| GET U.S. CONGRESS TO USE POWER OF PURSE TO COMBAT TERRORISM! The average American CAN do something to help stop the escalating terrorist war that is being waged against Israelis. Stephen Flatow gives an excellent suggestion for one avenue of assistance.
Published: November 13th, 2014 - The Jewish Press click here for full article ......One source was the Palestinian Authority's leadership and social media. Exhibit A: Sultan al-Einen. He's a senior adviser to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and a member of the Central Committee of Fatah, which is the largest faction of the PLO (the PA's parent body) and is also chaired by Abbas. Palestinian Media Watch has compiled a long list of statements by Einen praising terrorists. But the one that attracted the most attention was his public praise, in May 2013, of a terrorist who stabbed to death an Israeli father of five. Einen said the killer was a "heroic fighter" and called for "blessings to the breast that nursed him." In response, five members of Congress - Republican Ed Royce (Calif.) and Democrats Eliot Engel (N.Y.), Nita Lowey (N.Y.), Ted Deutch (Fla.), and Brad Sherman (Calif.) - wrote to Abbas, demanding that he fire Einen. Abbas ignored the letter. (capitol switchboard # is 202-224-3121) After the car attack by al-Shaludi two weeks ago, Einen publicly hailed him as a "heroic martyr" and charged that Israel "murdered him in cold blood." Fatah's Facebook page is replete with cartoons extolling "car terrorism" and urging viewers to "Hit the gas at 199 [km/h] for Al-Aqsa."
Now is the time for American Jews to ask those five members of Congress to take action - not just another letter that Abbas will ignore, but the imposition of penalties that Abbas cannot ignore.
Here's one idea: from now on, deduct the cost of medical treatment for victims of Palestinian terrorism from the $500 million that the U.S. gives the Palestinian Authority each year. Make it pay for the damage it causes. There are many other ways in which American Jews, working closely with friends in Congress, can force Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority to stop praising and glorifying terrorists. That would be a first, important step in the process of changing the Palestinian culture that is raising children to become "car terrorists." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAST CHANCE AT KLINGHOFFER PROTEST The last performance of "The Death of Klinghoffer" is tomorrow, Nov. 15th at 1pm. Read about AFSI member Michael Chenkin's experience after the last show. It may move you to get out and greet the opera goers as they arrive, or after the performance (which runs 2 hours and 50 minutes). Last night we (Nissem, Lynne and I) spoke with Leon Klinghoffer. Not surprisingly, Klinghoffer rejected the charge that the opera named after him was anti-Semitic. Of course, we did not speak with the murdered Leon Klinghoffer, but rather with Alan Opie, the actor who wonderfully sings the role of Leon Klinghoffer. We were flyering the coming out crowd, and Opie stopped and spoke with us at length. He was a mannerly and thoughtful gentleman. He told us he had received very hateful e-mails and that this did not help our cause. I believe he accepted that we (meaning all of us involved in the protests) did not send the e-mails, nonetheless, a lesson to be learned, people are repulsed by venomous attacks, and such attacks do us little good. Klinghoffer was particularly adamant that the opera is not anti-Semitic. He maintained that there had to be a Palestinian state and that the Arabs "had to accept" the existence of Israel. When we pressed on the historic issues he sloughed them off with the standard the Jewish side is not clean either evasions. Opie offered an interesting take on the title. He said, a hundred years from now when the events have faded beyond memory, using 'Death' rather than 'Murder' or 'Execution' leaves the audience in suspense as to Klinghoffer's fate. If one wanted to be strictly logical, 'Execution' is the most suspenseful title, as that could refer to a lawful and deserved killing or a murder, but this begs the main point, "Death" is used to disguise that Leon Klinghoffer was murdered execution style, not to create suspense a hundred years from now. It appears from our conversation that Opie is Jewish. Opie, who lives in England, says he never encountered anti-Semitism there. You can't argue another person's experiences of course, but it would take a great deal of obliviousness to sustain this "reality." Opie is an articulate and very decent example of the challenge we face (he spoke with us very cordially, thoughtfully and at some length after what must be a somewhat strenuous evening). For very understandable reasons he does not want to believe Klinghoffer is anti-Semitic. It is easy for us to point out the anti-Semitism in Klinghoffer, the opera isn't giving us the joy, prestige and paychecks that come from singing a major role on the stage of the Metropolitan. To sustain his position, he, like so many others, and in particular Jews, fuzzes up the history, to say bad on their side, bad on your side, with the implication everyone needs to sit down, talk and make peace. From this perspective Klinghoffer is not anti-Semitic because controversies over how 1948 is portrayed are entirely irrelevant if you believe the only acceptable outcome is a state for Jews and a state for Arabs. The coup de grace is his statement "the Arabs have to accept Israel." This is the ultimate avoidance of reality and the thread upon which the whole liberal-left, bad on both sides, sit down, make peace, two-state solution fantasy becomes unraveled, which is why the myth that the Arabs want to make peace is the sacred cow that cannot be challenged. The explanation of "Death" rather than "Murder" he offers underscores the intellectual fluidity people use to stay comfortably standing where they sit. WE HAVE OUR CHALLENGE. WE NEED TO ACCEPT THE SINCERITY OF OPIE'S BELIEFS (AND THE MULTITUDES WHO SHARE HIS BELIEFS) WHILE PERSUADING THESE PEOPLE THAT THEIR "PEACE PARTNERS" ARE DILIGENTLY SLAUGHTERING JEWS ON THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM, AND THAT OPERA-IZING THE MURDER OF ONE JEW DOES NOT LEAD TO MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE, UNDERSTANDING OR PEACE BUT SIMPLY A FUZZY, EVASIVE ACCEPTANCE OF THE UNENDING MURDER OF JEWS. BLOOD DOES FLOW DOWN THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM LIKE OIL IN THE WAKE OF A SHIP - AND NO ONE TAKES NOTICE. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Israeli-related events in and around NYC
Friday, November 14, 7:00 PM Join NY's Ethiopian Jewish Community on Manhattan's Upper West Side for the Annual Sigd Musical Dinner Celebration and 30th anniversary of Operation Moses. For further details and tickets please click onSigd-Celebration. RSVP is required to Chassida Shmella phone 212-284-6532; RSVP by email Chassidashmella@gmail.com, website ChassidashMella.org; Location: CONGREGATION SHEARITH ISRAEL The Spanish & Portuguese - 2 West 70th Street NYC Tuesday, November 18 - 6:45 doors open The Simon Weisenthal Center proudly presents the NY Film Premiere of The Prime Ministers ll Soldiers and Peacemakers: For tickets and details please click on MuseumofToleranceNewYork.com; Loew's Lincoln Square, 1998 Broadway (W. 67th St.) NYC
Wednesday, November 19 - 6:00 PM American Friends of Sderot - The Max and Ruth Schwartz Sderot Hesder Institutions is proud to invite you to their Annual Awards Dinner: "The Front Line Israel Solidarity Celebration" Honoring Israel's Front Line Communities and the Protective Edge Solidarity Missions from the New York/New Jersey Area
Meadowlands Hilton - 2 Meadowlands Plaza, East Rutherford, NJ THIS JUST IN: FATHER OF SLAIN ISRAELI TEEN TO BE FEATURED GUEST AT SDEROT DINNER. The American Friends of Sderot announced today that Uri Yifrach, the father of slain Israeli teen Eyal Yifrach, will be the featured guest speaker at its upcoming dinner. 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach, 16-year-old Gilad Shaar, and 16-year-old Naftali Fraenkel were abducted and subsequently murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists this past summer.SPECIAL RATE FOR AFSI MEMBERS! CAR POOLS WILL BE ARRANGED For further information contact AFSI: afsi@rcn.com, 212-828-2424, 1-800-235-3658 https://www.sderot.org/dinner/
Thursday, November 20 - 7:30 PM
The Jewish Week in Partnership with American Friends of Tel-Aviv University present: America's Retreat and Israel's Predicament. Co-hosts Bret Stephens and Gidi Grinstein. Moderated by Dr. Daniel Zisenwine of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel-Aviv University. $36 on-line/$40 at the door. Venue: The Kaufman Music Center 129 West 67th Street, NY, NY 10023;
Sunday, November 23 - 5:00 PM
Cocktail party 5 PM; Dinner 6 PM Zionist Organization of America - Justlice Louis D. Brandeis Award Dinner 2014 Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City
Hear from prominent featured guest speakers US Senator Ted Cruz, Professor Alan Dershowitz, Pastor John Hagee, Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson, Michael Leven, Mortimer Zuckerman, Bernie Marcus, along with National ZOA President, Morton A. Klein Information: http://zoa.org/dinner2014/ Sunday, December 7 - 5:00 PM 32nd Annual Beit El Gala Dinner Event Marriott Marquis Hotel 1535 Broadway (and 46th Street), NY NY The American Friends of Bet El is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization which works to secure the safety and security of Israel's citizens by raising awareness of Israel issues, promoting Israel activism and encouraging Aliyah through the activities of Bet El Institutions in Israel. 5 PM Smorgasbord, 6-9 PM Dinner & Program See http://wizadjournal.com/betelgala/ for details.
Wednesday, December 10 - 7:30 PM
An Evening with CAMERA Join The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America for an exclusive panel discussion followed by dessert reception. "Defamation of Israel on College Campuses" - Countering the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions Movement (BDS) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) At: Bnai Zion Foundation 136 East 39th Street New York, NY 10016 Moderator: Sarit Catz, CAMERA's International Letter Writing Director With: Professor William Jacobson, Professor of Law, Cornell University; Samantha Mandeles, CAMERA On Campus Editor-in-Chief and Senior Campus Coordinator; Justin Hayet, Student at Binghamton University and CAMERA Fellow. Register at: www.camera.org/events#NewYork For more info: contact Lori Posin, New York Regional Director at: lori@camera.org or 516-484-4848 |
