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Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Jewish Currents Magazine literally rewrites Israeli history


 by Moshe Phillips

An extremist historian claimed in a recent webinar that Israel practices mass rape of Palestinian Arabs. But when the radical leftwing magazine that sponsored the event later issued a transcript of his remarks, it swept that embarrassment under the rug by quietly omitting his insane allegation.

In other words, Jewish Currents magazine literally rewrote history.

This disturbing episode began when Raz Segal, a professor at Stockton University in New Jersey, appeared on a webinar sponsored by Jewish Currents last month.

Red Cross To Captive’s Parents: “Think About The Palestinian Side”

 



The family of a hostage being held by Hamas in Gaza was rebuked by Red Cross representatives in a meeting, who told them that they need to “think about the Palestinian side,” Kan News reported.

Roni and Simona Steinbrecher are the parents of Doron, 30, a veterinary nurse who was abducted from Kfar Aza on October 7th. When they were invited to a meeting with the Red Cross last week, they were hopeful that the organization had finally agreed to transfer Doron’s medication to her. Doron needs medicine daily and her parents had begged the Red Cross to deliver the medication to her.

But they were in for a nasty surprise when instead of offering to help, the Red Cross representatives reprimanded them.

“Think about the Palestinian side,” the representatives of the Red Cross told them. “It’s hard for the Palestinians, they’re being bombed.”

Doron’s parents left the meeting in shock. After two months of unbearable suffering and sleepless nights, knowing their daughter is being held by Hamas barbarians, they not only received zero support but were told to have sympathy for the “other side.”

Monday, December 11, 2023

Argentinian president wears yarmulka at inauguration, meets with families of Israeli captives

 

Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, was sworn in Sunday in a ceremony in Buenos Aires, nearly a month after Milei won a runoff election against then-Minister of the Economy Sergio Massa in mid-November, defeating the center-left candidate 56% to 44%.

On inauguration day, Milei held a series of meetings with foreign dignitaries ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, including a meeting with a delegation of Israelis headed by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen (Likud).

The delegation included relatives of some of the over 130 Israelis still held captive by terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Relatives of the Bibas family – all four of whom were kidnapped on October 7th – were among the Israelis included in the delegation.

President Milei wore a yarmulka during the meeting, and offered his support to Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas.

“I would like to emphasize our complete solidarity with the nation of Israel after the terrorist actions Hamas perpetrated. We condemn them fully and firmly,” Milei said.

“I fully support Israel’s right to defend itself from those terrorist attacks. Additionally, we are considering declaring Hamas a terrorist organization in Argentina.”

After the meeting, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen expressed his appreciation of Milei’s support for Israel, noting that he invited the new president to visit Israel.

“Argentina is a strategic country in South America, and under President Milei, our friendship will strengthen. I thanked the President for his firm stance on Israel’s side in its struggle against terror, his intention to declare Hamas a terrorist organization, and his calls for the unconditional release of all hostages.”

“I invited him to visit Israel and inaugurate the Argentinian embassy in Jerusalem, as the president himself promised to do in his speeches over the past few months.”


Councilwoman Inna Vernikov Sticks it to the "Squad" Wearing a dress designed with the Israeli Flag

 


New York City elected official has worn a glamorous evening gown… with a message of her own.

New York Republican City Council Member Inna Vernikov wore a striking blue and white evening dress emblazoned with the Jewish star…the Israeli flag…at the annual Manhattan Republican Club gala last night.

"So many Jewish New Yorkers & Jewish college students all over the country are afraid to display their Jewish identity, war a Kipa, a Star of David, or express support for the great state of Israel," Vernikov wrote on "X"

"We cannot be afraid! We cannot remain silent! Be Jewish. Be Loud. Be Proud. This is where we live and we will not be intimidated!"

Vernikov, who is Jewish and born in Ukraine, has been an outspoken advocate for democracy and human rights, especially against Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of her homeland and the continuing attacks, both verbal and physical, against American Jews.

She says the dress was quickly put together in 24 hours by celebrity designer Irina Shabayeva. 

Shabayeva studied at the Parsons School of Design and is a Project Runway television show winner.  Her creations have been worn by Selena Gomez and Carrie Underwood, among other celebrities.

She thanked Vernikov for her "bravery and leadership" in wearing the dress as a statement supporting the Jewish state.

Vernikov has been outspoken in her support of Israel, calling it "our only true ally in the Middle East"

Poll Shocker: 20% of Gen Z Think Holocaust Is a Myth, 28% Believe Jews Have Too Much Power in US

 

DIN: I am not at all "shocked" that 20% think that the Holocaust is a myth, as most of those learning in our own yeshivos have no connection to the Holocaust unless they still have a survivor as a grandparent. Chareidie "gedoilim" refused to set a day apart as a "zikoran" and Chareidim in Israel actually laugh and mock the Zionists for commemorating "Yom Hashoah" In most cases when the Yom Hashoah siren goes off, they deliberately ignore it . 

Most Chareidim are not even connected to the recent massacre on Oct 7, except for being inconvenienced running to shelters. Practically no one in Bnei Brak has a husband, son or any close relative serving in the IDF, so no one is worrying in Bnei-Brak if their husband or son will ever come home. They do not relate at all to the suffering and anguish of the family of loved ones serving in Gaza to protect the Kolalim and Yeshivois in Bnei Brak. They have zero hakoras hatoiv and G-d Forbid a soldier in uniform walks thru those streets. Yes, of course there are exceptions to the rule and some are actually moiser nefesh to help in any way they can, I am speaking of the majority. Most Roshei Yeshiva do not even allow their students to help in any way the IDF! They are told that "Torah is Matzil" they are not talking about the IDF soldiers who are giving up their lives, but those in the Yeshivois themselves and their own families, they are not given any lessons to have any connection to the vast Israeli population out there. We are bringing up a generation of narcissists who care about no one but themselves. The Roshei Yeshivas compare IDF Soldiers to Garbage collectors, so what do we expect from Goyim??

They don't realize that Hamas would have taken and slaughtered those in Bnei-Brak as well. To Hamas a girl wearing tights with braids from Bnei Brak is the same as a non-tzneesdik girl from a kibbutz in the south. That's why Jews in New York are in shock that the goyim are beating the hell out of them on a daily basis. They know nothing about the Holocaust so they have not learned any lessons from history. They think that this is just a phase that will blow over soon,; I have news for you that is exactly what the Jews in Germany, Poland and Hungary thought as well. This is not going to end well, I am sorry to say! 

The philosopher George Santayana wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

But no one could have predicted that it would take less than 100 years for us to forget one of the most heinous atrocities committed against one people group in modern history -- the Holocaust.

A recent survey on Holocaust knowledge in America unveiled a profound and disturbing ignorance among young adults about the attempted genocide of the Jewish people, according to U.K. outlet The Guardian.

[YouGov Survey] Top groups that believe the Holocaust didn’t happen:

-Democrats: 10% (vs 5% of Republicans)

-Black people: 13% (vs 5% white people)

-City residents: 14% (vs 3% rural people)

-Young people: 20% (vs 0% of age 65+)

Jewish leftists are going To have a really hard time… pic.twitter.com/P1uq0VHehD

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 8, 2023

Commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the survey polled 1,000 adults aged 18-39 nationwide about basic facts concerning the Nazi extermination of 6 million European Jews. The results were alarming.

Nearly two-thirds of young Americans do not even know that six million Jews died in the Holocaust. Over a third believe 2 million or less perished -- a staggering underestimate.

Almost half of millennial and Gen Z adults aged between 18 and 39 could not name a single concentration camp or ghetto -- emblems of Nazi brutality and the infrastructure of genocide.

Even more shocking numbers of young adults have bought into dangerous Holocaust denialism and distortion, the survey revealed.

Nearly a quarter believe the Holocaust has been exaggerated or are not even sure it happened. One in eight have never heard of it at all.

Over half have seen Nazi symbols promoted on social media.

In addition, 28 percent in the 18-29 demographic believe "Jews have too much power in America," according to the poll.

The survey was the first to drill down to the state level to determine beliefs about the Holocaust.

It ranked states from highest to lowest Holocaust knowledge based on residents' awareness of basic facts. Wisconsin scored highest, while Florida, Mississippi and Arkansas ranked lowest nationwide.

Almost half of millennial and Gen Z adults aged between 18 and 39 could not name a single concentration camp or ghetto -- emblems of Nazi brutality and the infrastructure of genocide.

Even more shocking numbers of young adults have bought into dangerous Holocaust denialism and distortion, the survey revealed.

Nearly a quarter believe the Holocaust has been exaggerated or are not even sure it happened. One in eight have never heard of it at all.

Over half have seen Nazi symbols promoted on social media.

In addition, 28 percent in the 18-29 demographic believe "Jews have too much power in America," according to the poll.

The survey was the first to drill down to the state level to determine beliefs about the Holocaust.

It ranked states from highest to lowest Holocaust knowledge based on residents' awareness of basic facts. Wisconsin scored highest, while Florida, Mississippi and Arkansas ranked lowest nationwide.

Dr. Phil condemns heads of Harvard, MIT, and UPENN for their statements to Congress

 


Well-known television host and author Doctor Phillip McGraw, who is known as 'Dr. Phil,' released a video this morning (Sunday) demanding the resignation of the presidents of Harvard University and MIT following their refusals to say that calls for genocide against the Jewish people violate university policy during a Congressional hearing last week.

"As an American, I grow increasingly appalled at the antisemitism permeating so much of our country, especially by so many students at our elite universities, which have become left-liberal woke hotbeds fostering intellectual rot rather than critical thinking, and tolerated or endorsed by their administrations," Dr. Phil began.

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Zionist "shomrim" beat the hell out of the Arabs

 


The Israelis tried calling "Shomrim," the Chassidishe army in Boro-park and Williamsburg, but אין קול ואין עונה 

It is interesting that Chareidim hold that its ok to have an army which they call "shomrim" to protect them in Chutz Le'aartz, but its "chazir Treif" for the Zionists to have an army to protect 7 million Jews!

The truth is that the "Gedoilim" of Chutz Le'aaretz really don't believe that "Torah is matzil uh'meigein" if they did, they would immediately prohibit "shomrim" and tell them instead to sit in learn, but they are quick to condemn the IDF and preach to their naive and ignorant sheep that one should not daven for the hatzlacha of the real "shoimrim" the IDF ! When it comes to the IDF they are quick to preach  "Torah is Matzil" something they themselves do not really believe in. All the Roshei Yeshiva of the Yeshivois and Kollim in Ashkelon and Ashdod fled to Beit Shemesh and the surrounding areas, teaching their students a real lesson that תורה מציל ומגן


Liz Magill’s UPenn resignation is just the first step in ridding campuses of antisemitism

 

Now that Liz Magill is about to become the former president of the University of Pennsylvania, the only sensible reaction is to hope she is the first of many college leaders to hit the road.

Magill’s forced resignation, following her sickening tolerance of antisemitism on Penn’s campus and her smug, disastrous congressional testimony, is reason to hope America’s educational rot has reached peak madness. The test is whether her comeuppance represents a sacrificial one-off or the start of a wholesale house cleaning of administrators who sold their souls to the woke mob.

That’s the moral clarity the nation needs and the moment demands.

Make no mistake: the outbreak of antisemitism on campuses across America is the virulent result of decades of radical professors whose far-left politics have turned elite institutions into anti-American indoctrination factories.

The daily drumbeat of contempt for our nation’s Founders, its military, police and civic institutions have fostered a hatred of Western civilization, its principles and morals. Cancel culture, gender madness and the embrace of racial discrimination in pursuit of diversity and equity are examples of the poisoned fruit of that agenda.

Incubators of hate

Mobs of Antisemitic Rioters Storm Streets of L.A., Chanting and Spraying Hate Graffiti

 

In a community with a heavy Jewish population, mobs of antisemites stormed the streets chanting antisemitic slogans and spraying antisemitic graffiti on buildings, including shuls. 

 The terrifying scene took place as Jews were lighting candles on Friday evening, at the start of Shabbos and the second night of Chanukah. According to “Stop Antisemites”, this particular location is the epicenter of Persian Jewish life on the Wilshire corridor.

Saturday, December 9, 2023

Jewish Woman Beaten Unconscious in London, Left for Dead

 


A Jewish woman was beaten unconscious by vicious antisemites late Thursday afternoon in London’s Stamford Hill neighborhood. The attack took place just before the neighborhood’s Jewish residents and their fellow Jews around the world were preparing to light the first candle on the first night of Hanukkah.

The attack took place on Rostrevor Avenue N15, Metropolitan Police said, adding that the laughing attackers also stole the woman’s bag.

“She was left collapsed and unresponsive in a puddle and appeared unconscious for a few minutes,” London Shomrim, who released the CCTV, said in a statement.

“We don’t underestimate the psychological impact of offences such as these and we are offering her every support as we work to identify the suspects,” said Detective Inspector Mike Herrick, who is leading the investigation from Metropolitan Police robbery unit.

“We know footage of the incident has been widely shared on social media and understand that there will be added concerns about the motivation behind the attack. We will of course keep an open mind about the motive and continue to work closely with the local community to allay any fears.”

The attackers, described as two black females with long braided weave hairstyles, kicked the woman in the head until she was unconscious and then laughed over her body, declaring she was “dead,” according to witnesses quoted by Stamford Hill Shomrim.

Horrifically but unsurprisingly, numerous people and drivers passed as the attack was taking place, but not one person stopped to help the victim.

“This was a shocking incident, and we are supporting the victim who is understandably distress,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement posted on X.

“Officers take any suggestion of hate crime incredibly seriously and our investigation will include a thorough assessment of the motive for the attack,” Metropolitan Police said in a statement.




 

Chanukah in Gaza

 







A "Freilichin" Chanukah


 

Holy Socks!! Satmar Rebbe's Socks Sell for $18,000 on EBay

 


Consider investing in the sock market.

Two pairs of three-foot-long white socks worn by a revered leader in the Hasidic Jewish community brought in a haul of nearly $18,000 on eBay this week. 

After an opening price of just 99 cents, socks worn by the late Grand Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, the founder of the Satmar sect, sold for an impressive $11,600 on Sunday, after 88 bids. 

Those amazing feet were followed by a second auction for another pair of Teitelbaum’s hose, which sold on Tuesday for $6,200 with 43 bids. 

“Pair of long, white socks used by Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar,” the listing read. “Approx. 95 cm. Good condition. Stains.”

Teitelbaum died in 1979, and his stockings were handed down to his aide, Rabbi Mendel Greenberg, who subsequently gave them to Rabbi Leib Friedman of Lakewood, NJ, according to the listing.

A letter signed by Friedman confirmed the garments’ authenticity.

“There’s a lot of people buying stuff because . . . an item that a rabbi wore has something holy in it,” said David Knobloch, who runs Rarity Auction House in Spring Valley, NY, and handled the recent sales.

Many members of the Hasidic community splurge on prayer books and garments previously used by rabbinical leaders, which they might bust out on the high holidays or when attending weddings. 

“They won’t wear it on a regular Monday … they’ll use it for special occasions,” said Brooklyn-based Judaica collector Israel Clapman, 37. 

“In the Hasidic community, they’re not buying Ferraris or Bentleys, so rare Judaica is their way of flashing bling, of throwing money around.” 

Starbucks plummets in value after employees support Hamas


Starbucks has plummeted in market value, after news broke that Starbucks is suing the Starbucks Workers Union (SWU), Irish Star reported.

SWU, which has over 360 participating stores and over 9,000 participating employees, was sued by the chain after SWU tweeted, "Solidarity with Palestine."

The New York Post noted that Starbucks quickly responded to the tweet by saying, "We unequivocally condemn acts of terrorism, hate and violence, and disagree with the statements and views expressed by Workers United and its members. Workers United’s words and actions belong to them, and them alone."

The site added that Starbucks saw 8% growth during its fourth quarter, but its stock market value dropped 1.6% on Monday, for the 11th consecutive session. The consecutive drops, which began towards the end of November, erased 9.4% of Starbucks’ market value, for a decline of nearly $12 billion.

According to AZ Central, Starbucks employees, former baristas, and "Palestinian" advocacy groups across the US boycotted the coffee chain as a response to Starbucks' lawsuit against SWU.

Lynne Fox, Workers United President, emphasized in a statement that the tweet was written by a single person and unauthorized by any other SWU members.


Very Sick! US gives Israel until the end of 2023 to finish Gaza operation

 



The administration of US President Joe Biden has given Israel until the end of the year to wrap up its war on Hamas, Politico reported on Friday, citing three Israeli officials.

According to the report, that deadline was underlined by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Israel this week.

When Israeli officials outlined their plans to the top US diplomat, stating that fighting in southern Gaza would last several months, Blinken reportedly tersely retorted, “You don’t have that much credit,” according to Politico.

A senior Israeli official told the website, “They advised us not to go into Gaza, but we did.”

“We went into Gaza because that was the only way we could destroy Hamas and free our hostages. They told us, don’t go into the terror tunnels. But if we don’t go into the terror tunnels, there’s no way we can destroy Hamas. They told us not to go into the hospitals despite them being used by Hamas as command and control centers, but we went into those hospitals, and we did what we needed to do. And we’ll do what we need to do to reach decisive victory,” he added.

The Politico report comes one day after White House national security aide Jon Finer made clear that the United States has not given Israel a firm deadline to end major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza.

"We have not given a firm deadline to Israel, not really our role. This is their conflict. That said, we do have influence, even if we don't have ultimate control over what happens on the ground in Gaza," Finer told the Aspen Security Forum in Washington.

Israel has two objectives in Gaza, Finer said, ensuring Hamas can no longer govern Gaza and it can no longer pose a threat to Israel following the deadly October 7 attack.

"Frankly, if the war were to stop today, (Hamas) it would continue to pose (a threat) which is why we are not in a place yet of asking Israel to stop or to force ceasefire," he stated.

Earlier this week, US officials said they expect the current phase of Israel’s ground operation of Gaza, targeting the southern end of the Strip, to last several weeks.

The officials added that they believe Israel will transition, possibly by January, to a lower-intensity, hyper-localized strategy that narrowly targets specific Hamas terrorists and leaders.

US officials also said that Israel is showing more willingness to discuss plans for Gaza after the war.

John McCain in 2014 said that Blinken is "actually … dangerous to America and to the young men and women who are fighting and serving it."

 

ecretary of State Antony Blinken came under fire this week for what one combat-veteran lawmaker characterized as "lecturing" Israel's war cabinet, as the Biden administration faces pressure from its left flank to facilitate an end to fighting against Hamas in Gaza.

Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a decorated retired Green Beret, told FOX News that Israel will end up in a surrender if it continues to follow "President Biden's edicts."

"I think that will be a green light for Hezbollah, for the militias in Syria and their masters in Iran to realize their dream before they even get a nuke, of genocide in Israel and wiping Israel off the face of the Earth."

He said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows he and his forces must remain firm in the face of calls to back down, because terrorists like Hamas only understand strength, not diplomacy or otherwise.

IDF Airstrike Kills Professor Who Made Sick Joke About Jewish Babies Burned Alive



A Palestinian who responded to news of Jewish children being baked alive by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 by asking “with or without baking powder?” has been dispatched to the Next World for a reckoning, courtesy of an Israeli airstrike.

Refaat el-Ar’eer, a Palestinian professor and writer living in Gaza, made the sickening post on X responding to a post about United Hatzolah’s Eli Beer recounting his story of finding babies burned alive in ovens.

It’s not clear where or exactly when El-Ar’eer was turned into a pile of bones and guts, but his last post on social media was on December 4th.

On December 3rd he tweeted “I wish I were a freedom fighter so I die fighting back those invading Israeli genocidal maniacs invading my neighborhood and city.”

It seems this garbage pail was granted his final wish, thanks to the IDF.

One Palestinian English website write the following about this Jew-hater: “Human rights defenders around the world expressed anguish and outrage Thursday after Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian professor who was one of Gaza’s most prominent writers and activists, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Shejaiya that also killed his brother, sister, and her four children.”



 

Friday, December 8, 2023

Grandmother of two orphans requests only one thing!

 

Zera Shimshon Parshas Vayesheiv

 


Megyn Kelly rips White House interns calling for Gaza cease-fire: ‘A bunch of brats’

 

 
Megyn Kelly lambasted a group of White House interns as “a bunch of brats” after they penned an anonymous letter demanding that President Biden call for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza. 

 “The White House interns now — more than 40 of them — are demanding a cease-fire in the Middle East,” Kelly said as she chuckled in disbelief during an episode of her SiriusXM podcast, “The Megyn Kelly Show.” 

 The letter, addressed to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, was initially obtained by NBC News and accused the president and veep of having “ignored” the “pleas of the American people.” 

 Kelly blasted the note as “absolutely disgusting, entitled conduct.” “This is what these lunatic leftists have wrought,” she said. “You are now having interns demand things of the president of the United States, who has been good enough to give them a position in the White House,” added Kelly in the episode released Wednesday ahead of her appearance in the moderation chair at the fourth GOP debate later in the day.

Hedge fund titan pushes to claw back $100M UPenn gift as pressure mounts to dump Liz Magill over antisemitism response

 

A Wall Street tycoon Thursday vowed to claw back a $100 million donation to the University of Pennsylvania if the Ivy League school doesn’t boot UPenn President Liz Magill following her disastrous congressional testimony that failed to condemn rampant antisemitism on campus.

Ross Stevens, the boss of Stone Ridge Asset Management, joined a growing chorus of high-powered donors and outraged elected officials – that now include Keystone State Gov. Josh Shapiro – who are calling for Magill’s head.

The hedge fund titan said he has “clear grounds” to rescind his donation and that law firm Davis Polk has sent the school a letter saying as much.

“Absent a change in leadership and values at Penn in the very near future, I plan to rescind Penn’s Stone Ridge shares to prevent any further reputational and other damage to Stone Ridge as a result of our relationship with Penn and Liz Magill,” read the letter, which was obtained by The Post.

“ I love Penn and it is important to me, but our firm’s principles are more important.”

“We can’t comment on the personal decisions of our donors,” a UPenn spokesperson said. 

Magill made a groveling apology Wednesday for her refusal to condemn calls for the genocide of the Jewish people on campus in her remarks to Congress.

However, her mea culpa may not be enough.

University Presidents, George Soros and The UN: Go to Hell!

 

As the grandson of Holocaust survivors I was raised in a home where the concept of Jews being in danger was a constant. Following a massacre of our people, a brutal war where our people are being held hostage, where our soldiers are forced to fight a brutal war against a terrorist region, we face brutal Anti-Semitism.

We live against a backdrop when University Presidents refuse to condemn genocide of Jews. They try to backtrack a day later. And yet, many of us always realize and remember why we have a Jewish state. There's always our country, always our home. We will not be the world’s whipping boys. Those days are long over.

We have heroes and we have pride and we have a strong Jewish state. We are strong. There's a Jewish state and the world won't kill us again without understanding that there's a price to be paid. As the world realizes, we will eliminate Hamas.

Watch: Body camera footage from a Hamas terrorist in Gaza

 


As part of the Nahal Brigade's operations in Jabalya, the soldiers encountered terrorists who fired anti-tank missiles at the forces.

The soldiers completed the mission quickly and efficiently, with the terror cell being struck by an IAF UAV guided by the brigade's Fire Control Center, intelligence, and soldiers in the field.

Another terrorist from the cell was eliminated by the soldiers. A camera was found on this terrorist with a recording of Hamas operatives with RPGs, fortifying themselves inside buildings and launching an anti-tank missile at IDF forces.

Over the last few days, the 36th Division has been fighting in close-quarter combat with terrorists in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza. The forces located and destroyed weapons and underground infrastructure, predominantly located inside and in the vicinity of civilian buildings. The soldiers are continuing to operate to dismantle Hamas’ capabilities in the area.


"Evil Grin" Magill Tries to walk back her Sick Despicable Response in Congress ... Too Little Too Late!


 In the wake of the public outcry following the shocking failure of the presidents of “elite” universities to unequivocally condemn calls for the genocide of the Jewish people, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill posted a video statement on Wednesday.

Magill said, among other things, that she “should have been focused on the irrefutable fact that a call for the genocide of the Jewish people is a call to the most terrible violence that human beings can perpetrate.

Several social media users commented that Magill’s scripted statements reminded them of “hostage videos.” Many people are demanding the resignation of Magill, along with Harvard President Claudine Gay and MIT President Sally Kornbluth.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik responded to the video by stating: “This pathetic PR clean-up attempt by Penn shockingly took over 24 hours to try to fix the moral depravity of the answers under oath yesterday. And there was not even an apology. By the way, the questions were asked over and over and over again. No statement will fix what the world saw and heard yesterday. There is zero question that the world knows that the only answer is for Penn to deliver accountability and bring in new leadership immediately.”

Yad Vashem issued a statement saying: “The positions taken by the three university presidents in their testimonies highlight a basic ignorance of history, including the fact that the Holocaust did not start with ghettos or gas chambers, but with hateful antisemitic rhetoric, decrees and actions by senior academics, among other leaders of society.”

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla stated: “I was ashamed to hear the recent testimony of three top university presidents. In my personal opinion, it was one of the most despicable moments in the history of U.S. academia. The three presidents were offered numerous opportunities to condemn racist, antisemitic, hate rhetoric and refused to do so hiding behind calls for ‘context.’ The memories of my father’s parents, Abraham and Rachel Bourla, his brother David, and his little sister Graciela, who all died in Auschwitz, came to mind. I was wondering if their deaths would have provided enough ‘context’ to these presidents to condemn the Nazis’ antisemitic propaganda.”

Thursday, December 7, 2023

I reported on Hamas in Gaza for over a decade. The questions I’m asking myself now.

 

 by Ilene Prusher

We arrive at Erez Checkpoint. Israeli soldiers thumb through our passports, examine every item in our bags, then wave us through. After a long walk through a barricaded no-man’s land, Palestinian officers register our names and passport numbers, then press us for a list of people we’re planning to meet. Our Palestinian fixer intervenes, reminds the guys with the guns to be nice to us foreigners, and presto: We’re in Gaza. On the list of the three or four people we’re scheduled to see in the course of the day is at least one senior official in Hamas.

This is a routine I participated in, on and off, for 16 years of my life while reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the American media throughout the 1990s and 2000s, up until my last trip to Gaza in January 2009 at the end of another Israel-Hamas war that shocked the world and caused needless death and destruction. Later, in 2014, I covered a far deadlier 50-day Israel-Hamas war for TIME magazine, this time from southern Israel, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, mainly because by then I had two toddlers at home and no longer believed entering Gaza was worth the risk.