Laureen Lipsky – www.israelhayom.com https://www.israelhayom.com israelhayom english website Fri, 29 Dec 2023 08:44:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://www.israelhayom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cropped-G_rTskDu_400x400-32x32.jpg Laureen Lipsky – www.israelhayom.com https://www.israelhayom.com 32 32 Why there is no 'Israeli-Palestinian conflict' https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/why-there-is-no-israeli-palestinian-conflict/ Fri, 29 Dec 2023 08:41:46 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?post_type=opinions&p=928185   We often hear the phrase, "Israeli-Palestinian conflict" everywhere - in the media, from Israeli officials, written in articles, repeated by foreign policy think tanks and U.S. politicians. It is ubiquitous. They are all incorrect. A "conflict" indicates two equal sides laying credible claim over a disputed issue. Thus, the false phrase equates Jews with […]

The post Why there is no 'Israeli-Palestinian conflict' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
 

We often hear the phrase, "Israeli-Palestinian conflict" everywhere - in the media, from Israeli officials, written in articles, repeated by foreign policy think tanks and U.S. politicians. It is ubiquitous. They are all incorrect. A "conflict" indicates two equal sides laying credible claim over a disputed issue. Thus, the false phrase equates Jews with terrorists and terrorist supporters. And, the incorrect saying plays into revisionist history in an antisemitic fashion.
Terrorists and their supporters claim that Israel "stole" "Palestine." As previously mentioned in earlier emails, "Palestine" was nothing more than a colonizer term for Judea from 136 AD - when Jews liberated Israel in 1948 from British occupiers. And, Jews living in Israel during the aforementioned time period were known as "Palestinians."

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Antisemites believe that Gaza is also "Palestine." False. Gaza legally under UN Article 80, still belongs to Israel and has been Jewish land historically since 145 BC. Gaza has been occupied by Arab settlers since 1948; Arab settlers mostly from Egypt. Similarly, Judea & Samaria, the ancestral heartland of Israel, is often mislabeled "Palestine" pertaining to some false "homeland" of Arab "Palestinians" - when no such ethnicity or singular group exists.
Gazans are mainly from Egypt, some from Saudi Arabia, and some are former Israeli Arabs who fled voluntarily when Arab armies invaded in 1948. The Israeli-Arabs hail from 25 different Muslim countries. The Arab settlers in Judea & Samaria are mostly Jordanian occupiers; about 30 - 40% of "Arabs" in Judea & Samaria are genetic Jews who were converted to Islam in the 11th century and who live as Arabs.
It was not until 1967 when the KGB launched an antisemitic campaign against Israel called "Operation SIG" which created a false "national liberation" movement and lumped together the various Arab groups that have no common origination points.

If it is not a "conflict," what is it exactly? It is a war against Jews and has been for well over a century. While there were periods in Israel" 's history where Jews and Muslims fought off occupiers (Battle of Haifa in 1100 AD against the Crusaders; and both Muslims and Jews joined forces to fight against the Byzantines), but overall, it has been violence from Arabs against Jews with official terrorism stats dating back to 1860.
In the early 1900s, recent Jewish immigrants to Israel established Hashomer, Guild of the Watchman, as a self-defense guardian group to defend the Jewish villages in the Galilee, Judea & in Samaria. Small in numbers, but they helped with defense until the Haganah was established in 1920.

Historian Benny Morris explained, "Anti-Jewish violence became endemic, with Jewish settlement guards – who were seen as symbols of the Zionist enterprise – regularly dying at the hands of Arab ambushers between 1911 and 1913. In April 1914, the British consul in Jerusalem reported, 'The assaults upon Jews in the outlying districts are increasingly frequent.'" Speaking of the British, it was those occupiers who fomented deadly Arab revolts against Jews in Jaffa (1921), Hebron (1929), Gaza (1936), Jerusalem (1936 - 1939), and numerous smaller acts of violence against Jews throughout the Jewish homeland. The British outlawed Jews to be armed but allowed Arabs to have weapons. And, instead of protecting Jews post-pogroms, the British occupiers expelled Jews from deeply historical Jewish areas such as Hebron and Gaza. Aside from the Arab violence against Jews in Israel, let's not forget the long list of pogroms against Jews in Muslim lands which spanned centuries. From the Fez Massacre in 1033 to the 1941 Farhud in Iraq; the pogroms in Cairo, Syria, Algeria, Yemen, and Iran, to name but a few.

While everyone is familiar with the pogroms of Europe, Muslim violence against Jews is often ignored outside of Mizrahi Jewish communities, and is only mentioned as a false justification in response to the "Zionism occupation" of a Jewish Zionist homeland.

Meanwhile, the Deir Yassin "massacre" has long been debunked as such even by Arab testimonials and corroborated as not a massacre by military records held currently in the terrorist organization (the PA) run city of Ramallah, Israel. Only combatants were killed during the battle of Deir Yassin. It is time to be historically honest and not aid in antisemitic falsehoods by equating Jews to terrorists. The war against Jews has been waging far too long; This current war in response to the genocide on October 7th, and Israel" 's subsequent policies have to be so strong that it ends all terrorism against Jews in their own homeland.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The post Why there is no 'Israeli-Palestinian conflict' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
Jews knowing who we are helps combat antisemitism https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/jews-knowing-who-we-are-helps-combat-antisemitism/ Thu, 17 Feb 2022 20:05:20 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?post_type=opinions&p=764749 Weeks after Whoopi Goldberg aka Caryn Johnson incorrectly and antisemitically publicly expressed that Jews are racially White, it seems there is still confusion as to who and what Jews are – a religion only, a race, or a loosely-tied band of tribes that have since dispersed throughout the globe. Before we as Jews (rightfully) accuse […]

The post Jews knowing who we are helps combat antisemitism appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
Weeks after Whoopi Goldberg aka Caryn Johnson incorrectly and antisemitically publicly expressed that Jews are racially White, it seems there is still confusion as to who and what Jews are – a religion only, a race, or a loosely-tied band of tribes that have since dispersed throughout the globe. Before we as Jews (rightfully) accuse others of mislabeling us and distorting history, it is essential to have an internal correct understanding if for no other reason, than to not confuse those who are not part of the tribe.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

A 360-degree loop of lies sustains the most common antisemitic falsehoods, which has reached a crescendo these days – that Jews are White and Judaism is just a religion, and that modern-day Jews have no long-term historical connection to Israel, that the land was 'stolen' from Arabs.

Skin color is not race, and the concept of race was actually based on skull shape. This outdated categorization is based on skull composure, divided into Mongoloid, Negroid, and Caucasoid. With the advent of genetic technology, race is now based on haplogroups and genes. Science has confirmed what Jews have known for thousands of years, that we are an ethnoreligious tribe, connected genetically.

Lighter-skinned Ashkenazi Jews have more in common with darker-skinned Mizrahi Jews than they do with any European. No racially White people, historically, both in Europe and in America, ever considered us part of their race, and they are correct.

The issue in America in terms of Jews' mistaken identity is that many here are Ashkenazi, whose families spent a portion of the Diaspora experience in European countries. In Israel, the majority of Jews are Mizrahi, who lived in, but are not from Arab majority nations. All genetic Jews are from Israel, and even more specifically, Jews today have been traced back to Judea, the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi specifically.

Several years ago, I was curious about my own origins, as a first-generation American. My family emigrated from the former Soviet Union, and my maternal grandfather's family lived for a while in Austria. Relatives on both sides of my family were murdered, not 'lost' in the Shoah.

My religious great-grandparents and most of their children in Lvov (then Poland) were murdered by Polish Nazi collaborators not because they thought Jews are a race, which we are, but because Jews were deemed an inferior race. On my paternal side, my secular relatives were murdered by Belorussians due to the strong long-range dripping of Russian-Orthodox teachings that Jews killed Christ.

I was pleasantly surprised that my results returned that I am 100% Jewish genetically, with a breakdown of 92% Ashkenaz and 8% Sephardic. And that makes historical sense, as Ashkenazim were Sephardic Jews who happened to continue moving eastward as various Christian rulers deemed Jews a corruptive force against Christianity, and more dangerously, too powerful, a common libel still used against Jews across the spectrum. I grew up very secular, which stemmed from my family's non-exposure to religion in the USSR, yet; I am no less a Jew than those who keep kosher and attend shul weekly.

Rudy Rochman, in his most viral video, "Judaism Is Not a Religion" eloquently explains that one who does not believe in Christ is not a Christian, one who does not believe in the teachings of Mohammad, is not a Muslim. Yet a Jew is a Jew, regardless of belief in God. In the modern sense, religion is defined as a belief system which spreads across borders intentionally gaining converts. Though converts to Judaism are welcome but not sought, genetic Jews cannot throw the truth out with the proverbial Jewish bath water, that converts practice the faith of the Jewish people, are considered part of the Jewish nation, but are not genetically Jewish.

In the US, even before the Holocaust near decimated the Jewish community in Europe and attempted to further exterminate Jews in North Africa and Iraq, Jews were never considered White. Today the talk is focused on systemic racism, yet there was also systemic antisemitism. Jews were often grouped in with Black people in terms of limits to where Jews could work, where Jews could live, and where Jews could study. It was not until 1968 that Jews could live in parts of Florida. Housing discrimination against Jews was firmly in place in parts of Illinois and in Michigan.

Only in 1968 were Jews finally allowed to purchase property in areas of Southern California. From the 1920s to 1960, Jewish people faced severe admissions quotas at Ivy League universities. This term was titled 'Limitation of Numbers.' Hollywood was created by Jews as an outpost of Jewish theater, which resulted from Jewish actors not being hired by Whites. The KKK was not against White people, but had and still has hate towards Blacks and Jews alike.

Every people and every ethnicity has a homeland, religions do not. Jews are indigenous to Israel and it has been proven by genetics. This truth is not to erase the religious connection to Israel, but to give credence to Jewish genetics, which are real. There are separate Jewish bone marrow banks, Crypto-Jews are rejoining the Jewish fold through proof of genetics, and genetics are playing a vital role in finding members of lost Jewish tribes, even in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

Genetic proof is our arsenal against delegitimizing attempts against the Jewish connection to Israel, to battle against BDS, and to powerfully connect Jews today to the proud Judean warriors from whom we stem, their strength runs strongly in the collective veins of the Jewish people. It is this shared genetic strength which allowed Jews to emerge from the Inquisition, pogroms, the Shoah, the Farhoud, living as dhimmis, and to finally liberate Israel.

My nationality is American. My ethnicity is Jewish, not European in the least, and my homeland is Israel, the provenance of my people.

The post Jews knowing who we are helps combat antisemitism appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
Israel needs land buffers, not 'peace deals' with terrorists https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/israel-needs-land-buffers-not-peace-deals-with-terrorists/ Sun, 06 Jun 2021 04:38:07 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?post_type=opinions&p=637963   For decades, there has been a relentless diplomatic push by American Presidents to bring "peace" to the Middle East, meaning Israel and the Palestinian Arabs – never mind that other countries of the Middle East, namely Iran, Jordan, and Qatar, actually bring instability to that region. Peace is indeed possible, but it will never […]

The post Israel needs land buffers, not 'peace deals' with terrorists appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
 

For decades, there has been a relentless diplomatic push by American Presidents to bring "peace" to the Middle East, meaning Israel and the Palestinian Arabs – never mind that other countries of the Middle East, namely Iran, Jordan, and Qatar, actually bring instability to that region. Peace is indeed possible, but it will never materialize by equating Israel to a non-existent ethnicity falsely called "Palestinian" which was created by a PLO terrorist in 1964, and then widely unleashed in 1967, as a result of the stunning Arab loss in the Six-Day War, for the sole purpose of political antisemitism. Both Jordan and Egypt need to accept responsibility, given each countries' actual historical association with the Arabs currently living in Gaza, and in Israel's historical heartland of Judea and Samaria.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter 

Israelis need land buffers to achieve long-lasting security. Gazans and those Arabs living in Judea and Samaria demand economic relief and fewer checkpoints. A multi-pronged solution already exists, it just needs to be accepted as reality and implemented. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi briefly suggested back in 2014, before backing down due to political pressure, that the 'Palestinians' be moved to the Sinai if Israel and the UN aid Egypt in rebuilding the beleaguered generally no-man's land where drugs and missiles are smuggled. Since the Gazans have more of a historical connection with Egypt, it would be financially advantageous to move them to a hyper-developed Sinai next door, and thus, provide the safety Israel desperately seeks.

Palestine was a region, not a country. During the Ottoman occupation, Muslims were allowed to live wherever they wished within the Empire, while Jewish immigration to the homeland was restricted after 1882. There seemed to be a bipolar treatment of Jews by the Ottomans; Jews were welcomed and even rescued from the Iberian countries of the Inquisition. By the second half of the Ottoman reign, there was some forced conversion of Jews to Islam, in Judea and Samaria, when they deemed the area 'too Jewish.' Hence, 60% of the Palestinian Arabs in the South Hebron Hills today are actually descendants of converted Jews, the majority of whom are now radicalized Muslims. Overall about 30% of all Palestinian Arabs have Jewish lineage and DNA.

The citizens of Gaza are also not 'Palestinians' but Gazans; even a Hamas leader pleaded to el-Sissi of Egypt that the Gazans are Egyptians; culturally they are closer to Egypt than to Jordan. Jews also had a prominent presence in Gaza – many Jews escaping the Inquisition lived in Gaza for centuries, and further back, there was a Jewish synagogue there dating back to the 6th century. After Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979, the Gaza issue remained unresolved with both countries controlling the narrow strip. And the Egyptians did not want full control of Gaza, despite being offered it during negotiations. Under Israeli rule, despite the 1987 Intifada, Arabs and Jews lived a relatively cordial co-existence until 2005 when Israel fully disengaged, and Hamas took over.

The Hashemite Kingdom rules Jordan, which is quite interesting considering that the royal family was transplanted from Saudi Arabia, making the Hashemites a minority while the vast majority of Jordanians are Palestinian Arabs. An entire antisemitic anti-Zionist cottage industry currently exists which erroneously screams about the 'mistreatment' of the 'Palestinians' by Israel, but in actuality, it is Jordan that suppresses its Palestinian-Arab populace. Work and academic quotas abound.

Many Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria already hold Jordanian citizenship, and thus, an ultimate peace plan would include (rightfully) renaming Jordan, Palestine. This would eliminate the terror-minded Palestinian Authority, and the Arabs living in Area A and B would benefit from Jordanian citizenship politically, without compromising the Jewish majority in Israeli elections. Alternatively, a payment offer could be offered to those Palestinian Arabs willing to relocate to Jordan. After all, close to a million Jews, who never committed terror attacks, were not given payouts after being expelled from numerous Middle Eastern countries. A relocation settlement is far more humane than what Jews had to endure in the 1950s and '60s from Arab countries, where many lived for thousands of years.

How much longer can Arabs attacking Israel be tolerated, and then, more infuriatingly, the world blames Israel for defending itself. Needlessly, Jewish and Arab lives continue to be lost to war and terrorism, which could be stopped if historical accuracy can be upheld. The Abraham Accords have proven that Arab countries are capable of making true peace with Israel – now if only Jordan and Egypt can fill the final security trench so that the cycle which Hamas spurs each time they need more cash from Iran, or to flex its political muscle, is not repeated for yet another generation.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Israel needs land buffers, not 'peace deals' with terrorists appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
The dangerous anti-Semitism of SNL and its media cronies https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/the-dangerous-anti-semitism-of-snl-and-its-media-cronies/ Thu, 25 Feb 2021 10:30:17 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?post_type=opinions&p=592479   It wasn't shocking that this past Saturday night, an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel (yes, anti-Zionism is equivalent to anti-Semitism) joke was casually said on the NBC show Saturday Night Live. What was surprising was that the "comedy" bit made the social-media rounds shortly afterward, mostly in disgust by Jews who still watch the tiresome show. Anti-Zionism […]

The post The dangerous anti-Semitism of SNL and its media cronies appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
 

It wasn't shocking that this past Saturday night, an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel (yes, anti-Zionism is equivalent to anti-Semitism) joke was casually said on the NBC show Saturday Night Live. What was surprising was that the "comedy" bit made the social-media rounds shortly afterward, mostly in disgust by Jews who still watch the tiresome show. Anti-Zionism racism most strongly entered the mainstream during the Obama years, when the BDS movement really took hold in liberal colleges across North America. The Jewish homeland was erroneously maligned while pro-Israel advocates were being labeled as "radicals" for standing up to student groups espousing anti-Semitism.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter 

Jews have always been able to take a collective joke well, even if it falls within the news framework. Jews don't behead anyone Charlie Hebdo-style for making fun of prophets, nor do they find fault with those who make humorous observations about myriad mannerisms, cultural practices and dietary laws (particularly of the Ashkenazi variety). However, there is a fine line between comedy and untruths. Humor halts though when the only Jewish country in the world – one that gives its Arab minority equal rights, and where they freely vote, and yes, get vaccinated like any other citizen of Israel – is falsely accused of trying to withhold life-saving coronavirus support.

Israel is the only country in the Middle East that gave refuge not only to the nearly 1 million Jews expelled from the Arab world, to the European Jewish survivors of the Holocaust – the vilest atrocity in modern history – but has given a home to the Circassians and the Baha'i who were persecuted in Iran. And lest the anti-Semites forget, Israel did not banish Arabs who wished to remain in 1948 as regional Arab armies were attacking Israel while promising a swift annihilation of the Jews.

Anti-Semitism should have been the original #MeToo movement, but for decades, it only applied to neo-Nazi hate – not to anti-Israel casual cultural anti-Semitism, which is far more pervasive. It took the likes of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to equate Jews to termites, as well as other horrific slurs and tropes iterated in the United States and elsewhere before a real backlash occurred. In 2020, as COVID raged globally, out came old anti-Semitic quips from TV celebrities, sports stars, musicians and more. Social media became the ideal outlet to spread falsehoods about Israel and the Jews.

The entertainment industry is just one piece of the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel puzzle; elected politicians have entered the mix. Congress includes Jew-hatred coming from Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), both anti-Israel activists, and instead of being pariahs within their party, they ended up on the cover of Vanity Fair with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Just recently, Omar was promoted to a senior role on a foreign-relations sub-committee dealing with human rights. Routinely, Israel is libeled on MSNBC, CNN and the BBC without pushback. Therein lay the danger of mainstream modes of media lying about the Jewish homeland. And these lies give ammunition, figuratively and literally, to Israel's physical enemies – Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran – and to its political enemies – the largely anti-Semitic European Union and America's leftists.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

Although Jews are a minority in this country, they educate the misinformed within both the Jewish and general population. Yet many know the facts and choose to ignore them. As such, it is essential to explain why SNL writer, comedian and "Weekend Update" anchor Michael Che's sketch was incorrect. When even well-meaning Jews use incorrect verbiage such as "Palestinians" instead of Palestinian Arabs to denote those who live in Judea and Samaria, and Gazans who reside in Gaza, anti-Israel lies will continue to persist. And one can lose count of the number of times the word "occupation" is used as a political tool against the only Jewish nation when the above areas are now fully run by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, respectively.

Che bears the brunt of the rightful outrage following the show's lie-filled attempt at comedy, but where was Lorne Michaels, a member of the tribe, who has been known to approve every sketch? What occurred this past weekend was the culmination of rendering anti-Zionism anti-Semitism as irrelevant, prior to it entering the American mainstream.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

 

 

 

The post The dangerous anti-Semitism of SNL and its media cronies appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
US Jewish groups can't afford to lose focus https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/us-jewish-groups-cant-afford-to-lose-focus/ Mon, 08 Feb 2021 04:01:07 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?post_type=opinions&p=585761   Among the Jewish community in America, sadly, being both pro-Israel and politically Conservative places one within a minority of a minority. For the past four years, there existed stand-out stalwarts of Zionism (the Zionist Organization of America) and of the pro-Israel Jewish right (the Republican Jewish Coalition). I had been a proud member of […]

The post US Jewish groups can't afford to lose focus appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
 

Among the Jewish community in America, sadly, being both pro-Israel and politically Conservative places one within a minority of a minority. For the past four years, there existed stand-out stalwarts of Zionism (the Zionist Organization of America) and of the pro-Israel Jewish right (the Republican Jewish Coalition). I had been a proud member of both organizations for years and was pleased as they guided their constituents through issues important to Jews domestically and within the only Jewish homeland.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter 

Under the Trump Administration, the ZOA was able to sponsor one of the most important pro-Jewish legal measures – that Jews are now included under Title VI. Discrimination against Jews was always dealt as a religious matter. Such protections were not given as much weight as being part of a distinct group of people/ethnicity.

Jews, being an ethnoreligious tribe, certainly fit the criteria. In real-life terms, this means that when anti-Semitism – which is often cloaked in anti-Israel hatred – is expressed in any federally funded institution or program, there will be legal consequences.

The sovereignty of Judea and Samaria is a paramount issue to pro-Israel Jews and a topic that the Zionist Organization of America has emphasized for years. President Trump and his team recognized Jewish rights in Area C, which is historically accurate based not just on Jewish history, but also legally as per the San Remo accords of 1920.

ZOA is not political. Many in leadership roles of the organization have emphasized as such; which is why it was absolutely shocking that on Jan. 7, members received an email praising Biden's "win" – despite the fact that election fraud has been witnessed by thousands of Americans, many of whom signed affidavits, and legal battles were, at the time, still active.

To add insult to many of its members, who do lean to the right politically, the written communication emphasized how pro-Israel! Joe Biden has been in the past, based on a pro-Israel speech given at a ZOA dinner some years ago. Did the organization forget that as Senator, Joe Biden threatened then Israeli Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, to cut off American aid to a struggling post-Yom Kippur War Israel? The anti-Semitic political lob inspired PM Begin's most famous speech, "I Am Not a Jew with Trembling Knees."

And more recently, Biden enthusiastically supported the anti-Israel Iran deal, did not support the US Embassy move to Israel, and stated that his Administration would reinstate funding to the terrorist Palestinian Authority. One speech does not erase actual actions and political intentions against Israel. Currently, the organization is shocked at Biden's appointment of Maher Bitar, a BDS anti-Israel activist, as the senior director for intelligence on the National Security Council. Many who have followed Biden's policies are not surprised by that personnel choice.

The Republican Jewish Coalition was equally disappointed in its' mission betrayal. Since beginning my membership with this particular group in 2017, I have proudly observed this organization champion, pro-American politicians, applaud the Taylor Force Act, celebrate the embassy move to its rightful home – in the 3,500-year Jewish capital of Jerusalem, and increase Jewish support for the Republican party. Most recently, the RJC applauded President Trump's Abraham Accords – never in our lifetime have so many Muslim countries not only made peace with Israel, but also normalized relations, which is the ultimate peace.

Yet, while half of America watched the election being stolen overnight on Nov. 3rd, was angered with the state of Pennsylvania for illegally extending a national election, and incensed at GOP leaders ignored constituents' claims of witnessing election fraud, the Republican Jewish Coalition failed to mention election fraud whatsoever since November.

During the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, without nary any investigation, the RJC issued a statement against protestors, but it was not the average protestor who was storming the Capitol. It has recently come to light that both Speaker Pelosi and then-Majority Leader McConnell were warned of an attack.

During President Obama's Administration, both AIPAC and the American Jewish Congress had moved to the Left, prompting some of their members to exit their groups. An organization's mission should not be altered to appease whoever is in the White House. The Jewish National Fund, Americans for a Safe Israel, and a few other prominent Jewish organizations have not succumbed to political wind vanes, and it is best for others to follow suit.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post US Jewish groups can't afford to lose focus appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
The blatant anti-Semitism of Bill de Blasio https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/the-blatant-anti-semitism-of-bill-de-blasio/ Thu, 16 Jul 2020 13:15:14 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?post_type=opinions&p=511113 Instead of working towards securing the safety of New York City's residents after a wave of Black Lives Matter riots targeted businesses, instead of protecting inner-city areas of New York where shootings are on a rise not seen in decades, instead of safely opening up the city to invite back those who originally left for […]

The post The blatant anti-Semitism of Bill de Blasio appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
Instead of working towards securing the safety of New York City's residents after a wave of Black Lives Matter riots targeted businesses, instead of protecting inner-city areas of New York where shootings are on a rise not seen in decades, instead of safely opening up the city to invite back those who originally left for the coronavirus shutdown, Mayor Bill de Blasio chose to allow a giant Black Lives Matter banner to be painted on Fifth Avenue. There might as well be a giant "Palestinian" terrorist flag splayed along a stretch of the upscale commercial heart of Manhattan.

 Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Black lives matter, all black people matter – black cops included, black innocent Americans who are being gunned down in certain neighborhoods because of the castration of police departments (their lives matter, too). But the group/movement Black Lives Matter is well-known for its blatant anti-Semitism, its anti-Israel rhetoric. The movement has not been "co-opted" by terrorist supporters and Jew-haters, as many erroneously state.

Anti-Israel hate has been in its charter from the beginning. Members of BLM incited the Orthodox Jewish targeted pogrom in the Fairfax neighborhood in Los Angeles on May 30. Five synagogues were vandalized, along with three Jewish schools. Anti-Israel messaging was sprayed and "F**k the Jews" was heard in chants as the BLM anti-Semites were seen tearing through the area. That was the first in this year's round of BLM public anti-Semitism. Most recently anti-Semitic chants were heard at a rally in Washington, DC, and online anti-Semitic messaging is prevalent on BLM posts.

It is not surprising that de Blasio would support such a Jew-hating movement. For years, he palled around with Linda Sarsour, the original queen bee of anti-Zionist anti-Semitism, and a disciple of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. These days she has been eclipsed by Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, but her influence has been far-reaching in liberal spheres.

De Blasio has led the charge against Jewish New Yorkers. Last year, when Jews, particularly Orthodox Jews, were being violently assaulted in New York – when at first a month wouldn't go by without hearing some horrid anti-Semitic attack – de Blasio was blaming it on white supremacists. Even Democrat Councilman Chaim Deutsch, whose district's residents were the primary targets, refuted that claim.

Those targeting Jews were other minorities, mainly black and Hispanic New Yorkers. De Blasio did not push back against the dangerous new bail-reform law, which essentially gave a slap on the wrist for criminals and those who did end up in jail ended up being released shortly after committing crimes. He did nothing to protect his Jewish residents.

When the Iranian-backed, terrorist-in-nature Al-Quds Day event was held last year in Times Square, the anti-Israel groups participating had to get a permit; that was allowed. Not even a few weeks ago, a "Day of Rage" protest/march was held in Brooklyn, these events explicitly target Israel which directly is an attack on Jews and often times leads to anti-Semitic incidents. Yet were there any neo-Nazi marches in New York City? Not that those should ever be encouraged, of course, but de Blasio would not give such an easy permit to white supremacists, as he does to every other Jew-hater.

When New York was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, only the Hassidic Jewish community was the target of de Blasio's ire. Yet there were overcrowding issues in the Bronx and house parties in Harlem. Being vigilant was all in the name of beating the virus, so most Jews did not say much. However, when a legitimate Chassidic funeral on April 28 was planned not only with the approval of the New York Police Department but with pre-approval of the Mayor's Office, de Blasio showed up, "shocked" at the crowd size, and immediately fired off an anti-Semitic tweet directed at the Jewish community. The Jewish community in New York is not cohesive; dozens of vibrant groups make up the proud fabric of Jewry in New York, so to blame "all Jews" due to one pre-arranged funeral, while ignoring other groups who were gathering in large numbers, was absolutely anti-Semitic.

One would think that letting Hassidic children play in neighborhood playgrounds would be far less a crime than thousands marching, many without face masks, but no. De Blasio ordered the police to fine parents whose children went without masks. This behavior towards the religious Jewish community was an injustice when such hypocrisy was on full display during the height of the BLM protests and interwoven riots.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

De Blasio's anti-Semitic culture extends beyond himself. Earlier this year, Democrat Councilman Kalman Yeger pointed out the poison of anti-Semitism permeating within the City Council. And mere days ago, a City of New York tweet reminded residents to fill out the 2020 Census. It included a "Palestinian" flag among other flags representing the homelands of the city's residents, but omitted the Israeli flag, despite nearly 2 million Jews living in New York City. To not call out de Blasio as a dangerous anti-Semite is a farce.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

The post The blatant anti-Semitism of Bill de Blasio appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
United against anti-Semitism march organized by hypocrites https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/01/07/united-against-anti-semitism-march-organized-by-hypocrites/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/01/07/united-against-anti-semitism-march-organized-by-hypocrites/#respond Tue, 07 Jan 2020 13:30:48 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=454481 Marching to protest against anti-Semitism makes sense when organizers and participants are truly against violence and hatred towards all Jews. No stranger to protests, the most recent one I attended was the anti-New York Times protest this past spring. Like many Jews, I have been angered over the uptick in anti-Semitic assaults not only globally, […]

The post United against anti-Semitism march organized by hypocrites appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
Marching to protest against anti-Semitism makes sense when organizers and participants are truly against violence and hatred towards all Jews. No stranger to protests, the most recent one I attended was the anti-New York Times protest this past spring. Like many Jews, I have been angered over the uptick in anti-Semitic assaults not only globally, but hyper-locally (Brooklyn, Jersey City, Manhattan, Monsey).

Every day another member of my tribe was being assaulted, and there was no pushback from elected officials. It took the horrific Hanukkah attack in Monsey, NY for Gov. Cuomo to finally speak up, but it was too late. The most brutally attacked victim of the Monsey machete stabbing, Josef Neumann, is not likely to recover.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Liberal politicians in New York have steadily remained silent for months as anti-Semitism was becoming more visible. Where was Mayor DeBlasio? Senator Schumer? Senator Gillibrand? Each one of those politicians have a powerful platform to discuss issues affecting their constituents. Are Jewish people not citizens in their city and state? It sure didn't seem that way as anti-Semitism not only kept rising but becoming more violent.

In just one week's time, teenagers threw a beverage and shouted anti-Jewish slurs at a Jewish man (Dec 24th), a man wearing a kippah was punched in the face (Dec 25th), a Jewish woman was hit in the head while walking with her son (Dec 26th), a woman slapped three Jewish women, the same night that a man threatened to shoot up the Chabad World Headquarters. Even after five Jews were stabbed at a Hanukkah celebration in Monsey, NY liberal politicians barely spoke up to not only denounce anti-Semitism but also acknowledge the perpetrators. Mayor DeBlasio seemed stunned at a recent press conference that a reporter brought up the topic and then blamed anti-Semitism on President Trump. It's as if the Jersey City kosher store massacre was no big deal to liberal leadership. There was no plan of action to curb anti-Semitic incidents from anyone in local government, these attacks have been going on for too many months.

A 'unity' march was partly organized by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), an organization that thinks anti-Semitism is strictly associated with white neo-Nazis, which has ignored most of the NYC area attacks because the anti-Semites have been black and brown. The other organizations organizing it were the American Jewish Committee (AJC), UJA Federation (also largely silent when Israel is attacked especially of late), and whose several representatives in the area couldn't be bothered to say that Jews being threatened is anti-Semitism. They combined it with 'all hate.'

Many of the signs at the march were plastered with 'no hate, no fear.' The planners could not even be bothered to highlight anti-Semitism. To combine anti-Semitism with 'all forms of hate' is to not singularly focus on the dangerous situation currently at hand for Jews. In order to address the issue, it is necessary to identify the problem.

After palling around with Ilhan Omar, after denouncing Israel's non-existent occupation, Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez had the temerity to attend Sunday's march. The JCRC (Jewish Council Relations Council) even thanked AOC for showing up at the march.

Anti-Semitism is not a liberal only issue of course. There are plenty on the Right who are anti-Semitic too. Most recently, the shootings in Poway, CA and Pittsburgh, PA were at the hands of white Neo-Nazis. The difference between the parties is that today's Republican National Committee routinely speaks out against anti-Semitism and denounces any Republican who is against Jews. However, neither of those murderers cited President Trump, and with good reason, as President Trump has been the most pro-Israel American leader of our time.

Liberal policies, especially locally, have undeniably led to an environment where anti-Semites, particularly other minorities who are the assailants, have been given leniency. This all stems from bail reform. Money for bail has been largely eliminated by New York and a laundry list of crimes has been reduced in their charges – hate crimes being on one of them. Assault as a hate crime is no longer eligible for bail or pretrial detention. The liberal District Attorneys have been releasing the anti-Semitic criminals, and many re-committed crimes soon after being free on the streets.

To march against anti-Semitism is to speak up on behalf of all Jews – Jews being assaulted in Western Europe, mostly by Muslims, to show support for the only Jewish homeland, Israel. And to clearly identify the perpetrators.

A march in itself is great, but morally I could not attend. To be fair, some people, who I know attended, while upset with the number of hypocritical organizations and leaders, were nonetheless glad they themselves joined to lend a voice. The march should have instead called out the officials who have been ignoring anti-Semitism as it continued to grow in strength for the better part of this past year, especially in Orthodox Jewish areas of Brooklyn, NY.

There are real solutions to the issue, after all, this was not happening at this magnitude under Mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg. Finally, Governor Cuomo announced that severe anti-Semitic attacks would be classified as domestic terrorism. Further, requesting that the local black leadership speak up would be a major step to curb assaults, dialing back bail reform, and increasing punishment for anti-Semitic attacks are all concrete actions politicians can enact.

Anti-Semitism will never disappear but if the assaults do not dissipate and there needs to be another march, I hope that the next one will feature organizations that actually vocally denounce the oldest and most cancerous of evils, and who are not against Israel.

Laureen Lipsky is a pro-Israel advocate living in New York, and is the founder of Taking Back the Narrative.

The post United against anti-Semitism march organized by hypocrites appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

]]>
https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/01/07/united-against-anti-semitism-march-organized-by-hypocrites/feed/