Israel and Antisemitism: My Conversation with Presidential Candidate Robert Kennedy Jr
Today I met with Democratic Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr. and discussed Israel, the rise of antisemitism, and Kennedy’s recent tweet where he supported Roger Waters.
Today I met with Democratic Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr. and discussed Israel, the rise of antisemitism, and Kennedy’s recent tweet where he supported Roger Waters. It was courageous of Bobby to come and meet me and reassert his lifelong support of Israel and the Jewish people, continuing in the legacy of his great father who was murdered by Palestinian gunman Sirhan Sirhan because of his own support of Israel in 1968. Bobby and I discussed the volatile situation in the Middle East and the challenges facing America for more than two hours.
Kennedy explained that his tweet about Waters was in response to someone sharing with him a picture that Waters flashed of Bobby at one of his concerts, saluting the candidate’s willingness to swim against societal currents. Bobby told me he had no idea that Waters was a vicious antisemite and when he studied the issue and the facts, he immediately deleted the tweet. I believe Bobby and I thank him for his repudiation of Waters. How tragic it is for Waters to have his legacy as an antisemite now overtake his legacy as an accomplished artist.
Kennedy said his dedication to Israel’s security is unshakable and unalterable. He also said that he reserves the right to challenge some of its policies, for example, as an environmentalist, with regards to water rights. I agreed. The beauty of Israel, as opposed to all of its neighbors, is that it is an open democracy with a free press and, just like America, welcomes criticism. Kennedy and I discussed the holocaust and the existential and genocidal threats facing the Jewish nation and Bobby once again affirmed his profound commitment to Israel’s security.
I told him his father was one Israel’s greatest friends and we in the Jewish community mourn him till this day. I then asked him to please march with me tomorrow, June 4th, at the annual “Celebrate Israel Parade,” and he immediately agreed. The conversation was riveting. While we disagreed on many issues, he speaks with a refreshing and non-partisan candor. I look forward to jointly marching this Sunday to champion the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish State.
NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon talks about her new book, “The Jews and The Left,” her rift with Megyn Kelly and why antisemitism has spread like wildfire in America.
The entire toy industry in America was largely Jewish, from the company founders and executives to the designers and factory workers, from the wholesale distributors and the army of salesmen, to the retail outlets and the large department stores that sold them.
The Museum of the City of New York welcomed “The Roastmaster General” along with Katz’s Deli owner Jake Dell for a meaty talk on the Jewish deli’s legacy.
Alongside cultural outreach, the Ministry is also focusing on investors and infrastructure. Itzhakov said Israel is actively encouraging tourism-related investment through targeted meetings and investor conferences.
NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon talks about her new book, “The Jews and The Left,” her rift with Megyn Kelly and why antisemitism has spread like wildfire in America.
The expanded campus will include multiple pavilions where visitors can explore the full arc of Holocaust history: the world that existed before, the horrors that unfolded during and the lasting consequences that continue to shape the present.
Historically, Jews have been accused of controlling politics, the banks and the media. I haven’t read yet that they control the weather, but that wouldn’t be any more bizarre than the other charges.
Once a society begins treating Jewish fear and/or pain as inherently dishonest, Jewish trauma as inherently political, or Jewish victimhood as uniquely undeserving of empathy, it creates a moral exception around Jews.
When we fall short — as individuals, as a people, whether everyday Jews or the Prime Minister himself — we must have the courage to face it honestly, call it what it is, and do better.
Israel and Antisemitism: My Conversation with Presidential Candidate Robert Kennedy Jr
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
Today I met with Democratic Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr. and discussed Israel, the rise of antisemitism, and Kennedy’s recent tweet where he supported Roger Waters. It was courageous of Bobby to come and meet me and reassert his lifelong support of Israel and the Jewish people, continuing in the legacy of his great father who was murdered by Palestinian gunman Sirhan Sirhan because of his own support of Israel in 1968. Bobby and I discussed the volatile situation in the Middle East and the challenges facing America for more than two hours.
Kennedy explained that his tweet about Waters was in response to someone sharing with him a picture that Waters flashed of Bobby at one of his concerts, saluting the candidate’s willingness to swim against societal currents. Bobby told me he had no idea that Waters was a vicious antisemite and when he studied the issue and the facts, he immediately deleted the tweet. I believe Bobby and I thank him for his repudiation of Waters. How tragic it is for Waters to have his legacy as an antisemite now overtake his legacy as an accomplished artist.
Kennedy said his dedication to Israel’s security is unshakable and unalterable. He also said that he reserves the right to challenge some of its policies, for example, as an environmentalist, with regards to water rights. I agreed. The beauty of Israel, as opposed to all of its neighbors, is that it is an open democracy with a free press and, just like America, welcomes criticism. Kennedy and I discussed the holocaust and the existential and genocidal threats facing the Jewish nation and Bobby once again affirmed his profound commitment to Israel’s security.
I told him his father was one Israel’s greatest friends and we in the Jewish community mourn him till this day. I then asked him to please march with me tomorrow, June 4th, at the annual “Celebrate Israel Parade,” and he immediately agreed. The conversation was riveting. While we disagreed on many issues, he speaks with a refreshing and non-partisan candor. I look forward to jointly marching this Sunday to champion the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish State.
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