Forward cries “McCarthyism” over exposure of BDS-backing Jewish leaders

“The Talmud teaches that the Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed because of sinat chinam, ceaseless and unwarranted hatred that Jews needlessly displayed towards other Jews.” How ironic that Deborah Lipstadt and David Ellenson would write that, since that is just what they’re guilty of doing: spreading unwarranted hatred toward Ronn Torossian and me for daring to expose the Jewish leaders and philanthropists who are betraying the Jewish people by funding Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions programs against Israel.

“Do Creators of Attack Ads Have No Sense of Decency?” is the subtitle of this ad. “Joseph McCarthy hounded honest Americans in misguided hunt for Communists” is the photo caption. The left claims that Joe McCarthy falsely accused loyal Americans of being Communists. Is the Jewish Daily Forward here claiming that our allegations against Jewish BDS supporters are false? No, they don’t have the chutzpah to do that. Instead, they just defame us for telling unwelcome truths.

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“Echoes of McCarthyism in Smear Campaign Against New Israel Fund Backers,” by Deborah Lipstadt and David Ellenson, Forward, March 13, 2015:

…Unfortunately, McCarthy’s tactics are apparently still alive and well in the Jewish community today. Ronn Torossian and Pam Geller have attacked Karen Adler, Alisa Doctoroff, Edith Everett, and Carol Zabar — among the most prominent leaders of our community — as supporters of the BDS campaign against Israel who seek to undermine the Jewish state. Torossian did so in a New York Post opinion piece and Geller’s group has sponsored bus ads repeating the charge.

The shameless attacks compel us to ask of Torossian and Geller, as Welch did of McCarthy, “Have you no sense of decency?”

We proudly call these persons whom Torossian and Geller are slandering our friends. They hardly need us to testify on their behalf.

Their decades of service to our community speak far better than any testimonial. Nevertheless, decency demands that the libels against them not remain unchallenged. We feel compelled to raise our voices, protest these attacks, and call for their cessation.

These leaders of our community have a long track record of acting on behalf of the Jewish people in all the places where we live. For decades they have shown their love for and defense of the State of Israel. They have been unsurpassed in their generosity – both with their means and their time – to so many vital causes in our community and beyond. Most of all, they have been exemplars of concern for civility in our Jewish community. And in recent weeks in the face of gutter level attacks on them they have become models of derekh eretz (decency). The way in which they have conducted themselves and quietly endured the abuse and lies that have been heaped upon them testifies more powerfully than a thousand libels as to their goodness as well as to their attachment and support of Israel.

Notice that nowhere do Deborah Lipstadt and David Ellenson say that Karen Adler, Alisa Doctoroff, Edith Everett, and Carol Zabar don’t fund BDS. And without that, their attack on Ronn Torossian and me is not derekh eretz; it’s lashon hara.

Their deeds have consistently enhanced the Jewish people and promoted and secured the Jewish State. How blessed the Jewish people would be if there were millions and millions of more Jews like them in both Israel and the diaspora. Why are Torossian and Geller engaged in this unrelenting campaign? What is their “sin”? They are supporters of The New Israel Fund.

There have been repeated attempts to demonize the New Israel Fund (NIF) for several years. The NIF is an organization that works ceaselessly to promote the progressive values of equality and democracy in Israel. The NIF seeks a Jewish State which protects the human rights of all its citizens – and for this our friends are censured? One may not agree with every single cause that NIF supports. However, it is simply wrong to question the commitment and loyalty of this organization and its supporters to the Jewish state.

Is Edwin Black a “McCarthyite” also? According to Black on The Daily Caller, “Vocal critics in both the U.S. and Israel charge that the New Israel Fund has knowingly financed groups that support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and worked to get Israeli soldiers prosecuted for so-called ‘war crimes.”

Is Benny Yanay another new “McCarthy”? Yanay is a member of an Israeli military organization called Consensus, representing some 3,000 members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He stated, “The New Israel Fund acts against Israel — against the soldiers of our country. It is supported by foreign governments and organizations so that Israeli soldiers will be weakened.” Other Israeli military men and women have alleged that the NIF is trying to “destabilize the IDF.”

These are the words of another “McCarthyite,” Naftali Bennett, one of Israel’s leaders, who only a few weeks ago as posted on Facebook that he would boycott the NIF: “Yes, New Israel Fund, I will boycott whoever persecutes Israeli soldiers. I will not apologize for it. Please share.”

The Forward doesn’t tell you any of that. It would have gotten in the way of their irresponsible attempt to smear Torossian and me.

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Federale

9 years ago

McCarthy was right!

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roger

9 years ago

Reply to  Federale

The left calls it a witch hunt, but it was necessary to keep the communist foothold from spreading like a plague over the entire west.
And it was a close run thing, as socialism is so appealing to the masses who don’t understand that it simply does not work. anyway it saved the US and probably every other western country and Europe from the 70 years of bitter poverty and hardship that Russia E. Germany had to endure.

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roger

9 years ago

A friend of mine was watching a program recently on a left wing news site about the McCarthyism, I stayed and watched silently (because the other person is a hopeless lefty ) as the narrator smoothly ridiculed the efforts of respective governments to keep communism out of the country and at the same time lauded noted socialists and talked of their superior policies. The whole program was straight out of Marx.
The more I see, and here, the more I see connections between left wing people and left wing politics with;
Immorality,
An easy familiarity with prevarication.
Distain and enmity for the Christian faith, (Some of this is justified by events in religious institutions in the past)
A warped sense of where normal empathy should be felt (they can emphasise with terrorists, but not with an unborn baby human being)
A tendency to be helplessly follow the narrative of group think. (this is similar to mob psychology )
A fawning total surrender and blushing praise of all things Islamic.

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RCCA

9 years ago

Here’s what the NIF says on it’s website http://www.nif.org/about/selected-policies#14 :

What is NIF’s position on boycott, divestment and sanctions?

The New Israel Fund is committed to strengthening democracy in Israel, supports freedom of speech and promotes non-violent means of expression of belief and conscience. We oppose any attempt to criminalize the legitimate expression of support for any non-violent strategy or tactic, including the global BDS movement which we do not ourselves support.

The NIF does oppose the global (or general) BDS movement, views the use of these tactics as counterproductive, and is concerned that segments of this movement seek to undermine the existence of the state of Israel as a Jewish homeland.

NIF will not fund global BDS activities against Israel nor support organizations that have global BDS programs.

However, NIF opposes the occupation and subsequent settlement activities. NIF will thus not exclude support for organizations that discourage the purchase of goods or use of services from settlements.

Personally I believe in the right of Jews to live and create economic opportunity in Judea and Samaria and see that as the path to a viable peace, so I oppose the official policy of NIF. However the AFDI ads give the impression that NIF is supporting all BDS activity. Do you have specific info on organizations they are supporting who do sponsor BDS activities?

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Steven R.

9 years ago

Reply to  RCCA

“NIF will not exclude support for organizations that discourage the purchase of goods or use of services from settlements.”

There are a number of groups they support. Look at the archives here to start. They like to hide them–probably because Soros is involved, and he likes to hide.

“NIF opposes the occupation and subsequent settlement activities.”

Occupation? That’s Arab nonsense, and it tells you everything. Same with “settlements.” The concept is that Hews cannot have the tiniest speck of ancestral Biblical territory in Moslem-dominated areas.

All the NIF is saying is that they do t fund “global” BDS efforts. They don’t because they have a myriad of activist BDS groups getting grants and other support.

Claiming they are “concerned” about the undermining of Israel as the Jewish homeland is not the same as saying they OPPOSE it.

You have to get used to the double-speak that leftists use. Then you’ll be able to understand what they’re really saying.

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Steven R.

9 years ago

Reply to  Steven R.

Basically, they support and fund BDS their way rather than joining the global BDS.

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Well Done

9 years ago

Reply to  Steven R.

You’re right, all words coming from subversive organizations need to be parsed… at best. Or ignored entirely is good, too, because NIF does in fact support BDS.
Read this again:
“NIF opposes the occupation and subsequent settlement activities. NIF will thus not exclude support for organizations that discourage the purchase of goods or use of services from settlements.”

That can be summarized in three words:
NIF supports BDS.

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kktex12

9 years ago

Reply to  RCCA

NIF is shaking their unrepentant fists in the face of Creator God. The God of Moses, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, and David. They will pay. Gen. 12:2-3

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mdfine

9 years ago

It is one thing to disagree with Israel’s policies in the West Bank and Gaza. It is another to support movements that seek to actually cause her harm. Thank you Pamela for calling out these naive and misguided (or worse) Jewish leaders with your bus ads.

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Well Done

9 years ago

Reply to  mdfine

Israel’s “policy” in the so-called West bank and Gaza should be to expel all moslems. Period. None of them has any claim to that land. Egypt had to close the border with Gaza; too many terrorists. That says it all.

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Edgar Davidson

9 years ago

Daniel Greenfield has posted a very good response to this attack on you Pamela:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/dgreenfield/deborah-lipstadt-and-david-ellensons-cynical-attack-on-pamela-geller-and-ronn-torossian/

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kktex12

9 years ago

Their statement is BS! God let the Temple be destroyed because the Hebrews rejected Him and served pagan gods. Therefore violating one of the Laws given to Moses. Get your stuff correct you servants of satan.

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