From Ian:
On anniversary of UN’s ‘declaration of the rights of the child,’ Palestinians still imbue youth with hate
Nov. 20 marks the date when the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) and the Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989).While the Palestinian Authority joined the U.N.’s Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2014, the Palestinian leadership is abusing its own children, presenting terrorists as heroes, “martyrs” as role models, and glorifying the murder of Jews and Israelis.
In the decades of monitoring the Palestinian Authority’s open sources, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has exposed that the P.A. Ministry of Education teaches that terrorist “martyrs” are “heroes” and “the crown of their nation, the symbol of its glory, the best of the best.” Official P.A. TV has Palestinian children recite that “Our enemy, Zion, is Satan with a tail,” and that “Jews are the most evil among creations … they descend from apes and pigs.” TV cartoons teach young kids that “Jews work on earth for Satan, to try to destroy Muhammad.”
Sports tournaments, school books, cultural events and even music videos glorify terrorists and encourage Palestinian youth to aspire to kill and be killed.
What we have found in more than 20 years of monitoring the P.A.—through the broad range of institutions and infrastructures that they control—are messages in Arabic of hatred, indoctrination and incitement, while in English, to the world, the P..A, the ruling Fatah Party, and leader Mahmoud Abbas present themselves as moderates who are Israel’s peace partners.
Meanwhile, murderers, such as the infamous Dalal Mughrabi (who in 1978 with a group of terrorists hijacked a bus and murdered 37 civilians, including 12 children) is immortalized by the Palestinian Authortiy naming schools, town squares and community centers after her. Terrorist murderer Baha Alyan (who murdered three Israelis on a bus in Jerusalem in 2015) is used by the P.A. as a role model to promote the value of reading to children. Terrorist murderer, Ahmed Jarrar (who killed Rabbi Raziel Shevach, a father of six, in a drive-by shooting earlier this year) and 13-year-old Ahmed Manassreh, who attempted to murder an Israeli child, are glorified by having sports tournaments named after them.
The message Palestinian kids are getting is clear. If you kill an Israeli, you are a hero. If you make peace with an Israeli, you are a traitor and you are committing a crime against humanity.
Palestinian leaders actively encourage distortion of the universal platform of sporting events in this way. In September 2014, Jibril Rajoub, the P.A.’s Secretary of the Fatah Central Committee and head of the Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, stated that: “Any activity of normalization with the Zionist enemy is a crime against humanity.”
PMW: Palestinian children’s TV – a world of hate
The world of hate that the PA creates for its children includes messages of violence against Israel, teaching that Israel has no right to exist and all of Israel is Palestinian, and that Israel’s eventual replacement by “Palestine” is inevitable.One recent episode of the PA TV children’s program The Best Home included all of these messages.
A girl recited a poem that called for “vengeance” and “liberation” and for “war that will… destroy the Zionist’s soul”:
Palestinian girl Raghad: “Saladin (i.e., Musim leader who conquered Jerusalem in 1187; see note below) calls to me from my depths
All my Arabness calls me to vengeance and liberation…
Thousands of prisoners… call to this great nation and call to millions and say to them:
To war that will smash the oppression and destroy the Zionist’s soul
and raise the Palestinian banner in the world’s sky
And strengthen my word that goes on:
Palestinian, Palestinian, Palestinian.”
Official PA TV host: “Bravo, bravo! You are very talented.”
[Official PA TV, The Best Home, Nov. 1, 2018]For years, PA TV has been inviting children to sing this song that urges Palestinians to seek “war” that will “smash and destroy” Israel.
“A Zionist stole the land of Palestine”
In the same episode of the program, a girl recited a poem denying Israel’s right to exist with the words: “A Zionist stole the land of Palestine.” The poem speaks of the Palestinians becoming “refugees” “70 years ago” – in other words, in 1948 when the State of Israel was created. Palestinian children are taught to deny Israel’s right to exist since its creation in 1948, and not in the borders of 1967 as the PA claims in international circles. This education does not leave room for Israel in any borders. The poem encourages Palestinians to “rebel” and “shoot with your fire, like volcanoes,” so that they will be “victorious” and “return.” Upon hearing this poem, the PA TV host ensured her audience of children that “we are returning. Soon, Allah willing, we will return to our land”:
Girl’s poem on PA TV: “To war that will… crush the Zionist’s soul”
“Death to Israel” – song on Hamas TV
Women’s March Founder Calls on Leaders to Quit, Citing Antisemitism and Bigotry
With charges of antisemitism and other bigotry against the Women’s March, the movement’s founder called on its leaders on Monday to quit.“As Founder of the Women’s March, my original vision and intent was to show the capacity of human beings to stand in solidarity and love against the hateful rhetoric that had become a part of the political landscape in the US and around the world,” Theresa Shook wrote in a Facebook post.
“Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour and Carmen Perez of Women’s March, Inc. have steered the Movement away from its true course,” continued Shook. “I have waited, hoping they would right the ship. But they have not. In opposition to our Unity Principles, they have allowed anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform by their refusal to separate themselves from groups that espouse these racist, hateful beliefs. I call for the current Co-Chairs to step down and to let others lead who can restore faith in the Movement and its original intent.”
Sarsour and Mallory have been repeatedly slammed for praising Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, a known antisemite whose annual Saviour’s Day was attended in February by Mallory.
Last week, actors Alyssa Milano and Debra Messing spoke out against antisemitism associated with movement, with the former announcing that she will not speak at next year’s march and the latter backing the decision.
Groups such as the Zioness Movement applauded Shook’s statement.
“Zioness shares Shook’s sentiment that it is high time for new leadership at a Movement created to stand in love and solidarity against hate,” the group said in a statement. “Since our founding in 2017, Zioness has spoken out time and again against the poisonous and deeply hurtful rhetoric and actions of certain Women’s March leaders.” (h/t Dave4321)
Teresa Shook, Founder of the Women’s March released a statement Monday calling for several prominent co-chairs to step down. In particular, Shook took aim at the organization’s Farrakhan groupies.“Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour and Carmen Perez of Women’s March, Inc. have steered the Movement away from its true course. I have waited, hoping they would right the ship. But they have not. In opposition to our Unity Principles, they have allowed anti-Semitism, anti- LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform by their refusal to separate themselves from groups that espouse these racist, hateful beliefs. I call for the current Co-Chairs to step down and to let others lead who can restore faith in the Movement and its original intent. I stand in Solidarity with all the Sister March Organizations, to bring the Movement back to its authentic purpose.”
As National Review points out, the Farrakhan love exhibited by the co-chairs has been a growing problem for the organization:
Mallory and Sarsour have been routinely criticized by public figures from across the political spectrum for praising Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who routinely espouses anti-Semitic and homophobic views to his large following. The co-chairs have also come under fire for partnering with and endorsing anti-Semitic pro-Palestinian groups.
A regional chapter of Planned Parenthood disinvited Mallory from a previously scheduled speaking event in March after she attended and celebrated Farrakhan’s Saviour’s Day address in Chicago, in which he described Jewish people as “satanic” and dubbed them his “enemy.” Ten days after posting an Instagram video lauding Farrakhan for the contents of his speech, Mallory issued a statement in which she refused to condemn him and said she holds the Nation of Islam “close to [her] heart.”
Actress turned activist Alyssa Milano refuses to speak at Women’s March events until Sarsour and Mallory denounce Farrakhan’s blatant anti-semitism or step down from their currents posts.
Alyssa Milano, Group’s Co-Founder Denounce Women’s March Leaders; They Issue Loaded Response
The criticism of the four leaders stems from the affiliation of Mallory, Sarsour, and Perez with Farrakhan and their subsequent refusal, along with Bland, to condemn his hateful rhetoric. Here’s the case laid out by the Change.org petition calling for their resignation titled “Don’t Sponsor Hate: Women’s March Leaders Must Resign”:
- Now more than ever, women need to unite against hate. The Women’s March, Inc. organization has become an essential part of the feminist movement. As feminists, we are passionate about the force behind this movement and its significance. More than 2.6 million people participated in what was the largest protest in US history on January 21, 2017. We built it. We should decide who steers it. We are aware that many separate grassroots groups participated on that day who are not connected to Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour, Bob Bland, or Carmen Perez. However, the march itself was organized under the umbrella of Women’s March, Inc. and we must purge it of hate.
- President of Women’s March DC, Mercy Morganfield released the following statement on March 10, 2018: “If the actions of our leaders are not aligned with the Unity Principles, then the leaders should reassess their leadership roles in Women’s March and the greater women’s rights movement.”
- Leaders of an organization which, according to its Unity Principles, claims to “believe that Women’s Rights are Human Rights and Human Rights are Women’s Rights” MUST NOT support or defend those who support someone like Louis Farrakhan, who is not only a rabid anti-semite but also has a history of misogyny, homophobia and transphobia.
- Recently, we have become aware of three of these four Women’s March, Inc. leaders’ reprehensible affiliations with the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan.
- Upon receiving backlash regarding the Women’s March co-President Tamika Mallory’s recent attendance at a Farrakhan rally where she personally received a shout-out, co-President Bob Bland, along with treasurers Carmen Perez and Linda Sarsour have been defensive of Mallory.
- All four leaders will not directly condemn Farrakhan’s extremely anti-semitic speech or disavow any relationship with him.
- Mallory, Sarsour, and Perez have publicly praised and been photographed with Farrakhan; Mallory has admitted to attending Farrakhan’s hate-filled speeches for the past thirty years, including this year.
- We have yet to hear from the Women’s March, Inc. sponsors listed below in regards to funding an organization run by leaders who are morally bankrupt. How can SPLC sponsor an organization made up of leaders who are affiliated with the Nation of Islam, which SPLC classifies as a hate group? It’s time for these sponsors to take a stand and separate themselves from an organization that has been tainted by hate. Until these leaders step aside and allow new leaders to take their place, sponsorship should be removed.
The petition also links to an article titled “Everything You Need To Know About Anti-Semitism In The Women’s March.”
Among the organizations listed by the petition that sponsor the Women’s March are the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Planned Parenthood, the Natural Resource Defense Council, Emily’s List, NARAL, and the ACLU.
The petition also provides the following updates since it first launched, including Milano and Messing disavowing the group:
This is NOT the right wing making up stories, these are actual tweets by @lsarsour! (Tweets linked below in reply.)Conspiracy theorist? ✔️
Anti Women ✔️
Antisemitic ✔️
Pro Farrakhan ✔️Linda is not ‘associated’ with antisemites, SHE IS AN ANTISEMITE.
— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) November 19, 2018
Earlier today, @JoeNBC had Al Sharpton on his show to decry Trump’s hate & racism.Below are some excerpts of the ‘CONDEMNING THE RACIST AND ANTI-SEMITIC VIEWS OF THE REVEREND AL SHARPTON’ bill Introduced by then CONGRESSMAN JOE SCARBOROUGH.
Full text https://t.co/TuPlmGOaA4 pic.twitter.com/FsOVhPHQZB
— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) November 19, 2018
Perhaps the most heartbreaking moment in George Orwell’s satire on the Soviet Union, Animal Farm, is when the packhorse Boxer, who worked hardest for the “animal revolution” is murdered by the Stalin-pig named Napoleon.The Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAC), formed by Josef Stalin during World War II to raise funds for the Soviet war effort, was the human equivalent of Boxer. Stalin “rewarded” their tireless efforts on behalf of anti-fascism by murdering them on trumped-up charges beginning in 1948, a mere three years after the Holocaust.
The JAC fatally paid for their belief that Stalin was anti-Nazi; indeed they would realize far too late that Stalin was as anti-Semitic as Hitler.
As the Soviets engaged in a life-and-death struggle against their Nazi invaders during World War II, Stalin cynically formed the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee for Soviet security needs. Composed of prominent Russian Jews (among them Soviet government officials, Solomon Lozosky and Solomon Bregman along with writers Shakne Epstein and Ilya Ehrenberg), the JAC was tasked by the Soviet leader to tour the West in search of funds for the Russian war effort.
Amazingly, much of this heavy lifting was done by two Soviet Jews, Solomon Mikhoels and Itzik Feffer, who served as Stalin’s emissaries to the Western nations.
During a seven-month tour of the West in 1943, including a rally in the United States attended by 50,000 people—the largest pro-Soviet event in the United States—the JAC raised $16 million from the United States, $15 million from England, and $1 million from Mexico.
The successful fundraising efforts earned Mikhoels and Feffer praise for their efforts from the official Soviet media organ, Pravda:
“Mikhoels and Feffer received a message from Chicago that a special conference of the Joint initiated a campaign to finance a thousand ambulances for the needs of the Red Army.”
In addition, they tirelessly did propaganda work for Stalin, assuring foreign audiences that there was no anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union.
It used to be the American media that called wealthy and powerful people, irrespective of their political ideology, to account. But since Soros appointed himself the foremost individual patron of the institutional left—his “amulet to ward off criticism”—the press abandoned its role. People who typically adhere to Balzac’s dictum about a great crime lying behind every great fortune drop their skepticism when the subject is Soros. The universally obsequious, dutiful media coverage of Soros is also a function of the broader tribalization of society, a tribalization that Soros and others on the left (not least the mainstream media itself) frequently condemn yet are complicit in creating. Because Soros is one of the most visible anti-Trump figures in the United States, the media has become pro-Soros. Through a combination of munificent strategic philanthropy and shrewd PR, Soros and his employees have pulled off an amazing feat: They have persuaded a large swath of the American left to defend the honor of a rapacious capitalist, and to do so on the grounds that he is the pitiable victim of anti-Semitism (a phobia that neither he nor they otherwise tend to care very much about).In a 2007 essay, Soros noted seven techniques employed by those who attack him: “Conflating fact and opinion,” “Guilt by association,” “Conspiracy theory,” “Mixing sources,” “Transference” (“the writer accuses his opponent of having the same motives or using the same techniques that he has or uses himself”), “False labeling” (“The writer divides the world between us and them, good and bad, left and right, and then condemns people by labeling them”), and “false patriotism” (“the writer accuses the opponent of being unpatriotic and anti-American.”) As much as these tactics are utilized against Soros by his most hysterical right-wing detractors, so too are they deployed by him and the legions of organizations and individuals he funds. Collectively, they embody the #resistance mindset that is blurring the lines between loyal opposition and mobocracy, an either/or, “with us or against us” mentality remarkably similar to the supposedly Manichean worldview of George W. Bush he claimed to despise.
“I’m eager to get out of this partisan position that I’m pigeonholed into,” Soros told Jane Mayer in 2004. “I heartily dislike it. I’ve always been against dividing the world into ‘us’ versus ‘them.’ So this ‘us’-versus-‘them’ campaign is very uncomfortable for me.” Connie Bruck had earlier written of Soros’ “tendency to beatify one side and demonize the other” in all manner of global hot spots and political disputes. Less than a decade later, his utterly hypocritical condemnation of “ ‘us’-versus-‘them’ ” rhetoric would pass by unremarked upon by the same magazine. If it seems incongruous that Soros could issue such bipartisan bromides while simultaneously calling Republicans Nazis, consider that he is also a man who cringes at the “tribal loyalties” of “the Jews” but generously underwrites the tribalization of each and every other group.
Once upon a time, George Soros devoted himself to spreading Popper’s ideas of the open society in which freedom of inquiry, free speech, critical thinking, and the personal liberty to hold different views were paramount values. In Europe, those values are under attack from right-wing nationalists and autocrats who admire Vladimir Putin. In America, they are under attack by a president who admires Putin—and by a host of progressive organizations funded by George Soros. It is deeply painful to contemplate the reality that a man who miraculously avoided two great historical tragedies in his youth has decided to spend his old age fueling the fires that threaten to consume the values he spent decades fighting for, and the country that gave him shelter.
The BDS Debate Enters its Next Phase
With the midterm elections behind us the new Democratic coalition that led the party to its first House majority since 2010 is starting to come into focus. One outcome of the changes shaping the country’s political future: Boycotting Israel now lies within the spectrum of acceptable opinion within the Democratic Party.The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is still nowhere close to the center of party discourse—no prominent Democrat is in favor of BDS, and Chuck Schumer, the outspokenly pro-Israel Senate minority leader, was narrowly correct when he told Jewish Insider, “Senate Democrats are very strongly pro-Israel and will remain that way” last week. Self-described socialist and frequent Israel critic Bernie Sanders, who is arguably the single most important figure in the party, has yet to endorse BDS in any form. Still, there will soon be multiple Democratic members of Congress who are in favor of the movement, and it’s an open question whether that will do anything to change the party’s historically pro-Israel orientation or endanger its popularity among American Jews, who still overwhelmingly vote for Democrats. BDS has now entered America’s governing institutions, carried in by the youngest members of an emerging and increasingly left-wing coalition. BDS has a seat inside the halls of power, even if it’s at the far edges. The question now is whether antagonism towards Israel will become a rallying cry or a liability for a party that appears to be moving in a more ideological direction.
This past week’s controversy over Minnesota congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar’s support for BDS could be a preview of a coming intraparty boycott debate. A few days after her election, Omar announced that she “believes in and supports the BDS movement,” even if she still has “reservations on the effectiveness of the movement in accomplishing a lasting solution.” That’s a clear change from the stance she took during the primary when, addressing Minnesota’s Beth El synagogue, she affirmed Israel’s right to exist while saying BDS was “not helpful in getting that two-state solution.” The insincerity of her earlier hedging, a misleading nonposition she staked out in the midst of a six-way primary, now reads like a tacit admission that her actual views on the topic were unpalatable to some significant number of voters. Critics noted the cynicism of her tactics—indeed, any politician’s semireversal on any hot-button issue just days after getting elected to Congress would be notable.
But Omar won’t be the only pro-BDS Democrat in the coming Congress. Her bait-and-switch found a defender in Rashida Tlaib, the one-state solution supporter who will be representing Michigan’s 13th congressional district beginning this January. “My parents were both born in Palestine (Falastine). My sity [sic] still lives there. When my sister @IlhanMN is being attacked for supporting the #BDS movement (protected freedom of speech!) we can’t stay silent,” Tlaib tweeted on Nov. 16. “Nothing is more American than the fight for justice at home & abroad.”
Daniel Pipes of the Middle East Forum is a target of the new censorship
Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum (MEF), talked with Rob Shimshock of Campus Unmasked about censorship after hosting a panel entitled “Silenced! Censoring Public Discussion of Islam.”“The whole idea is that if you have the wrong views, if you’re conservative, if you’re concerned about Islamism, then you can’t do business,” Pipes told Shimshock. “And in the middle of our event, three people disrupted and tried to deplatform us while we’re talking about deplatforming.”
The MEF president said that each panelist had experienced deplatforming in the past, noting that former Rebel commentator Tommy Robinson got kicked off of Paypal, and Rebel Commander Ezra Levant had a cruise cancelled due to activist pressure.
Pipes claimed that a British Internet service provider (ISP) required visitors to Pipes’ website to enter their credit card number to confirm that they were over the age of 18. The MEF president suggested that this cut off traffic to his website, but that the issue was resolved after protesting:
“We keep reading about hotel chains, about banks and the like that simply are shutting people out without explanation, without any recourse, and we worry about our ability to do business.”
Daniel Pipes of the Mid East Forum is a victim of the new censorship
Canadian Federation of Students endorses BDS
The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement on Monday and condemned the “ongoing occupation of Palestine.”The endorsement followed a decision on the same day by Airbnb to stop listing rentals in West Bank settlements and a vote by the Quakers in Britain to divest from firms profiting from business activity over the pre-1967 lines.
The CFS resolved to support BDS activity including approving financial donations of up to $500 to any single pro-Palestinian organizations. The organization of more than half-a-million members, which has 64 member unions across Canada, also condemned Israeli “atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza and [reaffirmed] the Federation’s commitment to BDS and anti-war organizing.”
Hillels across Canada condemned the federation’s decision which they said was “fueled” by hate and was “counterproductive to peace.”
“The motion is rife with factual inaccuracies and historical distortions. In its obsessive campaign exclusively against one country and one community, the CFS has further marginalized the thousands of Jewish students whom it is tasked with representing,” Hillel Canada said.
“As Jewish Canadians and academics, we are disheartened by the amount of energy invested in disparaging Israelis, rather than creating spaces for those with competing narratives and historical experiences to come together to engage with complex issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Khaled Abu Toameh: British Quakers divest from firms profiting from West Bank settlements
The Quakers in Britain Church, a group of approximately 17,000 members, announced that it was the first church in the United Kingdom to divest from companies that derive profit from Israeli activity over the pre-1967 lines, noting that to do so was equivalent to benefiting from the 19th-century slave trade.The church published its decision in a press release on its website on Monday, the same day that the global vacation rental company Airbnb stated that it planned to stop listing sites in West Bank settlements.
“This includes companies – whichever country they are based in – involved for example in the illegal exploitation of natural resources in occupied Palestine, and the construction and servicing of the separation barrier and Israeli settlements,” said Ingrid Greenhow, clerk of Quakers in Britain trustees.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement hailed the decision as its second success of the day.
MEET STEVE HEDLEY – TIPPED TO BE NEXT RMT LEADER
Meet the potential new leader of the RMT union – Steve Hedley. He is currently the Senior Assistant General Secretary of the RMT and is tipped to be their new leader, according to Guido’s sources.Hedley is very active on Facebook, where he has a penchant for ranting about Israel… a lot…
Meet Steve Hedley – Tipped To Be Next RMT Leader
Meet the potential new leader of the RMT union – Steve Hedley. He is currently the Senior Assistant General Secretary of the RMT and is tipped to be their new leader, according to Guido’s sources.
Hedley is very active on Facebook, where he has a penchant for ranting about Israel… a lot…
He also sympathises with Assad and Russia, even claiming McDonnell was speaking “liberal nonsense” for advising Labour colleagues to not appear on Russia Today in wake of the Skirpal incident. Steve must be the only man in Britain to the left of John McDonnell…
WELSH ASSEMBLY MEMBER SUSPENDED OVER ANTI-SEMITISM
Guido understands that Corbynista Member of the Welsh Assembly Jenny Rathbone has been suspended by the Labour group for comments regarded as potentially antisemitic. This comes after a recording surfaced where Rathbone suggested Israel ‘drives people to be hostile to British Jews’ and suggested Jewish people’s security fears could be ‘in their own heads.’The matter has been referred to the national party…
8 Times The NY Times Was Bad For The Jews
Now, to the crux of the matter: some of the Times’ nearly century-long record of anti-Semitism (although there are many more stories with an anti-Israel bias not covered here):1. The Times buried the story of the Holocaust in World War II. As Laurel Leff, author of “Buried by the Times: The Holocaust and America’s Most Important Newspaper,” noted, in March 1944, the Times buried a report from the Jewish National Committee in Poland which read, “Last month we still reckoned the number of Jews in the whole territory of Poland as from 250,000 to 300,000. In a few weeks no more than 50,000 of us will remain. In our last moment before death, the remnants of polish Jewry appeal for help to the whole world. May this, perhaps our last voice from the abyss, reach the ears of the whole world.” That desperate appeal ran on page four in the middle of a report on discussions in the British House of Commons. As Leff noted, the Holocaust never was made the lead story in all the years it was taking place, and when it did make the front page, the stories obscured the fact that most of the victims were Jews.
2. During the Second Intifada in 2000, on the eve of Rosh HaShanah, Tuvia Grossman, an American student at a yeshiva in Jerusalem, was in a taxi headed for the Western Wall. The taxi took a shortcut through an Arab neighborhood, where roughly 40 Arabs surrounded the taxi, broke the windows, and dragged Grossman out, then beat him, stabbed him once in the leg, and smashed his head with rocks. Grossman still ran to a nearby gas station, where he collapsed. An Israeli policeman wielding a club protected him, while brandishing the club against the Arabs. A freelance photographer took a picture of Grossman bleeding and crouched under the policeman, who was shouting and waving his club. The Times viciously captioned the picture, “An Israeli policeman and a Palestinian on the Temple Mount.” After Grossman’s father sent a letter to the Times with the true story, the Times offered a correction, but still would not say that Grossman was a Jew or describe the beating. It took three more days for the Times to give all the information, but by that time the world had been given the false story for a week.
3. In 2013, the Times published an opinion piece that argued that saying Israel did not have a right to exist was not an anti-Semitic statement. The author wrote, “My view is that one really ought to question Israel’s right to exist and that doing so does not manifest anti-Semitism.”
BBC News website ignores Hizballah and Hamas terror designations and rewards
In January 2016 the Israeli security services dismantled a Hizballah cell which was operating under Jawad Nasrallah’s direction in the PA controlled town of Tulkarem.On the same day the US State Department also offered rewards for information concerning two Hizballah leaders – Khalil Yusif Mahmoud Harb and Haytham Ali Tabatabaei – and the deputy leader of Hamas’ political bureau, Saleh al Arouri, who was designated by the US Treasury in 2015.
As readers may recall, the BBC did not report al Arouri’s claim of Hamas responsibility for the kidnappings and murders of three Israeli teenagers in 2014. Neither did it inform audiences of al Arouri’s forced relocation from Turkey to Qatar and subsequently to Lebanon.
This latest news concerning members of terror factions the BBC euphemistically describes as “militants” or “a Sunni Islamist organisation” in the case of Hamas and “a Shia Islamist political, military and social organisation” in the case of Hizballah is – predictably – nowhere to be found on the BBC News website.
World Jewish Congress: 46% of world hasn’t heard of Holocaust
The U.N. culture and education agency has teamed up with the World Jewish Congress to launch a website to counter Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism.UNESCO Secretary General Audrey Azoulay and WJC President Ronald Lauder unveiled the interactive “Facts about the Holocaust” website at the cultural agency’s Paris headquarters on Monday.
It features a trove of historical information about the Holocaust, including testimonies, and it is linked to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Online Holocaust Encyclopedia.
The new site has been conceived to combat what UNESCO calls “increased hate and disinformation online” on Jewish issues. It comes five months after the organization launched the U.N.’s first educational guidelines on fighting anti-Semitism.
World Jewish Congress CEO Robert Singer said that “this is an initiative of the utmost importance, because today, 75 years after the Holocaust, more than 46% of the population of the world never even heard of the worst atrocity in history.”
“The World Jewish Congress commends the UNESCO Secretary General Audrey Azoulay for this vital cooperation,” he added. “Together we believe that by remembering the past, we can defend our future.”
UNESCO’s pro-Jewish initiatives come as Israel prepares its withdrawal from the agency amid accusations that it fosters anti-Jewish bias.
Memorial to victims of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting vandalized
Unknown vandals have defaced a mural honoring the victims of last month’s synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. The incident took place over the weekend. Authorities said the mural at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, was vandalized with a swastika. ”The swastika was painted over a Star of David honoring the eleven people who died in the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue,” local media reported.
According to NPR, Duke University President Vincent Price plans to meet with campus leaders, the local Jewish community and public officials to discuss ways to “confront the scourge of anti-Semitism through education and activism.”
”That such a craven and cowardly act of vandalism – a desecration of a memorial to individuals who were killed because they were Jewish and practicing their faith – should happen anywhere is extremely distressing. That it should occur in such a visible, public location at Duke should be a matter of grave concern to us all,” Price said in a statement.
He said the school would increase security at its Jewish student center as well, adding that security cameras will be installed near the area where the incident took place, as it “has unfortunately become a focus of attention for those who seek to promote hatred and intimidation.”
Romanian diplomat who fought anti-Semitism dies
Romania’s government said Tuesday that diplomat Mihnea Constanescu, praised internationally for his efforts to combat anti-Semitism, has died. He was 57.The foreign ministry said Constantinescu, who advised Romanian prime ministers from 1990-2012, died Sunday in Nice, France after a long illness.
US-based Jewish rights group Simon Wiesenthal Center called Constantinescu one of the “great figures of our generation in the fight against anti-Semitism.” Constantinescu chaired the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2016, contributing to the adoption of a working definition of anti-Semitism that year.
Calin Popescu Tariceanu, premier from 2004 to 2008, described Constantinescu as “Romania’s best ever public servant.” He said his natural modesty and discretion barred him from seeking high office.
Constantinescu helped Romania prepare for joining NATO in 2004 and the European Union three years later. In 2001, he played a key role when Romania chaired the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
His last job was as a government energy security adviser.
Israel high school debate team snags first place in European championships
Israel’s national high school debate team was crowned champion at the EurOpen debate competition last Wednesday in Stuttgart, Germany, marking it the first win for Israel in the competition.The team performed better than 37 of the best debate teams in the world, including those of Germany, China and the US. They were unbeaten throughout all twelve rounds – a rare achievement in debate, and even more so for a team comprised of non-native English speakers.
Maya Carmon and Omer Zilberberg, two of the members on the team, are students at the Atid High School for Arts and Sciences in Lod. The other students on the team, Tamir West and Tomer Zucker, study at the Israel Arts and Science Academy in Jerusalem and at Oleh Shem High School in Ramat Hasharon, respectively.
“It was a privilege to witness the team making history,” said Elijah Kochin, the team’s coach who accompanied them to Stuttgart.
Kochin expressed his and the team’s gratitude to the English teachers who helped the students “debate in a foreign language,” as well as “the university debaters who spend their free time helping to coach, judge and give feedback” to the team.
Israeli orthopedist teaches African doctors new deformity treatments
Director of the Pediatric Orthopedics Unit Professor Mark Eidelman from Rambam’s Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital in Haifa led a training for dozens of doctors from Africa to treat pediatric orthopedic deformities.“There are many people in Ethiopia with problems that are taken care of in other countries at much earlier stages,” explained Professor Eidelman.“In Israel, like in many other western countries, they know how to diagnose problems on time and treat them in a timely manner. This helps these patients to enjoy a higher quality of life and prevent their conditions from deteriorating.”
Fifty doctors from Ethiopia and surrounding countries participated in the four-day course in The Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa.
“The institutions in Baltimore are considered the best in the field in terms of training and teaching, and the city hosts the leading conferences and courses,” Eidelman continued.”Unfortunately, most of these doctors don’t manage to secure entry visas for the U.S., and as such, are denied access to this information. This is the reason why we decided to bring the training to them.”
Two doctors from the US joined him on his mission, one of his teachers, Professor John Herzenberg, a senior doctor in the field from Baltimore, and Professor Christof Radler, also renowned in the field.
The course was sponsored by CURE International, a non profit dedicated to providing medical care to children suffering from orthopedic and neurological conditions, along with POSNA, the Pediatric Orthopedics Society of North America.
Residue found in 3,600-year-old Holy Land tomb rewrites the history of vanilla
The first evidence of the use of vanilla has been discovered in residue from an afterlife feast at a 3,600-year-old tomb in Israel, rewriting the history of the spice.Prior to this find, it was thought by scientists that vanilla originated 13,000 miles away, in South America, several thousand years later.
The vanillin compound was discerned in three out of four small jugs, which were placed as part of burial food offerings surrounding three intact skeletons, adorned with gold and silver jewelry. The treasure trove of jewels — and now vanilla extract — comes from a spectacular untouched Bronze Age burial chamber first excavated in 2016 at Megiddo.
The surprise discovery, labelled Tomb 50, by a team of excavators led by Tel Aviv University’s Prof. Israel Finkelstein, has been widely publicized; the displayed wealth is thought to be due to an elite, or even royal, Canaanite burial.
Today, vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, following saffron. One can only imagine how luxurious its use was during the period in which Finkelstein has dated the tomb — the summit of the Canaanite civilization, the later phase of the Middle Bronze Age (around 1700-1600 BCE).
Israeli TV show ‘Nevsu’ wins International Emmy Award
An Israeli TV show about an interracial family won an International Emmy Award on Monday night.The Reshet comedy Nevsu beat out nominees from Mexico, Spain and Canada to take the top prize at the ceremony in New York City.
Star and co-creator Yossi Vasa and co-creator Shai Ben-Atar were on hand to pick up the award.
In his acceptance speech, Vasa thanked all the people who worked on the show and his wife, Yarden: “I took my life and I put it on the screen,” he said. “So I wouldn’t be here without you.”
Nevsu, which is an Amharic slang world for sweetheart, focuses on the marriage of Gili, an Israeli man of Ethiopian descent and Tamar, an Ashkenazi woman – and the relationship between their families.
In addition, a Dutch film about Israeli writer Etgar Keret won the award for best arts programming. The 2017 documentary, titled Etgar Keret: Based on a True Story, weaved the story of the Israeli writer’s life with that of his many characters and creations, which appear in animated versions throughout the film.
Fizzy-water factory shows coexistence isn’t a bubble in conflicted Israel
Twenty-nine year old Khadir Yousef gets up at three in the morning to travel from Ramallah in the West Bank to the SodaStream factory in the industrial park of Idan HaNegev, in Israel’s northern Negev. He does not return home until nine in the evening.Dressed in a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, with a green security vest, he proudly shows this reporter a ready-to-ship soda-seltzer maker that the factory produces. SodaStream makes machines that carbonate home tap water in reusable bottles.
Alongside Yousef, who has worked for the factory for the past nine years, sat Teryaq (44), an Arab Israeli woman from Rahat. Sitting on her chair next to a conveyor belt, she said she has been working for the company for four and a half years. Next to her was Sharona Apterkar, an immigrant from India.
Like the magnificent Byzantine mosaic displaying images of birds and local flora that was discovered by archaeologists in 2013 near Kibbutz Beit Kama, in the Northern Negev Desert, SodaStream has built a mosaic of Israeli Jews and Arabs, Palestinians, Bedouins, Ethiopians, and Russians, who work together to produce the foot-and-a-half tall machines that turn still water into seltzer. Together, they have helped build up the fortunes of the fizzy-water firm that in August was acquired by PepsiCo for $3.2 billion.
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