Staff - AFSI

Queens Museum – An Omen of Things to Come?

August 23, 2017
by Staff

Here we are, a day after the brouhaha surrounding the cancellation of the Israel event at the Queens Museum and its reinstatement.

QUEENS MUSEUM REVERSED DECISION TO CANCEL ISRAELI EVENT

Are we supposed to breathe a sigh of relief and be happy that the show will now go on? Sure, the pro-Israel community applied a lot of pressure and the museum caved in, so we can look back with satisfaction that we “carried a big stick” and got our way.

But is that it? Do we put this episode behind us as if it never occurred? We are relieved that this dirty little affair ended favorably. However, we should be angry – seething mad – that it occurred at all. IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE.

It is reprehensible that the head of a museum would bow to “Palestinian” pressure to cancel an Israel event, and on ridiculous grounds that the event is political. We know that the museum head – President and Executive Director Laura Raicovich – is pro-BDS. Perhaps she was more than happy to comply with a little outside pressure from anti-Israel forces, and regardless of any legal, moral or ethical consideration, was all too happy to try to prevent an event celebrating Israel.

Another consideration is: did she believe she would get away with it? As was seen, only because of intense pressure from the Israeli Consul in New York, several New York City politicians, and lots of negative press against the museum, did the museum reverse its decision.

Unfortunately, this is likely a harbinger of things to come. To quote a 1964 Bob Dylan song, The Times They Are A Changin’. Anti-Semitism in America is on the rise, as is the normalization of the demonization of Israel. Students on our college campuses are harassed for supporting Israel and are woefully unprepared for the challenges they face, and attacks and threats against Jews and Jewish institutions throughout the country are becoming more commonplace

With the bogus theory of “intersectionality” becoming more respectable, Israel is being portrayed as responsible for the woes we face, regardless of how irrational and absurd the charges actually are. It is becoming more acceptable to be anti-Israel / anti-Semitic.

Even though we may have won the battle of the Queens Museum, there never should have been a battle to begin with. Our enemies are pushing, poking and prodding wherever they can to weaken us in the court of public opinion, and we cannot allow them to succeed.

In response, our guard must be up 24/7 and our vigilance relentless. History, truth, morality and justice are all on our side, yet we are not getting our message out loudly and clearly. We can no longer sit back and continue to be attacked, only to respond ineffectively and too late to mitigate damage. Yes, our defenses must be up, but we must also be on the offense. We must attack – in the media, in academia, and on the street.

We can no longer be someone else’s punching bag. We are not playing a game, and the stakes are too high.

Whither the American Jewish Community?

August 23, 2017
by Staff

Isi Leibler has a very important article in the Jerusalem Post about the troubling state of anti-Semitism and American Jewry today:

ACCELERATING CHAOS WITHIN THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY

Historically, much or most anti-Semitism in the U.S. has been attributed to the radical Right. While there has always been anti-Semitism from the Left, it has been minimized or even ignored by Jewish institutional leaders. However, as Leibler (correctly) posits, there is no question that Leftist anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activity are far greater threats than from the Right.

Here are a few quotes:

“The threats from the radical Right must not be tolerated. Yet despite the massive exposure they received, these fascist and racist groups represent a minute segment of society and their influence is marginal when compared to the leftist anti-Semites. The latter, who are vastly understated, promote the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and have transformed campuses into anti-Israel and anti-Semitic platforms.

Moreover, there are Jewish community leaders who have allied themselves with far-left campaigns headed by vicious anti-Israel elements, arguing that anti-Israel agitators should not be excluded as partners in broader campaigns for social justice. There are also calls for BDS proponents and anti-Israel Jewish groups to be included in the “big tent.”

The Jewish community must take stock or it will lose all influence on government. The Trump administration appears divided over Israel, with the State Department resurrecting the Obama approach of appeasing the Arabs and applying moral equivalence to Israelis defending themselves and Palestinians engaging in incitement and terrorism. The Jewish leadership could have a positive influence in this area if it displayed political neutrality.

Currently Israel enjoys more support from Christian Evangelicals than from American Jews.

American Jewish leaders should wake up now before it is too late and their once influential community becomes marginalized.

Wise words.

Jeremy Gimpel in Texas!

August 23, 2017
by Staff

AFSI friend Jeremy Gimpel is now in Texas and will be speaking at numerous venues throughout his stay.

We will be posting Jeremy’s Texas itinerary as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, if you haven’t experienced Jeremy, you can get a “taste of Jeremy” as well as a “taste of an AFSI Chizuk mission” from the following I Am Israel video.

Rabbi Jeremy Gimpel is the co-founder of The Land of Israel Network & the host of Israel Inspired Radio & TV Shows as well as a Director in World Mizrachi.

No, Not Again!

August 23, 2017
by Staff

Neve Dekalim, Gaza, 2005
(Photo: Jerusalem Post)

Josh Hasten, Director of Regavim (/www.regavim.org/) writes in the Jerusalem Post about another Israeli court ruling about another set of Jewish homes in another community in the Shomron that are threatened with destruction, all on dubious and unsubstantiated claims that they are illegally built on “private Palestinian land.”

This time, the homes are in the Netiv Avot neighborhood of Elazar. From the top of this neighborhood, one can see the buildings of Ashdod, the boats in the harbor, and the Mediterranean sea beyond.

Why? A 2016 High Court ruling declared that 15 out of the community’s 42 homes were illegally built, and a March 2018 date has been set for their demolition by the state.

To date, no private ownership of the land, or registration of ownership has ever been proven, nor were any ties of the Arab petitioner to the land proven. Yet, the state has ruled that the homes must be demolished.

As Josh writes, While every case is unique, we’ve seen some of these types of ludicrous rulings before. Whether it was the 2012 evacuation of 50 families from Migron, who were relocated to a trailer park just two kilometers away, or the destruction of five buildings in Beit-El’s Ulpana apartment complex that same year, no Arabs are currently present utilizing the lands, which were once thriving Jewish areas, in any way, shape or form.

I would bet that the same will hold true in the area where the recently demolished Amona stood, along with the land where nine Ofra homes once sat. In other words, Jewish homes are being torn down without rhyme or reason.

The next month or so will determine the fate of Netiv Avot, and we will be watching developments closely.

It’s time this nonsense stops.

Josh Hasten: DON’T DESTROY THE NETIV AVOT HOMES

The True Threat to Israel (and the World): Iran

Israel on the left, Iran on the right. How’s this for perspective?

While the world’s attention has been focused on North Korea these past few weeks, one does not need to be particularly astute to connect the goings on in North Korea, with Iran. The two rogue nations have been surreptitiously and intimately connected for many years, particularly in the field of nuclear weapons development and their delivery systems.

Given Iran’s oft-stated desire to wipe Israel off the map, the consequences of North Korea successfully developing a missile-capable nuclear weapon along with an intercontinental delivery system, are extremely worrisome.

The working assumption is that if North Korea can do it, so can Iran.

It is anyone’s guess how the current tension between the U.S. and North Korea will play out, but it is now being reported that the Iranians are increasing their military spending, and are working to create a Shi’ite arc across the Middle East, from Iran, through Iraq and Syria, to Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea. The Iranians are already the main player in Iraq and Syria, and Hezbollah in Lebanon is really just one arm of the Iranian military machine.

Within Israel, the threat Iran poses is understood. Israeli Education and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett released a video this past Thursday detailing the danger that Iran poses to Israel, the Middle East and the rest of the world.

NAFTALI BENNETT ADDRESSES ‘IRANIAN THREAT’ IN NEW VIDEO

Whereas ISIS, Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist organizations are major terror threats to Israel and the rest of the Middle East, the ultimate terror threat originates with Iran.

Today, with so much turmoil within the United States, with Europe focusing on the ever-growing problem of “refugees”, and the world focused on eradicating ISIS, we ignore the ominous threat that Iran poses right now, at our peril.

Kudos to S. Florida AFSI Chairperson, Carol Flatto!

Last week, AFSI’s South Florida chapter, led by Chairperson Carol Flatto, sponsored a discussion with great friend of AFSI, Jerusalem City Councilman Arieh King. He spoke about the recent Temple Mount Crisis to a receptive crowd of almost 60 people.

AS reported, During the dinner, King told the audience that his home in Ma’ale Zeitim on the Mount of Olives was stoned 60 times and recently had Molotov cocktails and paint thrown at it. However, he said that this is a regular occurrence.

“If this is the price for having the Temple Mount in our hands, I would welcome one hundred stones every day.”

King is also founder and director of the Israel Land Fund and explained to the attendees how his organization is developing affordable housing projects aimed at building Jewish neighborhoods in demographically strategic areas of Jerusalem.

South Florida AFSI Chair, Carol Flatto;
Jerusalem City Councilman Arieh King;
Dan Gelber, Miami Beach mayoral candidate

Please click on this link for a full description of the event.

Americans For a Safe Israel sponsors Israeli speaker events in Miami Beach

AFSI’S Ze’ev Jabotinsky Memorial Conference

AFSI’s annual Ze’ev Jabotinsky Memorial Conference, held on Thursday evening, August 3, was sponsored in conjunction with the Nordau Circle, with the very welcome addition of Students Supporting Israel from Columbia University. Park East Synagogue in NYC was the setting for the standing room only crowd of over 200 who listened intently to the powerful speeches of our guest speakers.

AFSI Co-Executive Directors Helen Freedman and Judy Kadish kicked off the evening with nods to Chairman Mark Langfan and acknowledgement of the dedication of the evening to AFSI’s Founder and Chairman, Herbert Zweibon, z”l. Following the singing of the American and Israeli anthems, Rabbi Harold Einsidler of Park East Synagogue chanted the Jewish Memorial Prayer for Jabotinsky.

The program featured two Israelis of note: Ambassador Dani Dayan, Consul General of Israel in New York was the featured speaker. His presence greatly enhanced the evening. David Hatuel, former resident of Gush Katif, whose pregnant wife and four daughters were brutally murdered by Arab terrorists in 2004, spoke to the crowd in Hebrew. Dror Vanunu, Gush Katif Representative, translated for him.

Ambassador Dayan’s message, citing Jabotinsky’s 1923 “Iron Wall” speech, was riveting. He emphasized that if people had listened to Jabotinsky’s words, that there could be no peace with the Arabs, and that the only way to deal with them would be by creating an “iron wall” of strength, many lives, and much time and energy could have been saved, and could still be saved.

David Hatuel’s pregnant wife Tali, and her four children, were murdered in 2004, the year before the Sharon decree to expel the 9,000 Jews from the 21 communities of Gush Katif. Sharon, who had campaigned on the fact that Gush Katif was the security belt for southern Israel, and was recorded stating that Gush Katif and Tel Aviv were equally vital to Israel, had totally reversed himself. Not only did the expulsion take place, with Israeli soldiers, tanks, and demolition crews entering the communities, physically removing the residents, and destroying everything, but the promise that afterwards ‘THERE WOULD BE A SOLUTION FOR EVERY FAMILY” was blatantly broken.

This August, 2017, twelve years after the expulsion, David Hatuel, his new wife and five children, along with the members of the former Katif community, are still living in caravans, or trailers. Is this an “Iron Wall” of strength and support for the Jews of Israel, or a cowardly betrayal with false promises?

David is fundraising so that a new synagogue can be built in memory of Tali Hatuel and her children. The KARMEI KATIF Synagogue would be located in the new Karmei Katif community in Lachish, where David and his neighbors hope to finally build and move into permanent homes. Those wishing to contribute to this effort should contact AFSI: 212-828-2424. Tax deductible checks can be made out to Friends of Gush Katif and mailed to AFSI at 1751 Second Ave., New York, NY 10128.

After the singing of the Beitar Anthem, and two beautiful songs sung by Rebecca Teplow, Dalia Zahger, Vice President of Students Supporting Israel, Columbia University, was introduced. While invoking the name of Jabotinsky, she updated the crowd on the status of pro-Israel activity on college campuses and the challenges faced by Jewish and pro-Israel students today.

AFSI Co-Executive Director Helen Freedman
kicking off the evening

AFSI Co-Executive Director Helen Freedman;
AFSI Treasurer & Board Member Mark Zweibon;
AFSI Outpost Editor Rael Jean Isaac;
Israeli Consul General, Ambassador Dani Dayan;
AFSI Co-Executive Director Judy Kadish

Israel’s Consul General to New York,
Ambassador Dani Dayan

Dahlia Zahger of Students Supporting Israel (SSI), Columbia University

The Jordanian Option: Jordan is Palestine

For those unfamiliar with Middle East history,
the map below speaks for itself!

The mandate for a Jewish nation in Palestine originally included what is today Jordan.
The British lopped it off and gave it to the Arabs, thus eliminating 77% of the land meant
for the Jewish nation.

This video is a must-watch!
An interview with Mudar Zahran

If you are in Jerusalem on Tuesday, October 17, check out the JORDAN OPTION conference at the Menachem Begin Center.
See AFSI’s Calendar of Events below for details.

The Taylor Force Act Makes Its Way Through Congress: Will It Be Strong Enough?

Last week we posted a video titled, Why No Peace? It Takes Only 13 Seconds To Explain. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of videos or other media showing the true intent of the Palestinian Arabs.

One organization that studies Palestinian society from a broad range of perspectives and maintains a media repository of their findings is Palestinian Media Watch (www.palwatch.org). Over the years, PMW has amassed thousands of videos and other material showing Palestinian intent to indoctrinate its people with hatred toward Israel and Jews, and the “glory” one can attain by achieving martyrdom through the murder of Israelis and Jews.

On March 8, 2016, U.S. Army veteran Taylor Force, who was neither Israeli nor Jewish, was murdered in Israel by a Palestinian Arab from Qalqilya. Force was an American MBA student at Vanderbilt University and was touring Israel with a group studying global entrepreneurship. Eleven others were injured.

Palestinian Arabs reacted predictably:

Fatah, the party of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, posted a statement online praising the attacker as a hero and a “martyr,” and suggested such attacks would continue “so long as Israel does not believe in the two-state solution and ending its occupation.”

Hamas said is a statement: “We applaud the courageous attacks in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Yafo. This is proof of the failure of all the conspiracies meant to eradicate the intifada, which will continue until its goals are achieved.”

Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine also praised the attack, and said that the continuation of the attacks sends a clear message to those who are doubtful, proving that the intifada is continuing and growing more intense.

These reactions have been documented fully, and proof of their validity can be found on PMW’s website. Here is one such video:

We bring this up now because the United States Senate is finalizing a bill titled the Taylor Force Act. This legislation would cut off U.S. funding for the Palestinian Authority over its compensation program for terrorists and the families of terrorists. Of course, PA leadership is vociferously against the bill, and has pledged to continue paying those “martyrs” serving time in Israeli prisons.

The legislation has already gone through several versions which have resulted in it being watered down, to the satisfaction of the Palestinian Arabs, and consternation of those opposed to any financial aid being distributed to murderers of Americans. The United States currently gives the PA nearly $500 million in aid annually, and the legislation passed in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last Thursday would allow only the portions designated for security assistance – roughly $60 million – and humanitarian aid to remain in place. (In 2016 the U.S. provided roughly $350 million to UNWRA of which $95 million was earmarked for the West Bank and Gaza, and $300 million in humanitarian aid to the PA through the USAID program. Click HERE for the humanitarian aid breakdown as summarized by the Times of Israel). This version gained the support of Senator Chuck Schumer and AIPAC.

We fail to see how the “humanitarian aid” provided to the PA can be prevented from being distributed to the terrorists in Israeli prisons. Will there be mechanisms in place to guarantee that this aid will be used only for reliable humanitarian purposes? Or will the U.S. accept what can only be defined as “credible attempts” on the PA’s part to limit violence, to keep the aid flowing?

Today, the Trump administration, although offering cautious support for the Taylor Force Act, stated that the bill better not interfere with efforts to forge a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs (as if the Arabs are actually interested in peace.)

White House says bill cutting PA funding must not harm peace efforts

The bill is a work in progress. It must be passed by the Senate, sent to to House, finalized, and then voted on. It will most likely continue to be modified as it moves forward.

In the meantime, here is a summary of the bill’s key issues:

– Funding for humanitarian efforts and security cooperation would not be interrupted.

– An escrow account would be established for aid dollars in the event that aid would be cut. That escrow period would last one year.

– The bill would not include a waiver that would grant the U.S. president the ability to disregard the law on national security grounds.

– All Republican Senators on the committee voted for the bill.

– New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker, bowing to Arab pressure, voted against the bill. Three other Democratic Senators also did; they are: Chris Murphy (Conn.), Tom Udall (N.M.), and Jeff Merkley (Ore.). SHAME ON THEM. TERRORISM MUST NOT BE REWARDED!

Time to Wake Up: Make the Dream a Reality!

Jewish visitors on the Temple Mount. Note the dearth of Muslims and nearly as many police as Jews in this group.

(Photo: Arutz Sheva)

Today is Rosh Chodesh Av – the first day of the month of Av on the Jewish calendar. It begins the Nine Days leading to Tisha B’Av, when we mourn the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem, among other calamities that have befallen the Jewish nation throughout history.

As Jerusalem’s Temple Institute Co-founder Rabbi Chaim Richman said, “We are no longer in exile: Sixty-nine years ago we miraculously returned to our land and re-established Jewish sovereignty. Fifty years ago we were reunited with Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.”

“It’s time to wake-up and re-frame Tisha B’Av into a day of hope. We cannot continue to mourn robotically as if nothing has changed in the last century.”

In that spirit, the Temple Institute presents the following short video.

In response to the brutal murders in Halamish Friday night, Member of Knesset Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home), called for the construction of a synagogue on the Temple Mount.

MK: Build Synagogue on Temple Mount

MK Smotrich said, “The Zionist response would largely be to make the other side understand and feel that they have lost. They must understand that they gain nothing from terrorism. They are the only ones who will lose, and this will happen on three levels.”

These three levels include:

1. Build a synagogue on the Temple Mount

2. Exact a very steep price from the (Arab and Muslim) population in Judea and Samaria.

3. Build in Judea and Samaria.

Three steps we wholeheartedly agree with.

Halamish: It’s Time to Avenge the Massacre

By now we are all too familiar with the horrendous news of the murder of three Jews in the town of Halamish, Israel, this past Friday night. All these innocent people were doing was sitting around a Shabbat table, enjoying a festive meal, and celebrating the upcoming circumcision ceremony for a newborn male grandchild.

An Arab carrying a knife and a Koran was able to scale the community’s security fence. He then entered a home, and stabbed three people to death, a grandfather, and his son and daughter. The murdered were: Yosef Salomon, 70, and his children Chaya, 46, and Elad, 36. Yosef’s wife, Tovah, was severely injured and as of this writing, remains hospitalized

As is typical, the Arab and Muslim community both in and out of Israel celebrated these murders as an act of heroism, not as the heinous act that it is; even the terrorist’s mother! (click HERE). Today, we learned that the terrorist committed these murders knowing that he (i.e., his surviving family) would be financially compensated for his actions, another disgusting behavior practiced by Israel’s enemies.

How many times do we need to cry out, Enough is Enough! What does it take to understand that among Arabs and Muslims, compromise is viewed as a sign of weakness and capitulation? When will appropriate punishment be meted out to the savages who refuse to admit Jews have a permanent homeland in the Middle East, and that homeland is Israel, including Jerusalem?

Events in Israel and the greater Middle East are occurring at breakneck speed, and we await the decisions, pronouncements and actions of the Netanyahu government. Strength is required. Capitulation of any sort is not, and can never be an option.

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The Jordanian Option: Jordan is Palestine

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