Truth Must be Told and Retold
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition the British Mandate for Palestine into a land for the Jews and a land for the Arabs. The Palestine Partition Plan was accepted and greatly celebrated by Jews around the World. It was rejected by the Arabs who rejected every plan for peaceful co-existence previously and since, but in the end, the creation of Transjordan, on 75% of the land that was originally to constitute Israel, was granted to them. On May 14, 1948, Israel declared independence and on May 15th, 1948 the armies of five Arab countries attacked.
Jewish Refugee Day is November 30th, honouring the hundreds of thousands of Jews exiled from Arab countries and Iran, following the UN Partition and Israel’s declaration of Independence. On June 23, 2014 the Knesset adopted a law which designates November 30th as an annual, national day of commemoration for the 850,000 Jewish refugees who were displaced from Arab countries and Iran in the 20th century.
Wake Up Jews!
These excerpts from an article in JNS on November 24, 2022, by Yaacov Lappin should truly startle all Jews. Isn’t time for a serious wake-up call?
“Since the start of this year, the Shin Bet has foiled no fewer than 34 terrorist bombings as well as 330 planned shootings, 54 stabbings, five car-ramming plots, two suicide bombings and three kidnappings.”
“Col. (res.). Michael Milshtein, a former adviser on Palestinian affairs to the Israeli Defence Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit and a former head of the Department for Palestinians Affairs in the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate.. pointed to the ‘rise of the Z generation in the Palestinian arena, the young generation,’ which he noted has been behind ‘most of the terrorism in the Samaria area, in Nablus and Jenin’.
“With the Palestinian Authority losing its grip in parts of Samaria to armed terror gangs, and the image of the P.A. at an all-time low among Palestinians, in no small part due to corruption, nepotism and its violation of human rights…”
“…economic easements for Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria, commonly known in the West Bank, seems to be losing its effectiveness.”
Ready to Wake Up?
Sigmund Freud may have interpreted dreams but he was ignoring the nightmares.
Noted author, psychologist, commentator, women’s rights organizer, Phyllis Chesler describes the years, then days, leading up to Sigmund Freud’s departure from Austria. In an article in Algemeiner published Nov. 20, 2022, Chesler notes Freud’s denial of the danger that Jews faced in Austria. Perhaps she wants us not to be the ostrich that he was.
Are Antisemitic Threats, Tropes, Musings Innocuous?
The murder of innocents is tragic and may be seen to be sudden, startling and seemingly spontaneous, but not always as we note that Israel has intercepted hundreds of attacks that were potentially lethal. But that is not always the case. Despite security briefings, police notices of potential danger, and increased attention to Jewish events and establishments, the worst can happen, and it can happen in North America. Sadly, a story in the Times of Israel, November 24th, by Ron Kampeas, reveals that warnings were not taken seriously in Arizona, and the murder of a non-Jewish professor thought to be Jewish, was not prevented.
Latest Lies from the UN
Rishi Sunak, the recently elected Prime Minister of England declared strong support for Israel, immediately after he took office. He has, of course, been criticized for it and his commitment to moving the British embassy to Jerusalem is being challenged.
As reported by David Rose of the UK Jewish Community Security Trust, “Mr. Sunak said he still believed a two-state solution based on the 1994 Oslo Accords was possible, and that despite widespread criticism of the Palestinian Authority’s corruption and human rights record, it remained an essential component in a future deal.”
He is quoted as saying, ‘I share concerns about the conduct of the Palestinian Authority, and in particular their glorification of terror attacks against Israel and their refusal to remove antisemitic content from the curriculum. But the only route to a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians is through the resumption of direct negotiations, and that involves engaging with the Palestinian Authority.’
‘The historic Abraham Accords proved that peace between Israel and her Arab neighbours is possible, and have demonstrated the tremendous benefits that normalisation brings. The UK is in a strong position to leverage its historic relationships with other Gulf states to widen the Accords and I would like to see UK diplomats place a greater focus on this.’
“Mr Sunak voiced strong support for the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, saying he was ‘proud that the UK was the first country in the world to adopt the IHRA definition, and as Local Government Minister I worked hard to roll out the definition among local councils’.”
EMET and UN Watch Celebrate and Honour Hussein Aboubakr Mansour
At a recent Geneva based event, Hussein Aboubakr, former educator with StandwithUS and Director of EMET’s Programs for Emerging Democratic Voices from the Middle East, was honoured for his incredible contributions in standing up for Israel and the Jewish people, for endangering himself in pursuit of truth and justice.
Born and raised in Egypt, Hussein, went from jihadist to Zionist, and suffered much along the way, but today stands tall and proud to be working with EMET(Endowment for Middle East Truth) and the Jewish world to combat antiZionism, which is antisemitism.
A Shout Out to Chess4Soliarity
On a day noted as The International Tolerance Day, Nov 16th Lior Aizenberg, founder of Chess4All, organized Chess4Solidarity, and initiated special international games. The notice read: “The event is part of the breaking borders Chess4Solidarity initiative which is recognized by UNESCO for its importance to promote dialogue”. Lior wrote, “We launched an event with seminar to encourage the public to stand up and do something against antisemitism and hatred.” Kudos to Lior and Chess4All.
Make Your Contribution to Combating Antisemitism
Watch What Colour is Your Parachute and think of how you can creatively engage in combating antisemitism. This webinar, presented by Annette Poizner, Stacey Love Goldstein and Andria Spindel to Na’amat Canada, shared an approach to identifying one’s personal strengths and characteristics and applying them to fighting Jew Hatred It also provided an update on CAEF’s Hineni Project, an Outreach to Canadian Social Work and Social Service Worker students who have experienced antisemitism.
Book Reviews from Readers
Not Recommended Reading
Born in Jerusalem Born Palestinian written by Jacob Nammar, reviewed by Jonathan Usher
This is a children’s book found in the Toronto Public Library stacks for kids, and is possibly available to children in Toronto District Schools. But should it be?
It is the autobiography of a Palestinian boy born into an established and wealthy Jerusalemite Christian family. He was born in 1941 and left Jerusalem for the United States in 1964. There is no mention that Palestine did not exist as a country, that Jews were indigenous and lived there over Jews 2000 years ago. There is a very brief mention, without comprehension, of the Holocaust, and no mention of prejudice and attacks against the Jews by Palestinian Arabs, no mention of the general poverty and underdevelopment in the area before the Jews arrived in the late 1800’s, and of course no mention of any killing of or prejudice against Jews by Palestinian Arabs.
The villains are the Zionists who cruelly put “Palestinians” in jails for no reason and took away the Palestinians’ homes. The author describes himself as handsome, friendly with people of all races and religions and having lived a close to perfect life. Needless to say, because of the prejudice around him he goes to the United States in his early 20’s. The book does not mention that the Palestinian Arab leadership, given the opportunity, would have followed Nazi Germany in its treatment of Jews, and nearly did so under the leadership of the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Al-Hussin Amini. It is a Palestinian Arab child’s one-sided view of the Palestinian/Arab wars against Jews and the establishment of Israel.
The following are some of the quotes:
From the back cover - “his family was forced out of their home during the Nakba, the catastrophe that resulted in the ethnic cleansing of nearly 750,000 natives and the destruction of over 500 Palestinian villages and towns.” … “one of the most tragic historical events that has engulfed the region.”
A quote from the acknowledgements, ..” and to the countless Palestinian men, women, and children whose lives were lost in the struggle for justice, freedom, and peace.”
More quotes:
P.44. “A rumour even started that I had been kidnapped by one of the Zionist terrorists,”
P.45 Jabotinsky had declared “colonization must be carried out in defiance of the will of the native population.”
David Ben Gurion: “We must expel the Arabs and take their lands.”
P.49 The Stern gang … Deir Yassin… massacring 110 men, women and children and mutilating their bodies.” “We were horrified by the intensity of the Zionists’ hatred of Palestinians and by their desire to destroy our society.”
P.51 “Zionists had converged on Palestine from all over the world. Through violence they spread panic and terror in the Palestinian population to force us to flee our homes.”
P.52 “but the Zionist forces had more troops than all the Arab states combined.”
P.62 “Since we had remained in West Jerusalem, under the violently racist ideology of this new regime …”
P.68 “The Zionists, just like the Ottomans, don’t have any …conscience.”
P.74 “Because Israel refused to allow Palestinians the right of return, UNRWA had to take on the responsibility of caring for the new refugees who had been placed in crowded security camps … At the same time, new immigrant Zionists were living in luxurious Palestinian homes on Palestinian land.”
Even in the beginning of the book Zionists are made out to be cruel people and Palestinians Arabs to be tolerant peace loving people. Is it any wonder that children who read this book become antisemitic and anti-Israel?
Yes, Recommended Reading
Jews Against Themselves written by Edward Alexander, reviewed by Charles Cooke
The book’s thesis is that Jewish anti-Zionism and antisemitism have existed throughout the centuries in history , literature and academia. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose”. It remains until this day.
The author both portrays and diagnoses this global phenomenon. It is sadly nothing new. From ancient times to the Oslo Accords to today. From Roman times to the Middle Ages to the 19th and 20th centuries, to today’s BDS and acute rise of antisemitism. From Maimonides to Pope Gregory IX, to Arafat and his disciple Mahmoud Abbas. But most importantly to Noam Chomsky and Max Blumenthal. And To Bet T’Selem and IJVP.
But it is more and worse today, states the author; self-hating Jews themselves have made large contributions to the ideology and politics of global antisemitism.
This book is a must read for all those Jews questioning their faith and the rise of antisemitism yet again in the 21st century, and for those seeking to understand its enduring cancer. Indeed as Professor Irwin Cotler has recently stated, “antisemitism is an assault on democracy itself”.
But this book is particularly in need of a read by the self-styled “progressive Jews,” such as Queers Against Israel Apartheid, JStreet, JSpace, and some Jewish academia on campuses like UC Berkeley and so and, sadly, so on, ad infinitum.
I am reminded of the line By Rabbi Ammiel Hersh from New York criticizing his own Reform community. I paraphrase, “You must not under the guise of the words, ‘human rights and social justice’ align with people who wish your people harm.”
Exactly what this book “tolls its bells to teach”.
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