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Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.

March 19, 2021

Andrew Yang Says BDS is “Non-Violent” But “Antisemitic”

Leave a Comment / News, United States /

New York City Mayoral Candidate Andrew Yang said in a March 19 statement to the Forward that while he views the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as “nonviolent,” the fact that it doesn’t recognize Israel’s right to exist makes it anti-Semitic.

According to the Forward, Yang was speaking at a March 18 forum hosted by Emgage, a Muslim-American advocacy organization. The moderator, Dean Obeidallah, told Yang that when he said that BDS harkens “back to fascist boycotts of Jewish businesses,” it “caused a lot of pain in [the Palestinian] community.” Obeidallah pointed out that his grandmother’s “land has been taken by Israeli settlers and turned into a settlement. What is that called?”

Yang replied that he was referencing “extremist elements” of the movement that had become violent. “I’ve spoken to people who have made a different argument, along the lines of what you just expressed — which is that BDS is nonviolent,” Yang said. “I don’t think targeting Israel in this way is the right approach, but I certainly appreciate people who are standing up for what they believe in.”

When the Forward asked him to clarify his stance on BDS, Yang replied, “BDS does not recognize the right of Israel to exist. Not recognizing Israel’s right to exist is antisemitic. I strongly oppose BDS, as I’ve said countless times.” He acknowledged that his remarks at the forum “caused pain to many people,” and he’ll be reaching out to members of the Jewish community to discuss the matter.

Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who also heads the Americans Against Anti-Semitism watchdog, got into a debate with Yang’s campaign co-manager Chris Coffey about the matter on Twitter. Hikind asked Coffey, “If @AndrewYang knows BDS is Antisemitic, what exactly is there to ‘appreciate’ about it? Does he ‘appreciate’ other racist movements because they have a right to free speech? Or are deplorable movements with deplorable aims simply deplorable? He can’t play both sides!”

 

Coffey replied that BDS supporters “have a first amendment right to their view. [Yang] strongly disagrees with it and believes not recognizing Israel is in itself anti Semitic. As he said 20x in the last 10 weeks.”

 

Hikind responded, “Would he say he appreciates the KKK? They’re as racist as BDS is antisemitic, and they too have a right to free speech. Does your candidate ‘appreciate’ all hateful movements? If not, why only BDS? If yes, it’s disgusting but at least he’d be consistent!”

In a February 24 Muslim Democratic Club of New York mayoral forum, Yang said, “My view on BDS is that because of its failure to disavow certain organizations that have expressed violent intentions toward Israel that I disagree with it, but I have complete respect for people who have a very different point of view.” He also said that he “would appreciate the opportunity” to talk to members of the Palestinian community about the matter.

Andrew Yang Says BDS is “Non-Violent” But “Antisemitic” Read More »

Jewish Groups Rally on Behalf of Asian Americans

Leave a Comment / News, United States, Wires /

(JTA) — Jewish groups are rallying in support of Asian Americans following a string of murders Tuesday at massage parlors in Atlanta that left eight people dead, including six Asians.

Police in Georgia say the 21-year-old suspect may have been motivated by hatred of women and not anti-Asian bigotry. But in the wake of reports of rising levels of anti-Asian harassment and violence amid the coronavirus pandemic, the attack is likely to exacerbate the community’s fear regardless of the alleged gunman’s motives.

“It’s clearly going to have an effect on the psyche of the Asian-American community,” Dov Wilker, the regional director for the American Jewish Committee in Atlanta, said in an interview. “Anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise nationally, and this will put the community on edge.”

Wilker said he was working with other local Jewish groups to put out a solidarity statement. He was also reaching out to Asian-American partners who joined local Jewish groups in pressing for the passage last year of a state law that would enhance penalties for hate crimes, as well as to the Japanese and Korean consulates in the city.

Leslie Anderson, the director of the Atlanta-area Jewish Community Relations Council, said the Jewish community has worked with local Asian-American communities on a range of legislative and social justice issues.

“We don’t know yet if it’s a hate crime,” she said. “Given the rise of violence against the Asian American-Pacific Islander community, it certainly fits in with that pattern.”

Anderson said the Jewish community was also seeking to comfort Asian Americans within the Jewish community.

“Our hearts go out to them, we are concerned about them and making sure they’re OK,” she said.

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is Jewish, also cited the recent spike in anti-Asian violence.

“While the motive for last night’s terrible violence remains under investigation, I express my love and support and stand in solidarity with the Asian American community, which has endured a shocking increase in violence and harassment over the last year,” he said in a statement.

The Asian-American community has substantially increased in the Atlanta area in recent years, driven in part by the expansion of manufacturing plants owned by Asian corporations. Asian groceries and restaurants now dot suburbs that once were the domain of white conservatives.

“Deeply disturbed by the horrific attack in Atlanta,” Jonathan Greenblatt, the Anti-Defamation League’s chief executive, said on Twitter. “While there is still much we don’t know, we do know this: alarm bells have been ringing, hate toward the #AAPI community has been rising — and it is our civic and moral duty to speak out to #StopAAPIHate.”

David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, made a similar pledge.

“As hate crimes targeting Asian Americans continue to rise, this Jew won’t be silent,” he said on Twitter. “As Asian Americans are attacked and, yes, killed, this Jew won’t be silent. As the larger fabric of our diverse society is threatened, this Jew won’t be silent.”

The Reform movement’s Religious Action Center noted the aftereffects of violent attacks that target minorities.

“In the aftermath of these horrific attacks that appear to have targeted women of Asian descent, we continue to stand with and pray for the Asian-American and Atlanta communities, especially the families of the victims and all those who suffered trauma,” its director, Rabbi Jonah Pesner, said in a statement.

The Orthodox Union decried the attack and called for unity. “Americans of all faiths and ethnicities must join together to do everything we can to put an end to hate and help our neighbors, especially as we work together to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic,” it said in a statement.

In October, the ADL issued a study showing a dramatic increase in anti-Asian sentiment online following President Donald Trump’s tweet that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. Trump had repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the “China virus” because of its origins in the Wuhan province.

The National Council of Jewish Women said the attack could only be understood in the context of attacks on women and minorities.

“That last night’s horrific attack targeted women of color working low wage jobs is no coincidence and is the direct result of systemic racism and misogyny,” NCJW said in a statement. “Women of color are the most likely to suffer the consequences of racism, misogyny, and white supremacy and women are most at risk to become victims of deadly violence.”

A leading progressive Jewish group, Bend the Arc, released a statement Wednesday echoing that charge.

“This is a national crisis fomented by politicians who have chosen to point fingers and spread fear instead of taking action to keep everyone safe from the pandemic,” the group said. “Their words and rhetoric are once again echoing in gunshots, as they have in Pittsburgh, El Paso, and most recently in the halls of the Capitol building, and they must be held accountable. As Jews, we know that freedom and safety for any of us depends on the freedom and safety of all of us.”

HIAS, the leading Jewish immigration advocacy group, drew a line between the attack and bigoted rhetoric.

“While the investigation into these killings has just begun, it seems that misogyny also motivated these murders,” it said in a statement. “As we have seen time and time again, hateful attitudes and speech can lead to horrific violence.”

The Jewish Democratic Council of America, a partisan group, noted the access to guns.

“The nexus between white supremacy, guns and violence against women constitutes a national emergency,” the group said in a statement. “This act of unspeakable hate in Georgia is the latest in the rise of violent attacks and vitriolic rhetoric targeting Asian Americans.”

Jewish Groups Rally on Behalf of Asian Americans Read More »

CBS to Create American Remake of Hit Israeli Series ‘Shtisel’

Leave a Comment / Entertainment, Television /

(JNS) CBS Studios announced on Tuesday that it is developing an American adaptation of the popular Netflix-distributed Israeli drama “Shtisel.”

The American remake will be written by “Insatiable” creator and “Dexter” writer Lauren Gussis, and directed by Oscar-winner Kenneth Lonergan, reported Deadline.

The publication said the show is being described as a modern take on “Romeo and Juliet” and will center on an “ultra-progressive, over-achieving secular 18-year-old young woman on the verge of personal freedom, and the strictly observant Orthodox young man to whom she is powerfully drawn—so powerfully that she is willing to uproot her entire life to be with him.”

The remake will reportedly be shopped around soon to potential buyers. Fremantle is the co-studio.

The “Shtisel” adaptation will be a TV directing debut for Lonergan, who has so far only directed features that he wrote himself. The “Manchester by the Sea” filmmaker was drawn to the storyline, and after many conversations with Gussis and several rabbis, joined the project, according to Deadline.

CBS Studios has recently amped up its investment in international local production, developing and producing new shows in Germany, Israel and the Netherlands.

CBS to Create American Remake of Hit Israeli Series ‘Shtisel’ Read More »

The Bagel Report

#ReleasetheSederCut

Leave a Comment / Podcasts, The Bagel Report /

Sorry listeners, Esther and Erin don’t have time to recap the 4-hour-long Snyder Cut this week because they have to prepare for Passover!!! Realizing they’re still not ready, they stall and talk about Passover’s past and share traditions, stories, special foods and other influences that define the holiday for their respective families. They also discuss crossover possibilities between Passover and popular culture. Later they take a moment to remember their colleague, entertainment writer Gerri Miller, who died on March 14. 
Links
Night at the Museum clip
Easy Farfel Muffin Recipe
Remembering Gerri Miller
Stop AAPI Hate

Follow Erin, Esther and The Bagel Report on Twitter! 

#ReleasetheSederCut Read More »

Three Short Films Offer New Take on Passover Seder

Leave a Comment / Film /

It’s getting closer to the Passover Seder (evening of March 27) and Phil Miller of 7th Art Releasing notified the Journal that his company stands ready to embrace and clarify the holiday through three short films.

The titles are, respectively “The Four Sons and All Their Sons,” “The Seder” and “Life and Hummus.”

Over the centuries and across the Jewish communities of the Diaspora the Haggadah has seemingly gone through as many transformations and interpretations as there are creative Jews on this planet and new ones sprout with each generation.

“The Four Sons and All Their Sons” poses a series of questions. Besides representing four types of Jewish youngsters, and their levels of understanding, do the lads also represent each of four generations after immigration from the shtetl to new worlds? Or different stages of evolution in each youngster?

Or do we accept the interpretation of the Survivors’ Haggadah, which challenges God to explain why so many sons are missing after the Holocaust?

To personify the different sons, the wise son may be a kibbutznik while the wicked son is frequently depicted as a soldier. And as we seek to become more inclusive, there are now haggadot for girls and for interfaith families.

However, organizing a Seder is not without peril as tensions rise amidst last-minute preparations and old quarrels resurface with new vigor, alternating with fervent declarations of mutual affection.

In the 12-minute film “The Seder”  by Canadian Justin Kelly, gay son Leo decides that the Seder is the ideal time to introduce his lover Mitchell to his straight-laced family. In no time, the scene devolves into the stereotypical Jewish family so beloved of comedy writers.

If food is a (or The) crucial ingredient of the Seder, a third film is titled “Life and Hummus.” There are still debates among the learned whether hummus is appropriately kosher for the Seder, but those who dote on the delicacy will endorse the third film, “Life and Hummus.”

Like a visitor to New York might compile a list of bars serving the best drinks, Alvin Mitchell leaves his Los Angeles habitat to embark on a tour of Israel in search of the perfect delicacy, beloved equally by Jews, Arabs, Ethiopians and Christians. In addition, one connoisseur insists that the highest quality hummus comes from Turkey.

Another expect insists that “to take chickpeas and make one of the most beloved food on the planet, everything must be made by hand.”

The ingredients, according to one chef, start with garlic, hummus (smash it), lemon and tahini, all, of course, mixed by hand.

Mitchell’s pilgrimage takes him from Tel Aviv and Jaffa to Abu Gosh, West and East Jerusalem, Ramallah, Haifa, Akko, Nazareth,Bethlehem and the West Bank. If the viewer takes notes, he/she should end up with a list of the premier Hummus joints in the Holy Land.

For additional information and to order the films, go to http://www.7thart.com, and then to bookings@7thart.com.

Three Short Films Offer New Take on Passover Seder Read More »

Wayne Allen

Dr. Rabbi Wayne Allen: Thinking about Good and Evil

Leave a Comment / Podcasts, Rosner's Domain Podcast /

Shmuel Rosner chats with Dr Rabbi Wayne Allen about his upcoming book: “Thinking about Good and Evil: Jewish Views from Antiquity to Modernity” – out in May.
After being graduated from New York University with a B.A. in philosophy and Phi Beta Kappa, Rabbi Allen attended the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he earned a Masters degree in Rabbinics and went on to receive rabbinic ordination. He has served as a congregational rabbi for almost 34 years, taking on postings in New York City, Los Angeles, and Toronto.

Follow Shmuel Rosner on Twitter.

Dr. Rabbi Wayne Allen: Thinking about Good and Evil Read More »

Satirical Comedic Author Dave Cowen on New ‘Biden-Harris’ Haggadah

Leave a Comment / Books /

Dave Cowen likes when the “weird thing kinda works out” in life. After writing comedy and satire for The New Yorker and McSweeney’s, he decided to embrace his favorite Jewish holiday by publishing his first Haggadah in February 2018.

“The Trump Passover Haggadah,” was created out of his frustration and disappointment  toward the Trump administration. The Los Angeleno said he didn’t expect anyone to read it, just his family and friends. When it received rave reviews from community members and strangers on Amazon, he released a second one in March 2019. This time, he parodied his favorite TV show, “Seinfeld,” and the “Yada Yada Haggadah: A Sitcom Seder” was born.

“I’ve always had an interest in political satire, first and foremost,” Cowen, 36, said. “But I’ve always been really spiritual. I’ve really embraced that side of myself. I’ve been studying Kabbalah and numerology and it always would seep into my secular work in a strange way. At a certain point, I realized I should embrace that and… trust that other people are going to like it.”

This year, Cowen decided to create a third satirical Haggadah that celebrates the new president and vice president. Released on Feb. 1 via Amazon, “The Biden-Harris Haggadah: Thank G-d!” offers laughter for anyone who needs it at their upcoming seder.

The new Haggadah, like all of Cowen’s Haggadot, features skits, prayers, songs and the Passover story told through the perspectives of President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Second Jewish Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Dr. Anthony Fauci. With a Passover parody of Cardi B’s “WAP,” the comedic Haggadah ends with a page honoring some of Cowen’s favorite Jewish comedians.

The author said that the “Biden-Harris Haggadah” is intended to be a breath of fresh air, not just for readers but for the writer, who is excited to celebrate a new administration and the Jewish leaders working with them.

“I wish [The Trump Haggadah] didn’t exist. I wish we didn’t think of him as this Pharaoh ruling over us. But it’s what history was,” he said. “I was reading about the history of Haggad[ot] and people even made Haggad[ot] about Hitler back in the day. People used Haggad[ot] to talk about suppression because [The Exodus story is] a story of freedom and enslavement. There’s a tradition of using political satire throughout the Haggad[ot]. I think this is in that tradition.”

Cowen says a great way to approach parody Haggadah writing is having it, “come from a place of understanding [and] a place of love.” Passover was always a big holiday for Cowen and his family. Not only because Passover fell around his birthday, but because it was an opportunity to celebrate the holiday two nights in a row, two completely different ways. One seder was traditional with family friends and the second was laid back and creative with only family.

He used this format when creating his series of Haggadot. Cowen researched many Haggadot before writing his own and was inspired by a multitude of Jewish authors before him, including Lillie Cowen. While there is no relation, Cowen said Lillie Cowen’s 1904 “Cowen Haggadah” (which sold 295,000 copies by 1935) was one of the first successful Jewish-American Haggadot.

The “Biden-Harris” author also loves how there is a growing niche for unique and personal Haggadot. “There is a huge market for these books because people are collecting them every year,” he said. “People have these collections of them that span their whole lives.”

He said a game changer in the Passover resource world is haggadot.com because it helps people create quirky Haggadah pages that modernize the ancient text. Users can also find selections of Cowen’s work on haggadot.com that can be downloaded and utilized for different seders.

“These Haggadahs are helpful because … you can mix in your own. You take different pieces of it for different times,” Cowen said “That’s why it’s so great you can have two nights…you can do something completely different and free and I think that is why the two-night system is ideal for that.”

In addition to revamping Haggadot, Cowen said he is also trying to modernize the seder itself. Two years ago, Cowen and friends Danielle Steckler and Jaime Factor hosted a cannabis seder called Cannavore Supper. The seder infused cannabis into the meal while attendees read Cowen’s “Yada Yada Haggadah.” This year, the same team is gathering virtually for a similar seder experience. (You can sign up for the March 28 event here.) It’s not for everyone, Cowen admits, but it’s a different way for Jews to partake in a seder experience.

Cowen welcomes the fact that there is no one way to celebrate Passover. He loves new interpretations of the Passover text and the ways people incorporate different current events into a Haggadah.

Cowen welcomes the fact that there is no one way to celebrate Passover.

He also loves the speed in which they can be produced. It can take at least a year to put a book together with a literary agent, which is why he likes utilizing Amazon. Amazon allowed him to publish his work quickly and sell it at a reduced price that is accessible for everyone. He encourages others who want to publish their own Haggadot to use the platform to get their work out there.

“You don’t want to plan them so far ahead because you want them to be timely, especially in the political satire field,” Cowen said. “I like Haggadot.com and Amazon. A lot of people are self-publishing. There’s sort of this community now. It’s fun to see that dissemination out there of people sharing their work.”

Click here to purchase a virtual or print copy of “The Biden-Harris Haggadah: Thank G-d!” For more information on Cowen’s cannabis virtual seder, click here.

Satirical Comedic Author Dave Cowen on New ‘Biden-Harris’ Haggadah Read More »

Kol Ami Rabbi Denise Eger Receives Honorary Doctorate from Ben-Gurion University

Leave a Comment / California, Community, News /

Congregation Kol Ami Rabbi Denise Eger is receiving an honorary doctoral degree from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev Beer-Sheva. The university announced on March 17 that it will be presenting the degree to Eger because of her work as a Jewish leader, AIDS and LGBTQ activist, author and founding rabbi of the West Hollywood Reform synagogue.

Eger will also lead the new American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s (AABGU) Rabbinic Council. While it’s still in its early stages of formation, the initiative is a combination of academic, research and outreach programs aimed at building stronger relationships between Israelis and Americans.

Doug Seserman, chief executive officer of AABGU, said Eger is a remarkable rabbi, activist and leader and that this honorary doctorate is well-deserved. “Her incredible history as a pioneer is particularly meaningful in light of the recent Israel Supreme Court ruling granting Reform and Conservative Jewish converts rights as Jews as a pathway to citizenship,” Seserman said. “I am also thrilled that Rabbi Eger has accepted a leadership role in AABGU’s new rabbinic council, which is currently in formation. She has led the way to positive change by breaking through glass ceilings and inspiring the rest of us with her righteous devotion towards equality.”

“She has led the way to positive change by breaking through glass ceilings and inspiring the rest of us with her righteous devotion towards equality.”

Since becoming a rabbi in 1988 from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, Eger has devoted her life to creating a welcoming Jewish environment for everyone. She is also a past president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the largest organization of rabbis in the world, and received her Doctor of Divinity Degree from Hebrew Union College in 2013.

Eger was the first woman and openly gay person to have served as past president of the Southern California Board of Rabbis and was instrumental in helping pass the March 2000 CCAR resolution in support of officiation and gay and lesbian commitment ceremonies. In June 2008, she had the honor of officiating at the first legal wedding for a lesbian couple in California.

“I have tried through my rabbinic career to inspire commitment to Jewish tradition, widen the tent of the Jewish people as well as deepen engagement with Jewish life and with the people of the State of Israel,” Eger said in a statement to the Journal. “This is a humbling and affirming moment.”

In addition to her activist and rabbinical work, Eger is also an author, public speaker and “proud Zionist.” She is the editor of the book, “Mishkan Ga’avah: Where Pride Dwells: A Celebration of LGBTQ Jewish Life and Ritual,” which is a collection of LGBTQ prayers, poems, liturgy and rituals that celebrate Jewish diversity. She is also co-editor of “Gender & Religious Leadership: Women Rabbis, Pastors and Ministers,” which highlights the work of female ministers, rabbis and pastors around the world. Eger frequently leads discussions on human sexuality, the LGBTQ community, Judaism, AIDS, modern Jewish family life, spirituality and progressive Judaism. In 2019 Eger was honored by the City of Los Angeles during Jewish American Heritage Month as one of the women leading change in the city.

BGU President Daniel Chamovitz also believes Eger is deserving of this honorary degree, stating she is one the “great Jewish leaders of our time.”

“As past president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis… she serves as a bridge between America’s Jewish community and Israel and is a leading voice in the pursuit of equality, especially when it comes to LGTBQ rights in the Jewish community,” Chamovitz said. “We are proud to present her with an honorary doctoral degree. By dedicating herself towards such a noble cause, she serves as an example to us all.”

Kol Ami Rabbi Denise Eger Receives Honorary Doctorate from Ben-Gurion University Read More »

Media’s Hyper-Focus on Israel Shields World’s Worst Human Rights Abusers

Leave a Comment / Commentary, Opinion /

On March 10, 2021, five Palestinian Arab children between ages 8 and 13 allegedly tried to steal some expensive parrots or vegetables in a Jewish community in Judea. After the kids were caught trying to steal, they were detained for a few hours until their parents could come pick them up at the police station and bring them home.

In what can only be described as an astonishing coincidence, a self-described anti-Israel “human rights” group just happened to be on the scene when these kids were detained and placed into the vehicles that would take them to the police station.

Even with the video of their detainment, it was not exactly a major news story. A few minors were caught stealing and detained. Their parents were called, and they were handed over to their parents within hours of being caught stealing. This is something that happens every day in countless places across America.

Yet, it has been a major news story. A simple Google search of “Palestinian kids arrested for stealing parrots” or “Palestinian kids arrested for stealing vegetables” yields pages of “news” stories from different publications.

NBC News kept posting a story written by a reporter — who has a damnable history of writing false and often debunked stories about Israel — regarding these Palestinian boys being supposedly arrested for “foraging for vegetables” (which, while false, apparently sounds more sympathetic than stealing).

But it wasn’t only NBC. Two days later, Yahoo News ran the story and effectively regurgitated the NBC story under a different title. Business Insider ran the story 3 days later with breathless claims such as “[f]ive Palestinian children were apprehended by Israeli soldiers in southern Hebron on Wednesday” and “The young boys were then taken to a police station where they were detained for several hours.” And since March 10, 2021 — just based on my personal observations — NBC News has re-posted this story on Facebook (alone) at least four different times.

The reality is all that what happened here is that five boys were either trying to steal expensive pets or inexpensive vegetables and were detained (not arrested) as a result. Put another way, underage wannabe thieves were detained for a few hours until they could be handed over to their parents. Either way, not exactly a major news story. At least it shouldn’t be — particularly in a region where children are regularly mass murdered (e.g. Syria); subjected to industrial scale military starvation campaigns (e.g. Yemen) and often used as child soldiers and for slave labor (e.g. Hamas in Gaza).

Yet, for NBC and numerous other news organizations, this is a story that apparently warrants reams of breathless coverage. Why? Why is NBC (and most other Western news media) devoting far less virtual space and time reporting on the plight of the Uyghur Muslims in China? Why are they not discussing the starvation of children in Yemen? Why are they not focusing on the ongoing slave trade in Libya? Why are they spending far less time reporting on the ongoing slaughter and kidnapping of children in Nigeria by Boko Haram?

I think we all know the answer to these questions. These media organizations know they receive a lot more views promoting stories that bash the one Jewish state than those that focus on actually significant human rights stories around the world.

These media organizations know they receive more views promoting stories that bash Israel than those that focus on actually significant human rights stories around the world.

But while this hyper-focus on Israel certainly does do some harm to Israel, the people it harms the most are those who the media outlets largely ignore compared to how they cover Israel and the Palestinians. This media malpractice really hurts the Uyghurs, the imprisoned political dissidents in Hong Kong, those protesting another dictatorship in Myanmar, the Tigray civilians being slaughtered in Ethiopia, the gay people oppressed by Iran and the countless other actual human rights violations that barely get any attention.

In much the same way that the hyper-focus on Israel by so-called “human rights” organizations (such as the United Nations Human Rights Council) protects the world’s worst human rights abusers from answering for their crimes against humanity, the hyper-focus on Israel by the media prevents widespread coverage of the most heinous human rights abuses by the worst dictatorships and terror groups on earth.

In the first three months of 2021 alone, Boko Haram has kidnapped and murdered hundreds of people in Nigeria, many of them children. Yet a Google search for “NBC News Boko Haram” doesn’t come up with a single news story from 2020 or 2021. Not one.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Walter Lippman famously said, “There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and to shame the devil.” Well, if the “devil” is not those kidnapping and murdering thousands in Nigeria, putting hundreds of thousands in concentration camps in China, starving tens of thousands in Yemen, etc., then the “devil” doesn’t need shaming. Only then could dozens of international news stories about kids being detained for trying to steal parrots possibly make sense.

Micha Danzig served in the Israeli Army and is a former police officer with the NYPD. He is currently an attorney and is very active with numerous Jewish and pro-Israel organizations, including Stand With Us, T.E.A.M. and the FIDF.

Media’s Hyper-Focus on Israel Shields World’s Worst Human Rights Abusers Read More »