Showing posts with label Varda Opinion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Varda Opinion. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Beyond ‘Death to Israel’: Can Iran and Israel Find Friendship? (Judean Rose)



Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.

Benjamin Netanyahu has often referred to a divide between Iran’s regime and its people. The Israeli prime minister seems convinced that the Iranian people, as distinct from its oppressors, desire friendship with Israel. “Israel wants peace. We want peace with all those who truly want peace with us,” said the PM in an address to the Iranian people six months ago. “And I have no doubt that you, the People of Iran, know this. I know that just as we want peace with you, you want peace with us.”


If true, it sure would be an amazing thing to get Khamenei out of the picture and watch this friendship bloom.

Cyrus II le Grand et les Hébreux, Jean Fouquet, 1470 

More recently, in his June 13 address to the Iranian people, Netanyahu said, “Israel's fight is not against the Iranian people. Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you. The nation of Iran and the nation of Israel have been friends since the days of Cyrus the Great.”

The idea of a friendship between Israel and Iran can be hard to reconcile with years of “Death to Israel” chants and regime-backed propaganda. How do we square what we’ve seen and heard with what Bibi tells us? Is there real evidence to support his assertion that the Iranian people might want peace—or even friendship—with Israel?

Let’s take a look:

Signs of Friendship from the Iranian People

Despite decades of regime-sponsored antisemitism, surveillance, and repression, many Iranians—both inside the country and across the diaspora—have expressed admiration, sympathy, and even affection for Israel and the Jewish people.

💬 Voices from Inside Iran

As Israel’s June 2025 strikes on Iranian military infrastructure shook the Islamic Republic, some Iranians were not trembling—but cheering.

“I … lost my control and was shouting, thanking Netanyahu for killing these criminals.”
— Zahra, a 50-year-old mother of two in Karaj near Tehran, speaking to NPR

Another Iranian told Ynet:

“Iranians are not worried about Israel’s attack because we all know that the Israeli government has no problem with the Iranian people,” said “A” from Ahvaz. “This is not just my opinion. We all wish to see the destruction of the Islamic Republic as soon as possible.”

In other words, some Iranians trust the Israeli military more than their own rulers.

Just over a year ago, after an Israeli airstrike in Damascus eliminated seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officers, graffiti appeared in Tehran encouraging the Jewish state to “hit them harder next time.”

'Israel go ahead and strike; they don’t have the courage'

'Hit them harder next time Israel, they’ve s*** themselves'

🕊️ Support in the Streets and on Social Media

Social media has become a powerful window into Iranian public sentiment—particularly among younger generations and diaspora voices. After Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, many Iranians online expressed solidarity with Israeli victims using hashtags like #IraniansStandWithIsrael and #IranIsHappy.

Here are just a few examples:

Meanwhile, Iranian attorney and activist Elica Le Bon, a prominent voice in the diaspora, has called Iranians and Israelis “old friends,” echoing a shared historical bond. On June 13, 2025, she tweeted, “Praying for the safety of the people of Iran and Israel. There has never been a war between our people, only a failed attempt to divide an ancient bond between old friends.” Her words resonate as a bridge across decades of division.

🕯️ Clerical Courage 

It didn't win him any popularity contests for saying so, but former senior Iranian cleric, dissident Ayatollah Hadi Ghabel, spoke of friendship between Jews and Iranians as far back as 2021:

“Iranians and Jews have many years of friendship. I haven’t met Iranians who don’t have a positive opinion of Israel.”

As we see, even within the heart of Iran’s religious establishment, there have been flickers of goodwill.

🌺 Conclusion: A Friendship Waiting to Blossom?

There could be no more hostile regime to Israel than that of Khamenei—but these brave, hopeful, often anonymous voices through the years, suggest that the people of Iran may indeed want peace, friendship, and even cooperation with the Jewish State. Of course, most of all, they want out from under their repressive regime. And Israel is making that happen even now as you read this article.

For years, Netanyahu has spoken of Iranian-Israeli friendship—and now, for the first time, it feels within reach. From defiant graffiti and diaspora rallies to viral hashtags and heartfelt tweets, there is mounting evidence that Iranians are not Israel’s enemies. In fact, many are potential allies.

Perhaps, when the ayatollahs are gone, we won’t need to imagine peace between Israelis and Iranians.

We’ll simply watch it unfold.

Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



Wednesday, June 11, 2025

47 Minutes of Evil Greta Wouldn’t Watch (Judean Rose)


Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.

On June 9, 2025, Israeli naval forces intercepted the Madleen, a rusty, overhyped, and under-provisioned “aid boat” that sailed with great drama from Europe to Gaza. Onboard: Greta Thunberg, a few other professional protesters, and a pathetic 100 kilograms of flour.

To put that in perspective: Israel facilitates hundreds of aid trucks to Gaza every single day, carrying hundreds of tons of food, medicine, diapers, and fuel. Greta brought enough flour to feed roughly 330 people for one day—assuming Hamas or hungry mobs don’t steal it first, which is precisely what happened to UN flour shipments this week.


In exchange for this performative voyage, Greta got what she came for: selfies, headlines, and a chance to pretend she was the moral conscience of the world. But what she didn’t expect was Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz offering her and her selfie-yacht companions a front-row seat to truth.

The Film They Refused to Watch

Israel prepared a 47-minute documentary, “Bearing Witness to the October 7 Massacre,” which compiles footage directly from Hamas bodycams and GoPro devices worn during the pogrom. The footage is unsparing: rape, torture, execution, mutilation. It’s not Israel’s word against Hamas—it’s Hamas filming its own barbarism, proud, gleeful, laughing as they slit throats and shoot children point-blank.

Greta and gang were invited to watch. According to multiple media accounts, they agreed to begin, then either shut their eyes or turned away, refusing to take in more than a few seconds. Maybe they knew what they would see. Maybe they were afraid they’d lose the ability to justify their moral theater.

Maybe they already had seen it—and simply didn’t care.

Historical Precedents: Can Footage Change Minds?

Israel’s tactic wasn’t new. There’s a long history of using atrocity footage to rip the mask off sanitized evil:

·        Nuremberg Trials (1945): The Allies didn’t just charge Nazis—they made the court and the world watch what they found in the camps. British and American cameramen documented the piles of corpses, gas chambers, and starved survivors. The footage stunned even hardened prosecutors. German civilians were marched into local theaters and made to watch. Some fainted. Others wept. A few denied. But the films worked: they shattered any lingering doubt—at least for a time.

·        Vietnam (1972): The iconic photo of “Napalm Girl,” 9-year-old Kim Phuc screaming, her skin burned off, turned American public opinion decisively against the war. One picture—raw, ugly, undeniable—shifted the moral calculus more than a thousand op-eds could ever have done.

·        Rwanda (1994): In contrast, during the Rwandan genocide, footage was deliberately suppressed. The Clinton White House wouldn’t call it genocide, and CNN didn’t show rivers filled with hacked bodies. Result? Nothing was done. No outrage, no pressure, no intervention. Without images, there was no movement.

·        Israel, 2023–24: The IDF’s October 7 footage has been shown to journalists, diplomats, foreign correspondents, and lawmakers. At a screening in Los Angeles, attendees were reportedly shaken. Some demanded to see more—beheadings, rapes—in order to confront the full horror. A separate screening for foreign journalists in Israel left many stunned. And at Harvard, a screening organized by Chabad with support from Bill Ackman reportedly prompted some students to reconsider their assumptions.

But no screening has been more visceral than the one held for members of the Israeli Knesset.

On November 6, 2023, over 100 MKs watched a version of the October 7 footage at the Knesset. What followed was human, gut-wrenching, and painfully real: some parliamentarians burst into tears. Others vomited. Several ran from the room. The footage, reported by the Jerusalem Post, was described as “unbearable.” Likud MK Galit Distel sobbed and shouted, “Where is the world?” Another member said, “I have no more tears left to cry.”

A short video clip from the screening shows elected officials weeping uncontrollably and being comforted by colleagues as they fled the hall.


This is how decent people react when confronted with evil. With horror. With grief. With rage.

Now compare that to Greta Thunberg and the Madleen crew, who closed their eyes and turned their heads when given the opportunity to bear witness. These are the same people who flew across continents to play martyr in Gaza. Who accuse Israel of genocide while refusing to look Hamas genocide in the face. They couldn’t handle 47 minutes of footage—but they feel qualified to comment on 75 years of Jewish history.

There’s a word for that. But let’s just call it what it is: moral cowardice.

One Boat Does Not a Flotilla Make

The Madleen carried no aid worth mentioning, no moral compass worth respecting, and no courage whatsoever. It was a stunt—and everyone knows it. Everyone on that boat knew that Israel would be polite and diplomatic, and that they were completely safe at all times, free to watch or not watch the footage as they pleased, and offered sandwiches, bottles of water, and a free flight back to Europe, where they belong.

Israel should be commended for showing restraint—because really, Greta Thunberg’s face begs to be slapped. But no. Israel did nothing of the sort.


Fifteen years ago, during the Mavi Marmara incident, things got violent. This time? No shots. No injuries. The IDF simply rerouted the Madleen’s symbolic “aid,” through proper humanitarian channels, handed the activists sandwiches, and gave them a chance to learn something.

They declined.

Greta had a moment—a chance to really bear witness.

She blinked.

Then she shut her eyes.

Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

We Chose Trump. He Chose America. That’s His Job. (Judean Rose)



Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.


I try to be honest about politics. I can and did vote for Donald Trump, as is my right and privilege as an American citizen. I voted for him because he was far better for Israel than the alternative. Still, I won’t always like what the president does, and I won’t shy away from saying so. However, I will always qualify anything I deem contrary to Israel’s interests by saying that A) I prefer Trump to Biden, who funded October 7 and tied Israel’s hands when we tried to defend ourselves; B) I infinitely prefer Trump to Harris, who told people who wish me dead that they have a right to their “truth”; and C) Trump does what’s best for America, rather than for Israel, and this is only right. That is his JOB. To do what's right for America. And sometimes, as JD Vance put it, “we’re going to have distinct interests.”

I get it. But I still feel a pang of resentment when I think back to October, when Vance gave an exclusive video to the JPost, urging Israeli Americans to vote:

"Greetings to all of our friends in Israel who are American citizens and have the right to vote in American elections," said Vance. "You've got to make your voice heard. Donald Trump was a great ally and friend of Israel. Kamala Harris has been a total disaster, and if she becomes president, it's going to lead to broader regional war or maybe even worse."

"Get out there, check your registration, make sure you're able to vote, and please go out there and vote for Donald Trump"

"This election could be decided by just a few votes. Do you want Kamala Harris, or do you want Donald Trump? If you want Donald Trump, get out there and make it happen."

Rah rah sis boom bah and all that, but at times, I confess, I feel cheated.

As so often happens at times like this, when the interests of Israel and America diverge, we begin to hear voices that say, “Israel is not a client state. We stand up for our own interests. Thank you, President Trump, for reminding us that Israel is a sovereign nation.”

Among those voices were those of Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, co-chairs of The Sovereignty Movement. In an open letter to the president, the two found a striking way to express gratitude to the president while serving to remind the Jews that it is not Trump who is in charge of Israel’s destiny:
 

Thank You, Uncle Trump


Instead of taking offense at the presidential skip over Israel’s capital, we should thank President Donald Trump for the historic message he conveyed through that very omission.

President of the United States, Donald Trump – friend of Israel and the Jewish people – we just wanted to say thank you.

Thank you for the years in which you supported, strengthened, empowered (and even helped us grow a little). Thank you for approving the delivery of weapons and military equipment to us. Thank you for the diplomatic embrace, and now, thank you for taking us – the people of Israel – to the next stage: the stage of grown-up, independent, and sovereign adults.

Some chose, for some reason, to be offended by your decision not to drop by for a diplomatic cup of coffee in Jerusalem during your Middle East tour. But in this choice of yours to skip over us, you gave us an important historical statement.

Without words, you delivered a sharp and clear message: “Israel is no longer powerless or helpless, in need of support and a guiding adult hand to cross the road. Israel is a technological powerhouse – a hi-tech, cyber, and medical superpower, a military and agricultural force. Israel is a wonder that is hard to comprehend, an unprecedented miracle that defies belief.”

And now, Uncle Trump, you told us in your unique way: “It is time for America to take care of itself, solve its problems, and focus on its own interests – while you, Israelis, stand tall and move on to the next phase: the phase of true independence.”

And you also told us, honorable Mr. President, with every step you took, every speech and handshake, every cup of coffee you drank (or didn’t) in your visits to the Arab capitals surrounding us, that Jerusalem can no longer – and should no longer – rely on Washington. You showed us how you’re collecting hundreds of millions from the Saudis and Qataris, turning a blind eye to the funding of terrorism.

We observed how you seemed to be taken in—perhaps even somewhat intoxicated—by the allure of Arab oil, how you drew closer to President Erdoğan, and even cordially shook the hand of a man who came to power in Syria following mass atrocities, and whose image not long ago appeared on WANTED posters in the United States, offering rewards for his capture.

We saw and understood the message. We here in Israel are here for you as a battlefield lab and a reliable and precise intelligence source. We will prove the effectiveness of the weapons you offer us on the battlefield, and the images of our victorious soldiers with your weapons will become part of the catalog at your next arms fair. That way, thanks to us, a few more hundred million dollars will flow into America's pocket, and a few more giant weapons factories will provide fruitful employment to tens of thousands of Americans.

We have internalized the message: from this point forward, Israel must wean itself from the American IV lifeline and begin to walk on its own, with full independence and sovereignty. We must invest in developing superior Israeli-made weaponry, cultivate a strong and independent economy, and rely on our own agricultural production without dependence on overseas grain reserves. We have matured, Mr. President, and we thank you for reminding us of that fact.

Thank you for your quiet yet resolute message to the Jewish people. Thank you for the steps that compel us to recall the enduring wisdom and resilience of our nation, to remember how we have risen from the gravest of crises, shaken off the dust, and moved forward. To remember that we are not driven solely by interests and political deals, but by the prophetic vision that has guided our people for generations, urging us onward toward future milestones.

Your appreciation of us is understandable and logical, Mr. Trump. We recognize that the time has come for you to focus on fulfilling your promise to your own nation: “Make America Great Again.” As for us—we will focus on our own unique challenge: to build a Jewish, Israeli, sovereign, and independent future in our G-d given Biblical Homeland.

It seems we have understood the message. Thank you.

Referring to President Trump as “Uncle Trump” was next level brilliant in my opinion. “Uncle” because Trump represents Uncle Sam, but maybe also because he’s not Israel’s parent in charge of feeding and clothing us and wiping up after our messes. It’s a more distant relationship than that, something like a kindly uncle.

“Yeah, the uncle is more like Uncle Sam, right?” said Nadia Matar when I approached her. “Like an uncle who's nice, but who's not a father, as you just say. And he also has his own stuff he has to take care of. At the same time, he will respect us if we respect ourselves, right? So the idea of uncle came more from the Uncle Sam side of things. America is called Uncle Sam, right? Okay.

“He will respect us if we respect ourselves,” said Nadia. “That's a very important thing. If we are strong and do what we do, that's that.”

Echoing my thoughts about our narrow escape from Kamala, Nadia said, “The main thing is that we don't have to have too many expectations of Trump. He's definitely much better than, if God forbid, Kamala Harris would have come to power. But we have to now have the guts, our leaders have to have the guts and the courage to do what is good for Israel.

“We believe, of course, that that's the application of Israeli sovereignty. That has to be done this year. And the more we stand firm the more we stick to our values the more we stick to the Torah the more God will bless us.”

Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



















Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Trump’s Cold Shoulder to Israel: Real or Rumor (Judean Rose)


Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.

Donald Trump, during his previous administration, brought us the Abraham Accords and established a U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. This time around, Israeli Americans voted for him in droves, there being a general feeling among us that Biden was bad for Israel and Trump the opposite of that. We were frightened for our hostages, needed weapons, and more importantly a strong voice in support of our war on Hamas. Trump appeared to tick all the boxes. We had high hopes.

It began so well. The president gave Israel carte blanche to do as it pleased in Gaza and helped us fight the Houthis. And though there was a feeling that the president was being wildly misled by Qatari puppet Witkoff, he was a good friend to Israel. We appreciated it and were glad we voted for him.

Then rumors of a rift began to flow, a narrative built from a sequence of events. The US would no longer help Israel fight the Houthis. Israel was excluded from the itinerary of Donald Trump’s Middle East tour. Trump accepted a very expensive private plane from Qatar. There was a secret US deal to free Edan Alexander that was in the works for months without Israel’s knowledge. The murmurs that Trump has turned against Israel have been gathering steam. Nobody I know wants to talk about it much, but there is thick nervous tension in the air.

That’s my sense, at least, though I keep looking for articles that prove me wrong. I don’t want to believe there’s a rift. But I don’t like the way Trump kept us out of negotiations for Edan Alexander and made us look weak, made Bibi look ineffectual, not in Trump’s good graces. I do understand that America and Americans come first, but in my view, the way this deal was done was really not cool.

It didn’t help that Edan Alexander’s mother Yael, pointedly thanked everyone but Netanyahu for freeing her son from captivity. Her failure to acknowledge him spoke volumes, especially since the deal was negotiated behind Israel’s back, making Bibi look sidelined.

Witkoff, of course, couldn’t help but rub it in, telling the hostage families that if only Israelis weren’t so divided, we’d be strong, the war would end, and the hostages come home. That was the sense of what he said anyway, if not his actual words.

But not everyone is worried. Ruthie Blum, senior contributing editor at JNS, for example, believes the buzz is baseless. In a recent op-ed, Is Trump Really Turning His Back on Bibi and Israel?, Blum says the gossip comes from two agenda-driven sources, isolationists and anti-Netanyahu Israelis. She also notes “conflicting versions of what is essentially gossip in disguise.”

Blum’s does an able job dissecting all the scuttlebutt. She paints a reassuring picture of how things stand between Israel and President Trump, and points to a recent meeting between Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer with several important members of the Trump team. "Another clue that Washington hasn’t turned its back on Jerusalem is that U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (doubling as interim national security advisor) and special Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff were present at the powwow [with Dermer]."

The meeting does suggest that the relationship remains strong. At the same time, JD Vance is a known isolationist, who in October said of the US-Israel relationship, “Sometimes we’re going to have overlapping interests, and sometimes we’re going to have distinct interests. And our interest very much is in not going to war with Iran. It would be a huge distraction of resources. It would be massively expensive to our country.”

I asked Blum if, as she contends, isolationists are responsible for the rumors of a rift, how do we know that JD Vance isn’t leading the charge and what does this portend for the future? Vance may very well be the next president of the United States.

“Had those leaning in an isolationist direction reprimanded Dermer, it would have been a bad sign. We know this didn't happen, however, since it would have been front page ‘news,’ given all the media mudslinging about Dermer's supposedly being "arrogant" and a source of irritation,”

“Nothing so far suggests that there's a rift between Washington and Jerusalem,” said Blum. “And the fact that Trump didn't make Israel part of his Mideast trip this week is actually a good thing. The last thing he needs is for it to appear that America is doing Israel's bidding in the region.”

Ruthie Blum, it seems, is betting on Trump playing a long game, not cutting ties. That makes a lot of sense. That does seem to be the way Trump operates.  

But there are other voices. An Arab political analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity, had a completely different take. “Trump is being played by the Islamists. Sadly, he has chosen to align himself with the bad guys. Many Arabs are convinced that he has thrown Israel under the bus and that he could be easily bought with their charm, hospitality and money. This does not bode well for the future of the region, especially because his actions and rhetoric embolden the radical Muslims.”

I think it is true to a degree that Trump is being played by the Islamists. For me, the proof of that is Witkoff’s admission in March that he had been duped by Hamas into thinking they had accepted his proposal to extend the ceasefire when they had no intention of doing so. “I thought we had an acceptable deal. I even thought we had an approval from Hamas. Maybe that’s just me getting duped. I thought we were there, and evidently we weren’t."

Well, duh. Of course you were getting duped. Did you expect fairness and honesty from Hamas?

Witkoff is Trump’s guy on this. Trump trusts Witkoff knows what he’s doing. Ergo, when Witkoff is duped by Hamas, by default so is Donald J. Trump.

Has Trump turned cold toward Israel and its prime minister? Ruthie Blum says no. It’s only a mirage, stirred up by political vultures. Others say Trump is falling for Qatar’s charm and risking a regional firestorm by expressing a willingness to negotiate with Iran. It is unfortunate, but Donald Trump’s weakness for flattery could very well make him ripe for Qatar’s game. Let’s hope the president sees through all the ceremonial fawning and glitz, and understands that it is Israel, and Israel alone, who stands as America’s always faithful ally in the Middle East.

Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



Wednesday, May 07, 2025

Before the Camps, There Were Classrooms (Judean Rose)

Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.

In 1938, Eva G., a Jewish student at the University of Vienna, slipped her Star of David necklace beneath her collar before walking into a lecture hall. She was met with swastikas scrawled on the walls and whispers of “Juden raus.” Eighty-six years later, in 2024, a Jewish student at Columbia University pulls his hoodie over his kippah to walk past demonstrators chanting, “Go back to Poland."

Decades apart, these moments are uncanny in their resemblance—almost like a freeze frame. Eva is likely long dead and buried, but the fear she once felt—of being harassed, abused, and hated—remains a chilling reality for Jewish students today. Campuses, once assumed to be bastions of learning and tolerance, have become places where Jews are not safe, where they must hide, if not themselves, then their identity.

Since October 7, antisemitic incidents on U.S. college campuses have surged 477%. That number alone demands attention. But it’s the atmosphere—hateful chants and symbols in combination with administrative silence—that makes the past feel dangerously close. Where does all this hate for Jewish students lead?

During the rise of Nazism, German universities were among the first institutions to adopt antisemitic policies. At Heidelberg, Jewish students were boycotted in 1933. By 1935, lecture halls bore swastikas. By 1938, Jews were gone from campus altogether—expelled or worse. The violence didn’t begin in death camps; it began with students, professors, and rectors who either joined the mobs or stood silently by.

University of Heidelberg lecture hall adorned with swastikas.

A report from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in 1933 described one such incident:

“Two hundred Nazi students surrounded the Jewish students in the campus restaurant and, employing chairs, tables, and glassware as missiles, attacked the Jews. Five Jewish students sustained injuries... The Rector of Berlin University failed to intervene.”

“The use of the academic environment to foster extremist views and expression against Jews was essential to the Nazi success in reaching elements of society who could be impassioned, inspired, and ignited towards violent expression through the systematic logic applied in the hate against the Jews,” says Dr. Elana Yael Heideman, Holocaust historian and CEO of the Israel Forever Foundation. “When this began in the decade prior to the rise of Hitler's Third Reich, no one could have imagined that antisemitic riots against students on University campuses in Austria and Germany throughout the 1920s and 30s would have developed into a full-blown genocide of the Jews as the primary targets. Yes, there were indications, but none saw the proverbial writing on the wall. By the time the Nazi regime was in full force by 1935, the social acceptance of the hatred was steeped in the public mindset, thus enabling the subsequent bystanderism that enabled horrific persecutions, and murder by bullet or gas.”

Today, Jewish students in the United States are not being expelled by law. But they are being targeted by hate speech, swastikas, and chants like “intifada revolution,” shouted on elite campuses from Princeton to Tufts. At Cornell, Russell Rickford, an associate professor of history exclaimed to an excited student mob that he felt exhilarated by the October 7 massacre.

At Harvard and Stanford, Jewish students have been harassed, doxxed, or pushed to the margins of campus life. And too often, university leaders respond with moral equivocation or bureaucratic platitudes and do nothing to stanch the flow of hate.

Sometimes history echoes rather than repeats. Then and now, it is the failure of moral leadership that not only allows hate to fester, but gives it permission to thrive and grow. This is not the same as 1930s Europe—but the hate is exactly the same, and it is still every bit as dangerous. As Holocaust survivor David Schaecter, president of the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA, testified before the U.S. Senate:

“I remember vividly when Slovakian classmates taunted Jewish kids like me, and what’s happening today looks and feels the same.”

When protests devolve into chants denying Jews’ right to exist, glorifying terrorism, or intimidating visibly Jewish students, the line has been crossed. It is not “free speech” to threaten Jewish people with annihilation and it never was.

The most haunting question of course isn’t about what’s happening now—but where this all could lead. In Germany, the radicalization of universities helped normalize Nazi ideology. Academic complicity didn’t just reflect fascism; it fed it. Professors trained bureaucrats and camp guards. Rectors joined the Nazi Party. University violence, once ignored, metastasized into something far worse.

This time things are different.

“As there is no current administration driving the antisemitism on campuses forward into increased violent fervor,” says Elana Heideman, “there is a tentative sense of security that it will not get worse than what is already taking place. That it will dissipate, as sanctions for their actions grow. However there is and should be a palpable hesitance to rest on such baseless confidence that the hate-fests and public demonization of Jews will cease or level out. Rather, we must accept that what will come will not look the same, or be structured the same as 100 years ago.

“Elie Wiesel himself once said, the next chapter will not look like cattle cars and gas chambers. What it will look like, no one can be sure. But indeed, Jews, Israelis, and our allies, will continue to be increasingly listed, targeted, threatened into apathetic compliance with whatever demands are made upon the Jew in order to save them/ourselves.”

The doxing is a particularly frightening and danger-laden phenomenon. “Many of these lists,” says Heideman, “have already been exposed, the Mapping Project for example which now doesn't even mask its intention and has publicly emerged as the Map of Liberation, in which Jewish homes, businesses, and Israel connected institutions are all identified. But even with the efforts put into uncovering these blatant efforts to coordinate this modern genocidal effort against Jews, the lists, the labels, the systematic social and media assaults on truth continue to grow in numbers and in power.”

Where is this going? We know where it led to in Berlin, Heidelberg, and Vienna. Could today’s doxing, protests, and antisemitic chants on campus spiral into Holocaust-like horrors?

Probably not. “The result,” says Heideman, “will be an increasing isolation of Jews everywhere. There will be increased infighting between groups of Jews, as we saw in the Holocaust and as we already see having grown especially since the October 7 massacre, trying to point the fingers of blame and dividing ourselves, which of course weakens us against this enemy which is not a single regime but rather an entire world of totalitarian minded individuals who have been convinced by the propaganda of Islamofascism and who have been enabled sufficiently to achieve dominance, and will only continue to do so as they join forces with the other extremist elements who share the Jew as the common enemy.

“What might the next phase look like?” asks Heideman. “We are already in it. There are more attacks then are reported, out of a desire to remain anonymous or to avoid the inevitable trouble it will bring if they have to chase down every Jew hater that slings their slurs, or shouts free Palestine.”

The Jews, meanwhile, will continue to do what they have always done, find ways to keep a low profile and stay safe. “More Jews will be seeking smaller intimate communities where they are able to find or create a safe space,” says Heideman. “There are those who will seek to emigrate, many attempting to choose somewhere other than our ancestral Homeland in Israel. There are those who will try to convert, religiously i.e., to Islam, politically or socially, as if any of these are a way to save oneself.”

But then there are the others, says Heideman, “Those whose identities will be awakened, whose souls will be empowered. There will continue to be an increase in Zionism as a collective dream, and Aliyah, as Israel will become once again the sole safe haven that was envisioned when our 2,000-year-old dream was fulfilled through political Zionism and the rebirth of Jewish sovereignty at the end of the British Mandate on May 14th, 1948, Declaration Day.

“What will become of the America that we know?” asks Heideman. “Or the campuses and public streets of any country or society that allows this harassment and public expression against Jews, Judaism, Jewish history, humanity and nationhood? Violence will continue, as will the silence.

“But if the Holocaust has taught us anything, we must hope that Jewish response will be different. The existence of a Jewish state, and the vibrant voice of pride and passion in this war for the survival of humanity, will determine what the pending catastrophe to befall the world will look like.”

Will the Trump administration’s financial pressure on Ivy League institutions make a difference? Or will the courts get in the way of these efforts in the name of free speech, leaving Jewish students to twist in the wind? It’s anyone’s guess, but if there’s one thing history teaches us, it’s this: what starts with words can end in atrocities. The time to act is not after tragedy, but now.


Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Doug Emhoff: The Wrong Jew for Holocaust Memory (Judean Rose)



Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.

This week, Doug Emhoff was informed of his removal from the US Holocaust Memorial Council, alongside other Biden appointees, by the Trump administration. Emhoff responded in a statement to the New York Times, which said, in part, “Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous — and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.”

Emhoff, of course, is missing the point. His ouster is not about politicization but about failure—about being bad at one’s job. To put it bluntly, the Biden administration’s approach to remembering the lessons of the Holocaust ain’t working. Witness the campus protests exploding on college campuses since October 7, with professors gushing that they found the massacre “exhilarating” and with students  assaulted for being Jewish and afraid to go to their classes.

Antisemitism proliferated and became widespread during the Biden years. So tell us, Doug Emhoff, why would President Trump still want you and your pals in charge? And what does it tell us about you that this explosion of antisemitism happened on the watch of your closest associates, including your wife?

No, getting rid of Emhoff is not about politicization, nor is it about scoring points. New administrations clean house. Biden unraveled Trump’s first-term policies with a vengeance. Now Trump is restoring order, installing his own people—people who care about making America great again—which includes making Jewish students safe again.

Given Trump’s unapologetic support for Israel and admiration for the Jewish people, it’s only logical he’d want to appoint Holocaust Memorial Council members who would advocate for Jewish students drowning in a sea of campus hate. The Biden years, on the other hand, were basically a replay of Germany during Hitler’s rise to power. The uproar on German campuses then, were no different than those on American campuses today. This is where Biden and company, including Doug Emhoff and the symbolic, synthetic Holocaust council he sat on, led us.

Which is why Emhoff and his ilk just weren’t going to make the cut once Donald Trump turned his sights on the mess they’d made, the out-of-control antisemitism spreading across America like an oil spill, something very difficult to clean.

Trump had perfectly viable reasons to fire Doug Emhoff’s butt. Beyond Trump, the Jewish people should themselves be questioning Emhoff’s suitability to sit on a Holocaust memorial council. Doug Emhoff, born Jewish, married non-Jewish women—first his ex, then Kamala Harris. His children? Not Jewish. By choice, Emhoff severed his Jewish line, a voluntary echo of the deliberate destruction Hitler inflicted on Jews who had no choice in the matter. What could be more antithetical to the Holocaust’s memory than a Jew who, with eyes wide open, ends his branch of the tribe? If that’s not a betrayal of Jewish continuity, what is?

Why would we want this person deciding how the memory of the Holocaust and the murdered should be preserved when he himself has ended his own Jewish chapter? A man who doesn’t even know the meaning of Chanuka?

Then there is the matter of Emhoff’s non-Jewish daughter, Ella, who raised money for UNRWA whose staffers have killed Jews alongside Hamas—a group whose charter calls for annihilating the Jewish people. 




Ella calls Kamala “Momala,” as if Harris were some Jewish matriarch, while helping those who would erase her father’s people. Kamala herself? Hardly a friend to Israel before or since October 7, as we well know.

This is the Emhoff-Harris clan: Jewish when it suits the optics, divorced from Judaism when it counts.

I always tell friends whose parents or grandparents survived the Holocaust that their children are a victory over Hitler. One branch that evil didn’t manage to snuff out. Emhoff? He is the opposite of that, a victory handed to Hitler on a plate. Because Doug is the absolute end of his line. And he did it seemingly without a second thought—twice.

Emhoff may be an expert in the Final Solution, having killed off his line. But in no way should we consider Doug a suitable person to honor the memory of those who had their lines cut short by Hitler and his “Final Solution.” A Jew who voluntarily cuts short their own line is doing Hitler’s work for him and should not be serving on a Holocaust Memorial Council. The Holocaust Memorial Council should be peopled by those who embody the Jewish will to endure, not those who shrug as the legacy of their ancestors fades away.

Not long ago, on Quora I was asked, “Why is being pro-Israel but anti-Zionist considered by some as being extremely antisemitic?”

I kept my response simple, saying that anti-Zionism is by definition antisemitic, because to be anti-Zionist is to be against Jewish rights. I didn’t specify which rights. I left it at that. But of course, Zionism is the right of the Jewish people to be sovereign in their indigenous land.

The opposite of that, of course, is to agitate to ethnically cleanse Israel of Jews from the river to the sea.

Which is why Ella Emhoff’s fundraising for UNRWA isn’t a call to help the people of Gaza—but a call to eliminate the Jews and steal their rightful heritage, the Land of Israel. Ella’s father Doug, by extension, is complicit not only in his own line’s demise; but in the efforts of his spawn to undermine the survival of the Jewish people as a whole. How can such a man sit on a council meant to honor those who died for being Jews? Should this person, whose actions and those of his family are antithetical to the preservation and rights of the Jewish people get to decide things about the Holocaust?

To my own children, I often say, “Never mind the rest. Just have Jewish babies.”

Because nothing on earth is more important than that. It’s the most righteous and most philosemitic response to Hitler I can think of: add Jews to your family tree—continue the line.

Continue the line. The rest is only sound and fury, signifying nothing. Which is pretty much the story of Doug Emhoff’s small little life.

Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 





Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Beyond Bibi: Can Israel Find Its Next Great Leader? (Judean Rose)


Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to see and hear Netanyahu in person, you’ll know what I mean when I say he is an absolutely mesmerizing speaker. Some years ago, I was in the front row for Bibi’s opening remarks at an event for journalists. It was a smallish room, so that for a moment, the feeling I had that the prime minister was looking directly into my eyes, made me wonder if he really was. But no, I do not think I am that special. Bibi Netanyahu, on the other hand, is especially gifted at public speaking—you feel drawn in like a magnet, even if you’re inclined not to like the guy.

Which brings me to my next point. Among our many pols and MKs I see no one who can step into Netanyahu’s shoes. There’s no one even close to projecting leadership in quite the same way—no one who’s got the charisma to take over.

The fact that Netanyahu has not groomed a successor is a serious problem, and has been for a long time. No one stays in politics forever. No one stays alive forever. That includes Benjamin Netanyahu, despite his excellence as a speaker, his lengthy reign as head of Likud, and despite having held the office of prime minister of Israel for more years than any other past Israeli PM.

Then there is the matter of October 7. Netanyahu may very well have to resign when this is all over. Ronen Bar may be a garbage person who likes to persecute Jews instead of taking his job of protecting the Israeli people seriously, but the buck stops with Bibi. October 7 happened on his watch.

All of this explains why we need to have someone ready for the eventuality of Bibi leaving office. But who knows if grooming a successor would even make a difference. You can’t teach someone to have magnetic eyes and charisma. Those are things you’re born with. Or not.

It’s important to note here that charisma and magnetic eyes have nothing to do with good governance, and certainly doesn’t speak to whether a leader’s policies are worth a damn. But leadership qualities and skills are vital in a prime minister, in particular because of the spotlight the world shines on Israel. The Israeli prime minister has to be able to develop relationships with foreign leaders. He has to be able to connect with presidents and premiers on a personal level—has to make them like him, so they’ll be favorably disposed toward Israel. So he needs to have personality. But he (or she, actually), also needs to speak good English. Bibi does.

A lot of the others do not.

Take Bezalel Smotrich, for example. I really like the guy. I like his policies, in particular the way he is working against illegal Arab building, and the fact that he sticks up for the rights, the safety and the security of all Israeli citizens, including those of us living in Judea and Samaria. More than that, I know he’s a good person.


Bezalel Smotrich (photo: Avi Ohayon / Government Press Office of Israel)

Back in 2015, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that two apartment buildings in Beit El had to be torn down, because they accepted the anti-Israel nonprofit Yesh Din’s claims that the buildings were built without permits on Arab land. There were expulsions, riots, protests. Netanyahu promised to build 300 new buildings instead of the now demolished buildings and ground was broken, but no buildings materialized.

At that point, I took part in a protest outside the Israeli Supreme Court where, with very few exceptions, the protesters were Beit El residents who had been bussed into Jerusalem for the protest. Also there was Bezalel Smotrich. He was speaking to the protesters from inside a tent that had been erected specifically for the event. I couldn’t get anywhere near that tent, such was the size of the crowd. But I liked that Smotrich showed up. I like every politician who shows up at protests against terror or on behalf of settlers and settlements. It means something to me.

Liking someone and their actions, however, doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve got leadership skills. Or decent English. Smotrich has neither. He is neither distinguished-looking nor a commanding speaker.

In fact, Smotrich the politician makes me think of Kamala Harris the politician. Dems liked her without being able to articulate why. Possibly because Harris didn’t articulate any policies. But also because she can’t articulate anything at all. Not even a single coherent sentence. Basically, she was the anti-Trump, because there was no other reason to vote for her.

Happily, that is not the case with Smotrich. Good guy. Good policies. But bland, milquetoast presence. Which is funny considering he is demonized by the left as a far right firebrand. The left went absolutely out of its mind when Israel Bonds invited Smotrich to speak. Little did they know they were in for a treat: Smotrich speaking in such execrable English that it made for absolutely hilarious parodies.

Haaretz writer Refaella Goichman went to town on that speech, noting as I have, that Smotrich is no Bibi:

Smotrich struggled to read large portions of the speech from the paper, which isn’t so bad – not everyone is cut from the same international cloth as Bibi. But at a certain point, when discussing family who had died in the Holocaust, he finally managed to pronounce the word “perished” after several tries (“my entire family preshit? preshade...?”) and smiled proudly to himself.
Screenshot, Haaretz


Listening to the full speech was painful.

Smotrich’s performance went viral. But for all the wrong reasons. There were parodies galore. 

@daniellachyani איים בצלאל #סמוטריץ #אנגלית #אנגליתבכיף ♬ original sound - Daniel Lachyani

Contrast and compare Smotrich's disastrous performance with any of Netanyahu’s many eloquently executed speeches to the UN and to Congress. Congress goes nuts over him.

 

Bibi is brilliant, every time. My political views may align more closely with those of Smotrich. But he’s no Bibi. And I definitely don’t want to see Smotrich go up against Iran.

So just what is it that makes Bibi a leader, Bezalel not? Social psychologist Amy Cuddy, in her 2012 TED Talk, “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are,” describes the qualities that inspire crowds: expansive postures, steady voices, and piercing gazes that make them appear confident and captivating.

 

Netanyahu’s tall frame and the magnetic gaze that held me at his speech, echo Ronald Reagan’s warm authority, Margaret Thatcher’s steely resolve, and Winston Churchill’s defiant presence, inspiring public trust. Bezalel Smotrich, whose Judea and Samaria policies I admire, lacks this—his slight build, plain attire, and broken English, mocked in his 2023 Israel Bonds speech, fail to inspire beyond his base.

In Israel’s global arena, fluent English is non-negotiable for any leader to sway Congress or counter Iran, ruling out Smotrich and others who falter. But then there is Nir Barkat, who earned the name "Batman" after he tackled a terrorist to the ground in 2015. 



Barkat, a businessman-turned-Jerusalem mayor, offers polished looks and solid English, but his reserved demeanor lacks Bibi’s fire, despite that epic terrorist takedown. Though the subject of many a meme, Barkat is just like every other superhero. You never quite know who you're going to get—to extend the superhero analogy—Superman or a mild-mannered Clark Kent. I want him to project power, but I'm not seeing it.


Just one of many Nir Barkat memes from 2015.

I made this with Grok. Doesn't look like Nir Barkat, but whatever.

With Smotrich’s faint optics, Barkat’s dim spark, and no one else I’d vote for, Netanyahu’s ungroomed successor may well leave Israel feeling and looking leaderless—not a good look for dealing with the threat of a nuclear Iran. Meantime, I watch and wait for a successor to emerge. Someone with that certain something, in addition to perfect English, that projects leadership for all to see.

Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 

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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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