Are we arguing that there is no racism against Palestinians in our nation or are we agreeing there is racism being targeted at Jewish people? This is why I DO NOT SUPPORT THE PROTESTS. I don’t need people screaming hatred. But I also don’t want a government funding endless wars that do NOTHING to protect all of us in the US. Presumably, Israel cannot do what it’s doing in Gaza, which the administration apparently takes issue with, BUT FOR US military weapons. I am allowed to
Oppose funding a bad strategy and that does NOT make me a racist. I am sure I can find other things in life I have said or done that could show I have racial biases, as could all of us. But being opposed to Netanyahu is not anti-semitism; HOWEVER, supporting Hamas IS RACISM. So here is an idea, criticize and demand better than Netanyahu and CONDEMN Hamas.
Sick of “zionism” as a term. Everyone has a different definition. If a zionist must support Netanyahu’s failed strategy in Gaza and a zionist cannot criticize Netanyahu as a war mongering, failure of a leader then I am NOT a zionist. But if a zionist means I support Israel’s right to exist and condemn those who believe Israel has no right to exist, then I AM a zionist.
Anyone pushing to exclude anyone does not support American values. BUT, I have every right to criticize Netanyahu’s incompetent, ineffective, and destructive bombing campaign in Gaza. I also have a right to condemn US for sending weapons and funding this failed leader’s strategy. Netanyahu is a complete failure as a leader. He is on trial for corruption. He encouraged Hamas in Gaza, and turned a blind eye. Netanyahu’s administration failed to defend Israel on 10/7. He is a complete failure.
Hamas are terrorists, period. I don’t care what they want. I never care what terrorists want. Their actions led to the death of children, some were intentionally killed by lunatics who joined the fight. The “beheaded babies” was likely hyperbole and UNNECESSARY hyperbole. You kill one kid; you are out, period. By the way that unsuccessful attack on Israel maimed a little girl, so I could care less about Iran.
My issue is with the strategy that Israel has implemented. In la la land, America still stands with Israel due to powerful lobbyists who influence our weak government. Same lobbyists help fund regimes like Saudi Arabia and other corrupt states. Same lobbyists push to arm Zelensky, who canceled elections in great democracy of Ukraine.
People should be aware: Israel has been condemned by most of world. Israel is a government. Hamas is a terrorist organization. So Hamas attacks Israel. Israel responds like an incompetent, unsophisticated, stampeding elephant, and we should blindly defend Netanyahu’s strategy? Often in life, appearances become reality. In la la land, a weak administration still funds Israel’s war (yet condemns it as it is funding it, which makes US look even worse than whatever people think of Israel. US becomes a puppet.). Funding this type of strategy is not helping Israel’s people, nor Jewish people around the world, MANY OF WHOM DO NOT SUPPORT NETANYAHU!
Some of the protests are fueled by pure racism against Jews. Some of BLM protests were pure racism against whites, and some of both protests are fueled by social justice warrior narcissists. BUT some of the protestors around the world DO NOT SUPPORT TERRORISM and want Israel to pause its current strategy.
If a terrorist group from Puerto Rico bombed the mainland US; I would not support a massive evacuation of Puerto Rico, killing thousands of innocents to get to the criminals. I would wonder how that organization developed in the first place and look to remove anyone in my government involved. Then you seek international support to demand release of hostages. You hunt the terrorists through your spy network with the HELP of all governments and take them out one by one. Meanwhile you support the suffering civilians and offer them a better way to live. OR carry on as always and the worthless region known as Middle East will never have peace, so terrorism wins! Terrorism ONLY wants chaos. Israel fell right into the trap. Why? See Netanyahu.
I saw the “stabbed in an eye” video. That’s called hyperbole. There are enough examples of racism and antisemitism that we don’t need to fuel hyperbole. Are people rude at protests? Yes. Do some people blame all Jewish people for Netanyahu’s incompetent, ineffective and destructive strategy to “stop Hamas.” Yes. Are these people racists? Yes. Are many Palestinians likely racist against Jews having been bred with hate. Yes. Do some Israelis see Palestinians as less than human and blame all Palestinians/Gazans for Hamas’ atrocities. If the US funds Israel’s war does it have a right to dictate the terms: AND THAT IS WHERE I SAY YES! I say yes not just ti Israel, but Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, any nation living off our taxes MUST abide by our rules. If you don’t want to listen don’t take your parents’ money.
This is where I call baloney on a lot of this controversy. The issue is whether US needs to fund Israel’s bombing of Gaza. The answer is a resounding NO, UNLESS the Administration supports Netanyahu’s atrocious strategy. My anger is at Biden Administration. What does it believe? Does it believe in this failed strategy? It’s funding it. When you don’t believe in a stock, but continue to invest not only in the company, but directly in the decisions you disagree with then you are to blame for the failure.
I watched videos of Columbia University student behavior on Sunday, April 21st. The pro-Palestinian students appeared to be acting on compassion. But, there are two compassion pathways. Compassion pathway A is driven by rules-based morality. Such compassion is derived from insult that sacred societal rules are violated. Compassion pathway A leads to response from the criminal justice system. Pathway A is characterized by “leading by example” and demonstrating respect for societal rules.
Compassion pathway B channels compassion for victims into anger, grievance and hatred towards the designated “offender” or as we saw on Sunday, “offender groups”. This pathway leads to vengeance and violence. In one video, a pro-Palestinian protester held a sign with an arrow pointing to the left - the direction of a Jewish student a few feet away. Sign read “John Doe’s next target”. John Doe is a terrorist who kills Jews/Israelis. Or translation -“I want you to die.”
“We hope they die” - was chanted outside a Los Angeles hospital by anti-police protesters in mid-September 2020. Inside the hospital were two sheriff deputies shot in the head by a gunman. Those protesters also embraced pathway B. The attempted murder of two deputies followed an early August anti-sheriff email that I considered defamatory. It was sent to 7,750 departmental employees by the a health director Jane Doe in obvious solidarity with SF-Gov DEI.
DEI is clearly a pathway B enterprise. I protested against war for 30 years, peacefully and lawfully as were the thousands and tens and hundreds of thousands around me. We viewed violence as counterproductive, hypocritical and bad-PR. That was before DEI.
Thankfully NYC Mayor Adams responded with an attempt to stop the illegal conduct. But, Columbia University- a private institution refused to invite NYPD onto the campus. A university where students believe they can intimidate, harass, scare and attack others is the result of failed leadership. “All lives matter” is the only pathway forward for Columbia and for all other DEI-colonized universities. Columbia needs a new president, as well as Yale.
This is unadulterated antisemitism and hate. I live across the street from Yeshiva University. Shortly after October 7th, I watched from my apartment window in horror as a pro Gaza march came down Lexington Ave. They were carrying Hamas flags and signs that said F Israel. They yelled hateful chants about killing Jews and shouted “from the river to the sea.” Many of their faces were all covered. As they approached Yeshiva University, they spat at on the students, dumped over the garbage cans, and threw trash at them. It was anything but peaceful. After they passed, I came down to walk my dog and saw nazi symbols graffitied on nearby buildings and Free Palestine was spray painted across Yeshiva. My heart just sank. I was shocked, horrified, and terrified as my son was on his way home from school. I was actually afraid for him. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine something like this happening in NYC.
Question from a (very) happy subscriber. Have you seen any reporting on the composition of the college protesters, I frankly have not seen very much at all. Please let me know if you have something you could point me to. If not would the Free Press consider investigating? Among the questions I have are: how many are they; who are they--students versus outsiders; who are the leaders; what is the composition of the leadership, Islamic versus far left; is there outside funding involved. They seem awfully well organized and pretty well funded.
Sadly successful minorities are tremendously disliked--no group more so than the Jews. This has to stop. The tribalism is at its worst of anywhere I have seen. I don't know the answer but isn't it the job of these politicians to figure it out? Israel and the US should put Special Ops in to try to eradicate Hamas although it will never completely go away. The killing of innocents on both sides is horrific. They need to figure it out and stop this violence that very few in the US can even conceive. Sabrinalabow.substack.com
I would love to know the breakdown of arrests between students, faculty and those with no university affiliation. Is there a way to understand this. Seems an arrest list and student rooster should be easy to acquire and cross reference. Everything starting with Oct 7th seems more orchestrated than Beyonce's country album release. Who are these activists? I'm assuming well planted faculty and outside protesters out number students. A failing grade will put most students back in study hall and away from the overnight protests. Hopefully, deadlines and grades will be enforced over the next few weeks. That is the least these universities can do. Wishful thinking.
There needs to be a collective Jewish response- action. I recently met with Times of Israel journalist Haviv Rettig Gur while in Israel (he was on Bari's Israel series podcast #3). He reminded me that these protesters are on our campuses and in our city counsel meetings not to change the minds of others or fight for freedoms, but to intimidate and silence Jews, period. They are attempting to fundamentally sabotage our democracy -starting with Jews, which is where fascism always attacks first. He went on to encourage us to show up to these protests and meetings not only to fight anti-semitism, but to fight for American democracy. I am on my temple board and involved in our JCC in the Bay Area, but I am still lost as to the next collective step. Is there a Federation movement, an ADL response, etc? How can we be loud and active together?
I am grateful that at least The Free Press is talking about what is happening!
Are we arguing that there is no racism against Palestinians in our nation or are we agreeing there is racism being targeted at Jewish people? This is why I DO NOT SUPPORT THE PROTESTS. I don’t need people screaming hatred. But I also don’t want a government funding endless wars that do NOTHING to protect all of us in the US. Presumably, Israel cannot do what it’s doing in Gaza, which the administration apparently takes issue with, BUT FOR US military weapons. I am allowed to
Oppose funding a bad strategy and that does NOT make me a racist. I am sure I can find other things in life I have said or done that could show I have racial biases, as could all of us. But being opposed to Netanyahu is not anti-semitism; HOWEVER, supporting Hamas IS RACISM. So here is an idea, criticize and demand better than Netanyahu and CONDEMN Hamas.
Sick of “zionism” as a term. Everyone has a different definition. If a zionist must support Netanyahu’s failed strategy in Gaza and a zionist cannot criticize Netanyahu as a war mongering, failure of a leader then I am NOT a zionist. But if a zionist means I support Israel’s right to exist and condemn those who believe Israel has no right to exist, then I AM a zionist.
This has become a term without a clear meaning.
Anyone pushing to exclude anyone does not support American values. BUT, I have every right to criticize Netanyahu’s incompetent, ineffective, and destructive bombing campaign in Gaza. I also have a right to condemn US for sending weapons and funding this failed leader’s strategy. Netanyahu is a complete failure as a leader. He is on trial for corruption. He encouraged Hamas in Gaza, and turned a blind eye. Netanyahu’s administration failed to defend Israel on 10/7. He is a complete failure.
Hamas are terrorists, period. I don’t care what they want. I never care what terrorists want. Their actions led to the death of children, some were intentionally killed by lunatics who joined the fight. The “beheaded babies” was likely hyperbole and UNNECESSARY hyperbole. You kill one kid; you are out, period. By the way that unsuccessful attack on Israel maimed a little girl, so I could care less about Iran.
My issue is with the strategy that Israel has implemented. In la la land, America still stands with Israel due to powerful lobbyists who influence our weak government. Same lobbyists help fund regimes like Saudi Arabia and other corrupt states. Same lobbyists push to arm Zelensky, who canceled elections in great democracy of Ukraine.
People should be aware: Israel has been condemned by most of world. Israel is a government. Hamas is a terrorist organization. So Hamas attacks Israel. Israel responds like an incompetent, unsophisticated, stampeding elephant, and we should blindly defend Netanyahu’s strategy? Often in life, appearances become reality. In la la land, a weak administration still funds Israel’s war (yet condemns it as it is funding it, which makes US look even worse than whatever people think of Israel. US becomes a puppet.). Funding this type of strategy is not helping Israel’s people, nor Jewish people around the world, MANY OF WHOM DO NOT SUPPORT NETANYAHU!
Some of the protests are fueled by pure racism against Jews. Some of BLM protests were pure racism against whites, and some of both protests are fueled by social justice warrior narcissists. BUT some of the protestors around the world DO NOT SUPPORT TERRORISM and want Israel to pause its current strategy.
If a terrorist group from Puerto Rico bombed the mainland US; I would not support a massive evacuation of Puerto Rico, killing thousands of innocents to get to the criminals. I would wonder how that organization developed in the first place and look to remove anyone in my government involved. Then you seek international support to demand release of hostages. You hunt the terrorists through your spy network with the HELP of all governments and take them out one by one. Meanwhile you support the suffering civilians and offer them a better way to live. OR carry on as always and the worthless region known as Middle East will never have peace, so terrorism wins! Terrorism ONLY wants chaos. Israel fell right into the trap. Why? See Netanyahu.
I saw the “stabbed in an eye” video. That’s called hyperbole. There are enough examples of racism and antisemitism that we don’t need to fuel hyperbole. Are people rude at protests? Yes. Do some people blame all Jewish people for Netanyahu’s incompetent, ineffective and destructive strategy to “stop Hamas.” Yes. Are these people racists? Yes. Are many Palestinians likely racist against Jews having been bred with hate. Yes. Do some Israelis see Palestinians as less than human and blame all Palestinians/Gazans for Hamas’ atrocities. If the US funds Israel’s war does it have a right to dictate the terms: AND THAT IS WHERE I SAY YES! I say yes not just ti Israel, but Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, any nation living off our taxes MUST abide by our rules. If you don’t want to listen don’t take your parents’ money.
This is where I call baloney on a lot of this controversy. The issue is whether US needs to fund Israel’s bombing of Gaza. The answer is a resounding NO, UNLESS the Administration supports Netanyahu’s atrocious strategy. My anger is at Biden Administration. What does it believe? Does it believe in this failed strategy? It’s funding it. When you don’t believe in a stock, but continue to invest not only in the company, but directly in the decisions you disagree with then you are to blame for the failure.
Bari, how can we help? I buy clothing with the Star of David on it but feel so helpless!
So where are the police and the feds? Why haven't these schools had their federal money, their charters, and their accreditation suspended?
I watched videos of Columbia University student behavior on Sunday, April 21st. The pro-Palestinian students appeared to be acting on compassion. But, there are two compassion pathways. Compassion pathway A is driven by rules-based morality. Such compassion is derived from insult that sacred societal rules are violated. Compassion pathway A leads to response from the criminal justice system. Pathway A is characterized by “leading by example” and demonstrating respect for societal rules.
Compassion pathway B channels compassion for victims into anger, grievance and hatred towards the designated “offender” or as we saw on Sunday, “offender groups”. This pathway leads to vengeance and violence. In one video, a pro-Palestinian protester held a sign with an arrow pointing to the left - the direction of a Jewish student a few feet away. Sign read “John Doe’s next target”. John Doe is a terrorist who kills Jews/Israelis. Or translation -“I want you to die.”
“We hope they die” - was chanted outside a Los Angeles hospital by anti-police protesters in mid-September 2020. Inside the hospital were two sheriff deputies shot in the head by a gunman. Those protesters also embraced pathway B. The attempted murder of two deputies followed an early August anti-sheriff email that I considered defamatory. It was sent to 7,750 departmental employees by the a health director Jane Doe in obvious solidarity with SF-Gov DEI.
DEI is clearly a pathway B enterprise. I protested against war for 30 years, peacefully and lawfully as were the thousands and tens and hundreds of thousands around me. We viewed violence as counterproductive, hypocritical and bad-PR. That was before DEI.
Thankfully NYC Mayor Adams responded with an attempt to stop the illegal conduct. But, Columbia University- a private institution refused to invite NYPD onto the campus. A university where students believe they can intimidate, harass, scare and attack others is the result of failed leadership. “All lives matter” is the only pathway forward for Columbia and for all other DEI-colonized universities. Columbia needs a new president, as well as Yale.
The Wall Street Journal ran an editorial that Biden should send federal troops similar to Little Rock, Arkansas. I agree!
This is unadulterated antisemitism and hate. I live across the street from Yeshiva University. Shortly after October 7th, I watched from my apartment window in horror as a pro Gaza march came down Lexington Ave. They were carrying Hamas flags and signs that said F Israel. They yelled hateful chants about killing Jews and shouted “from the river to the sea.” Many of their faces were all covered. As they approached Yeshiva University, they spat at on the students, dumped over the garbage cans, and threw trash at them. It was anything but peaceful. After they passed, I came down to walk my dog and saw nazi symbols graffitied on nearby buildings and Free Palestine was spray painted across Yeshiva. My heart just sank. I was shocked, horrified, and terrified as my son was on his way home from school. I was actually afraid for him. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine something like this happening in NYC.
Arrest these Nazi's. Zero Tolerance for this BS! Imagine the message we're giving to Jews around the world as well as Hamas!
Question from a (very) happy subscriber. Have you seen any reporting on the composition of the college protesters, I frankly have not seen very much at all. Please let me know if you have something you could point me to. If not would the Free Press consider investigating? Among the questions I have are: how many are they; who are they--students versus outsiders; who are the leaders; what is the composition of the leadership, Islamic versus far left; is there outside funding involved. They seem awfully well organized and pretty well funded.
thanks
Sadly successful minorities are tremendously disliked--no group more so than the Jews. This has to stop. The tribalism is at its worst of anywhere I have seen. I don't know the answer but isn't it the job of these politicians to figure it out? Israel and the US should put Special Ops in to try to eradicate Hamas although it will never completely go away. The killing of innocents on both sides is horrific. They need to figure it out and stop this violence that very few in the US can even conceive. Sabrinalabow.substack.com
I would love to know the breakdown of arrests between students, faculty and those with no university affiliation. Is there a way to understand this. Seems an arrest list and student rooster should be easy to acquire and cross reference. Everything starting with Oct 7th seems more orchestrated than Beyonce's country album release. Who are these activists? I'm assuming well planted faculty and outside protesters out number students. A failing grade will put most students back in study hall and away from the overnight protests. Hopefully, deadlines and grades will be enforced over the next few weeks. That is the least these universities can do. Wishful thinking.
There needs to be a collective Jewish response- action. I recently met with Times of Israel journalist Haviv Rettig Gur while in Israel (he was on Bari's Israel series podcast #3). He reminded me that these protesters are on our campuses and in our city counsel meetings not to change the minds of others or fight for freedoms, but to intimidate and silence Jews, period. They are attempting to fundamentally sabotage our democracy -starting with Jews, which is where fascism always attacks first. He went on to encourage us to show up to these protests and meetings not only to fight anti-semitism, but to fight for American democracy. I am on my temple board and involved in our JCC in the Bay Area, but I am still lost as to the next collective step. Is there a Federation movement, an ADL response, etc? How can we be loud and active together?
Any pro-Palestine supporter who doesn't follow Aaron Bushnell's example is simply a fraud. It's the only effective way to help the Gazans.