Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update

A newsletter for people willing to think for themselves



November 25, 2018

Voices of reason are speaking out against the leaders of the Women's March, but as long as the current organizers are in charge, we should not participate. There are plenty of marches and plenty of ways to resist that don't require complicity with anti-Semitism.

Condemning Louis Farrakhan should not be a hard ask, especially since he isn't even left-wing and has praised Donald Trump on several occasions (unlike leading Democrats, Trump has not condemned or repudiated Farrakhan).

We are right to call out anti-Semitism wherever it occurs, but neither Farrakhan nor anyone in the Women's March presents nearly the threat posed by Donald Trump, who has far more power and a far louder megaphone from which to propagate his hate and bigotry.

Airbnb announced that it will no longer service West Bank settlements, but it is not boycotting Israel and its decision (which I disagree with) is not anti-Semitic or pro-BDS.

Don't miss Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat at NSS Beth El on December 4. Details beneath the Video Clip of the Week.

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Friends,

Will the Women's March return to its principles? On November 19, Teresa Shook , the founder of the Women's March, called on Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour, and Carmen Perez of Women’s March, Inc. to step down because they "have allowed anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform by their refusal to separate themselves from groups that espouse these racist, hateful beliefs."

Mercy Morganfield, a past president of the D.C. chapter, agreed with Shook and also criticized Sarsour et al for using the Nation of Islam for security.


We have many ways to resist, many marches to choose from, and many organizations fighting for progressive values without leaders who are openly anti-Semitic. Don't participate in events organized by Sarsour or Mallory, and let people know why you are not participating. If your friends or coworkers are planning to do so, chances are that they aren't even aware of this controversy--talk to them and let them know that this is personal for you. Hatred and bigotry have no place in progressive politics. Hatred and bigotry have no place in America either, which is why, even as we call out anti-Semitism wherever we see it, we should remember that the impact of Sarsour and Mallory et al is trivial compared to the impact of Donald Trump and his Republican enablers, which is where we should focus our energy and attention.

I and others have been writing about this for a long time, but if you are new to this controversy, Northwestern Law Professor Steve Lubet wrote a succinct summary.

Louis Farrakhan is not a left-winger. Farrakhan, who is anti-Semitic, misogynistic, and homophobic, is actually " a reactionary nationalist who, because his ideology was shaped in the context of white racism, has sometimes been adjacent of figures on the black left.” As Batya Ungar-Sargon said, “ In addition to his rabid anti-Semitism, Louis Farrakhan hates LGBTQ people, women, trans people, Black Jews, and Black women. What exactly makes him 'left'? The fact that he's Black?"

Farrakhan praised Trump for not accepting Jewish money, and Trump never condemned statements made by Farrakhan in support of his campaign. Last May , Farrakhan praised Trump for destroying their common enemies (the FBI and the Justice Department). No repudiation from Trump. Of course, just last week Trump reiterated his support for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MO) after learning that she posted a picture of herself wearing a Confederate hat and holding a rifle, so what can we expect.

Democrats strongly oppose Farrakhan's views and are on record opposing him. In 2008,  Barack Obama  said "I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan."

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)  has stated that he rejects Farrakhan's teachings "completely. I have long since denounced such bigotry and have continued - and always will continue - to reject anti-Semitism in all its forms and manifestations." Ellison  adequately explained  his 2013 non-meeting with Farrakhan, and it's hard to call someone who  gave a speech like this  anti-Israel.

Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL)  rejects, condemns, and opposes Farrakhan's anti-Semitism.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)  "unequivocally condemned" Farrakhan's anti-Semitic and hateful comments.

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL)  said that public leaders and elected officials "must send a clear message that those who traffic in bigotry, intolerance, and racism, such as Farrakhan, have no place in our national discourse."

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL ) has condemned Farrakhan's comments and also decried efforts by the Republican Jewish Coalition to impugn the reputations of members of Congress who have previously associated with Farrakhan but have been outspoken in their opposition to anti-Semitism.

If only Republicans would speak out as unequivocally against Trump's bigotry, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and tolerance for anti-Semitism--especially since Trump is a far greater threat than Farrakhan or the so-called leaders of the Women's March. The Democratic Party remains true to our values, while the Republican Party continues to support Trump, whose racism is a matter of record.  

It would be easy--and accurate--to point out that  white supremacists c ommitted most extremist killings in 2017 and that Trump's rhetoric at least partially inspired the Tree of Life massacre and the attempt to murder leading political figures with explosive packages. And it is true that none of these murders and attempted murders were committed by members of the Nation of Islam and that there is no evidence that Farrakhan's limited influence is increasing. But Democrats nevertheless condemned him.

The alt-right is a far greater threat than anything on the left, and Donald Trump can do far more damage than Louis Farrakhan or the leaders of the Women's March. Let's be honest: Synagogues are not enhancing security because of Louis Farrakhan or Linda Sarsour . The threat to our lives is from the right. Why are so many Republicans mute?

Airbnb no longer services the West Bank. Airbnb's announcement applies only to the West Bank, not to East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. Airbnb is also reevaluating its policies in other disputed territories around the world.

The BDS Movement boycotts Israel. Airbnb continues to operate in Israel, but not in the West Bank, which not even Israel considers part of Israel. The goal of BDS is to eliminate Israel as a Jewish state. The goal of those who boycott only settlements is to end the occupation; we must not conflate the two.

I don't support settlements. I don't support settlement boycotts either, so I disagree with Airbnb's decision. Settlement boycotts single out only one side when both sides need to work together and make painful concessions to reach a two-state solution.

Airbnb's decision is in some ways an own-goal by Israel. Pro-Israel advocates who label Airbnb's decision as anti-Semitic are making a major strategic error.
As Michael Koplow explains, if we act as if boycotting settlements is akin to boycotting Israel proper, "anyone who can be talked into boycotting only West Bank settlements will be easily talked into boycotting everything." Gershom Gorenberg further explains why equating the settlements with Israel is dangerous for Israel. Airbnb's decision is not an example of BDS (in fact, Airbnb lists Tel Aviv as one of its 23 featured cities), and however much we may disagree with Airbnb's decision, we only weaken our ability to fight BDS and advocate for Israel by acting as if it is.

Did you miss last week's newsletter? Here it is.

ICYMI. I triple-checked. This is not a parody. This statement was actually issued by the President of the United States. A middle-schooler could have done better.

Twitter Thread of the Week. Seth Abramson on Ivanka's use of personal email for government business after her dad said that Hillary should be locked up for doing the same thing.

Video Clip of the Week. Creed II opened this weekend, so that means it's time for an Honest Trailer for Rocky IV.

See Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat on December 4. He will be discussing his new book on Jimmy Carter at 7:45pm at NSS Beth El in Highland Park. Details here.

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The Fine Print (in regular type) : This newsletter usually runs on Sunday mornings. Unless stated otherwise, my views do not necessarily reflect the views of any candidates or organizations that I support or am associated with. My views might not even be my views tomorrow; I reserve the right to change my mind as I learn more, and sometimes I make myself mad too. Intelligent, well-informed people may disagree with me; seek out opposing views and decide for yourself. When I link to an article, it doesn't mean that I agree with everything its author has ever said or that I even agree with everything in the article; it means that the article supports or elaborates on the point I was making. Advertisements reflect the views of the advertisers, not necessarily of me, and advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertisements. I read, value, and encourage replies to my newsletters, but I don't always have time to acknowledge replies or to engage in one-on-one discussion. Don't expect a reply if your message is uncivil or if it's clear from your message that you haven't read the newsletter or clicked on the relevant links.