Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

02/25 Links Pt2: Melanie Phillips: Sanitizing Soros through guilt by association; J’Accuse! Our Dreyfus and Theirs

From Ian:

Melanie Phillips: Sanitizing Soros through guilt by association

The law professor Alan Dershowitz has thrown a legal hand-grenade into America's political civil war by claiming to have evidence that former President Barack Obama "personally asked" the FBI to investigate someone "on behalf" of Obama's "close ally," billionaire financier George Soros.

He made his cryptic remark in an interview defending US President Donald Trump against claims he interfered in the prosecution of his former adviser, Roger Stone.

Dershowitz, a confirmed liberal, drew the ire of the left by joining Trump's impeachment defense team – not because he's a Trump fan, but because he cares about upholding the rule of law and the US constitution, which he believes (with good evidence) are being trashed in the anti-Trump witch-hunt.

Now, though, Dershowitz has crossed yet another line. For to criticize Soros, the principal funder of treasured activist causes, means automatically turning into a bogeyman of the left.

Predictably, therefore, Dershowitz has been painted as a wild conspiracy theorist. Other critics of Soros, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, find themselves labeled anti-Semites.

J’Accuse! Our Dreyfus and Theirs

Two months after its shellacking in the United Kingdom’s general elections, the Labour Party continues to remind British voters of why they chose the “anyone-but-Jeremy-Corbyn” option.

Last week, it was the turn of John McDonnell — Corbyn’s main lieutenant and a stalwart of the party’s far-left — to plumb the depths of illogical, offensive, and plain ignorant political rhetoric. Speaking immediately after a visit to Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, in the grim surroundings of south London’s Belmarsh prison, McDonnell produced an unforgettable soundbite. Just not in the way he intended.

“I think this is one of the most important and significant political trials of this generation, in fact longer,” said McDonnell, referring to the possibility that Assange will be extradited to the United States to face 18 charges related to national security violations, of which 17 are covered by the Espionage Act.

Warming to his subject, McDonnell then ventured, “I think it’s the Dreyfus case of our age.”

Perhaps McDonnell believed that this comparison would send journalists scurrying onto Google for a quick refresher course on “Dreyfus,” and that he would consequently be congratulated for having offered such a thoughtful, historically resonant observation. No such luck.

Diligently performing their duties as representatives of the Jewish community, organizations including the Community Security Trust and the Holocaust Educational Trust swiftly countered McDonnell’s claim. Whatever Assange might be, they said, he is no Dreyfus.

This, by the way, is not a slight towards Assange. Even if you temporarily forget McDonnell’s breathtaking gall in appropriating one of the seminal episodes of modern antisemitism to make his point that Assange is facing a show trial, on a purely empirical level, the comparison with Dreyfus is hopeless.

U.S. Criticizes French Failure to Try Jewish Woman's Killer

The U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism implicitly criticized the decision in France not to try a man who killed his Jewish neighbor.

Elan Carr referenced the decision on the killer of Sarah Halimi during a conference Monday on anti-Semitism organized by the European Jewish Association in Paris.

In December, a judge decided not to try Kobili Traore of killing Halimi in 2017 while shouting about Allah. The judge cited psychiatric evaluations saying Traore’s consumption of marijuana before the incident led to a “delirious episode” that made him not legally responsible for his actions. But the judge also said that Traore, who is in his 30s, killed Halimi because he is an anti-Semite.

The ruling provoked outrage by French Jews. Last month, President Emmanuel Macron said that “there is a need for a trial” for Traore.

“You don’t dismiss hate crime charges for issues like the consumption of marijuana,” Carr said, referencing his credentials as a former prosecutor in Los Angeles. “It doesn’t explain away hate crimes that need to be prosecuted to the utmost severity of the law.”

The conference, titled “Jews in Europe: United for a Better Future,” was held at the European Center for Judaism, a $17 million community center opened in October.

Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, said the building and growing engagement with Judaism by many European Jews is making him “hopeful of the future of Jews here” despite the challenges.

Palestinian schools teach that "the first historian was Palestinian," "A Palestinian Roman expelled Jews from Jerusalem"

As I was researching the broadcast announcements in Palestinian Arab schools I came across this one from 2017 that has a "Did you know?" section about how important Palestinians have been in history.

2- Did you know that the Palestinian emperor of Rome was the one who ordered the expulsion of the Jews from Jerusalem due to their lack of politeness and their hatred against Christianity and Christians at that time?

Palestinians are trying to take credit for expelling Jews from Jerusalem - for the crime of being "impolite!"

In reality, the emperor who expelled the Jews from Jerusalem in 136 CE was Hadrian, born in Italy.

3- Did you know that the first historian in the world is Syoss Cassiros, who is Palestinian and whose book Pleistino is still preserved in the Louvre Museum ..

They appear to be referring to Simonides of Ceos (who was a poet, not a historian) and possibly his book now known as the Palatine Anthology of which part of it is in Paris. Simonides was born in Greece, not "Palestine."

The first historian is generally agreed to be Herodotus.

This seems to be the quality of a Palestinian education.

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02/25 Links Pt1: Despite attempt to change rules with Syria strikes, Israel’s Gaza policy failing; Voter apathy threatens reunion of Judea and Samaria with Israel; Mubarak, the ‘Pharaoh’ Toppled by the Arab Spring, Dies at 91

From Ian:

Avi Issacharoff: Despite attempt to change rules with Syria strikes, Israel’s Gaza policy failing

The latest round of violence between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group has not yet ended, but already there are a few things that stand out as different from previous rounds.

Syria commanders no longer immune
Israel may have chosen to strike various targets in the Gaza Strip, including rocket-launching cells, but the main response was far away, on the Syrian front, where many PIJ targets near Damascus were hit.

This is a surprising step, designed to make PIJ decision-makers think twice and thrice before attempting another attack. The military and the government are trying to set up a new equation by which escalation with Israel will hurt not only Gaza but also PIJ leaders in Syria, who have thus far enjoyed a degree of immunity from Israeli strikes.

This may not be the first time Israel attacked PIJ targets in Syria, but this time it is a direct reaction to rockets launched at Israel.

PIJ is doing quite a bit to lead to this escalation. The violence began Sunday early morning with the attempt to place a bomb next to the border fence and continued after the terrorist was killed and his body was dragged back to Israel by a military bulldozer. After a brief lull, the violence renewed Monday afternoon.

Even by its own standard, PIJ went overboard with its response, considering it all started with a cell trying to lay an explosive device. Having launched dozens of rockets into the night and on Monday, it is clear the organization seeks to drag the whole of Gaza into war — despite this being one of the better periods the Strip has experienced recently in terms of Israeli concessions.

Rocket attacks target Israeli south despite reported ceasefire

Terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at the city of Sderot and nearby communities on Monday night, some 20 minutes after a ceasefire was reportedly due to go into effect at 10 p.m.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the attack. Residents of the area reported seeing multiple Iron Dome interceptor missiles fired into the sky.

Over the course of Sunday and Monday, some 90 rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip — most of them by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group — and approximately 90 percent of those heading toward populated areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome system, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

In response to the attacks, the Israeli military launched multiple rounds of retaliatory air raids against Islamic Jihad bases in the Gaza Strip, as well as one airstrike on a squad it said was preparing to launch rockets, injuring four.

Just before the ceasefire was meant to begin, terrorists in the Strip also fired a number of rockets at the Eshkol region of southern Israel. One rocket struck inside a community in the region, causing no injuries, but light damage to a nearby building, which was hit by shrapnel.

In light of the ongoing attacks from Gaza, the military ordered schools to remain canceled Tuesday in Gaza periphery communities, including the city of Ashkelon, representing some 55,000 students.

‘I Shake in My Hands and Legs’: Child From Israel’s South Describes Rocket Trauma

A child from Israel’s south recounted on Monday the traumatic fear and terror she was facing as rocket fire from the Gaza Strip pounded the region once again, saying the air raid sirens made her “shake in my hands and legs.”

Dozens of rockets have been fired from Hamas-ruled Gaza into southern Israel over the past two days. While there have been no casualties thus far, the psychological and economic impact is severe.

Schools were closed in the Gaza border area on Monday, as were main highways and train lines.

Those businesses still open had almost no customers, as residents stayed in their homes close to bomb shelters and fortified rooms.

The IDF has undertaken retaliatory attacks against Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which it blamed for the rocket fire, in Gaza and Syria.

Roni, an eight-year-old second grader from the border city of Sderot, which has absorbed thousands of rocket strikes over the past two decades, was in a store with her grandmother buying a Purim costume when the warning sirens sounded.

“When I was with grandma in the store, a red alert caught us,” she told Israeli news site N12. “Immediately we got under the table that was in the store. I was under stress.”

“Every red alert makes me shake in my hands and legs. Every boom terrifies me,” she said.

“My big sister has a bat mitzvah soon and I hope there won’t be another red alert,” Roni added.

“At school they try to give us tools to deal with the fear with the help of games, and I hope that when I’m grown up I can be a dancer without sirens in the background,” she said.

Ilhan Omar calls her critics bigots. It could be because she doesn't want people to read a new book about her.

A revealing tweet from Ilhan Omar:

I am,

Hijabi
Muslim
Black
Foreign born
Refugee
Somali

Easily triggering conservatives, Right wing bloggers, anti Muslim bigots, tinfoil conspiracy theorists, birthers, pay me a 💵 to bash Muslims fraudsters, pro-occupation groups and every single xenophobe since 2016 😆 pic.twitter.com/SffIqUT32I
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 24, 2020

She is saying that critics are bigots against Muslims or black people or immigrants.

This is essentially her inoculation against criticism. It isn't about her words or ideology or her own bigotry - she is immune from attack because she can play the racism card.

So Omar, and the people in her circles which increasingly resembles the entire American Left, refuse to engage on the issues - her antisemitic statements, her offensive positions, her links to pro-terror organizations, her pretense of being feminist while refusing to admit misogyny in Islam, her paying a large salary to her lover and other corruption that is being revealed - and instead deflect criticism by labeling her opponents racist.

It is probable that this tweet was meant to be a response to the release this week of a book by Benjamin Weingarten about Omar and the threat that she represents.

The last thing she wants is for people to read it. For Omar, it is much better to imply that anyone who reads the book is vile.

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Today is the first day of the Islamic month of Rajab.

Like in many places worldwide, Palestinian schools have various announcements meant to be broadcast over school public address systems for various occasions. Sometimes these broadcasts include current events, prayers and the like.

Watania, a Gaza-based news organization, published a script yesterday of what was to be broadcast this morning in Palestinian schools on the occasion of the new lunar month. I don't think this is an official mandate, rather a suggestion of how to make Rajab relevant to students. No doubt some schools do broadcast what is suggested.

The suggested broadcast for today is antisemitic.

It includes this fervent prayer: "Oh Allah we ask that this year be a year of good and peace and that you cleanse the Holy Land from the spiteful Jews, for they are no match for You. Oh Jews, we have a great Lord; take revenge on them, oh Vanquisher/Subduer, oh Allah, oh Allah, oh Allah."

I found some other transcripts of Palestinian school radio broadcasts sprinkled throughout the Internet and antisemitism is not unusual. For example, this one says Jews could only hold onto Israel because of Muslim negligence:

I do not fear the power of the Jews, but I fear the Muslims ’failing. The Jews did not take what they took with their power, but with our neglect, it is the negligence of the strong that strengthens the weak.

Or this one:

The Jews are fools because they occupied a state whose people are untiring.
Every Palestinian is born a mujahid.

Palestinians learn their Jew-hatred from somewhere, and schools are one of those places.

(h/t Ibn Boutros)

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The Spectator explains what Israeli cuisine means

Last week the Washington Post published an article that claimed that the very term "Israeli food" erased Palestinian culture.

The Spectator actually addresses the arguments Kassis brings, perhaps unintentionally.

To the Jewish state’s many critics, the rise of Israeli cooking doubtless embodies the colonialism that lies at the heart of the ‘Zionist project’. Trust the Jews to descend on a piece of neglected gastronomic real estate, strip its cuisine for parts and then use their savvy and connections to make a fortune flogging it to Americans. It’s true that hummus and the politics of cultural appropriation are serious issues in the Middle East. The Israel-Lebanon ‘hummus wars’ saw regiments of chefs patriotically competing to prepare ever-larger vats of the stuff in an attempt to capture the Guinness world record.

But there’s another story to tell, too, about a cuisine that draws strength from the diversity that is this 72-year-old country’s tragedy and its triumph. About a quarter of Israel’s population is Arab, including Bedouin and Druze. More than half of Israel’s Jews are Mizrachi, descendants of ‘eastern’ Jews from Iran, the Middle East and North Africa, who migrated, fled or were expelled from their homes after Israeli independence was declared in 1948.

This swirl of humanity has made Israeli food into the ultimate mezze platter: tagine and couscous from the Maghreb, shawarma from Ottoman Turkey and sabich (eggplant, eggs and salad in a pita) from Iraq. Jachnun (pastry) and the unpronounceable but addictive zhoug (an ultra-hot sauce) come from Yemen. Challah rolls down from the old country of Poland and Russia. Falafel is Egyptian or Israeli but, as usual, it depends on whom you ask. The yoghurt obsession is down to the Druze. Shakshuka is Tunisian. Hummus is the cement of the Levant and claimed, like the land, by both Israelis and Palestinians, among others. Fuse all this together, and you have the modern Israeli kitchen. Lots of places do these foods well, but Israeli restaurants do them all at once.

It isn't that Israel tries to erase Arab culture. It is that it adds its own spin on Middle Eastern food, creating dishes that are brand new.

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02/24 Links Pt2: UNESCO Affiliate at An-Najah University Honors Terrorists; The ethnic cleansing of Jews and left wing hypocrisy; Bernie Sanders, Surrounded By Anti-Semites, Attacks AIPAC

From Ian:

NGO Monitor: UNESCO Affiliate at An-Najah University Honors Terrorists

In August 2018, An-Najah University in Nablus held a ceremony to recognize 61 prisoners incarcerated in Israel’s Nafha Prison who had completed a course in international law and human rights. According to the university, the ceremony was organized by the UNESCO Chair on Human Rights and Democracy and Peace at An-Najah, in cooperation with Fatah, Fatah’s youth and student movement, and the Palestinian Authority Minister for Prisoners’ Affairs.

Course instructors included:
- Yasser Abu Bakr – Responsible for a 2002 terror attack in Netanya in which two Israeli civilians were murdered, including a 9-month-old girl. In 2004, Abu Bakr was sentenced to 115 years in prison.
- Nasser Awiss – Responsible for the murder of at least 14 Israeli civilians, in at least 4 terror attacks. In May 2003, he was sentenced to 14 life sentences.
- Izaddin Hamamra – Convicted in 2004 of recruiting suicide bombers for two bombings in Jerusalem, in which 19 Israelis civilians were murdered. Hamamra’s cell also planned bus hijackings.
- Khaled el-Karam – A law student at An-Najah. According to Palestinian media, he was arrested in May 2017 and sentenced to 15 months in prison by an Israeli military court. He also delivered remarks at the 2018 ceremony.

Responding to media coverage of the program, UNESCO attempted to distance itself from the program, claiming that “UNESCO does not fund UNESCO Chairs. It is the responsibility of the university hosting a UNESCO Chair to provide all the resources required – human, financial etc. – for the UNESCO Chair to carry out its work….The diploma/certificate-awarding training is not a UNESCO program and we have no role or contribution to it. Rather it is training provided by the university with the support of the UNESCO Chair. Chairs can contribute to such training but awards, diplomas, and certificates can be issued only by the university, not UNESCO.”

According to UNESCO, it chairs exist in over 700 institution, located in over 116 countries. These devote special attention to “key priority areas related to UNESCO’s fields of competence – i.e. in education, the natural and social sciences, culture and communication.”

UNESCO chairs are active in Israeli institutions, such as Ben Gurion University, Bar-Ilan University, Tel Aviv University, Haifa University, the Technion, and others.

David Collier: The ethnic cleansing of Jews and left wing hypocrisy

Talking about the historical ethnic cleansing of Jews from the whole of North Africa and the Middle East is an easy method of proving the antisemitism within the Palestinian cause. This example started with a simple tweet. A tweet that clearly points out that whilst Arabs make up more than 20% of Israel’s population, the rest of the Middle East and North Africa has virtually no Jews in it anywhere. Given some of these areas, like Morocco and Iraq had large Jewish populations – it becomes obvious that the Jews were ethnically cleansed from the MENA region.

Over 20% of Israel's population is Arab.

The Jewish population of -

Egypt 0%
Lebanon 0%
Syria 0%
Iraq 0%
Jordan 0%
Morocco 0%
Algeria 0%
Tunisia 0%
Libya 0%
Gaza is 0%

A million Jews used to live in these places.

Talk to me about ethnic cleansing again.
— David Collier (@mishtal) February 22, 2020

The tweet was popular – it was retweeted 2500 times and received over 6300 likes. Its message is clear and easy on the eye. There were a million Jews who lived in places such as Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Tunisia. In one way or another the Arabs in the region turned on their Jews, persecuted them and in most places drove them out. An act of quintessential antisemitic persecution. So when people reference ethnic cleansing in relation to the Arab / Israeli conflict – there is ONE obvious ethnic cleansing we really have to discuss. These people were not part of a civil conflict, they considered themselves at home and identified – as Jews always do – with the host nation. There were not even violent groups amongst them. They were simply othered, persecuted and driven out from their homes – often forced to leave all their posSessions behind.

Ethnic cleaning – a simple equation
A simple equation then for the human rights activist. *If* the people who hold aloft the ‘Palestinian cause’ do it because of ‘human rights’, *then* the very least of expectations, the lowest of bars, would also have them sympathising with these Jewish victims of ethnic cleansing. If this does not occur, we have solid evidence that their support for the Palestinian cause is not driven by human rights issues at all.

The obvious conclusion
The first thing to remember is that this all came from one simple tweet. It isn’t the result of deep digging or long-term research. When you post something about the persecution of Jews – this is what you receive in response. This brutally exposes a clear and blatant truth. None of this has anything to do with international law or concern for human rights. These activists fail the most basic of tests. They simply do not care about people being persecuted. When the ethnic cleansing of Jewish people from Arab lands is placed before them – they respond with whataboutery, insults and antisemitism. If you need proof that the Palestinian cause is more about antisemitism than human rights, just look at the response to this tweet. It is *always* worth remembering this when you hear them talk about how much they care.

This is the Al Jayyar Chocolate Shop in Gaza City.

I know, the first thing you think of when you see these photos is "this looks like the Warsaw Ghetto."

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Egypt bans popular "mahraganat" music because some lyrics are too racy - "more dangerous than coronavirus"

From France 24:

The union of Egyptian musicians has banned performances by singers of popular street music after the lyrics of a chart-topping song were deemed too racy for the conservative country.

The ban announced Sunday targets singers of mahraganat (Arabic for festivals) which has its roots in impoverished Cairo suburbs and spread after Egypt's 2011 uprising that ousted a longtime autocratic president.

Earlier this month the song "Bint al-Giran" (The girl next door) reached over 100 million views on YouTube and was the second most played hit on SoundCloud, the do-it-yourself streaming platform.

On Valentine's Day, crooner Hassan Shakoosh performed his hit at a packed Cairo stadium to tens of thousands of fans.

But the song's lyrics -- "I drink alcohol and smoke hashish" -- sparked the ire of the union, which reflects the views of authorities and takes orders from the culture ministry in the conservative Muslim majority country.

The head of the musicians union Hany Shaker was quick to react and on Sunday banned mahraganat singers from performing at clubs, cafes, hotels and concerts.

"This kind of music which is loaded with sexual innuendo and offensive language is completely unacceptable. That's why we have pulled the plug on it once and for all," Shaker said.

A statement by the union said "legal proceedings" would be lodged against establishments that host the performers.

100 million views on YouTube and the Egyptian culture ministry thinks they will be able to ban it? There might not be any public performances but you can be sure that fans will continue to listen.

Here is Shakoosh performing the song on TV in January:

But Shakoosh's manager caved to the censorship.

The manager of Shakoosh apologised.

"We are very sorry for our mistake and respect the union's decision," manager Camba told AFP on Monday.

He said the lyrics which offended public sensibilities were played at the stadium because of a technical glitch.

Arab News adds:

Egyptian Parliament spokesman, Salah Hasaballah, described the mahraganat singers as “more dangerous than the new coronavirus.”

Other MPs said the music should be banned “to protect public taste” while some politicians called for a less heavy-handed approach by urging singers to select their lyrics more carefully in accordance with morals and good taste.

MP Abdel-Hamid Kamal filed a report to Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal calling on the Egyptian Minister of Culture Inas Abdel-Dayem to hold a session to discuss what he described as “low-taste art” and how it affects society. In his report, Kamal said that the spread of mahraganat music could have a negative impact on future generations.

Member of the media and culture committee in Parliament, novelist Youssef El-Kaeed, backed Kamal saying the music “mutilated” public taste and spread undesired types of arts.

Yes, a country where women are routinely sexually harassed and attacked in public is saying that lyrics about hashish are too immoral.

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02/24 Links Pt1: Over 40 Gaza Rockets Fired At Israel; A Playground Suffered a Direct Hit; Netanyahu threatens war as sirens continue to wail in southern Israel; The Palestinians have never really sought peace

From Ian:

Netanyahu threatens war as sirens continue to wail in southern Israel

Rockets fell near a playground in the college-town of Sderot as well in a yard of a residential home. There were no reports of physical injuries. In Netivot, rocket shrapnel fell near a house.

The PIJ claimed responsibility for the rocket fire on Monday afternoon, saying that the launches were in response to the killing of two PIJ terrorists in Damascus. "In the Al-Quds Brigades, we confirm that we are ready to confront any aggression and let the enemy know that if it continues, we will respond with full force and might," said the military wing of the terrorist group in a statement.

After a barrage of rockets was fired towards the city of Netivot in southern Israel, Hamas warned that the response to the Israeli strikes in Gaza came within a unified understanding between all the factions in Gaza that "Palestinian blood is a red line." The terrorist group warned that if the IDF expanded its strikes, Israel would face "resistance like it's never seen."

Since yesterday, over 60 rockets were fired from Gaza to southern Israel, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn that Israel may launch a broader campaign against Hamas in Gaza if it does not totally stop firing rockets.

“I am not hurrying into war. I know the price that our soldiers and the families of the fallen pay,” Netanyahu, whose brother Yoni was killed in action, said.

Still, the prime minister said that if there is no choice: “Woe to Hamas and Islamic Jihad when that day comes! It’s their choice.”
“We will do what it takes to bring back total security for the residents of the south,” he vowed.

"If you don't shoot them, we will shoot you. I'm talking about a war," Netanyahu said earlier on Army Radio. "I only go to war as a last option, but we have prepared something you can't even imagine."

His interview was interrupted by fresh sirens warning of incoming rockets.

Over 40 Gaza Rockets Fired At Israel; A Playground Suffered a Direct Hit

Normal Places Have Snow Days, Israel's South Has Rocket Days

Facts > Fiction

Here are the facts: pic.twitter.com/SUW4cKjjyd
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 24, 2020

At the start of his weekly cabinet meeting today, PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh called on Palestinian workers not to work in settlements, and for building contractors not to take any jobs from Jewish settlers.

About 24,000 Palestinians have jobs working in the settlements, and most of those are in construction.

The salaries of construction workers are more than double what they would get working for Palestinians, 283 shekels a day compared to the average of 127 elsewhere in the West Bank.

The Palestinian economy is heavily dependent on salaries from Israelis.

It appears that Shtayyeh's call will not mean much.

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Last Friday, the Forward published what can only be considered be irresponsible piece that accuses Zionist schools of teaching students that loyalty to Israel is more important than being American.

It was written anonymously.

Imagine being a non-Jewish employee at one of these schools in New York City, maybe a security guard or a special-education teacher’s aide. You walk into the building and see Israeli flags hanging all over the place. Lessons are delivered in Hebrew — often at the obvious expense of student comprehension. Children sing HaTikvah in the morning with enforced gusto. Israeli soldiers regularly address the student body. Children wear kippot and hoodies emblazoned with the logo of the Israel Defense Forces.

Zionism is messaged in these schools as the most essential attribute of our students’ identity. It’s a huge problem.

I’ve heard teachers or administrators say at assemblies things like “you don’t belong in America,” “Israel is your country” and “the IDF are your soldiers.” When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the United States Congress in opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, against the wishes of President Obama, the high school where I was working cancelled classes to watch “our Prime Minister.” That’s a real quote.

In the six schools at which I have taught, HaTikvah was sung more often than the Pledge of Allegiance or the Star Spangled Banner. Israeli national holidays are taught with a reverence or solemnity that outstrips what is accorded to religious or American ones. Veteran’s Day was never discussed, but Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, had special projects and assemblies. Many of these schools receive grants from the Avi Chai Foundation, which requires recipients to declare that they “seek to instill in our students an attachment to the State of Israel and its people.”

How irresponsible was The Forward in publishing such a piece?

It is obvious that Jew-haters will use this as evidence of the antisemitic charge of US Jews having dual loyalty (really more loyalty to Israel than to the US.)

But, the Forward editors argue, this is the real experience of an employee at these schools and their opinion shouldn't be silenced.

They have a point. But just because something is in an op-ed doesn't mean it shouldn't be fact checked, and the impression that one gets from reading this is that loyalty to America is simply not taught and love of Israel is pushed at the expense of everything else.

A quick look at major modern Orthodox schools in New York shows that Ramaz hosted US veterans on Veteran's Day. The Heschel School has discussions with Muslim Americans on 9/11, re-creations of Ellis Island and commemorations and with African Americans on Martin Luther King day. Beit Rabban Day School has programs on the power of words where they say "We hope they will internalize this as Jews, as Americans, and as human beings."

Did The Forward do any fact checking? While part of the article was opinion, when making such an incendiary charge it is incumbent to get some verification from specific schools whether they refer to Netanyahu as "our prime minister."

Beyond that, the anonymous author says that he or she worked at six schools in twelve years. That is a pretty poor record of keeping jobs as a teacher. Isn't it likely that a person let go from so many modern Orthodox schools might have their own issues and want some sort of revenge? Shouldn't a newspaper have higher standards in accepting an anonymously published piece than one with attribution?

This is a point that is important to me personally. As an anonymous writer myself, I strive to be as transparent as possible so anyone can fact check anything I write. If I would write about schools doing something bad, I would never generalize them and not mention their names. That is the difference between advocacy and smearing.

There is another point that cannot be understated. Love of Israel is in no way contradictory to love of America. American Jews are very appreciative to live in a country that is not only welcoming of Jews but also a staunch ally of Israel. Being able to openly march in a Yom Haatzmaut parade is something that very few diaspora Jews outside North America can even dream of. The pride of being American is part and parcel of the pride of being a Jew and a Zionist in America. Students hear the Star Spangled Banner at every sporting event, singing Hatikva in school doesn't take away the pride of being an American.

If students at Zionist schools are being taught to disparage America then that is a story that must be exposed - by specifying the schools. If these students are being taught to love Israel, where so many of their siblings and cousins live, that is not a bad thing. By portraying love of Israel as somehow a lesson to lessen one's loyalty to America, the Forward is not illuminating anything. It is doing nothing more than to give antisemites a very potent weapon.

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