from: Mark Finkelstein

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Rosenblatt: First Step To Defeating Terror: Call It What It Is

 

Obama’s reluctance to call attacks anti-Semitic or terrorists Islamic radicals is troubling.

Mon, 02/16/2015

Gary Rosenblatt

 

As reports of terror attacks on Jews and Jewish targets in Europe mount, I find myself all too familiar with some of the tragic scenes.

In the summer of 2010, I spent a few days, including Shabbat, in Copenhagen and attended services twice a day at its beautiful, well preserved central synagogue. It was just outside that synagogue this past Saturday night that a gunman shot and killed a 24-year-old Jewish man who was standing guard while a bar mitzvah celebration took place inside.

On an earlier trip to Paris I shopped for kosher food in the neighborhood where a gunman shot and killed four Jews on a busy Friday afternoon, Jan. 9, two days after the Charlie Hebdo murders.

Back in the spring of 1998, I visited the Israeli Embassy in Paris and interviewed Ambassador Avi Pazner, who told me the remarkable history of the building, once the luxurious home of a wealthy Jew who was a Holocaust victim. The next day I flew to Djerba, the Tunisian island, for the annual celebration of Lag b’Omer, a time when thousands of Sephardic Jews, mostly from France and Morocco, return for a colorful parade through the streets of the small town. The ceremony begins and ends at a restored ancient synagogue, bathed in bright blue hues and believed to house a cornerstone rock that once was part of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Four years later, within a five-week period in the spring of 2002, the embassy in Paris was destroyed by a mysterious fire and a suicide bomber detonated a truck outside the Djerba synagogue, killing 14 German tourists and four others. Al Qaeda later claimed responsibility for the attacks.

In addition to thinking “there, but for the grace of God, go I,” these reminders of the long history and wide scope of terror attacks against Jewish targets were all the more jarring to me in light of President Obama’s seemingly willful efforts to deny that anti-Semitism is the common denominator here.

In a recent interview he said, “It is entirely legitimate for the American people to be deeply concerned when you’ve got a bunch of violent, vicious zealots who behead people or randomly shoot a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris.”

Perhaps, in his defense, one could note that the president, known for his eloquence, was speaking casually. But the offensive nature of the remark — “randomly shoot a bunch of folks” — was compounded when two administration spokespersons sought to defend Obama’s words. White House press secretary John Earnest said the next day that “the adverb the president chose was used to indicate that the individuals who were killed in that terrible incident were killed not because of who they were, but because of where they randomly happened to be.”

But the use of “randomly” is precisely what is so upsetting, given that the Islamic terrorist, Amedy Coulibaly, said during the tragic event, “I have 16 hostages and I have killed four, and I targeted them because they are Jewish.”

When pressed by a reporter, Jon Karl of ABC News, whether the “deli” was picked because it was kosher, Earnest replied, “No, Jon. Any random deli, Jon.”

And State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki described those murdered at the French supermarket as “not all victims of one background or nationality.” In fact, though, all four were Jewish.

She and Earnest later sent out tweets acknowledging that the attack was anti-Semitic. But their initial efforts, and President Obama’s remarks, are consistent with the administration’s policy of avoiding terms like radical Islamic terror. This is especially troubling when The New York Times reports that ISIS, the Islamic State that succeeds in attracting volunteers by trumpeting its barbarity, “is expanding beyond its base in Syria and Iraq to establish militant affiliates in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt and Libya, raising the prospect of a new global war on terror.”

But you can’t win a war against an unidentified enemy.

I understand the unwillingness of authorities to jump to conclusions about perpetrators and motives of violent acts. Most notably, we recall the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, when initial reports falsely assumed the source was foreign terrorism. Still, there are times when caution morphs into denial, like the tragic Brooklyn Bridge shooting in 1994, when 16-year-old Ari Halberstam was shot and killed by an Arab man driving alongside the van in which the Lubavitch student was a passenger.

At first the murder was described as a random act, and later the FBI described the motive as “road rage.” Only the persistence of Ari’s mother, Devorah Halberstam, in pursuing justice, led to the later acknowledgment that the murder was an act of terrorism and that the intended target was the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who was being driven home to Brooklyn after surgery in Manhattan.

The refusal of the White House to identify terrorism as terrorism and anti-Semitism as anti-Semitism, or to admit that the great majority of such barbaric acts come from Islamic radicals (whose most frequent targets are fellow Muslims), transcends semantics. It speaks to a resistance in recognizing a painful reality and a lack of fortitude needed to defeat — not avoid, placate or compromise with — the enemy not only of Jews but also of modern values and civilization.

Until that happens, “Never Again” will mean nothing more than “again and again.”

gary@jewishweek.org
 

Source: http://www.thejewishweek.com/editorial-opinion/gary-rosenblatt/first-step-defeating-terror-call-it-what-it

 

 

UPCOMING AT THE CASPE TERRACE

 

NYC area signatories of letter protesting Klinghoffer opera as morally objectionable

Open Letter to Peter Gelb September 22, 2014 Mr. Peter Gelb General Manager The Metropolitan Opera Lincoln Center New York, NY 10023 Dear Mr. Gelb, We have closely followed the events which have unfolded since the decision to stage “The Death of Klinghoffer” at The Metropolitan Opera. In making the decision to stage this opera in New York at this time, it could well have been anticipated that this production, and the sensitivities around its story, would generate divisiveness. The disappointment and negative reaction that is now playing out is therefore not surprising. There are many dimensions of this opera that are upsetting. In particular, the opera’s juxtaposition of terrorists and their victims on the same moral plane is gravely inappropriate. Moreover, this production runs the risk of legitimizing acts of terror, which is particularly sensitive now as anti-Jewish attacks and expressions of hatred against Jews have reached frightening levels around the globe, and innocent American journalists have been cruelly beheaded by radical Islamists. As we would never try to find the humanity in those who perpetrated the barbarism of 9-11, whose 13th anniversary we just commemorated, it is surely morally objectionable to seek the same for Mr. Klinghoffer's executioners. Mr. Gelb, while we recognize the steps you have taken to minimize the viewership outside of New York, we remain deeply disturbed that this production will be staged at the Metropolitan Opera. Signed, Ronald G. Weiner, President, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York Michael S. Miller, Executive Vice President and CEO, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York Alisa R. Doctoroff, President, UJA-Federation of New York Linda Mirels, Chair of the Board, UJA-Federation of New York Eric S. Goldstein, CEO, UJA-Federation of New York Rabbi Steve Gutow, President and CEO, Jewish Council for Public Affairs Ethan Felson, Vice President and General Counsel, Jewish Council for Public Affairs Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner, President, New York Board of Rabbis Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Executive Vice President, New York Board of Rabbis Marcie Natan, President, Hadassah Ellen Hershkin, Coordinator of the PRAZE Division, Hadassah Gail Perl, President, WIZO USA Martin Nachimson, President, Orthodox Union Allen Fagin, Executive Vice President, Orthodox Union Richard Skolnik, President, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Rabbi Steven Wernick, CEO, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Farley Weiss, President, National Council of Young Israel Robert Levi, Chairman, National Council of Young Israel Rabbi Yosef Blau, President, Religious Zionists of America Martin Oliner, Chairman, Religious Zionists of America Feliks Frenkel, Chairman of the Board, Council of Jewish Emigre Community Organizations Roman Shmulenson, Executive Director, Council of Jewish Emigre Community Organizations Jack Grunspan, Executive Vice President, Bnai Zion Foundation Alicia Post, Director, Northeast Region, Bnai Zion Foundation Michael Feinman, Greater New York Executive Director, Jewish National Fund David Newman, Executive Director, JCRC-LI Paul B. Warhit, President, Westchester Jewish Council William H. Schrag, Executive Committee Member, Westchester Jewish Council Gale S. Bindelglass, Chair, JCRC of the Jewish Federation of Northern NJ Joy Kurland, Director, JCRC of the Jewish Federation of Northern NJ Rabbi Steven Moss, President, Suffolk County Board of Rabbis Rabbi Michael Stanger, President, Long Island Board of Rabbis Cynthia Zalisky, Executive Director, Queens Jewish Community Council Stephen Reiner, President, Kings Bay YM-YWHA Leonard Petlakh, Executive Director, Kings Bay YM-YWHA Maya Gurevich, President, New York Association of Jews from the Former Soviet Union Inna Arolovich, Vice President, New York Association of Jews from the Former Soviet Union Zaki Tamir, Chairman, Crown Heights Jewish Community Council Rabbi Eli Cohen, Executive Director, Crown Heights Jewish Community Council Avrohom Hecht, Executive Director, JCC of Canarsie Michael Rosenbaum, President, Board of Directors, Sid Jacobson JCC David Black, Executive Director, Sid Jacobson JCC Steven Markowitz, Chairman, Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County Avi Posnick, New York Regional Coordinator, StandWithUs *Full list in formation

 

Action Alert: Online Petition to Prevent Hamas from Rearming!

Advocating for A Ceasefire that Prevents Hamas from Rearming   Here is an online petition you can sign and pass along to others to show your support for having the U.S. craft a long term ceasefire that would prevent another major conflict sparked by Hamas in the near future!   Here is the location online of the petition:  http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/a-ceasefire-that-prevents-hamas-from-rearming        The content of the petition is based on "Toward an Enduring Ceasefire: Preventing the Rocket Rearmament of Gaza Terrorist Groups," a study prepared by the Washington Institute for Near East Studies.  http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/toward-an-enduring-ceasefire-preventing-the-rocket-rearmament-of-gaza-terro      Here is the text of the petition:   A Ceasefire that Prevents Hamas from Rearming   WE urge the U.S. Administration to work with allies to promote a long term ceasefire in which Gaza terrorist groups are prevented from rearming and rebuilding their military capabilities.  These requirements would serve as a first step toward the disarmament and eventual demilitarization of Gaza, conditions necessary to protect the work of reconstruction in Gaza and to prevent a recurrence of hostilities sparked by Hamas and other militant factions in the region.   Thank you in advance for your endorsement!   Shalom,   JCRC     Comments to jcrc@dmjfed.org

 

Op Ed: Why Israel matters

Why Israel matters

By Matt Strawn 8:42 p.m. CDT August 20, 2014 Des Moines Register

Imagine living in West Des Moines under the threat, that at any moment, a terrorist rocket could be launched toward your community from a nearby site.

Would you send your children to school? Would you go to work? Would you even go to the grocery store? Would major cultural and sporting events be canceled? Would life as you and your family know it grind to a halt?

As I stood in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem earlier this month during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, that is exactly the scenario I began to contemplate as the threat of terrorist-launched rockets from Gaza - a scant 40-plus miles away - provided us approximately 90 seconds to seek shelter. That is roughly the distance between Newton and West Des Moines.

Despite that omnipresent threat, the beaches of Tel Aviv and cafes of Jerusalem were packed, entrepreneurs were pitching me about their start-up companies, children were playing outside and Israelis were living their lives.

Why does this matter to Iowans, who are thousands of miles away from the images of war appearing inside our newspapers and within our social media feeds?

Sure, in recent months, a number of Iowa's business leaders and government officials have been taking steps to expand investment and trade between our state and Israel. But there is simply more than commerce at stake in the Middle East. It is the preservation of a set of shared values, democratic ideals and human dignity.

While in Jerusalem, I had the humbling opportunity to speak with a woman whose family and community lives along the Gaza border. Her raw emotion, exhaustion and bravery was palpable as she described how families in her village (or kibbutz) have 15 seconds to seek shelter during rocket attacks, how an attack hit their community that very morning, and the psychological trauma to children brought on by these constant threats.

I examined the shrapnel in my hands from a prior rocket attack upon her community as she demonstrated a "Monopoly-style" board game that had been created by therapists to help children cope with growing up within the shadows of terror. I heard the stories of children who go to bed fully clothed and literally sleep with one foot on the floor so as to not lose a precious second if the rocket sirens wail.

The heartbreaking stories exist on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border. I spoke with an exasperated Palestinian human rights activist about the hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid confiscated by Hamas to build a vast infrastructure of terror. I visited with a young Israeli special forces solider who saw with his own eyes the restraints used by Hamas on its own civilians to create human shields when launching rockets from residential neighborhoods.

As one senior member of the Israeli parliament told me, "The fight is over a culture that values life, versus a culture that values death." Or, perhaps it was said more succinctly by one Israeli when I commented on the resolute nature of the nation's citizens: "It is easy to find moral clarity when rockets are falling on your kindergartens."

Iowans, like most Americans, are weary from a decade-plus of war that has depleted billions from our treasury and exacted an even greater cost in American blood. I am equally confident Iowans join me in hoping and praying that it does not take similar attacks on our kindergartens for Americans to have the resolve to stand with those who share our values, even if they are thousands of miles from home.

MATT STRAWN, an Ankeny businessman and former chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, is a founding board member of Iowans Supporting Israel, a nonpartisan group of statewide business, civic and faith leaders who are encouraging stronger ties between Iowa and Israel. Contact: mnstrawn@strawnco.com.

Source: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/2014/08/20/israel-matters/14369337/

Sunday: Israel Event - A Conversation with Shmuel Rosner

Temple B'nai Jeshurun is proud to host a conversation with well-known Israeli writer and frequent contributor to the New York Times, Shmuel Rosner, Senior Political Editor of The Jewish Journal, who will be Skyping with us from Tel Aviv as we discuss the state of the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. Co-sponsored by JCRC

Sunday, August 10, at 11 am

 

 

Shmuel Rosner

 

Sunday, August 10, at 11 am

 

Temple B'nai Jeshurun

 

5101 Grand Ave in Des Moines, IA

 

For more information, please call 515-274-4679