Uncategorized
‘An epidemic of hate’: Biden administration officials meet with Jewish leaders to tackle rising antisemitism
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Top Biden administration officials launched a roundtable on antisemitism on Wednesday by describing a “rising tide of antisemitism” and likening the atmosphere in the United States to that of Europe, where Jewish worship is held under lock and key.
“Right now, there is an epidemic of hate facing our country,” said Douglas Emhoff, the Jewish second gentleman, who convened and chaired the 90-minute session.
Jewish officials represented at the meeting were impressed by how comprehensive the meeting was, saying it went beyond the white supremacist threat that the Biden administration has focused on in the past to other sources, among them attackers who target the visibly Orthodox and Jewish students on campuses.
The meeting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House, comes on the heels of weeks of antisemitic invective spewed by rapper Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, and the dinner attended last month by West, Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and former President Donald Trump at Trump’s Florida residence. The discussion also follows alarming spikes in antisemitic invective on Twitter and other platforms.
“In my experience, there’s nothing more vicious than what we’re seeing today,” said Susan Rice, President Joe Biden’s top domestic policy adviser, who described growing up in a heavily Jewish neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Ten years ago, Rice said, when she was defending Israel against its many enemies as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, she did not imagine a threat to Jews domestically. Now she says she hears antisemitic expressions coming from elected officials, public figures and entertainers, calling it an “incredible rising tide.”
Deborah Lipstadt, the State Department envoy to monitor antisemitism, said she no longer has the luxury of her predecessors, who traveled abroad to assess antisemitism in foreign countries. Now, she said, she had to treat the problem as a domestic and a foreign one.
“I can’t go to these countries and say ‘You have a problem,’” she said. “Now I have to say ‘We have a serious problem.’”
After multiple attacks on synagogues stateside in recent years, she said, Jewish places of worship were becoming more visibly fortified than they were for years when security, if it existed, was unobtrusive and synagogues were welcoming.
“For decades, when we traveled in Europe, we used to identify synagogues by gendarmes,” she said. “Now we see police cars, now we lock the doors in the United States.”
The Kanye West episodes evidently helped spur the convening of the meeting. George Selim, the Anti-Defamation League senior vice president who was present, said the meeting came together within a week, unlike similar events which can take months to organize.
“The urgency was clear, the meeting needed to be convened, it needed to be in person,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in an interview.
Representatives of the dozen or so groups that attended were impressed by the level of attention: in addition to Emhoff, Rice and Lipstadt, there were officials from the National Security Council, the Officer of Public Engagement, and the Office of Faith-based Partnerships.
The representatives were impressed by how personal Emhoff, who is married to Vice President Kamala Harris, made the battle. He described how moved he has been by American Jews who are proud of him — the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president. “I’m in pain right now, our community is in pain,” he said.
Emhoff’s unabashed identification with the Jewish community helped elevate the issue of combating antisemitism, said Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad).
“He and I might see Jewish ritual and practice a little differently. But one thing Jewish people will remember forever in our history is that when the time came for him to make his decision, he decided to identify unequivocally as a Jew,” Shemtov said.
Amy Spitalnick, the executive director of Integrity First for America, the group that underwrote successful lawsuits against the neo-Nazis who organized the deadly 2017 march in Charlottesville, Virginia, said the officials closely listened to every presentation. (The media was present for opening remarks by government officials, and was ushered out so the representatives of Jewish groups could speak freely.)
“We were watching them take copious notes, they were genuinely listening,” she told JTA.
The range of invitees and the topics addressed also extended beyond the threat posed to Jews from the extreme right, an area that has until now been the Biden administration’s focus, through a summit on extremism in September and a speech Biden gave in Philadelphia last summer.
Speakers addressed antisemitic attacks on the visibly Orthodox which, particularly in the New York area, are most often not carried out by white supremacists. And there were officials from at least three groups that represent the visibly Orthodox: The Orthodox Union, which is Modern Orthodox, along with Agudath Israel of America and American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), which are haredi Orthodox.
Speakers also were sensitive to the plight of Jewish students on college campuses, who often face hostility from peers whose sharp criticism of Israel can sometimes manifest as antisemitism.
“On college campuses, the supposed bastions of liberal ideas and ideals, many students believe it better to camouflage their Jewish identity,” Lipstadt said. One of the speakers was Julia Jassey, a senior at the University of Chicago who is the CEO of Jewish on Campus, a student group that tracks antisemitism on campuses.
The Jewish participants said they benefited from hearing how others experienced antisemitism. Abba Cohen, Aguda’s Washington director, said he found receptive listeners when he described an increased effort by local councils to limit the building of Orthodox communities. He and Nathan Diament, the Washington director of the Orthodox Union, also described the threat to the visibly Orthodox.
Their accounts moved others present who do not live the Orthodox lifestyle. “We all have different experiences with antisemitism and clearly for someone who’s Orthodox, it might feel different than for someone who’s not,” said Sheila Katz, the CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women.
Katz said the meeting was a relief because she often has difficulty explaining to her progressive allies why antisemitism persists as a threat.
“I feel like in the last, you know, year, I’ve been saying over and over again, this is getting worse. This is getting amplified, people are emboldened,” she said. “And there are a lot, particularly in the progressive community that would say, ‘No, no, that’s not what’s happening.’”
Some practical proposals were discussed, including a letter this week from a bipartisan slate of lawmakers advocating for a cross-agency “whole of government” task force to combat antisemitism, and an expansion of federal funding that currently underwrites security upgrades for Jewish institutions to include paying for extra police patrols.
The meeting did not result in concrete decisions, but participants said they left with the impression that the federal government was ready to dive deep into finding practicable solutions.
“For me, this is not the end. This is just the beginning of this conversation,” Emhoff said.
Other groups represented included the American Jewish Committee, Hillel International, the Jewish Federations of North America, the Reform and Conservative movements, and Secure Community Network, the security consultancy for the Jewish community.
“It sends a very important message that the sort of rampant antisemitism we’re seeing is unacceptable and that the highest office in the country is doing something about it,” Spitalnick said.
—
The post ‘An epidemic of hate’: Biden administration officials meet with Jewish leaders to tackle rising antisemitism appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
Hasan Piker Bashed Gal Gadot in Villainous ‘Variety’ Feature
Hasan Piker. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
In case you missed it, The New York Times recently did a fawning profile on popular Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, in which it mentioned, only in passing, that he once said America deserved 9/11. The article didn’t mention that Piker said he supported Hezbollah or that he took every chance to vilify Israel. It didn’t mention that he interviewed someone who he said was a member of the Houthis, only to later say he wasn’t.
Now comes an article in Variety by Tatiana Siegel, who uncritically lets Piker says his statement about 9/11 was about “blowback” and doesn’t push any further, accepting this nonsense that his own words were “weaponized” against him.
Siegel is more interested in writing that Piker is 6’4″, muscular, and plays basketball, instead of writing about how he interviewed a Houthi and vibed with him. Why get into any of that stuff? It’s much more important for Siegel to repeat a line from the Times article, as if it was her own, that Piker could be a possible answer to when the left-wing will find its own Joe Rogan. Maybe if they repeat it, suddenly Piker will be the next Joe Rogan!
Siegel tries to cast Piker as a moderate, because he disagrees with the insane conspiracy theory that Israel killed Charlie Kirk.
Siegel also interviews Taylor Lorenz. Yes Lorenz, the fool who said she felt joy when she heard news of the murder of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson. Lorenz, who in televised interviews has said she thinks Piker is hot, and says the entire Internet has been weaponized against him. I doubt she’d be so quick to say this if Piker was unattractive.
Of course, Siegel is uncritical of Piker for saying that Amy Schumer should be cancelled, though she at least points out he falsely attributes a statement to Schumer that she never made.
But the kicker is Piker’s disdain for Gal Gadot, who has been a very vocal supporter of Israel. Piker likes his Jews quiet and embarrassed. He calls Gadot a “dogs**t actress” and complains of her normalizing Israel. I don’t remember Piker being a film critic — and of course no one talks about how Piker normalizes antisemitism. Good thing they got a writer with a Jewish-sounding last name to write a puff piece.
As Norman Finkelstein said when speaking about what Zohran Mamdani needed to do to fight off charges of antisemitism (which of course Finkelstein thought were fake) — people like this need to find Jews to do the “dirty work.”
Jewish actress Natalie Portman is okay, according to Piker, because she never served in the IDF. The Jewish actor who plays Superman is fine, because he’s not pro-Israel from what he’s seen. Who’s the Jewish influencer who says which Muslim actors are okay to watch in movies or not?
Oh, that’s right, there is none, as that would be seen as Islamophobic. But Piker gets another free pass to spew his hatred.
The article could not be complete without a little “Jews control the media” implication, as Piker criticizes Bari Weiss because she represents everything he “despises about access journalism.” Of course, Siegel doesn’t bother to mention that Piker got his career from his uncle, Cenk Uygur, founder of the Young Turks, one of the most noteworthy left-wing YouTube channels, for which Piker used to work. And there’s no mention of Weiss’ courage to quit the New York Times to start The Free Press. Because when Jews succeed, it can’t have anything to do with merit — it must be that they all help each other!
The writer could have asked about the Piker controversy surrounding his dog for which he’s received immense criticism, but I wasn’t shocked she didn’t mention it. That might get in the way of him being the next Joe Rogan!
The article ends with Piker saying he doesn’t have bodyguards, citing Fidel Castro who claimed to have a moral vest.
The article is good for only one thing — pointing out how much the media hates the Jews.
The author is a writer based in New York.
Uncategorized
After Mamdani’s Win, What’s Next for ‘Globalize the Intifada’?
US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks at a press conference with activists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in front of the Capitol in Washington, DC, Dec. 14, 2023. Photo: Annabelle Gordon / CNP/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar skipped spending time with her constituents and instead opted to use the recent 43-day government shutdown to meet with Malcolm Jallow, a virulent Jew-hating Minister of the Swedish Parliament.
Last week, Jallow posted a picture on his Instagram page of himself posing with Omar, and also anti-Zionist political commentator Mehdi Hassan.
Omar appears beaming while cozying up to Jallow, who is donning a keffiyeh-like scarf with an image depicting the complete erasure of Israel and a Palestinian State as its replacement.
In his lengthy Instagram post, Jallow gushed over his time with Omar and Hassan, writing that “every time we come together, sharing experiences, strategies and visions, we are not just building movements, we are building the future.”
The Congresswoman’s choice to meet with a radical antisemite like Jallow reflects a deliberate choice by the antisemitic politician to leverage radical Democrat Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral victory earlier that week and assist in accelerating the anti-Jewish animus streaming through the Western world.
Mamdani’s success gifts Omar the political cover to learn from and replicate the Gambian-born Jallow’s success in eroding Sweden’s historic reputation as a safe and peaceful country.
Less than a week following the hard left capture of New York City, Omar’s gleeful appearance before a picture showing the elimination of Israel also serves as an ominous warning that open hostility toward Israel is no longer viewed as a political liability within the Democratic Party orbit.
In fact, it’s a position that may now be considered an asset.
The anti-Israel Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently boasted that it secured a “record-breaking 42 election wins.”
Armed with its Political Action Committee (PAC), the Unity and Justice Fund, the Muslim-Brotherhood aligned group, which blamed Israel for the October 7 massacre, is helping usher a new cohort of radical ideologues into the American political system.
Mamdani’s fiery address to supporters following his win was empty of humility and lacked patriotism. The word “America” was not mentioned once. For her part, Omar devotes most of her time extolling the virtues of multiculturalism and embracing a radical agenda that is not in line with the vast majority of Americans.
Despite the two Muslim foreign-born policymakers attaining extraordinary professional success, their behavior seethes with contempt for their adopted homeland. They both espouse a broader, anti-Western civilizational ethos.
Helping drive the antisemitic measures in Congress is Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who led 20 colleagues in trying to put the US House of Representatives on record last Friday as condemning Israel’s actions as “genocide.”
Mamdani has also pointedly shared that pro-Israel Democrats are not welcome in his coalition. The incoming mayor’s hatred of the Jewish State dictated his only legislative priority while serving in the State Assembly when the young socialist introduced the “Not on our dime!” act, a bill that seeks to revoke the tax-exempt status for pro-Israel charities.
All of these measures only give more power to anti-Israel activists like Linda Sarsour.
The Mamdani surrogate, who has pledged to help remove pro-Israel Democrats from power, is linked to the controversial charity, The Arab American Association of New York (AAANY), a group that’s no doubt eagerly anticipating funding beyond the nearly four million dollars it was granted from New York State and city over a period of seven years, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
The victory of Zohran Mamdani and Omar’s subsequent meeting with Jallow are poignant reminders that “Globalizing the Intifada” need not require bullets or bombs, but can begin with dangerous politicians who gain footholds in American cities. Their crowning achievement will be spreading their influence across our nation, chipping away at America’s place as a safe haven for Jews and all groups, and perhaps ultimately rendering our nation uninhabitable for Jewish Americans.
Irit Tratt is a writer who lives in New York. Follow her on X @Irit_Tratt.
Uncategorized
Growing Danger: Why Iran’s Nuclear Defiance Demands a New Strategy
Navy forces of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution commandos and missile boats in Great Prophet IX Maneuver in the general area of Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf. Photo: Sayyed Shahab Odin Vajedi/Wikimedia Commons.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed this past week that Iran has not allowed its inspectors access to the nuclear sites bombed by Israeli and American forces in June. This sustained, deliberate obstruction has persisted for five months, rendering the verification of its nuclear material inventories long overdue.
Iran’s action is no mere technical violation; it is the creation of strategic ambiguity. Iran is actively denying the international community the ability to pinpoint the location and status of the 440.9 kilograms of uranium it had enriched to 60 percent purity, a quantity the IAEA itself assesses as potentially sufficient for 10 nuclear bombs if further refined.
The gravest threat is not just the volume of material, but the intentional collapse of verification. By keeping the IAEA blind, Iran ensures that any future military action will carry exponentially higher risks of striking a facility closer to weaponization than previously verifiable. Tehran is deliberately hedging its bets, creating a permanent deterrent shield of uncertainty.
The Synchronized Strike: Nuclear Threat Meets Naval Aggression
This nuclear defiance is not occurring in isolation. It is strategically synchronized with Iran’s kinetic threats in vital waterways.
The seizure of a Marshall Islands–flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz last week by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is a clear act of economic and military blackmail. This move directly targets a vessel operated by British and German interests, sending a hostile message to the E3 nations — France, Britain, and Germany — that any diplomatic pressure, like the new anti-Iran resolution they are planning at the IAEA, will be met with immediate, tangible military retaliation in the Persian Gulf.
Iran is attempting to dictate the diplomatic price of its own proliferation. It is leveraging its strategic nuclear advantage and its tactical naval aggression simultaneously. When the E3 countries threaten diplomatic action, Tehran responds not with words but with seized ships. This is an integrated campaign designed to impose asymmetric costs on the West, forcing economic decisions to override security principles.
The Allied Betrayal and the Failure of Pressure
The deepest source of vulnerability lies in the exposure of systemic differences within the allied camp itself. The US Treasury sanctions announced last week exposed a critical failure: entities operating within key allied countries — specifically Turkey — are actively running procurement networks that supply Iran’s ballistic missile and UAV programs.
This exposure is a profound betrayal of the maximum pressure campaign. It proves that, despite diplomatic assurances, allied nations are prioritizing transactional gains over the existential security of the international community. Iran’s ability to exploit the financial systems of NATO members and crucial Gulf partners confirms that the campaign against Tehran is critically compromised by internal sabotage and greed.
This internal compromise is what gives Iran the confidence to engage in its dual-domain aggression. When Turkey insists on maintaining its Russian S-400 system, defying US security mandates, and simultaneously enables Iran’s missile growth, it is acting as a strategic liability, not a partner.
The Mandate for Decisive Action
Israel, with the full backing of the United States, cannot afford to wait for the consensus-driven paralysis of the United Nations. The current diplomatic landscape offers little comfort: Russia and China are actively undermining the US-led stabilization plan for Gaza, and Saudi Arabia is holding normalization hostage to impossible political demands. The enemy is exploiting the West’s focus on internal squabbles.
Iran is at the 10-bomb threshold and actively preventing the verification required to pull it back; Iran is using military seizures to retaliate against diplomatic pressure; and allied nations are enabling Iran’s most destructive weapons programs.
Diplomatic pressure should be immediately paired with credible joint military deterrence in the Strait of Hormuz to secure the free flow of commerce. Furthermore, Washington must enforce strict accountability on its allies, making it clear that funding Iran’s missile program is an act of geopolitical sabotage that will incur severe and immediate penalties.
The window for a diplomatic solution is closing rapidly. If the current trend of non-compliance and synchronized defiance continues, the world will soon have to face the fact that Iran’s pursuit of nuclear capability has crossed the point of no return.