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The Democrats’ Looming Chicago Disaster?
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks before participating in a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House in Washington, U.S., May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger
JNS.org – For American Jews, President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will no longer seek reelection is less significant than it appears at first sight. The president’s seesawing between support for and bitter opposition to Israel, between condemnation of antisemitism and enabling it through silence, was partly a result of his cognitive breakdown, but it also reflected a moral degeneration at the heart of the Democratic Party.
That degeneration is a simple one: In the form of the Red-Green Alliance between progressive leftists and Muslim antisemites, the Democratic Party now contains a large and powerful faction that is not just antisemitic but predicated on antisemitism. The question is not if but when the Alliance will make its bid to conquer and colonize the entire party.
The Alliance has made considerable progress towards this end. From the activist industry to the mandarins of academia, the various organs of the American left have enthusiastically joined in the Alliance’s campaign of protester-terrorism. With some honorable exceptions, prominent Democrats—including Biden—have issued at best tepid condemnations. Other Democrats, such as Biden’s heir-presumptive Vice President Kamala Harris, have engaged in craven apologetics on the Alliance’s behalf.
The only conclusion to be drawn from this deplorable spectacle is that the Democrats may not be an antisemitic party, but neither are they an anti-antisemitic party. At best, they are “non-antisemitic.” That is, they take no stand on whether antisemitism is good or bad, desirable or undesirable.
This is, of course, morally bankrupt, but it is not surprising. To oppose antisemitism in a serious way, the Democrats would have to purge a large faction of their party, risk losing millions of votes and instantly become targets of protester-terrorism if not worse. Not being particularly courageous people, the Democrats are utterly unwilling to do this.
For American Jews, then, the question must be: What happens now?
It is not a pretty picture. While Biden has been an unreliable ally, Harris is worse than unreliable. She has expressed sympathy for the Red-Green Alliance and its protester-terrorists. It has been reported that she is one of the more prominent supporters of the Palestinians in the White House. Should she become the nominee—as now seems inevitable—and possibly the president, she could well take the side of the antisemites, if only by default.
This has ominous implications because the Democratic National Convention is only a month away. Put simply, a disaster may be brewing in Chicago.
While Harris will almost certainly have the nomination sewn up before the convention begins, the possibilities for chaos are immense. Put simply, the entire infrastructure of the Democratic Party is badly compromised by leftist and Muslim entryists, none of whom have the slightest compunction about using “any means necessary” to get what they want. Moreover, massive pro-Hamas riots outside the convention are already planned and, given that Chicago has an ultra-progressive mayor, it is unlikely that anything will be done to control them.
Thus, with agents both inside and outside the convention, the Democrats’ antisemitic wing could well seize control of the event or, if not, take satisfaction in causing general bloody mayhem. Violence may break out both inside and outside the venue, with Jews and pro-Israel politicians and delegates harassed, intimidated and assaulted both on the convention floor and the streets outside. A full-scale antisemitic riot is not impossible.
As a result, in order to bring back some semblance of peace and order to the proceedings, the already defeatist “non-antisemitic” Democrats may capitulate entirely to their antisemitic wing.
This is by no means guaranteed to happen. The party establishment, though already badly compromised, may keep control over the proceedings and Harris may be anointed with relatively little fuss.
For American Jews, however, this would be cold comfort indeed. Even in the absence of outright violence, Harris may capitulate to the antisemitic wing out of simple affinity. This would be little better than a hijacked convention. The Red-Green Alliance will declare victory, double down on its protester-terrorism, take to the streets and campuses once again, and possibly escalate its war against the American Jewish community to the point of outright terrorist attacks. With Harris as the party’s leader, no effective action will be taken to stop this descent into pogromism.
Again, there is no guarantee this will actually happen. Harris may attempt to hew a moderate line in preparation for the general election. The non-antisemitic wing of the party may do the math and decide they cannot risk losing the Jewish vote, especially in swing states like Arizona and Pennsylvania, where Biden was running behind by increasing margins. Sanity may prevail.
There is reason to believe that this may be the most likely outcome. While polls of the Jewish vote have been suspiciously absent of late, The Washington Free Beacon recently reported that Republican Jewish Coalition “executive director Matt Brooks said the Republican Party has seen increased support from Jewish voters in swing states, and he expects the GOP to continue to ‘make inroads and build’ among this constituency.”
This is anecdotal evidence, of course, but it suggests that private polls are indicating a not insignificant shift in the Jewish vote, at least in areas outside the traditional Democratic strongholds in the Northeast. This is bound to give the non-antisemitic wing of the party some pause. If they choose to capitulate to the antisemites anyway, it could well swing the election to Trump.
This would be painfully ironic. It would mean that, even if the Democrats avoid antisemitic carnage at their convention, they have already permitted sufficient carnage to bring about their political suicide. They thought they would have the Jews to kick around forever. The Jews may be about to disabuse them of that notion. If so, the Democrats will have no one to blame but themselves.
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Israel to Issue 54,000 Call-Up Notices to Ultra-Orthodox Students
Haredi Jewish men look at the scene of an explosion at a bus stop in Jerusalem, Israel, on Nov. 23, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Ammar Awad
Israel’s military said it would issue 54,000 call-up notices to ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students following a Supreme Court ruling mandating their conscription and amid growing pressure from reservists stretched by extended deployments.
The Supreme Court ruling last year overturned a decades-old exemption for ultra-Orthodox students, a policy established when the community comprised a far smaller segment of the population than the 13 percent it represents today.
Military service is compulsory for most Israeli Jews from the age of 18, lasting 24-32 months, with additional reserve duty in subsequent years. Members of Israel’s 21 percent Arab population are mostly exempt, though some do serve.
A statement by the military spokesperson confirmed the orders on Sunday just as local media reported legislative efforts by two ultra-Orthodox parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition to craft a compromise.
The exemption issue has grown more contentious as Israel’s armed forces in recent years have faced strains from simultaneous engagements with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, and Iran.
Ultra-Orthodox leaders in Netanyahu’s brittle coalition have voiced concerns that integrating seminary students into military units alongside secular Israelis, including women, could jeopardize their religious identity.
The military statement promised to ensure conditions that respect the ultra-Orthodox way of life and to develop additional programs to support their integration into the military. It said the notices would go out this month.
The post Israel to Issue 54,000 Call-Up Notices to Ultra-Orthodox Students first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Influential Far-Right Minister Lashes out at Netanyahu Over Gaza War Policy
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends an inauguration event for Israel’s new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, Aug. 17, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized on Sunday a cabinet decision to allow some aid into Gaza as a “grave mistake” that he said would benefit the terrorist group Hamas.
Smotrich also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to ensure that Israel’s military is following government directives in prosecuting the war against Hamas in Gaza. He said he was considering his “next steps” but stopped short of explicitly threatening to quit the coalition.
Smotrich’s comments come a day before Netanyahu is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire.
“… the cabinet and the Prime Minister made a grave mistake yesterday in approving the entry of aid through a route that also benefits Hamas,” Smotrich said on X, arguing that the aid would ultimately reach the Islamist group and serve as “logistical support for the enemy during wartime”.
The Israeli government has not announced any changes to its aid policy in Gaza. Israeli media reported that the government had voted to allow additional aid to enter northern Gaza.
The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The military declined to comment.
Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid for its own fighters or to sell to finance its operations, an accusation Hamas denies. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, with conditions threatening to push nearly a half a million people into famine within months, according to U.N. estimates.
Israel in May partially lifted a nearly three-month blockade on aid. Two Israeli officials said on June 27 the government had temporarily stopped aid from entering north Gaza.
PRESSURE
Public pressure in Israel is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire, a move opposed by some hardline members of his right-wing coalition. An Israeli team left for Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
Smotrich, who in January threatened to withdraw his Religious Zionism party from the government if Israel agreed to a complete end to the war before having achieved its objectives, did not mention the ceasefire in his criticism of Netanyahu.
The right-wing coalition holds a slim parliamentary majority, although some opposition lawmakers have offered to support the government from collapsing if a ceasefire is agreed.
The post Influential Far-Right Minister Lashes out at Netanyahu Over Gaza War Policy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Australia Police Charge Man Over Alleged Arson on Melbourne Synagogue
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to the media during a press conference with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Aug. 16, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy
Australian police have charged a man in connection with an alleged arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue with worshippers in the building, the latest in a series of incidents targeting the nation’s Jewish community.
There were no injuries to the 20 people inside the East Melbourne Synagogue, who fled from the fire on Friday night. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in the capital of Victoria state.
Australia has experienced several antisemitic incidents since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023.
Counter-terrorism detectives late on Saturday arrested the 34-year-old resident of Sydney, capital of neighboring New South Wales, charging him with offenses including criminal damage by fire, police said.
“The man allegedly poured a flammable liquid on the front door of the building and set it on fire before fleeing the scene,” police said in a statement.
The suspect, whom the authorities declined to identify, was remanded in custody after his case was heard at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday and no application was made for bail, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.
Authorities are investigating whether the synagogue fire was linked to a disturbance on Friday night at an Israeli restaurant in Melbourne, in which one person was arrested for hindering police.
The restaurant was extensively damaged, according to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, an umbrella group for Australia’s Jews.
It said the fire at the synagogue, one of Melbourne’s oldest, was set as those inside sat down to Sabbath dinner.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog went on X to “condemn outright the vile arson attack targeting Jews in Melbourne’s historic and oldest synagogue on the Sabbath, and on an Israeli restaurant where people had come to enjoy a meal together”.
“This is not the first such attack in Australia in recent months. But it must be the last,” Herzog said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incidents as “severe hate crimes” that he viewed “with utmost gravity.” “The State of Israel will continue to stand alongside the Australian Jewish community,” Netanyahu said on X.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese late on Saturday described the alleged arson, which comes seven months after another synagogue in Melbourne was targeted by arsonists, as shocking and said those responsible should face the law’s full force.
“My Government will provide all necessary support toward this effort,” Albanese posted on X.
Homes, schools, synagogues and vehicles in Australia have been targeted by antisemitic vandalism and arson. The incidents included a fake plan by organized crime to attack a Sydney synagogue using a caravan of explosives in order to divert police resources, police said in March.
The post Australia Police Charge Man Over Alleged Arson on Melbourne Synagogue first appeared on Algemeiner.com.