Jewish Defence League Parsha and Weekly Update

The Torah Parsha this week is Shoftim. "You shall set up judges and law enforcement officials for yourself in all your cities that the Lord, your God, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people [with] righteous judgment." (Deut 16:18) "and they shall judge the people [with] righteous judgment": Appoint judges who are expert and righteous so that they will judge justly. — [from Sifrei]

There are three basic foundations of our Jewish Faith. And they are as follows, the Torah, the Jewish People and the Land of Israel. It is against Jewish Law to change the Torah. It is also against Jewish Law to sacrifice any member of the Jewish People for personal desires. And it is also against Jewish Law for a Jew to deny the Jewish People's claim to all the Land of Israel. Therefore, in this context, it is against Jewish Law to accept Jewish Leadership that negates these basic foundations of Jewish Faith.

The Jewish Defence League of Canada is determined to educate the Jewish People and to demand that our leadership is accountable. There are groups in Canada that claim to be Jewish, however, they support groups that call for the destruction of Israel. And we have exposed them and will continue this policy to Confront and Expose. In the USA, the problem is more acute. There is a new organization called J Street. President Obama has recently raised their profile. It is my contention that the purpose of J Street is to push the State Department's anti Israel position upon the Jewish People. Please review the following information about J Street:

The J Street website describes its Advisory Council as including "over 160 prominent former public officials, policy experts, community and academic leaders." Two interesting names that immediately jump off the page are Marcia Freedman, the founder of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, and Steve Masters, the President of that organization. If one can assume that their identification with Brit Tzedek provides insight into their views on Israel, then a review of the organization's goals and actions would seem to be a legitimate barometer of those views.

Among other things, Brit Tzedek has collaborated with anti-Zionist groups, such as Jewish Voice for Peace, the Bay Area Women in Black, and the International Solidarity Movement, in and around San Francisco. Brit Tzedek refuses to identify itself as pro-Zionist and is reported to have criticized the singing of Hatikvah at a rally in support of the Annapolis Conference. It also lobbied against the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Bill in 2006, and reportedly accused the IDF of committing war crimes by using white phosphorous during the war in Gaza (even though Israel was found by the International Red Cross, which is usually highly critical of Israel, not to have committed war crimes by the use of phosphorus).

It is difficult to see how such actions by Brit Tzedek can be construed as "pro-Israel." Rather, they appear to run counter to Israel's interests and would seem, in the absence of any repudiation, to reflect the views of the organization's representatives. Consequently, it is curious that J Street could include representatives of Brit Tzedek on its Advisory Council without undercutting its supposedly pro-Israel credentials.

Another member of the Advisory Council is Ricken Patel, the co-founder and Executive Director of Avaaz.org., which describes itself as a "new global web movement with a simple democratic mission: to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people everywhere want." A review of the mission statement shows that the organization is devoted to left-wing causes across the globe. Avaaz claims to support a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, promotes the Palestinian national myth, and fails to identify Arab rejectionism as a core obstacle to peace. How Avaaz truly regards Israel can be inferred by reviewing the statement it posted during the war in Gaza. The posting states, in relevant part, as follows:

The people of Gaza are being squeezed to death. This week's blackouts have finally reached the attention of the world -- and the international community could help end the blockade. Our obligation is clear. This isn't about Israel vs Palestine or Hamas vs Fatah: this is about 1.5 million human beings locked up in the biggest prison on earth.... The humanitarian crisis of sealed-off Gaza is only getting worse, and a rain of missiles is falling.

Of course, Avaaz posted no such proclamations condemning Hamas for precipitating the war by its daily missile and terror attacks against Israeli civilians in the years following the disengagement from Gaza. Nor did it release any denunciations of Hamas for using Arab civilians as shields, or for locating artillery and other weaponry in homes, schools and hospitals. Again, it is difficult to see how J Street consolidates its position as a supposed advocate for Israel by including on its Advisory Council the Executive Director of an organization with such an apparently slanted view of the Middle East.

The Advisory Council also includes Peter Edelman and Norman Rosenberg, who are, respectively, the Board Chair and former CEO of the New Israel Fund. This organization is known for its support of radical groups that have attacked Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, and for funding Arab groups, such as Adala, Mossawa, and the Arab Human Rights Association, which are committed to the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state. In particular, Adala is uncompromising in its demand for the unlimited Arab "right of return," the purpose of which is to destroy Israel demographically.

A true Israel advocacy organization should marginalize groups such as the New Israel Fund, and by extension the radical associations they sponsor. Yet, J Street actually legitimizes the New Israel Fund and lends it an air of credibility by including its executives and representatives on the Advisory Council. J Street's endorsement by inclusion extends to other ultra-liberal Jewish groups who claim to speak for Jewish values, but whose understanding seems to be informed more by a secular left-leaning perspective or perversion of those values.

For example, the J Street Advisory Council also includes Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, a member of "Rabbis for Human Rights." Rabbi Firestone's orientation with respect to Israel can be inferred from her effort in organizing the "Jewish Fast for Gaza." A description of the fast appears at the website www.fastforgaza.net, and states in relevant part the following:

The Jewish Fast for Gaza is an ad hoc group of rabbis, Jews, and people of conscience who have committed to undertake a monthly daytime fast in support of the following goals:

1. To call for a lifting of the blockade that prevents the entry of civilian goods and services into Gaza;

2. To provide humanitarian and developmental aid to the people of Gaza;

3. To call upon Israel, the US, and the international community to engage in negotiations without pre-conditions with all relevant Palestinian parties - including Hamas - in order to end the blockade;

4. To encourage the American government to vigorously engage both Israelis and Palestinians toward a just and peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Rabbi Firestone rationalizes the fast with citations to Jewish sources. For example, she cites the Mishnah (Avot 1:18), for the maxim stating: "On three things the world stands: on justice, on truth and on peace," to justify the use of moral equivalence. Concerning this verse she states:

From this we learn that justice, truth and peace are interdependent and irrevocably intertwined. Thus we cannot separate our call for justice in Gaza from the painful truth of this conflict and the ongoing tragedy of war in this tortured region. We condemn Hamas' deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians. Out of the same ethical commitments we also condemn the use of much greater violence by the Israeli government, causing many more deaths of Palestinian civilians. Since the end of Israel's recent military campaign, the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza has grown all the more dire.

Like many liberal or left-wing critics of Israel, she also seems to employ the logic of moral equivalence to place the actions of Hamas and Israel on a level ethical playing field. With respect to the ascendancy of Hamas in Gaza she says:

Since Hamas' electoral victory in January 2006, Israel has subjected the Gaza Strip to an increasingly intolerable blockade that restricts Gaza's ability to import food, fuel and other essential materials, and to export finished products. As a result, the Gazan economy has completely collapsed. Most of Gaza's industrial plants have been forced to close, further contributing to already high levels of unemployment and poverty and rising levels of childhood malnutrition. (www.fastforgaza.net)

There is no need to parse the foregoing statements for intent or deeper meaning. The words plainly speak for themselves. The only question is how the views expressed or fairly implied by these words can be reconciled with J Street's claims of pro-Israel advocacy.

Perhaps most telling for J Street's supposed pro-Israel credentials is the inclusion of Robert Malley on its Advisory Council. There is simply no way to construe Malley as pro-Israel or even politically neutral. The son of anti-Israel ideologue Simon Malley, the younger Malley apparently did not fall far from the tree. As a writer, he has produced articles misrepresenting fact and history regarding Israel, including a New York Times op-ed entitled, "Fictions about the Failure of Camp David," in which he blamed Israel exclusively for the failure of Clinton's attempt to coerce a deal at Camp David. Malley expunged or minimized Arafat's responsibility for the Camp David fiasco and the preplanned intifada that followed. He co-wrote this article with frequent collaborator and former Arafat advisor Hussein Agha, and his revisionist account contrasts sharply with the recollections of Dennis Ross and Bill Clinton.

Moreover, Malley is associated with the International Crisis Group funded by George Soros, and was alleged to have served as Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East, although both Malley and the President denied that he served in any official capacity. Nevertheless, he reportedly met with representatives of the Syrian and Egyptian governments and allegedly with members of Hamas (although that too was denied) despite Hamas' inclusion on the U.S. terror watch list. He is also well known as an apologist for Hamas and Hezbollah, with whom he advocates dialogue despite their continued pledges to eradicate Israel; and has been criticized for actively seeking to weaken America's relationship with Israel.

Given Malley's apparent animus toward Israel, and his espousal of revisionist views, it is difficult to reconcile his inclusion on the Advisory Council with J Street's claimed affinity for Israel. Although Mr. Ben-Ami is certainly correct in his belief that support for Israel does not require agreement with all actions of the Israeli government, pro-Israel advocacy cannot be reconciled with the public words and deeds of individuals like Robert Malley.

PROTEST!!
EXPOSE AND CONFRONT J STREET

President Obama is more concerned with a few homes built for Jews in Israel, than Radical Iran building a Nuclear Bomb pointed at Israel !!

The Jewish Defence League of Canada and Shalom International of Miami Beach are calling upon all supporters of Israel to join with us, as we will Confront and Expose J Street at their 1st National Conference in Washington DC. In Late October, J Street will have a major conference in Washington DC. Many of their supporters fund groups that call for a boycott of Israel and refer to Israel as an "Apartheid State". In an effort to apply pressure on Israel, President Obama has given support to J Street and wants J Street to represent the Jewish People. It should be understood that much of J Street's monetary support comes from Arabs and Muslims. J Street's Moslem, Arab Donors are Revealed

Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 9:00am --Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 7:00pm

Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1000 H Street NW, Washington, DC

For information call how you can help, please call Jewish Defence League of Canada 416-736-7000 or www.jdl-canada.com

Shalom International of Miami Beach 305-864-5110, www.defendjerusalem.net

Join the Jewish Defence League of Canada
Come join us for “Movie Night” every Monday evening with the JDL, where thought-provoking videos will be shown followed by an active discussion session.
Monday August 31, 8:00 pm
Toronto Zionist Center, 788 Marlee Avenue
Rabbi Meir Kahane at Brandeis University, taking on this liberal campus and their liberal rabbis, turning many of them around and answering the verbal attacks in the sensational Kahane style.

Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

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The Jewish Defence League of Canada will resume our Elite Security Training Course, every Tuesday evening, 7:30 pm at the Zionist Center .

Our Elite Security Training Course is available for all fit adults and students. Contact our office for details at 416-736-7000

Join and support the Jewish Defence League of Canada.
Donations can be mailed to:

The Jewish Defence League of Canada
7305 Woodbine Ave #297 Markham, Ontario Canada, L3R 3V7

With Love of Israel,
Meir Weinstein, National Director
Jewish Defence League of Canada
www.jdl-canada.com