delivered a profoundly moving address exploring how Jewish resilience and renewal emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust. His speech wove together historical accounts, biblical parallels, and personal connections into a tapestry of remembrance and hope.

He recounted a remarkable moment captured by the BBC shortly after liberation: Holocaust survivors at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp conducting a Shabbat service. Despite being surrounded by death, these survivors defiantly sang Hatikvah (Israel's national anthem) and declared "Am Yisrael Chai" – the Jewish people live.

Rabbi Soloveichik connected this powerful declaration to the biblical prophecy of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones, where God promises that the seemingly lifeless bones of exiled Israel would be revived and returned to their homeland. The survivors' singing of Hatikvah (meaning "The Hope") amidst the horrors of Bergen-Belsen embodied this prophecy in the most literal sense – those who had been reduced to "dried bones" were affirming their undying hope for return to Israel.

Liberated concentration camp inmates gather to conduct a long-forbidden prayer service

The commemoration was attended both by members of the Medical Center staff and the public.

Ceremony included a traditional candle lighting of six candles - each representing one million of the Jewish people murdered by the Nazis and their Axis collaborators.

Veteran surgeon, Dr. Leo Gordon, tells the history
of this ceremony by the hospital and how health
care professionals regard it so personally

Cantor Natan Baram of Young Israel of N. Beverly Hills (posing here with Rabbi Meir Soloveichik) led the prayer El Male Rachamim for those martyred for their Jewish identity.

Cantor Baram explained his special inserted lyrics in this video epilogue.

Stars of David crown 2 sides of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

In America's second most Jewish populated city (particularly in view of the antisemitic persecution that has plagued college campuses and Jewish neighborhood streets) it was reassuring to find that on the day of Yom ha Shoah - the Jewish people's commemoration of the Holocaust - that the prominent sanctuary for memorializing the era of genocidal discrimination - was held in professional setting shared by all - where wearing a yarmulke or married woman's wig, is still safe and respected.

As Chaplain Weiner was quoted saying "Many patients, both Jewish and non-Jewish, tell me they feel a sense of belonging here when they see the (Jewish) stars (visible atop the Medical Center) that it gives them confidence that we are driven by a higher purpose."

Robert Spencer discussed new "Antisemitism" book at David Horowitz Freedom Center - Watch it here now or on C-Span Sat 3rd May 9am ET

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 May 2025 21:00:00 +0000

Renowned author and scholar Robert Spencer recently spoke about his latest book, Anti-Semitism: History and Myth, at an event recorded on March 27th by JooTube and C-Span (whom, for living room viewing of this chronicle below, you might share news about for others to record their telecast tomorrow, May 3rd at 9am ET / 6am PT).

Robert Spencer addresses new book
"Antisemitism:History & Myth"at
David Horowitz Freedom Center event

The book, Mr. Spencer's 29th publication, explores the deep-rooted causes of anti-Semitism and its resurgence, particularly after the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. Spencer, director of Jihad Watch and a prolific writer on terrorism and Islamic extremism, discussed how anti-Semitic narratives persist due to societal conformity and historical misconceptions. He emphasized that Jewish identity, rooted in religious and cultural distinction, has often made Jewish communities targets of persecution. Highlighting historical Christian anti-Semitism, Spencer noted its contradictions with core Christian theology. He pointed out that modern Christian leaders, including the Pope and Orthodox patriarchs, have repudiated such views.

Mr. Spencer also addressed growing hostility towards pro-Israel voices in academia, citing the cancellation of his scheduled talk at UCLA due to campus opposition. Despite facing threats and criticism, he remains committed to exposing anti-Semitic rhetoric and advocating for historical accuracy. His new book seeks to counter misinformation and provide a factual basis for understanding anti-Semitism’s historical and ideological origins. Spencer’s work continues to challenge mainstream narratives and offer insights into contemporary global conflicts. Spencer further examined the historical and ideological underpinnings of anti-Semitism within Islam, highlighting the Quranic depiction of Jews as enemies of Muslims. He pointed out that Islamic texts and traditions have long fostered hostility toward Jews, refuting claims that anti-Semitism in the Muslim world only emerged due to Nazi influence.

Additionally, Mr. Spencer detailed the role of National Socialism - and International Socialism - in perpetuating anti-Semitism. He noted that both ideologies—despite their differences—framed Jews as an obstacle to their political visions, whether through racial or economic narratives. National Socialism targeted Jews as an "impure race," while Marxist doctrines associated them with capitalism, demanding their assimilation or elimination.

Philo-semitic, Christian scholar of Islamic and Christian bigotry, Robert Spencer, addresses an audience of David Horowitz' Freedom Center in Los Angeles.

Mr. Spencer warned that all four forms of anti-Semitism—Christian, Islamic, National Socialist, and Marxist—are resurging today. He cited the rising influence of anti-Semitic voices across social and political spectrums, including Orthodox Christian circles, Islamist protests, neo-Nazi rhetoric, and leftist movements that conflate Jewish identity with political agendas.

Ultimately, Spencer's book underscores that anti-Semitism is not merely a historical phenomenon but an enduring ideological force that continues to threaten Jewish communities worldwide. He emphasizes the need to confront these narratives head-on and recognize the broader societal dangers they pose.

Robert Spencer: "Antisemitism" in Socialism then and now; (Part 2 of 2)

00:00:00 In this section, Robert Spencer argues that contemporary socialism poses a significant threat to national sovereignty, particularly in the United States, as evidenced by policies such as open borders that he believes aim to dilute the nation's cultural identity for the establishment of an authoritarian, globalist regime. He contends that this collectivist ideology inherently promotes anti-Semitism because it seeks to eliminate distinct identities, including Jewish identity, which contradicts socialist principles. Spencer expresses skepticism about the support some Jewish communities have for leftist ideologies, asserting that the drive for equity within these movements ultimately undermines individuality, and he suggests that recent anti-Semitic expressions are part of a larger, organized effort by leftist forces to subvert nations and impose a unified socialist order.
00:05:00 Mr. Spencer discusses the relationship between Marxism, socialism, and Islam, suggesting that leftists, in their quest to overthrow nation-states and achieve total control, have recognized the need to utilize religion rather than eliminate it. He argues that, having previously failed to suppress religion during events like the French Revolution and in the Soviet Union, socialists may seek to promote Islam as a means to enforce obedience to authority. Spencer highlights the absolutist nature of Islamic thought, claiming it aligns with totalitarian ideologies, and reflects on the historical absence of secular democracies in the Islamic world, using Turkey's regression to a more Islamic state as an example. He warns that leftists who believe they can co-opt Muslim populations may face dire consequences, as history suggests such alliances are often precarious.
00:10:00 A questioner from the audience expresses gratitude for a critical translation of the Quran, suggesting it is an insightful but lengthy read. He discuss the concept of anti-Semitism, referencing Rabbi Raphael Shore and highlighting the idea that anti-Semitism stems from a conflict between barbaric peoples and the moral conscience associated with Judaism. The conversation then shifts to a comparison of civic lessons among the three Abrahamic faiths, where the speaker critiques the Islamic injunction to unconditionally obey rulers, contrasting it with Christian and Jewish teachings that uphold individual conscience and secular governance.

They argue that the absolute obedience promoted in Islam can lead to totalitarianism, while Christianity acknowledges the need for a separation of religious and civic duties, fostering pluralism. Finally, they caution that strictly adhering to customs may threaten the survival of Jewish identity.
00:15:00 In this section, Robert Spencer discusses the evolution of Islam in relation to Jewish messianic ideas, suggesting that Muhammad serves as a messianic figure within Islam, albeit in a more prominent role than seen in other traditions. He argues that Islamic teachings heavily prioritize Muhammad and that accusations of Islamophobia are often weaponized to silence critics of jihadism and violence committed in the name of Islam. Spencer acknowledges two forms of Islamophobia: one that unjustly targets individuals based on assumptions about their identity, and another that stems from legitimate concerns about violent ideologies within Islam. He emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between vigilantism against innocents and open conversations regarding the ideological roots of jihad violence.
00:20:00 Robert Spencer discusses the distinction between speech and incitement to violence, emphasizing that expressing views about Islamic texts does not equate to promoting violence. He critiques university campuses for conflating unpopular speech with violence, asserting that honest discussions about contentious topics should not be suppressed. Additionally, he addresses the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, linking it to Muslim migration and historical Christian divisions, while highlighting a lack of pro-Israel voices in Irish Parliament. Spencer concludes by calling for the rejection of socialist internationalism, arguing that measures such as border control are essential to protect Western culture and maintain national unity against what he perceives as attempts to undermine these values through immigration policies.
00:25:00 In this section, Robert Spencer emphasizes that people are not merely misled but can be malevolent in their actions, suggesting that they are aware of the implications of their decisions. He argues against the notion that large-scale immigration is solely motivated by the expectation of voting trends, asserting that the political system they come from must be changed for any voting to take place. The segment concludes with expressions of gratitude toward Spencer, signaling the end of the discussion.

The Blood Libel's Last Gasp: Why "The Passion" Still Hurts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 03:11:00 +0000

Mel Gibson on the set of The Passion of the Christ,
with Christ (AA Film Archive / Alamy)

In Roman history scholar, Prof. Nathanael Andrade's recent article, (adapted in JTA), rightly challenges the enduring myth of Jewish culpability in the death of Jesus. The scholar dismantles the historical inaccuracies and biased interpretations that have fueled centuries of antisemitism. It's a crucial intervention, yet the persistence of this libel, particularly in popular culture, demands constant vigilance. One need only look at Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" to see how these ancient prejudices continue to fester.

Gibson's film, released to both critical acclaim and fervent condemnation, purported to offer a historically accurate depiction of Jesus' final hours. However, its blatant manipulation of scripture, its graphic violence, and, most insidiously, its portrayal of Jews as bloodthirsty antagonists, served only to reinforce the very narratives that Dr. Andrade so effectively debunks.

The film leans heavily on extra-biblical traditions and embellishments, often presented as historical fact. The Sanhedrin is depicted as a monolithic entity, driven solely by malice towards Jesus. Individual Jews are shown sneering and demanding his crucifixion. This is a far cry from the complex socio-political landscape of Roman-occupied Judea. The Gospels themselves offer varying accounts, and even within those accounts, blame is far from universally assigned to the Jewish people.

But "The Passion's" most egregious offense lies in its perpetuation of the deicide charge – the accusation that the Jewish people are collectively responsible for the death of God. This charge has been the cornerstone of antisemitism for millennia, justifying persecution, pogroms, and even the Holocaust. To visually reinforce this accusation on the silver screen, with all the power of cinematic storytelling, is not just irresponsible, it's dangerous.

Moreover, the film conveniently omits or minimizes the role of the Roman authorities. Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, is presented as a reluctant participant, almost sympathetic to Jesus' plight. This glosses over the brutal reality of Roman rule and the empire's history of crushing dissent. It's crucial to remember that Jesus was executed by the Romans, for what they perceived as sedition – a direct threat to their authority.

Fortunately, voices have emerged to challenge this harmful narrative. Scholars Jeremy Cohen and Andrade's work is vital, but so too are visual resources that offer alternative interpretations. Here are a few examples that challenge the Church's historical narrative:

Antisemitism Uncovered Video: Myth of Deicide: Many YouTube channels offer theological and historical analyses that dismantle the deicide charge, highlighting the Roman role and the complexities of the Gospel accounts. Search for videos addressing "deicide myth" or "who killed Jesus."
The Passion of the Christ - (Renegade Cut): Several film critics and theologians have produced video essays analyzing the antisemitic tropes present in Mel Gibson's film. Search for "The Passion of the Christ anti-Semitism" on YouTube or Vimeo.
Jews & Christians: A Journey of Faith | Abrahamic Religions Documentary: Documentaries exploring the historical relationship between Judaism and Christianity can offer valuable context and challenge prejudiced assumptions.

It is our responsibility, as Jews, to actively combat the persistent myth of Jewish culpability in the death of Jesus. By engaging with scholarly work, critically analyzing popular culture, and promoting alternative narratives, we can help to dismantle the structures of antisemitism and build a more just and equitable world. "The Passion" may be a film, but its legacy of hate lingers on, and we must be vigilant in confronting it.

"Here There Are Blueberries" Holocaust-themed drama at The Wallis in L.A. impresses Television Academy Governor, Kim Estes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 22:35:00 +0000

Mr. Kim Estes, actors' Governor, TV Academy

While covering the Santa Monica Film Festival on March 15th, Nikki Carbonetta, the festival's Creative Director introduced me to Mr. Kim Estes. In addition to his career as an actor, Mr. Estes also serves (with Kate Linder) as a co-representative of the Television Academy's Board of Governors to the Performers (i.e., Actors) Members.

Mr. Estes related how impressed he was having just attended the play "Here There Are Blueberries," performed at the Wallis Annenberg Theater in Beverly Hills which plays until March 30th. Mr. Estes described the performance as spectacular and deeply poignant.

"Here There Are Blueberries" stage
performance scene, May 2023

Mr. Estes says that this L.A. production addresses the Holocaust and Auschwitz through previously unseen photographs found by an individual in a trash can in Germany. These photographs depicted the lives of German officers, prompting a moral dilemma for the Holocaust Museum about whether to accept and showcase them.

The narrative also includes a story about a woman who, after being cared for by an ex-Nazi officer, discovered more photographs of prisoners and officers, which she kept for 60 years before feeling compelled to share their history.

Here, There Are Blueberries" is noted for its contemporary setting and the heavy, yet enlightening exploration of these historical moments, ultimately revealing the complexity of the human experience during such a harrowing time.

Ought entertainment award ceremonies tolerate the exploiting of acceptance speeches for recipients' political causes?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Vanessa Redgrave redux: In view of the politicized acceptance speech given by directors of "No Other Land," (Oscar for Best Documentary 2025) we republish our article produced on the topic of exploiting the telecast in 2017.

Marlon Brando boycotted the 1973 Oscars to draw attention to Hollywood's depiction of American Indians and Wounded Knee. In 1978, Vanessa Redgrave danced with a PLO Kalashnikov rifle in her anti-Israel documentary, "The Palestinian." In her acceptance speech for her Oscar for "Julia," she made a political statement, calling opponents of her award "Zionist hoodlums" which drew audible disapproval from the audience.

Meryl Streep exploited her microphone at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards telecast to condemn conservatism, Pres. Trump's vetting of immigrants from troublesome Islamist countries, and to praise multiculturalism.

Should opinion-leader actors and singers exploit the live award-shows' telecast spotlight to preach their politics to a global audience? Is Hollywood's esteemed diversity extended to political views? Would liberals tolerate it from conservatives? Does it needlessly risk alienating half of an artists' fans? Or does virtue-signaling grow an artist's popularity enough to compensate for it?

We took our camera to the red-carpet at Norby Walters' 2017 "Night of 100 Stars" $1000-per-plate, Oscar viewing-party at the Beverly Hilton to investigate the celebrities' perspectives. How has Hollywood become too political? Do Liberals discriminate professionally against those of alternate views? How much politics (if at all) is it appropriate to foist on an entertainment awards-ceremony TV audience?

We spoke to actors and singers of varying ages and genres: Jon Voight, Richard Lewis, Ed Asner, Lou Gossett Jr., Richard Grieco, Frankie Valli, Charles Martin-Smith, Tanya Tucker, Trace Adkins, Courtney Stodden, (non-entertainer and anti-Trump operative) Gloria Allred, Wink and Sandy Martindale, Shadoe Stevens, Yakov Smirnfoff, Tia Carrere, (HBO's Mike Tyson star) Michael Jai White and wife Gillian, Hollywood stylist Daniel DeCriscio.

In most cases, those who endorsed political speeches were liberals and those opposed it were conservatives. Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich tied it all together. "(I think) it's not healthy... We want to have everybody enjoy the arts, because the arts are for everyone, regardless of race, color, creed, or political persuasion. ... I'd like to see that restored, once again, as it had been in the past."

Antonovich agreed there has been some discrimination against non-liberals in Hollywood. "If we're going to support diversity, we need to respect different points of view- and still respect one another and work with one another. ... Respect is what's important."

How Oscar docu, 'No Other Land' is a false, Palestinian propaganda

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 03:45:00 +0000

“This is a propaganda film that serves the false Palestinian narrative, and seeks to undermine the legitimacy of the State of Israel.”

According to Kassy Akiva's "The Truth About The Oscar-Winning Anti-Israel Documentary ‘No Other Land’ published in The Daily Wire March 3rd '25

According to Israeli NGO Regavim, the documentary No Other Land relies on a “concoction of misrepresentations and outright fabrications.”

“This is a propaganda film that serves the false Palestinian narrative, and seeks to undermine the legitimacy of the State of Israel in the international arena in order to cause boycotts and sanctions of IDF fighters,” Meir Deutsch, director-general of Regavim, said in a statement.

Throughout the film, Palestinian co-Director, Basel Adra, documents his struggle to stop the Israeli Defense Forces from demolishing what are described as “ancient villages” in an area called Masafer Yatta, which is east of the Palestinian Authority town of Yatta. In reality, Regavim points out, all of the so-called villages of Masafer Yatta did not exist when Israel declared the area an IDF training zone for live-fire exercises in the early 1980s.

According to Naomi Kahn, the director of the international division of Regavim, the Palestinian Authority encourages and supports the illegal construction as a way of taking over Area C.

“Since the announcement by the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority in 2009 that the Oslo framework was no longer binding, the Palestinian Authority has poured all of its resources into de facto annexation of Area C.”

Kahn stresses that more than 60% of Areas A and B — the territory already under Palestinian Authority control — is empty and available for construction and development.

“They are putting facts on the ground in strategic points, forming the map of a Palestinian state in the entirety of Judea and Samaria — without the bother of negotiation or compromise with Israel.”

Aerial photographs dating as far back as 1945 — some of which the Arabs submitted themselves to the Israeli Supreme Court — show no signs of a residential presence before the 1980s. Not until the 2000s does the area have signs of habitation in the images.

According to a thread of posts by Tweeter: @GazaWood1 (who exposes Palestinian, fabricated scenes and imagery created as propaganda) on X.com "The Film 'No Other Land' Sparked Significant Controversy. "

In reality, the film is based on a complete Palestinian falsehood known as “Masafer Yatta.” Let’s talk about it for a bit.
🧵🔎

1️⃣ First of all, the film tells the story of an area in the Disputed Territories the Muslims named Masafer Yatta.
The film attempts to convey the narrative that Palestinians have lived there for hundreds of years and that Israel suddenly decided to evict them.
In reality, this was abandoned land that nomadic Bedouins occasionally used for grazing and sometimes took shelter in the caves there.

2️⃣ In fact, Palestinian construction in the area only began in the 1990s.
Before that, there were caves that Bedouins used as seasonal dwellings.

3️⃣ The most important point: Until 1993, the Israeli Air Force conducted attack training in the area.
These were full-scale military exercises—of the kind that made permanent residence impossible. This fact alone proves that no permanent settlement existed there.
ynet.co.il/news/article/r…Only in 1999 did Palestinians file a petition with the court. The simple reason? Until then, the area was of no importance to them, and no one lived there permanently.
It’s also worth noting that even afterward, they never presented any ownership documents.

Summary:
Palestinians have never provided evidence that the area belonged to them. Even more striking, it was only many years after the military had been active there that they began constructing homes.

4️⃣ Attached is a screenshot of the court ruling, with an English translation:
ynet.co.il/news/article/r…

בג"ץ: אפשר לפנות מאות פלסטינים המתגוררים בשטח אש בדרום הר חברוןבתום מחלוקת ארוכת שנים, דחה בג"ץ שתי עתירות של פלסטינים החיים בשטח שנמצא בשליטת צה"ל. השופט מינץ קבע כי "ערב ההכרזה על שטח אש לא היו מגורים קבועים בגבולותיו", אך הוסיף כי העותרים יוכלו להיכנס לאזור לצ…https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/ryxs6swuq

5️⃣ The judge rebuked the petitioners for exploiting the legal battle to continue illegal construction,
even though the court had conditioned its injunctions against demolition on a halt to further illegal building.

🔴 In other words: All the demolition footage was staged.
They built in a prohibited area precisely so that the IDF would demolish their homes, allowing them to document and publicize it.

6️⃣ A side note relevant to the previous point:
At 11:15 in the film, they explicitly discuss their strategy to prevent what they fear most:
🗣️ "I think we can stop the eviction. It will happen if we document and work on the ground."

It’s astounding how openly Palestinians reveal their well-worn tactic that Israel has been blind to for years: provoking a confrontation, standing by with cameras, and capturing the perfect moment.

This is textbook Pallywood. Anyone familiar with Palestinian tactics— not Westerners unfamiliar with their methods— knows that this means: "Let’s stir up trouble, capture the perfect moment, edit around it, and publish."

This is the same trick they’ve used thousands of times: A soldier turns his rifle, they freeze the frame the moment it’s aimed at a civilian, and they frame it as if he is targeting an innocent bystander.

7️⃣ By the way, the Arabic word ‘Masafer’ means ‘nothing.’
Many believed the area was worthless.

8️⃣ What bothered me personally the most was the use of children.
And it’s a shame Hollywood enables this.
The same way they arm their children and encourage them to commit acts of terror,
The same way Hamas builds tunnels under schools,
The same way they always send their children—whom they love less than they hate us—into the line of fire, hoping they’ll get hurt so they can parade them in front of cameras,
That’s exactly how children were used in this film.
Why use children and force them to live in a conflict zone solely for political purposes?

9️⃣ Did you know they even stole the film’s title from the Jews?
See here:

🔟 Summary: Why are Palestinians trying to seize Masafer Yatta?

The Palestinian push to take over Masafer Yatta is not coincidental and not simply a ‘survival struggle’ as international media portrays it. This is a well-planned strategy motivated by demographic, political, and territorial considerations in the battle for control of the West Bank.

🔹 1️⃣ Creating ‘facts on the ground’ as part of the fight for Area C

📌 Masafer Yatta is in Area C—territory under full Israeli control according to the Oslo Accords.
📌 The Palestinian Authority knows it has no official authority there, so it promotes illegal construction to establish footholds and turn them into permanent settlements.
📌 The goal? International pressure leading to de facto recognition of Palestinian control over the land.

🔹 2️⃣ Establishing Palestinian territorial continuity and breaking Jewish settlement

📌 Masafer Yatta lies between southern Hebron and the Negev—a strategic area linking West Bank Palestinian communities with Bedouin populations in the Negev.
📌 Palestinian control there isolates Jewish settlements, preventing Jewish territorial continuity between the Negev and the Hebron region.

🔹 3️⃣ European Union & international support

📌 The EU directly funds illegal Palestinian construction in the area, despite it being a designated military firing zone.
📌 Palestinians receive financial and logistical aid from European left-wing NGOs looking to push an anti-Israel narrative by manufacturing a "forced eviction crisis."

🔹 4️⃣ Exploiting legal and media platforms

📌 Palestinians use courts and media to frame the issue as “forced displacement of traditional residents,” even though the area was historically used only for grazing, not for permanent settlement.
📌 Branding the conflict as a ‘human rights project’ recruits global support and hinders Israeli sovereignty enforcement.

🔴 Conclusion: This is a strategic battle, not a defense of ‘ancient villages.’

📌 The Masafer Yatta narrative as “historical villages” is not backed by facts—permanent settlement began only in the 1990s.
📌 The real goal is political: To create Palestinian territorial continuity, isolate Jewish communities, and weaken Israeli control over Area C.

📌 The use of media and courts is a calculated move to generate international pressure and solidify Palestinian presence as an irreversible reality.

❌ This isn’t about "another Israeli injustice"—it’s a deliberate strategic operation backed by European funding and a manipulated narrative.

🔎 Pallywood thrives on deception.
With your support, we can expose the fakes and fight back against the lies.
💡 Donate now—because the truth deserves a voice.
🎥 Documentary: 🔗documentingpallywood.com☕ Support GAZAWOOD’s mission: 🔗buymeacoffee.com/gazawood

1️⃣2️⃣ And don’t miss the trailer for the film that truly deserved an Oscar:

• • •

How are Holocaust Education Ceremonies Impacting Jewish Leadership Regarding Islamo-Marxism?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:03:00 +0000

(R-L) Mensch Awards' Stephen Geiger, Rabbi David Baron
David Wiener, Michael Wiener, Leo David

The Mensch Foundation held its annual awards ceremony at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills on Friday, which honored Holocaust survivors and emphasizing the importance of remembrance and education. This year's recipients included sculptor Gabriella Karin, Holocaust survivor Joseph Alexander, and survivor turned philanthropist David Wiener, whose stories of resilience serve as poignant reminders of the atrocities faced during the Holocaust. Alongside them, Holocaust educator David Meyerhof was recognized for his commitment to teaching future generations about the dangers of hatred and intolerance.

The Mensch Awards not only celebrate individual achievements but also highlight a critical lesson from history: how a civilized society can be propagandized into vilifying an ideology or identity, leading to devastating consequences. The Holocaust serves as a stark reminder of this potential for societal decay, urging vigilance against propaganda that fosters division and hatred.

The Current Landscape: A Crisis of Identity and Ideology

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has reignited fierce debates within the Jewish community regarding support for Israel and responses to rising antisemitism. This internal struggle is exacerbated by a media landscape that often portrays Israel unfavorably, leading many to feel caught between conflicting loyalties.

President Trump's recent proposal for the temporary resettlement of Gazans has sparked significant controversy and backlash. In a full-page advertisement in The New York Times, over 350 rabbis and Jewish public figures condemned Trump's plan, stating, “Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish people say NO to ethnic cleansing!” This advertisement reflects a broader concern among liberal Jews about the implications of such proposals, which they view as reminiscent of historical injustices.

Steve Witkoff with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a Lago
on Jan. 7.Carlos Barria / Reuters via NBC News

Jonathan Tobin, Jewish News Syndicate's Editor-in-Chief,

Jonathan Tobin Editor-in-Chief, JNS.org

argues that the signatories to this advertisement are not primarily concerned with Israeli or Palestinian safety. Rather, they are aligning themselves with those who favor the destruction of Israel. Mr. Tobin asserts that their actions serve as a signal to the left-wing political ecosphere that many prominent Jews oppose Israel’s existence while supporting those who wish to eradicate Hamas terrorists. Tobin emphasizes that this stance is more about virtue signaling against figures like Trump and Netanyahu than about advocating for peace or justice.

Rabbi David Baron echoed similar sentiments in a post-awards ceremony interview with JooTube. He expressed deep concerns regarding Hamas's actions and their implications for Israeli security. Describing the October 7th attacks as a "genocide," he highlighted the brutality of these events as evidence of Hamas's monstrous cruelty.

Rabbi Baron emphasized that these actions necessitate a strong response from Israel to ensure its survival. He expressed disappointment with fellow rabbis who signed letters criticizing U.S. policy towards Israel, labeling their stance as naive. According to Rabbi Baron, October 7th effectively ended any possibility for a two-state solution, given the indoctrination of Gazan children with hatred from a young age.

Rabbi Baron also addressed rising antisemitism in America, citing anti-Israel demonstrations in various cities and calling for stronger actions against those who threaten Jewish students' safety. He criticized organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for failing to confront antisemitism stemming from radical Islam, arguing that without acknowledging these realities, meaningful solutions cannot be found.

Daphna Ziman: The Role of Media in Shaping Perceptions

Adding another layer to this discussion is Israel-American entrepreneur, Daphna Ziman’s perspective on media representation and its impact on public perception of Israel. In this interview with JooTube, she lamented that supporting Israel has become unfashionable amid ongoing demonstrations since October 2023.

Ms. Ziman articulated her belief that society is suffering from a “trust deficiency disorder,” where people no longer trust media or governments—leading to distorted narratives about complex issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Ms. Ziman emphasized that exploitation of truth has become rampant in modern discourse. She pointed out how media narratives often fail to account for Hamas's use of civilians as human shields during conflicts. “Nobody is realizing that it's a ploy,” she stated emphatically, highlighting how human life is devalued by terrorist groups like Hamas. She noted that this manipulation contributes to a broader misunderstanding among various communities about the realities on the ground.

Learning from History: The Dangers of Ideological Manipulation

The current discourse surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict reveals a troubling trend among liberal circles, particularly in their failure to learn from the Holocaust. This historical atrocity serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of propaganda and ideological manipulation; yet many liberals appear to have fallen prey to a new form of Islamo-Marxist propaganda that vilifies those who do not share their views. (Article continues)

As Pres. Trump grapples with resistance from Egypt and Jordan regarding his plan for Gaza, it illustrates how some liberal Jews have adopted a narrative that justifies hostility toward conservative figures, including fellow Jews like Netanyahu. Their rhetoric often mirrors the very propaganda they claim to oppose, engaging in vilification rather than constructive dialogue. By embracing this manipulated narrative, they risk repeating history's mistakes—failing to recognize how propaganda can distort perceptions and foster division within society.

On Friday, President Trump stepped back from his plans for Gaza after Egypt and Jordan rejected his conditions for resettlement. Initially proposing that Gazans could be temporarily moved to other Middle Eastern countries such as Turkey or Malaysia, Trump's retreat may be influenced by the backlash from liberal Jewish groups opposing his proposal. This situation leaves Gazans suffering under Hamas's authoritarian rule while continuing to imperil Israeli citizens.

In this context, it is crucial for the Jewish community and its allies to recognize the importance of unity and understanding. The ongoing conflict demands a collective response that prioritizes Israel's security while fostering dialogue that transcends ideological divides. Only by learning from the past can we hope to build a future where such tragedies are not repeated and where all voices—regardless of their political alignment—can engage in meaningful discussions about peace and coexistence.

Irony-alert: Mayhem as anti-Zionist protesters antagonize Hassidic Jews in Borough Park - under the pretense of protesting purchase-a-residence-in-Israel Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Muslim protesters clash with Borough Park Brooklyn, neighborhood Jews defending a live-in Israel, real-estate fair. (Photo courtesy: The Times of India)

Last night, the streets of Borough Park, Brooklyn, known for its Orthodox Jewish community, transformed into a battleground of ideologies. On February 18, 2025, the anti-Israel group Pal-Awda organized a protest against a real estate fair turned volatile, leading to clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and local Jewish residents.

Video courtesy: Search Sift

The demonstration was initially set to protest what was described as the sale of "stolen Palestinian land." However, the location near several synagogues in Borough Park sparked immediate concern among community leaders and residents. The chants of "Zionists go to hell" and "settlers settlers go back home, Palestine is ours alone" were not just heard but felt through the neighborhood, escalating tensions.

As the evening progressed, the situation deteriorated. Protesters, shouting slogans like "How many kids did you kill today?" and making offensive gestures towards Jewish residents, crossed the line from political expression into targeted harassment. The Jewish community responded with a demonstration of their own, waving Israeli flags and defended their neighborhood's sacred spaces. Orthodox Brooklynites defend their neighborhood from anti-Zionists including Neturei Karta Hassids from northern NYC suburbs. Video courtesy: FreedomNews TV / ScooterCaster The confrontation led to physical altercations. Videos shared on social media captured moments where the crowd broke through police lines, resulting in a scuffle that required immediate intervention by law enforcement. Police arrested Rohann Gill, a 28-year-old Pakistani registered male nurse from Brooklyn. He reportedly spent his summer at a Hamas Youth Camp. He was arrested for reportedly attempting to stab Jewish counter-protesters. The atmosphere remained charged with emotion and fear.

This incident wasn't isolated but part of a worrying trend where anti-Israel protests in New York have increasingly overlapped with antisemitic acts. The Jewish community in Borough Park, one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities outside of Israel, has been a repeated target. This attack on their peace and sanctity of their religious spaces is not just an assault on individuals but on the community's right to live safely and freely.

The melee mirrors an incident in Los Angeles last summer where attendees to a similar relocate-to- Israel fair was mobbed outside Adas Torah Synagogue.

Local New York City leaders and elected officials were quick to condemn the violence. Congressman Dan Goldman described the event as a "deliberate harassment of one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in the U.S.," emphasizing that targeting Jews because of Israel's actions is pure antisemitism. Such statements underline the broader implications of these protests, which many see not just as political activism but as acts of hate.

The aftermath of last night's events leaves the community wondering how to move forward. There's a call for increased security, for dialogue, and for a stronger stance against antisemitism that masks itself under political protest. The Jewish community of Borough Park has shown resilience, but there's a growing sentiment that more must be done to prevent such incidents from recurring.

This event serves as a stark reminder of the thin line between protest and prejudice, between expressing a political view and attacking a community. As we move forward, it's crucial for all parties to reflect on how to ensure that the right to protest does not infringe upon the rights of others to live in peace and practice their faith without fear. You can see how innocuous the emigration fair was in L.A. as organizer, Gidon Katz, describes. Most of the residences - houses and condominiums - are located in Israel proper, not in the disputed territories.

Hamas War revived Nazi propaganda techniques to incite hatred & violence towards "Zionist Jews"; Antisemitism watchdogs abandon Jewish-American casualty

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Paul Kessler stood-up for Israel at an L.A. protest
by Hamas-propagandized Islamists. Loay Alnaji
faces manslaughter charges, but is defended by
advocate C.A.I.R. affiliated attorney, Ron Bamieh
Photo: NewsVCNews

The hollowness of Jewish Holocaust defense apparatus is evinced by the public's complacency towards effecting justice for L.A.'s Paul Kessler, 69. Mr. Kessler was killed for carrying an Israeli flag alongside an anti-Zionist rally by the Muslim Society of Simi Valley on 5 Nov '23. The case against his alleged killer, Jordanian immigrant, Loay Alnaji, is up for trial before April with no Jewish establishment activism or public intervention.

Under the grey skies of Auschwitz, on the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation, Ronald Lauder’s words carried the weight of history and the urgency of the present. Speaking in the shadow of the gas chambers where over a million Jews were murdered, Lauder’s address was not merely a commemoration—it was a warning.

“We don’t want our past to be our children’s future,” Lauder declared, invoking the haunting words of Holocaust survivor Roman Kent. But as he surveyed the current state of the world, Lauder admitted that such hope seemed tenuous. “If Roman Kent were here and saw what’s happening to the Jewish people around the world in 2025, he would cry.”

There has been an exponential rise in anti-Semitism in Britain
since the October 7 attacks Credit: Alishia Abodunde/Getty

Lauder’s speech was not limited to recalling the horrors of the Holocaust. It was a call to vigilance against a rising tide of antisemitism—one that is not confined to the fringes of society but is increasingly mainstreamed. And it was here, amidst the solemnity of Auschwitz, that Lauder addressed the uncomfortable truths that much of the world, Jews and non-Jews alike, seems reluctant to confront.

But despite 'leaders" professing for years that we ought to prevent such Jew-hatred from recurring, the response to its resurgence since October 7, 2023, reveals a devastating truth: neither Jews nor gentiles have truly learned, nor not yet effectively applied the lessons of the Holocaust to thwart its resurgence.

The Silence Surrounding Islamist Antisemitism

Lauder’s address pointed to the “step-by-step progression of antisemitism” that led to Auschwitz. It began slowly, he noted: Jews excluded from universities, boycotted in businesses, and vilified in the media. It culminated in the unthinkable. Today, he warned, the signs are disturbingly similar.

Among the most insidious modern manifestations of this hatred is the antisemitism propagated by Islamist movements. Groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Muslim Brotherhood espouse ideologies steeped in a supremacist hatred toward Jews and Zionism. They cloak their agenda in the language of resistance and liberation, but their objectives—the annihilation of Israel and the subjugation of Jews—are unequivocal. Hamas, in particular, has made no secret of its goals. Its charter explicitly calls for Israel’s destruction, and its actions—from launching rockets at civilians to orchestrating terrorist attacks—are a grim testament to this ideology.

Pro-Palestinian protesters attend a “Flood Brooklyn for Gaza” demonstration, as the conflict between Israel and the terror group Hamas continues on 10/28/23. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

Yet, as Lauder alluded, much of the world remains silent. The mainstream and social media often downplay or ignore the overt antisemitism of these groups. Instead, they frame the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a binary struggle between oppressor and oppressed, erasing the complexities and ignoring the genocidal rhetoric of Hamas and its allies.

“Silence and indifference—that’s what led to Auschwitz,” Lauder reminded his audience. He recalled the world’s muted reaction to Kristallnacht in 1938, an event that signaled the beginning of the Holocaust. “When Hitler heard that silence, he knew he could do anything he wanted with the Jews.” Today’s silence in the face of Islamist antisemitism, Lauder suggested, risks emboldening those who seek to harm Jews and dismantle the Jewish state. (Article continues).

The Weaponization of Gaza

Lauder’s speech also touched on the broader geopolitics that perpetuate this hatred. The October 7th massacre of Jewish civilians in Israel, orchestrated by Hamas, was a chilling reminder of the enduring threat. “In a very fundamental way, what happened in Israel and what happened here at Auschwitz have one common thread: the age-old hatred of Jews,” he said.

Hamas, Lauder argued, has perfected the art of using Gaza’s population as human shields, drawing Israel into defensive military operations that inevitably result in civilian casualties. This cycle, he implied, is not accidental but strategic. By sacrificing Gazan residents, Hamas garners international sympathy and secures foreign aid—aid that often ends up lining the pockets of Hamas leaders and their cronies rather than rebuilding the lives of ordinary Gazans.

This exploitation of suffering is compounded by the complicity of nations like Iran and Qatar, which fund and arm Hamas, and by the Palestinian Authority, which continues to glorify terrorism and reject peace. Lauder’s words underscored the moral and strategic failure of a world that continues to treat these entities as legitimate actors while ignoring their role in perpetuating conflict and antisemitism.

The Role of Media and Education

One of the most striking aspects of Lauder’s address was his critique of media and educational institutions. He highlighted how social media platforms amplify antisemitic rhetoric, and how biased reporting often skews public perception of Israel and the Jewish people. “Keeping opinions out of news would be a good start,” he said bluntly, calling for a return to honest, fact-based journalism.

Lauder also warned of a generational shift in attitudes toward Israel. Among Americans over 30, he noted, 87% support Israel’s right to exist. But among younger Americans, that number drops to 40%. This erosion of support, he argued, is a direct result of a failure in education. Schools and universities, influenced by activist agendas, often present a distorted view of history and geopolitics, leaving young people vulnerable to misinformation.

“Education—serious, honest education—is the only way to correct this,” Lauder emphasized. Without it, the lessons of Auschwitz risk being forgotten, and the hatred that led to its horrors may resurface.

A Call to Action

Lauder’s speech ended with a powerful call to action. He urged Jews and non-Jews alike to confront antisemitism wherever it arises, to reject indifference, and to stand united against hatred. “We can leave here and go back to our 50 different countries and assume it’s not our problem, or we can leave here united in our determination to stop this hate rising up in our world.”

He reminded his audience that the lessons of Auschwitz are not just for Jews. “Jews are the canaries in the coal mine,” he said. “When the canary dies, miners know they have to get out of that mine as fast as possible. That canary died 15 months ago on October 7th. And that is the most consequential warning for the entire world.”

Photo: NewsVCNews

With his bullhorn, Mr. Loay Alnaji, punched and killed Jewish-American, Mr. Paul Kessler, 69, on Nov. 5, '23 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. No Jewish organization has taken up the the cause of justice for Mr. Kessler, despite his iconic case as the sole Jew (despite many Muslim attacks on North American Jews during the past 15-months) who was killed from Muslim animus.

In the absence of any Jewish communal organizations' advocacy in his case, a plea-bargain in the next two-weeks weeks may let assailant, Alnaji, free without being sentenced to one day of a possible maximum four-years in prison.

A Warning for the Future

Lauder’s speech was a sobering reminder of the fragility of civilization and the ease with which hatred can take root when left unchecked. It was a plea for vigilance, for moral courage, and for an unflinching acknowledgment of uncomfortable truths—truths about the sources of modern antisemitism, the complicity of media and institutions, and the urgent need for education and action.

As the ceremony concluded, Lauder left the audience with a simple yet profound challenge: to ensure that the horrors of the past do not become the future. “Let today be the day we all—world leaders and ordinary citizens, Jewish and non-Jewish, old and young—make a solemn pledge to stop this now, before it’s too late.

Yet, despite professing for years that we must prevent such hatred from recurring, the response to its resurgence since October 7, 2023, reveals a devastating truth: neither Jews nor gentiles have truly learned the lessons of the Holocaust. The same scapegoating of Jews by tyrannical movements to amass power — so evident in Nazi Europe — has reemerged, now masked in the guise of anti-Zionism and indifference to Islamist Jew-hatred. We have neither developed nor applied the methods necessary to thwart this widespread incitement and the violent, attitudinal manifestations of anti-Jewish hostility.

The complacency of our societies, in failing to confront this threat with moral clarity and decisive action, risks allowing history to repeat itself. What is needed now is not only moral courage but also new methods and new leadership—leaders who will act decisively to counter antisemitism in all its forms and ensure that humanity does not repeat its darkest chapters.