Elder of Ziyon Daily News

Brandeis using J StreetU to repair relations with Al Quds U
04/11 Links Pt2: ScarJo Tells the Truth About Anti-Semitism; Code Pink Funded by CAT Shares
Report: Israel demands removal of UN official who blamed Arab problems on Israel

Brandeis using J StreetU to repair relations with Al Quds U

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 03:00 PM PDT

I had to check the calendar, but no, Purim was a month ago and we are past April Fools as well.

From Free Beacon:

Two student leaders of J Street who recently came under fire for heckling an Israeli soldier have been selected by Brandeis University to help repair the school's relationship with the Palestinian Al Quds University, which has hosted several anti-Israel terror rallies on its campus.
Brandeis was forced to sever its long-term partnership with Al Quds after it hosted a military rally last year that featured masked men performing the traditional Nazi salute. A second Hamas rally was held in late March.
Two leaders of J Street's campus group, J Street U, were recently given a $10,000 grant to travel to Al Quds and spearhead a "student dialogue initiative" aimed at repairing relations between the two universities.
The students—Eli Philip and Catriona Stewart—serve as the copresidents of Brandeis's J Street U group. They most recently drew headlines for heckling a former IDF soldier who was speaking on campus.
The Al Quds dialogue initiative comes at a critical time for Brandeis, which is facing a fierce backlash for rescinding an honorary degree from the Islamic human rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
The J Street leaders were awarded the $10,000 as part of Brandeis's Davis Projects for Peace program, which encourages students to "design grassroots projects for peace."
...Al Quds students associated with Islamic Jihad's campus faction donning black military gear and mock automatic weapons. They then marched across the school's campus flashing the traditional Nazi salute.
J Street leaders Philip and Stewart say that the Nazi rally inspired them to pursue the new partnership, which will allow a delegation of Brandeis students to spend a week at Al Quds.
...The students claim that Brandeis's decision to cut ties with Al Quds "lacked appreciation for [former Al Quds University head Sari] Nusseibeh's desire to uphold the values of free speech and respect, as well as for the realities of life in the West Bank."
J Street U sparked a row on Brandeis's campus late last year, when Philip and others were reported to have been "disruptive and rude" during a speech by former IDF spokesman Barak Raz.
"Philip and his [J Street U] colleagues were so disruptive during Raz's talk that there were calls for him to resign his student leadership position for having embarrassed the Brandeis community," the Jewish Press reported at the time.
Raz later responded to the incident by stating that Philip "walked in [to the event], over an hour late, and aside from the disruptive chatter, missed the points that were made."
"The behavior you displayed was quite sub-par," Raz wrote, adding that "should you desire to continue this conversation, it's probably best done in a way that reflects a little more integrity. I'm surprised that while you came to learn and listen, you refused to do that."

Here's part of the grant proposal.

Brandeis seems to be teaching the philosophy that the worse people act, the more important it is to reward them.

(h/t Daniel Mael)

04/11 Links Pt2: ScarJo Tells the Truth About Anti-Semitism; Code Pink Funded by CAT Shares

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 01:00 PM PDT

From Ian:

ScarJo Tells the Truth About Anti-Semitism

In an interview with the Guardian, she refused to accept the premise that settlements were illegal and defended the factory as a model of coexistence. That has brought down on her the contempt of anti-Israel ideologues and left open the question as to whether the career of the woman who was twice named the "sexiest woman in the world" by Esquire would suffer in an industry dominated by the left and more dependent than ever on revenue from international markets.
Reportedly in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine to be published in May, the actress doesn't shy away from getting to the heart of this matter. As YNet reports:
American Jewish actress Scarlett Johansson believes anti-Semitism is to blame for much of the fire she drew earlier this year over her endorsement of Israeli company SodaStream, which operates a factory in the West Bank.
"There's a lot of anti-Semitism out there," Johansson told Vanity Fair, in an interview for the cover of their May edition.
A member of the Hollywood elite has never spoken truer words. While this will undoubtedly cause even more criticism of the actress, by raising the question of anti-Semitism, Johansson has cut straight to the heart of the problem with the movement that seeks to boycott Israel.

Multi Millionaire BDS'er Medea Benjamin is a shareholder of Caterpillar

The anti-Israel movement is built upon a fragile foundation of lies, omissions and hypocrisy. Shake it just a bit, it comes crumbling down. Wait for the dust to clear- you'll be surprised at what's revealed.
Medea Benjamin is the co-founder of Global Exchange. Wearing her Code Pink hat, she was front and center at the occupy movement, bemoaning the influence of the 1%. Yet both her and her colleague Jodie Evans are 1 percenters, who toy with their activists like true puppetmasters.
In spite of her populist rhetoric, Medea Benjamin controls the assets of a foundation worth 12 million dollars.
What does the Benjamin Foundation spend its funds on? Just what you'd expect. Extremist groups like Code Pink and JVP. Agitprop sites like Mondoweiss and Democracy now. Thats not a surprise. However, this might be.
Where does Medea Benjamin invest her money? In classic "Do as I say, not as i do" mode Medea's money is working hard for her in Intel, General Electric, and wait for it...Caterpillar. All objects du rage for the BDS cru. Apparently divestment does not begin at home.

Caroline Glick: A moving, just discovered speech by the immortal Ben Hecht, Jewish warrior

I just read an amazing speech Ben Hecht gave in 1948 at a fundraiser for the Etzel or Irgun, Menachem Begin's Zionist army in the pre-state years that played a decisive role in forcing the British to finally leave the land of Israel.
The entire text, and the backstory are published in The Jewish Review of Books.
Here's an excerpt, but the entire address is moving and informative. I urge you to read the whole thing and think about Hecht, and be inspired by his legacy at Pessach.

Douglas Murray: Brandeis Backs Arsonists, Dumps Firefighter

So let's get this straight: Unindicted co-conspirator in a terrorism trial equals good. Woman who campaigns against religious oppression equals bad.
When Hirsi Ali was being persecuted in the Netherlands, I remember scolding the Dutch public in the Dutch media. I wonder now if I might directly address American readers, not with a scold but with a plea? Please make your views known to Brandeis. Make it be known that Brandeis will not get another penny of funding from anyone who believes in actual human rights. Make it known to Brandeis that Americans, at any rate, can still tell the difference between a firefighter and a pack of arsonists. Make it clear to Brandeis that their actions are beneath the dignity of a university in a free country and beneath the contempt of the American people. A university founded on the concept of liberty is offering up its freedoms at the dictate of fanatics. If that catches on it will not only be Americans who will suffer. Between supporters of terrorism such as CAIR and Hirsi Ali, there should not even be a debate over whom free societies should choose.

Honor Dishonored: Brandeis and Ayaan Hirsi Ali

We cannot blame the Brandeis students—not when they have been taught to be super-sensitive to permanently "offended" Muslim feelings, not when the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR, or the Muslim Brotherhood in America), has so successfully indoctrinated their Muslim Student Association flock into believing that black is white—and for thinking in radically black-and-white ways.
The world is watching. How can Brandeis ever remove the stain from its reputation? Would Louis D. Brandeis, the first Jewish-American Supreme Court Justice, be allowed to speak at his namesake university today? After all, he wrote:
"In the frank expression of conflicting opinions lies the greatest promise of wisdom in governmental actions." And:"Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants."

Brandeis failure: Supporting women's rights matters most when it's politically difficult

The fact that Brandeis has bowed to pressure and canceled its plans to award Hirsi Ali an honorary degree at commencement should not be a surprise. It is merely a continuation of a decades-long trend in academia towards placating the left, and in favor of cowardice.
It's an especially interesting incident, though, because it highlights the fact that, in a choice between protecting women's rights and protecting Islam—two causes beloved of the left—the latter apparently trumps the former in importance.

MAEL: 'The Double Standard is Blatant'

The double standard is blatant. When Tony Kushner came and spoke the past-president gave a statement saying that they were honoring him simply for his commitment to furthering human rights across the world and his role in society, not his political views or his views toward Israel. The same applied to Desmond Tutu. Desmond Tutu also had the audacity to tell Jewish people who opposed his anti-Semitism, "tough luck." But yet, when it comes to issues where CAIR gets involved, the university caved. And I can tell you the message is clear on universities, specifically Brandeis University: when known anti-Semites and people who oppose Israel's right to exist come and get an (honorary) degree, it's OK. But when other people speak up, especially Ms. Ali, who should be praised for her commitment to stop female genital mutilation, to stop honor killings and to stop forced marriage, somehow it's not OK. That's unacceptable.

Brandeis Univ Students Lead Effort To Restore Ali's Honorary Degree

Europe's Unaccountable Palestinian Aid

Since the 1994 Oslo Agreement, which created the Palestinian Authority, the EU has offered generous financial assistance to Ramallah to help advance a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis. The EU is today the largest donor to the Palestinian Authority, which relies mainly on foreign donations. But European lawmakers have a duty to ensure that EU funds aren't diverted from the noble purpose for which they're intended.
In its report, issued in December, the European Court of Auditors revealed major dysfunctions in the management of EU financial support to the Palestinian Authority, and called for a serious overhaul of the funding mechanism.
Among other things, the court criticized the absence of any conditions for EU aid to the Palestinian Authority, an approach that reduces the potential leverage of the EU to push for more reforms from the Palestinian Authority. This is a surprising exception to the EU's famous "more-for-more" principle, according to which the EU offers stronger partnership and more incentives to countries that make more progress toward democratic reforms. This principle applies to every other recipient of EU aid in the world. In other words, the Palestinian Authority is the only body that receives EU funds regardless of its human-rights record or economic performance.

An Anti-Israel Tourism Subterfuge

Under the guise of experiental, educational sojourns in the Middle East, an ongoing, extensive tourism subterfuge of global proportions is at work today. This comprehensive and coordinated fraudulent operation includes travel agency fronts, terrorist groups, international NGOs, Islamists, and Leftists. They include such organizations as the Siraj Center for Holy Land Studies, Abraham Path, the Soros Foundation to Promote Open Society, and others.
All of them, whether unwittingly or intentionally, are part of an effort to turn tourists, college students, and Christian pilgrims against the Jewish state of Israel. Using the rubric of "a connection between people from the Middle East," these travel expeditions underhandedly buttress a political agenda that delegitimizes and demonizes Israel. They are part of a scheme to fundamentally transform the Western world, by undermining Judaism, the root of Christianity, and moving on to the destruction of Christianity as well. (h/t Bob Knot)

Anti-Zionists want the Israeli people to die

Few anti-Zionists from liberal countries would utter or intimate the sentence of death. They dare not. It would blow an activist's credibility and reputation. It would ruin a career of speaking out for the 'oppressed.'
This makes anti-Zionists temper their tone, keep their demands within bounds, their respect for humanitarian law above board, and their concern for humankind meritoriously firm. The mind of the anti-Zionist is on a final solution, but weighing up practicalities he checks himself.
Compelled to pick words, he picks them soberly. Nothing he says comes close to a sentence of death. But the lies he tells and the opinions he schools are locked on that Hitlerian decree: 'You have no right to live.'
Where in that case to look? Look not at the meaning of words, but into what those words mean. Consider the demands of boycotters, and what they mean.

UK: Jihadists as "Charity Workers"

On April 1, Britain's Channel 4 aired an interview with two "charity workers" in Syria – Tauqir Sharif and his wife, Racquell Hayden-Best. Sharif and his wife work with a number of different charities involved with "aid convoys" to Syria, including One Nation, which is also presently funding a Hamas-run charity in Gaza.
Channel 4 did provide a little bit of background, noting that Sharif has:
...a long history of activism – he was one of those aboard the Gaza aid flotilla which was raided by Israeli forces in 2010. He has campaigned to raise awareness about Syria and met the former Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg when Mr Begg visited Syria last year. They were due to speak at a live online "webinar" event about the conflict, but it was cancelled after Mr Begg was arrested and charged with Syria-related offences.
The full truth is a bit more chilling: Sharif and his wife are supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the leading Al Qaeda-aligned group in Syria. ISIS evolved from a group called Al Qaeda in Iraq, which was known for "its butchery and oppression, which included killing Sunni and Shiite civilians with spectacular suicide attacks, bombing Shiite mosques, uploading videos of beheadings on jihadist forums, and forcing local Sunnis to abide by its interpretation of Islamic law."

The Italian Connection (to illegal Bedouin settlements)

From 2009, the Palestinian Authority has been establishing its own 'facts on the ground', funding illegal Bedouin settlements throughout Area C. Khan al-Akhmar, an illegal Bedouin within the territory of Kfar Edumim, tells the whole story: the failure of Israeli enforcement authorities to do their job, uninhibited violations by the Palestinians, and all with the help of foreign governments and radical left-wing groups. How did sovereignty became a matter of "picking and choosing"? And where are the law enforcement agencies?
This project was not done with only local means: they were helped by Rabbis for Human Rights, which is proud to have helped the Jahalin break the law. More importantly, the Palestinians were helped by an Italian NGO called Vento di Terra, which has a substantial part in funding and erecting the illegal buildings. A simple tracking of the money trail raises the suspicion that the ultimate source of the funding is none other than the Italian government itself.

StandWithUs Condemns Anti-Israel "Day of Action" Planned for Passover, April 16, 2014

StandWithUs condemns Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) for planning an anti-Israel "Day of Action" during the important Jewish holiday of Passover, on April 16th. According to SJP's advertisement of this event, their actions will include promoting anti-Israel divestment resolutions in student governments, along with other public propaganda initiatives. Holding this event during Passover is insulting and culturally insensitive at best.
"This is yet another example of how anti-Israel activists are afraid to be challenged by those who disagree with them, and prefer to silence or marginalize opposing voices instead. Many Jewish students will not have the opportunity to make their voices heard because they will be away from campus with their families, or otherwise preoccupied because of the holiday," observed StandWithUs National Campus Director, Brett Cohen.

StandWithU0us to place ads on seven buses in Washington DC begining April 11 to counter Anti-Israel ones on the cherry blossom line

For the third time, StandWithUs (SWU) is countering anti-Israel messages on Washington D.C.'s metro. The StandWithUs ad will go up April 11 for a four week run on seven buses and follow the same Cherry Blossom route as the anti-Israel ads, which end on April 13. The SWU ads specifically counter those by American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) which attacks US aid to Israel by informing viewers that tax day is coming on April 15th, and their taxes will be used for US aid to Israel. AMP also announced that it specifically chose the Cherry Blossom route to target tourists.
Conversely, the StandWithUs ads state, "Not With Our Tax Dollars. Stop U.S. Aid for Palestinian Terrorism," and directs tourists to learn more and sign a petition at: notaxesforterror.com. The Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank uses American tax dollars to pay monthly salaries to convicted Palestinian terrorists, thus providing incentives for future terrorist actions. Salaries are paid on a sliding scale: the more Israelis murdered, the higher the wages, with mass murders receiving the highest wages. This terrorism industry is one of the PA's top budgetary priorities. The US, as the largest single country donor to the PA, contributes to these salaries. Although the US Congress has passed legislation demanding more oversight of its donations, no major changes have been made.

British Library Apologises after Blocking Anti-Islamist Website for 'Intolerance'

The Library, which is funded by the British government, called the blocking of Daniel Pipes's personal website and that of his organisation – the Middle East Forum – "erroneous".
Users who tried to access the site from within the grounds of the British Library were greeted with the error message, "Access to this site has been blocked by our web filtering software as it is categorised as being inappropriate for use in a public area."
Both sites, MEForum.org and DanielPipes.org were blocked under the reason: "intolerance".
But Pipes is a highly-regarded academic and author, and his careful steps to distinguish Islam and Islamism have been well noted. Pipes has appeared on Intelligence Squared debate platforms, where he has been described as "one of the world's foremost analysts on the Middle East and Islam".

Holocaust Memorial Defaced in Ukraine

A holocaust memorial monument in Odessa, Ukraine, has been vandalized, apparently by neo-Nazi groups involved in the ouster of former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
Swastikas and Waffen SS signs were daubed on the memorial, and the words "Death to the Jews" and "Right Sector" were also found painted on the walls of the nearby Jewish cemetery, according to UNIAN news agency. "Right Sector" is the name of a far-right coalition which played a prominent part in violent clashes with government forces during the revolution.

German store sorry for Hitler mugs

The vintage-style ceramic cups feature a faint image of a Nazi-era postage stamp that shows a black-and-white profile of Hitler, postmarked with a swastika stamp, all obscured by other design elements including a rose and cursive script.
The Zurbrueggen furniture chain had ordered a batch of 5,000 of the mugs and had already sold at least 175 when the mistake was noticed, reported the Neue Westfaelische Zeitung daily from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Israel is a 'Paradise' for Christians, Says Israeli Christian Leader

Israeli Christian leader Shadi Khalloul, spokesman for the Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum, called Israel a "paradise" for Christians as part of a wide-ranging interview on the status of Middle East Christians with the Italian newspaper Informazione Corretta.
"Israel is a paradise for us. Israel is the paradise for Christians from the Middle East," Khalloul said. "In Israel we enjoy freedom and have rights, we can say what we want, organise activities, found associations, and that is why we can be so active in society."
Khalloul is part of a group of Israeli Christians who are seeking greater integration into Israeli life, including volunteering for military service, as well as promoting an Israeli-Christian identity that is separate from Israeli-Arab Muslims. (h/t Zvi)

Disney Hit 'Frozen' Gets Passover Themed Makeover With 'Chozen' (VIDEO)

A Passover themed cover of hit songs Let It Go and Do You Want to Build a Snowman? from Disney's Frozen has attracted tons of media buzz and a cool 65,ooo views on YouTube within days of going online.
The work of Jewish a capella group Six13, the track is aptly named Chozen.
We are celebrating "our freedom, our favorite festival, our fabulous fans, and aspiring Disney princesses everywhere" the group said.
The Chozen music video tells the story of Passover and explains the traditions involved in celebrating the holiday. It's lyrics include, "Do You Want Some Afikomen? It's just unleavened bread."
We are celebrating "our freedom, our favorite festival, our fabulous fans, and aspiring Disney princesses everywhere" the group said.

Report: Israel demands removal of UN official who blamed Arab problems on Israel

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 11:00 AM PDT

Rima Khalaf

In late February I wrote about a report written by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), where Israel wa blamed for pretty much all the problems in the Arab world.

The head of ESCWA, Rima Khalaf, amplified the report's thesis when she effectively said Israel has no business existing:

Foreign interference comes in various forms, such as violations of Arab rights and dignity, but its worst manifestation is the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the Syrian Golan Heights and Lebanese territories, in flagrant breach of all international conventions and resolutions.

The authors of the report claim that the damage caused by Israeli policies is not limited to occupation activities, but they believe that aggressive Israeli policies, including its support for discord aimed at establishing Arab sectarian mini-States and its nuclear programme that is not subject to international monitoring, pose a continuous threat to the security of Arab citizens in the region as a whole.

The most dangerous of these policies is Israel's adamancy that it is a Jewish State, which violates the rights of both the Muslim and Christian indigenous populations and revives the concept of state ethnic and religious purity, which caused egregious human suffering during the twentieth century.

The report claims that Arab rights would not have been trampled; Jerusalem would not have suffered under Judaization policies, land confiscation and the expulsion of populations; and Muslim and Christian holy shrines would not have been desecrated if Arabs had stood united and coordinated their efforts, or at least met their existing commitments to joint defence.

According to Arabic media, Israel is demanding the the UN fire Rima Khalaf for these remarks. The story says that Ambassador Ron Prosor wrote a letter to Ban Ki-Moon requesting her removal from her position.

יום שבת, 12 באפריל 2014

Elder of Ziyon Daily News

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