ALERT!
Media Advisory
April 8, 2013
Dear Cardozo Alumni and Friends of the School:
On Wednesday April 10, 2013 - that is this Wednesday -, Jimmy Carter will be honored at Cardozo to receive the International Advocate for Peace Award from the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution.
Jimmy Carter has an ignominious history of anti-Israel bigotry. He is responsible for helping to mainstream the antisemitic notion that Israel is an apartheid state with his provocatively titled book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid”, the publication of which prompted mass resignations from the Carter Center. He has met numerous times with leaders of the terror group Hamas whitewashing their genocidal goals and undermining US efforts to isolate Hamas. And Carter’s record of slandering Israel is so voluminous that both CAMERA and Alan Dershowitz have written books refuting his lies.
While Carter may be credited for the role he played in the Camp David Accords as President of the United States and the resultant cold peace between Israel and Egypt that ensued, that event took place close to 30 years ago. Since the end of his presidency, Jimmy Carter has exhibited extreme antipathy towards Israel – and by extension the Jewish people – that places him firmly in the camp of the likes of Walt and Mearsheimer.
It is simply unconscionable for a Jewish affiliated school to honor someone who has played such a high profile role in demonizing the Jewish state.
We therefore urge you to condition any continued support of Cardozo, be it financial or otherwise, on the cancellation of this event.
Please also take 2 minutes out of your busy schedules to contact the Dean of Cardozo and President of Yeshiva University to express your outrage. Contact details are below.
- Professor Matthew Diller, Dean of Cardozo: Tel – 212-790-0310; Email – mdiller@yu.edu
- Professor Richard Joel, President of Yeshiva University: Tel – 212 960 5300; Email - president@yu.edu
We have established a website at www.shameoncardozo.com where you can find more information.
Please share and forward this email with your friends.
Silence is complicity.
The Coalition of Concerned Cardozo Alumni
www.shameoncardozo.com
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ALERT! Media Advisory April 3, 2013
JEWISH COMMUNITY ALERT
92nd Street Y Hosts Roger Waters, Rock Star Leader of Boycott Israel Movement
UJA-Federation Provides Funds for Pink Floyd Singer to Advocate Boycott of “Criminal” Israel
On April 30, the 92nd St Y will host Roger Waters, lead singer of Pink Floyd, who’s a major figure in the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Waters accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing,” “apartheid” and “international crimes” in a speech to the United Nations , and led a boycott against the Israel Philharmonic’s performance at Carnegie Hall. He’s currently attempting to organize his fellow musicians to boycott performing in Israel and succeeded in pressuring Stevie Wonder to cancel a benefit performance for Friends of the Israel Defense Force. On April 30th, he’ll present “An Evening with Roger Waters” at the 92nd St Y, in which he’ll talk about his life – a life he states is dedicated to attacking Israel through BDS. “It’s absolutely outrageous that Jewish community funds are going to help Roger Waters spread his anti-Semitic message,” says Richard Allen of JCCWatch.org “UJA-Federation gives $800,000 to the 92nd Street Y. Jewish donations are helping to provide Waters with a facility, marketing, and respectability, so he can win over more people with his anti-Israel lies.” “Why would anyone give money to UJA-Federation, when its funds are being used to promote Boycotts Divestment and Sanctions against Israel?” To voice your opinion and concern, please contact the following:
1) John Ruskay at the UJA-Federation by calling 212-980-1000 or via email at RuskayJ@UJAFedNY.org 2) The UJA-Federation President Jerry W. Levin at JWLevin@JWLevinPartners.com 3) Sol Adler, Executive Director 92stY by calling 212-415-5470 or via email at sadler@92y.org
Please click on the highlighted words above to link to source material
~ Visit JCCWatch.org on Facebook
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BOYCOTTS, DIVESTMENT AND SANCTIONS AGAINST ISRAEL TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ISRAEL DAY PARADE
New Israel Fund financed 5 groups that urged the
Norwegian Government Pension Fund to divest from Israel.
Meretz USA urges a boycott of
9 Israeli products on its website, including Ahava cosmetics.
B'Tselem's chairman of the board publicly calls for
“effective sanctions” against Israel.
AT THE PARADE ON JUNE 3,
let’s give New Israel Fund, Meretz USA and B’Tselem
a Bronx Cheer when they march by.
ACT NOW!
Tell the UJA-Federation NO BDS in the Israel Day Parade!
Call John Ruskay
CEO, UJA-Federation
212.980.1000
Email Jerry Levin
UJA-Federation Board Pres.
Sponsored by
Committee for a Pro-Israel Parade
917.434.3480
Israel Day Parade Alert!
Dear fellow parade participants,
New Israel Fund and its allies actively promote economic warfare against Israel through Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions, and are funded by the European Union for the express purpose of undermining Israel. Yet, despite all your brave efforts, John Ruskay and UJA-Fed refuse to listen. They insist that New Israel Fund and its allies march in the Celebrate Israel Parade on June 3rd, thereby legitimizing their radical anti-Israel views.
"It is shameful that the UJA Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) are supporting the New Israel Fund in their efforts to delegitimize and fund Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel," said Richard Allen, active member of the Pro-Israel Parade Committee. "It's time the UJA Federation stop supporting radical groups that work for BDS against Israel."
-Last year, the New Israel Fund (NIF) was allowed to march in the parade. Other groups marched with the New Israel Fund, displaying their individual banners, including B'Tselem, Partners for Progressive Israel and Rabbis for Human Rights.
-This year , New Israel Fund is slated to march again, and we expect B'Tselem and the other groups will once again join NIF, displaying their banners.
-New Israel Fund finances numerous Israeli NGOs (non-governmental organizations), some of which promote Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel.
-For instance, five grantees of the New Israel Fund (Machsom Watch, Coalition of Women for Peace, Women Against Violence, Social TV, and Mossawa) signed a letter to the Norwegian Government Pension Fund, urging it to divest from Israel.
-Partners for Progressive Israel (also known as Meretz USA) prominently displays on its website, under the heading "boycott these Settlement products sold in the US, " a list of Israeli products that it wants Jews to boycott. These products include Ahava cosmetics, SodaStream products, and wine from nine Israeli vineyards.
-The chair of B'Tselem's board, Oren Yiftachel, has publically called for "effective sanctions" against Israel. B'Tselem is a major grantee of the New Israel Fund.
-B'Tselem produced the video that was shown at the infamous "Israel Apartheid 2012" events held at Universities and Colleges worldwide.
-Despite the New Israel Fund's stated opposition to Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), their continued funding of these groups shows their actions are not in line with their statements.
3) Rabbi Michael Miller at the JCRC by calling
Whitestone Hebrew Centre Israel lives
Dr. Marvin Belsky Lori Lowenthal Marcus
Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam President, Z Street
Executive Director, Americans for a Safe Israel Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills
May, 10 2011
Op-Ed: Why are Anti-Israel Groups in the Israel Day Parade?
Richard Allen
The writer is a prominent New York business executive and an outspoken supporter of Israel. He is the founder of JCC Watch, an NGO established to monitor interaction between American Jewish organizations, and groups that support boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel.
SHOULD THEY BE ALLOWED TO MARCH IN THE ISRAEL DAY PARADE ON JUNE 3, 2012?
What is hiding behind the legal, scholarly disguise..., is it not that its real purpose is de-legitimizing the state of Israel, while threatening...to employ 'universal jurisdiction'" - High Court of Justice decision rejecting case brought by NIF-grantee Adalah
Funding changes
- In 2012, NIF is providing $60,000 to +972mag, a website that publishes bloggers that use apartheid rhetoric (details below).
- Incoming NIF president Brian Lurie wrote an op-ed stating that NIF had ended funding for Mada al-Carmel (see Appendix 2). No details on this reversal are available, including the failure to act for two years after NGO Monitor's analysis showed the core contradiction between Mada al-Carmel's activities and NIF guidelines. NIF has also not revealed what, if any, changes have been made to prevent similar cases.
Polarizing Rhetoric, Hypocritical Behavior
- On April 18, 2012, NIF launched a campaign, alleging widespread gender discrimination and headlined "What Happens When Extremism Crowds Out Equality and Democracy in Israel?," with a full page ad in the New York Times. The rhetoric and imagery regarding Israel were entirely negative, including the tendentious allegation that "Israel may be changing into a place many of us would no longer recognize."
- In parallel, NIF CEO Daniel Sokatch wrote, "some of what [a long-time NIF donor] saw in Tehran was also happening in Jerusalem: gender segregated buses, the removal of women's images from the public sphere, laws designed to limit freedom of expression."
- While NIF's campaign targets "religious extremists," NIF does not mention documented sexual harassment and assault of women during left-wing protests (see Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement below). This raises issues of moral inconsistency and hypocrisy.
- The NIF-Israel version of this campaign is radically different, primarily focusing on NIF's positive contributions - in sharp contrast to the negativity, divisiveness, and tendentious allegations of the American version. The images used in the Israeli campaign feature social protest and coexistence themes.
NIF Grantee Updates
- A December 2011 High Court of Justice decision (HCJ 3292/07) rejected a petition by Adalah (and Palestinian NGO Al-Haq), which alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza in 2004. Judge Dorit Beinish wrote, "The comprehensive petition, and the severe allegations in it, do not lay out a factual or legal basis appropriate for a practical and concrete review... It appears to be an attempt to use the court..." Judge Elyakim Rubinstein added, "What is hiding behind the legal, scholarly disguise..., is it not that its real purpose is de-legitimizing the state of Israel, while threatening...to employ 'universal jurisdiction'" (emphasis added). The threats in the petition clearly contradict NIF's policy in opposition to "lawfare."
- On April 5, 2012, as part of events in advance of the London "Palestine Film Festival 2012", Adalah's Suhad Bishara reportedly discussed "threats faced by the Palestinian population today with Amnesty UK campaign manager Kristyan Benedict." During Bishara's talk, Benedict posted Twitter messages: "Suhad giving excellent & concise overview of the #Nakba to set context for the demolitions & proposed evictions happening now" and "Suhad Bishara from Adalah says the 'Prawer Law' establishes a 'new military regime in Israel'" (emphasis added). Amnesty UK and Benedict have records of extreme rhetoric and anti-Israel advocacy.
- Bishara was advertised as a speaker for a February 14, 2012 event organized by a Swiss group named "BDS Geneva" under the title "The policy of Apartheid in Israel: The new racist laws." Following criticism of Adalah, NIF released a statement claiming that "Adalah and its representatives are not participating in the event."
- This BDS event in Geneva coincided with the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's (CERD) review of Israel. Adalah's submission to this clearly biased international framework included allegations that Israeli laws and policies "permit and even actively promote racial discrimination." Adalah attorney Orna Kohn appeared before the committee, accusing Israel of enacting "over 40 discriminatory laws against Palestinian citizens of Israel" (emphasis in the original) and "profound discrimination" against the "indigenous Arab Bedouin citizens of Israel."
- According to the NIF website, "The Democracy Defense Fund - Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement" is an NIF grantee, but details on funding are not provided.
- In March 2012, a poster depicting a jar of Vaseline, as a crude metaphor for Israel allegedly being "raped" by "settlers," was published on the official Facebook page of Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity. The text of the poster reads, "If they were residents of Haifa, Beer Sheva or Ashdod they would be in jail. But they are settlers. So shut up, bend down, swallow, you probably know that you want it." Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity removed the poster after harsh criticism from some of its members.
- This poster generated major controversy in Israel, and Ha'aretz published an exposé on sexual harassment within "leftist organizations." The article detailed assaults against participants in Sheikh Jarrah rallies. The article also discussed a feminist "outcry" after "Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity issued a message requesting that the female activists arrive to the protests dressed in a manner that is considerate toward the residents." This is not the NIF position for other communities with dress codes for women, and is seen as hypocritical.
- The relationship between Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity - which is neither registered as a legal non-profit (amuta) nor transparent in its funding - and the Democracy Defense Fund is unclear. Due to the non-transparent nature of this relationship, it is unclear whether this meets NIF funding guidelines.
- +972Mag, which is receiving $60,000 from NIF in 2012, is a website that publishes bloggers on the fringe of Israeli discourse. NIF claims that it funds this site because of its "progressive view of domestic issues and Israel's foreign relations."
- A number of +972Mag's bloggers have invoked the immoral and false "apartheid" analogy. In a February 2012 interview in The Nation, Noam Sheizaf, +972Mag's editor-in-chief, referred to Jerusalem as an "apartheid city." Other bloggers support a one-state solution and are active in organizations such as Ta'ayush, an anarchist group that provokes violent confrontations with soldiers.
- This funding originates with NIF's "Social Justice Fund" (also known as the Ford Israel Fund, in partnership with the Ford Foundation). Justification for support of an English language publication targeting an international audience that promotes vitriolic anti-Israel rhetoric is entirely inconsistent with the stated aims of this funding mechanism: "Supporting activities designed to get the peace process back on track, advance unresolved final status issues; promote broad public discussion and constituencies within Israel for these options; and enhance Israeli's [sic] knowledge of Palestinian society."
- Op-ed signed by a member of the NIF International Council (March 6, 2012) referred to NGO Monitor as "ultra-nationalist ideologues [who] are really after a state without Arab citizens..." "Instead, the mouthpieces for the extreme right that attempt to preserve a veneer of respectability, like NGO Monitor, opine that it should be illegal for Adalah and other NGOs to receive funding from democracies abroad (using the same arguments that the Egyptian and Russian governments, those paragons of democracy, are using these days.)" [These claims are entirely false.]
- NIF's press release on criticism following publication of a poster advertising Adalah's scheduled participation in an Israel apartheid/ BDS event in Geneva (February 9, 2012): "NGO Monitor (which is apparently behind this smear campaign) seems to be seeking to stifle the exposure of racial discrimination. Their success would handicap Israel's capacity to live up to core Jewish and democratic values."
- In response to the Wikileaks revelation that a senior NIF official did not think that "the disappearance of a Jewish state would not be the tragedy that Israelis fear since it would become more democratic," instead of apologizing, NIF put out a statement (September 6, 2011) libeling Professor Gerald Steinberg as having a "goal of shutting down dissenting voices in Israel."
- NIF's draft itinerary for a Study Tour to Israel, "The Battle for Israel's Soul: Democracy, Human Rights and Social Justice" (scheduled for November 2012) is one-sided and unpluralistic. There is no attempt to include a diverse range of political and social perspectives.
- Participants are scheduled to meet with a of highly polarizing NGOs, including Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement (see below), Jerusalem Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC), Breaking the Silence, and Ir Amim.
- WCLAC is an active member in global BDS (boycotts, divestment, and sanctions) campaigns, including an April 2012 campaign against companies doing business in Israel.
Appendix 1: NIF authorized grants for political advocacy NGOs engaged in delegitimization campaigns in 2009-2010
For detailed analysis of the activities and agendas of each group, see
http://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngo_index.php?letter=A
| NGO | NIF Grants 2009 | NIF Grants 2010 | Difference | Percent |
| Adalah | $55,400 | $475,950 | +420,550 | +759% |
| Agenda | $244,500 | $587,000 | +342,500 | +140% |
| Al-Qaws | $45,500 | $58,110 | +12,610 | +27% |
| Al-Yeter | $7,000 | $104,000 | +97,000 | +1385% |
| Arab Forum for Sexuality | $10,000 | None | -$10,000 | -100% |
| Aswat | $7,200 | $42,300 | +$35,100 | +487% |
| B'Tselem | $111,722 | $368,832 | +$257,110 | +230% |
| Bimkom | $449,000 | $274,000 | -$175,000 | -38% |
| Breaking the Silence | $49,000 | $152,540 | +$103,540 | +211% |
| Coalition of Women for Peace | $8,620 | $20,130 | +$11,510 | +133% |
| Emek Shaveh | $0 | $2,500 | +$2500 | +100% |
| Gisha | $4,350 | $35,975 | +$31,625 | +727% |
| HaMoked | $36,320 | $208,300 | +$171,980 | +473% |
| Ikrit | $5,000 | $1,000 | -$3,500 | -70% |
| I'lam | $159,500 | $21,000 | -$138,500 | -86% |
| Israel Social TV (Syncopa Community) | $47,500 | $25,000 | -$22,500 | -47% |
| Ir Amim | $154,800 | $347,113 | +$192,313 | +124% |
| Machsom Watch (Women's Fund for Human Rights) | $39,500 | $34,362 | -$5,138 | -13% |
| Mada Al-Carmel | None | $100,000 |
+$100,000
|
+100% |
| Mossawa | $213,000 | $92,625 | -$120,375 | -56% |
| Negev Coexistence Forum | $7,500 | $32,169 | +$24,669 | +328% |
| Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) | $7,500 | $30,000 | +$22,500 | +300% |
| PHR-I | $178,182 | $301,947 | +$123,765 | +69% |
| Women Against Violence | $322,000 | $88,000 | -$234,000 | -72% |
| Yesh Din | $42,850 | $38,886 | -$3,984 | -9% |
| Total | $2,205,944 | $3,443,729 |
Appendix 2: Details on 2010 NIF grants that violate stated funding guidelines and policies
- Rejecting Jewish self-determination: Adalah's "Democratic Constitution" (2007) calls for replacing the Jewish state with a "democratic, bilingual and multicultural" framework and for a redefinition of the "symbols of the state," and would restrict Jewish immigration solely for "humanitarian reasons."
- Lobbying for pressure against Israel: - In February 2011, lobbied the EU to "Raise its concerns regarding the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel at the highest political level, as well as in all bilateral relations with Israel...Condition the upgrade of its relations with Israel, including any new bilateral agreement, on tangible improvements in the human rights situation in the OPT and in Israel."
- Sanctions: In lobbying for the Goldstone Report and its recommendations, particularly in UN and European frameworks, Adalah issued a press release urging governments to "re-evaluate their relationship with Israel."
- Apartheid rhetoric - Officials wrote and edited large portions of a May 2009 pseudo-academic study that refers to "a colonial enterprise which implements a system of apartheid." The report delegitimizes Israeli self-defense measures as "inhumane act[s] of apartheid...perpetrated in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over another." The publication was published in conjunction with Al Haq, a Ramallah-based NGO whose General Director, according to the Israeli Supreme Court, is a "senior activist" in the PFLP terrorist organization.
- Lawfare - In 2009, submitted an affidavit to a Spanish court, supporting the Palestinian Center for Human Rights' attempt to have seven Israeli officials arrested and prosecuted for "war crimes."
- Defending those convicted of security offenses: Labeled convicted Hezbollah spy Amir Makhoul "a political activist and human rights defender," and implied that his arrest was linked to "attacks against human rights organizations in Israel working to defend Palestinian rights" (May 10, 2010). Adalah lawyer Abir Baker, who was defending another individual engaged in contacts with Hezbollah, told a reporter that the case should be seen "in the context of efforts by Israel to limit the right of Arab citizens to strengthen cultural and political ties to the rest of the Arab world. Several of Israel's Arab political parties, including the one Mr. Said belongs to, have been trying to inform the Arab world about the minority's campaign for democratic reforms to end Israel's status as a Jewish state...Israel wants to make us invisible" (September 22, 2010).
- Demonizing rhetoric: As part of an exhibit at the Army Museum in Stockholm in March 2011, Itamar Shapira, a member of the organization, stated: "We are the oppressors, we are the ones that are violating human rights on a daily basis. We are creating the terror against us, basically... This is a war against civilians, a war against society" (emphasis added).
- Claims that the testimonies the NGO collects "portray a...grim picture of questionable orders in many areas regarding Palestinian civilians [that] demonstrate the depth of corruption which is spreading in the Israeli military."
- "War crimes" rhetoric: The NGO was active in promoting "war crimes" charges against Israel after the Gaza fighting in January 2009. These charges were based on anonymous and unverifiable hearsay "testimonies."
- Flotillas: Breaking the Silence members and anti-Israel activists Yonatan and Itamar Shapira were on the "Jews for Justice for Palestinians" boat "Irene," which sought to violate Israel's security-based policies regarding naval traffic into Gaza (September 2010).
- Violating mandate to demonize Israel internationally: Although claiming to address Israeli society, the NGO's lobbying and media advocacy focus on international audiences, including presentations in Europe and the United States. Yehuda Shaul, BtS co-founder, defended this practice: "Sometimes, when you want to deliver messages to the inside, you must go outside."
- Lawfare: In its reports, activities, and partnerships, Yesh Din attempts to portray Israel and its security forces as unaccountable to the rule of law. This is part of a wider "lawfare" strategy of pressing legal cases against Israeli officials in foreign courts and in the International Criminal Court (ICC) - as exemplified in the NGO-Goldstone process.
- "War crimes" rhetoric: In 2011-2013, Yesh Din is undertaking a €234,000 project "To change Israeli policy vis-a-vis criminal accountability of Israeli Security Forces Personnel in the occupied Palestinian Territories, in such a way that acknowledges and takes into account the severity and the different nature of War Crimes, as distinguished from regular, domestic crimes" (emphasis added).
- Goldstone Report: After the 2008-2009 Gaza War, seven Israeli NGOs (all NIF grantees) including Yesh Din submitted a joint report to the Goldstone Commission claiming that "Israel's failure to conduct an independent investigation of the totality of events, there is also a systemic-intrinsic flaw in the investigation of concrete events." According to the NGOs, this "failure to investigate instances in which civilians were wounded or killed has led to a sense of impunity and immunity from sanctions among soldiers and commanders."
- Rejecting Jewish self-determination: Mada al-Carmel claims that there is a "Palestinian consensus within the Green Line against accepting the legitimacy of the Jewish State... The global spread of political discourse of two states for two peoples - a Palestinian state and a Jewish state - is regrettable" (December 2009).
- The organization co-authored the "Haifa Declaration" (2007), which calls for a "change in the definition of the State of Israel from a Jewish state" and accuses Israel of "exploiting" the Holocaust "at the expense of the Palestinian people."
- Demonizing graphics: Mada al-Carmel, along with Women against Violence and the Arab Forum for Sexuality were part of the international "One Day One Struggle" campaign (November 2009). Publicity included a poster portraying an Israeli soldier reaching suggestively toward a Palestinian woman, alongside the caption: "Her husband needs a permit to touch her. The occupation penetrates her life everyday!"
- In contrast to Mada al-Carmel, which maintained its level of funding, the 2010 grant for Women against Violence was $88,000, down from $322,000 in 2009. Arab Forum for Sexuality did not receive funding in 2010.
- BDS: CWP is a leader of anti-Israel global BDS campaigns, primarily through its "Who Profits?" project, "an online database initiated in response to the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) on Israel." BDS campaigns target Israeli banks, the Danish security company G4S, and the Israeli high-speed train.
- Apartheid: CWP organized an Israel Apartheid Week event in Jaffa (March 16, 2011) entitled "Life and Struggle in Apartheid."
- The information published in the 2010 Financial Report contradicts multiple public statements by NIF officials claiming NIF funding for CWP ceased in 2008-9.
- As documented in the table above, grants to Breaking the Silence, Hamoked, Gisha, Ir Amim, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and the Public Committee against Torture in Israel increased in 2010.
- For more details, see www.ngo-monitor.org.
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Media Advisory
March 20, 2012
Alert!
New York City, March 20, 2012
JEWISH COMMUNITY ALERT
EXTREMIST ANTI-ISRAEL GROUPS TO MARCH ON
JUNE 3, IN THE "ISRAEL DAY PARADE"
UJA FEDERATION IS PERMITTING
ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROMOTE BOYCOTTS,
DIVESTMENT AND SANCTIONS AGAINST ISRAEL
TO PARTICIPATE
A coalition of Jewish community organizations urgently calls on all friends of Israel to make their voices heard. The UJA-Federation and Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) have granted permission to extremist anti-Israel organizations to march in the Celebrate Israel Parade on June 3rd in New York. These groups encourage Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, seeking to delegitimize and economically weaken the Jewish State.
We call on all supporters of Israel to contact the UJA-Federation and JCRC and ask them to reverse their misguided decision.
THESE ARE THE FACTS:
-Last year, the New Israel Fund (NIF) was allowed to march in the parade. Other groups marched with the New Israel Fund, displaying their individual banners, including B'Tselem, Partners for Progressive Israel and Rabbis for Human Rights.
-This year , New Israel Fund is slated to march again, and we expect B'Tselem and the other groups will once again join NIF, displaying their banners.
-New Israel Fund finances numerous Israeli NGOs (non-governmental organizations), some of which promote Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel.
-For instance, five grantees of the New Israel Fund (Machsom Watch, Coalition of Women for Peace, Women Against Violence, Social TV, and Mossawa) signed a letter to the Norwegian Government Pension Fund, urging it to divest from Israel.
-Partners for Progressive Israel (also known as Meretz USA) prominently displays on its website, under the heading "boycott these Settlement products sold in the US, " a list of Israeli products that it wants Jews to boycott. These products include Ahava cosmetics, SodaStream products, and wine from nine Israeli vineyards.
-The chair of B'Tselem's board, Oren Yiftachel, has publically called for "effective sanctions" against Israel. B'Tselem is a major grantee of the New Israel Fund.
-B'Tselem produced the video that was shown at the infamous "Israel Apartheid 2012" events held at Universities and Colleges worldwide.
-Despite the New Israel Fund's stated opposition to Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), their continued funding of these groups shows their actions are not in line with their statements.
ACT NOW!
We urge everyone to raise your voices and call the UJA-Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). Urge them to stop these groups from marching in the Israel Day Parade and hijacking a pro-Israel event for their anti-Israel purposes. While the JCRC runs the parade, UJA-Federation has effective control over the JCRC, as they appoint Board members as a right and contribute the major portion of JCRC funding.
Richard Allen, a member of the Committe for a Pro-Israel Parade and founder of JCCWatch.org stated: "It is not surprising that the UJA-Federation is pushing these bash Israel groups to march in the June 3, 2012 Israel Parade. Published reports show that the UJA-Federation's Chief Executive Officer, John Ruskay, worked with Noam Chomsky in one of the first political bash Israel groups; CONAME (Committee on New Alternatives in the Middle East). The reports stated that the group CONAME specialized in attacking Israel. John Ruskay also gave over 1 million ($1,000,000) of UJA-Federation Jewish Charity Dollars to the political George Soros funded group, Jewish Funds for Justice. The community must make its voice heard by calling and writing the UJA-Federation and demand that Jewish community charity funds not be used for these divisive purposes."
PUBLIC CAMPAIGN - CALL OR WRITE TODAY
Tell John Ruskay and Jerry Levin of the UJA-Federation of New York:
NOT ONE DIME to Legitimize the De-Legitimizers of Israel!
STOP groups that work to Delegitimize Israel from Hijacking the Israel Parade!
Call and write the board of the UJA-Federation of New York.
Tell the UJA-Federation you do NOT want your Jewish Charity Dollars going to support John Ruskay's Political Agenda. Call:
Email the UJA-Federation Board: President Jerry W. Levin: JWLevin@JWLevinPartners.com
Email the Jewish Community Relations Council Board: Rabbi Michael Miller, MillerM@JCRCNY.org or call
Committe For a Pro-Israel Parade
H. Fragman Abramson
National Confrence on Jewish Affairs (NCJA)
Richard Allen
Founder of JCCWatch.org
Rabbi Steven Axelman
Whitestone Hebrew Centre
Dr. Marvin Belsky
Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam
Ron Carner
President, Maccabi USA/ Sports for Israel
Helen Freedman
Executive Director, Americans for a Safe Israel
Beth Gilinsky
Executive Director, National Confrence on Jewish Affairs
Eli H. Hertz
Founder "Myths and Facts"
Stuart Kaufman
The United West
Rabbi Eluzer (Eli) Kowalsky
Pro-Israel Activist
Lori Lowenthal Marcus
President, Z Street
Shera Nusbaum
National Confrence of jewish Affairs
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld
Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills
Rabbi Allen Schwartz
Congregation Ohab Zedek
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Media Advisory
March 5, 2012
Important JCC in Manhattan Up-Date
We welcome the recent changes at the JCC in Manhattan and hope this new positive trend continues and becomes permanent. We will, of course, continue to monitor their programming and alert the community if the JCC in Manhattan should again embrace such biased and slanted political groups as BTselem, as they did in 2011. The group BTselem has a history of anti-Israel propaganda and they provided the video recently shown at the vicious and fraudulent "Israel Apartheid 2012" events held throughout colleges and Universities worldwide.
JCCWatch.org applauds the apparent shift in the JCC in Manhattan's direction. The embrace of groups that fund and support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions strategy against Israel, or otherwise propagate anti-Israel propaganda, is not a proper function of the JCC in Manhattan, and does not further the Jewish community's interest. We look forward to the JCC in Manhattan's continuing recognition of this fact in all their programs.
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Media Advisory
January 19, 2012
COMMUNITY ALERT
JCC In Manhattan Promoting Anti-Israel Propaganda to Delegitimize Israel
The series of bash Israel propaganda videos called "Home Front" will be shown by the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan
JCCWatch.org, a NY based group created to hold the JCC in Manhattan accountable, is condemning the JCC which once again is promoting and partnering with political groups that delegitimize Israel. The political film group "Just Visions," responsible for the "Home Front" video series, uses film to portray Israel as a racist nation. The Just Vision films invoke hatred for Israel & Israelis with biased Palestinian oriented narratives. Their previous propaganda films included statements such as " One Nation, Fatah, Hamas and the Popular Front ”, clearly a biased Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel message.
Richard Allen, Founder of JCCWatch.org, stated: " The JCC in Manhattan has a choice, they can offer a balanced program that educates on the historical and complex problems facing all the people who live in Jerusalem, or they can show biased propaganda that inflames emotions against Israel and the Israeli people. They have made their choice by offering a film series that portrays a vile, caricature of Israelis which serves to delegitimize Israel. The JCC program is presenting a totally unbalanced and inflammatory series of videos which will foster hatred against Israel. The program is intended to indoctrinate and recruit the Jewish Community to weaken its support for Israel. Jewish Community funds should not be used for this divisive purpose. We urge everyone to raise your voices and call the JCC director, Rabbi Joy Levitt, and the JCC board and request that they stop promoting anti-Israel events with Jewish Community money provided by the UJA-Federation."
Richard Allen continued, "It is not surprising that the UJA-Federation is funding these bash Israel programs. Published reports show that the UJA-Federation's Chief Executive Officer, John Ruskay worked with Noam Chomsky in one of the first political bash Israel groups; CONAME ( Committee On New Alternatives In The Middle East). The reports stated the group CONAME specialized in attacking Israel. The Community must make its voice heard by calling and writing The UJA-Federation and the JCC in Manhattan and demand that Jewish Community funds not be used for these divisive purposes."
PUBLIC CAMPAIGN
CALL OR WRITE TODAY!
Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Avenue (at 76th Street)
New York, NY 10023 Tel:
Rabbi Joy Levitt, Executive Director jlevitt@jccmanhattan.org
Alice Gottesman, President
Marti Meyerson, Chair
Lisa Kiell, Secretary
Andy Arno, Treasurer
Tell John Ruskay and Jerry Levin of the UJA-Federation of New York:
NOT ONE DIME to Legitimize the De-legitimizers of Israel!
Call and write the Board of the UJA-Federation of New York
Tell the UJA Federation you do Not want your Jewish Charity Dollars Going to support John Ruskay's Political Agenda
Phone:
Email the UJA-Federation CEO John Ruskay: ruskayJ@ujafedny.org
Email the UJA- Federation President Jerry W. Levin: jwlevin@jwlevinpartners.com
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December 19, 2011
JCCWatch urges all those who contribute to the UJA-Federation in New York to contact them today & demand:
· Jewish Charity Money must not be used to fund radical George Soros groups· Stop supporting groups that either fund or call for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israeli - Tell UJA-Federation & the JCRC to Pass Guidelines
· Stop supporting radical BDS groups such as "Partners for Progressive Israel", The Goldstone report supporters "BTselem" and BDS funder "New Israel Fund" from marching in the Israel Day Parade. (What are we teaching our Children?)
ACT NOW!
As the plans for the 2012 Israel Day Parade take shape:
Tell John Ruskay and Jerry Levin:
NOT ONE DIME to Legitimize the
De-legitimizers of Israel !
Call and write the Board of the UJA-Federation of New York* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Media Advisory
November 8, 2011
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Morton A. Klein, National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)
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Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, Board Member, Z Street
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Beth Gilinsky, President of the National Conference on Jewish Affairs
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Helen Freedman, Executive Director of Americans for a Safe Israel
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Allen Schwartz, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Ohab Zedek on the Upper West Side
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Dr. Marvin Belsky, Community Activist
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Media Advisory
October 24, 2011
Why is the JCC in Manhattan promoting and collaborating with groups
That Support Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel?
BE AWARE! The JCC in Manhattan's Other Israel Film Festival is collaborating with organizations that fund or support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. The JCC in Manhattan lists as partners in the Other Israel Film Festival event, groups such as:
The New Israel Fund (NIF): As documented by Dr. Gerald Sternberg, Bar Ilan University, head of NGO-Monitor.org, the New Israel Fund supports organizations that actively work to delegitimize Israel through boycott, divestment and sanctions and lawfare tactics.
Partners for Progressive Israel A/K/A Meretz-USA: This group calls on Jews to boycott other Jews. "Partners for Progressive Israel" has published a listing of Israel Products to be boycotted, such as Ahava Cosmetic Products, Beigel and Beigel baked products and eight Israeli wine vineyards.
B'Tselem: This group is listed as a partner on the JCC's Other Israel Film Festival website & promotional material. They worked hand in glove with Judge Richard Goldstone to produce false charges against Israel, including allegations of war crimes and purposely targeting civilian populations. Judge Goldstone recently admitted that the report bearing his name contains charges and conclusions that are without foundation.
Ask the JCC in Manhattan Board of Directors (a beneficiary agency of the UJA-Federation of New York) to STOP promoting and partnering with groups that support Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions against Israel. Ask them to pass guidelines that will prevent this in the future:
CALL & WRITE TO THE BOARD TODAY!
Board of Directors of
the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Avenue (at 76th Street)
New York, NY 10023 Tel: 646.505.4444 646.505.4444
Alice Gottesman, President
Marti Meyerson, Chair
Lisa Kiell, Secretary
Andy Arno, Treasurer
Tracey Appelbaum Andy Appelbaum Halle Benett
Judy Bernstein Bunzi Nick Bunzi Franklin Z. Davidson
Susan Falk Edward J. Falk Michelle Feig
Jeff Feig Gary Gelman Michelle Gill
Brian Davis Jeffrey R. Gural Harold R. Handler
Peter A. Joseph Julia Kaufman Peter S. Kolevzon
Faye Koschitzky Sheila Lambert Heidi Lurensky
Hanno D. Mott Bernard M. Plum Steven N. Rappaport
Scott Romanoff Abby Rothschild Elizabeth H. Scheuer
Carolyn S. Schwartz Shirley Silver Barbara Benenson Warren
Marc Warren Debra Wasserman Jason Glasser
Carolyn Weinberg Yaron Werber Carole Zabar
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Media Advisory
October 16, 2011
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Media Advisory
August 23, 2011
John Ruskay, UJA-Federation CEO in New York, Charged with Receiving Excessive Salary and Perks
The JCCWatch.org discovered through IRS annual Form 990's filings that John Ruskay, the CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York, received an excessive compensation package of over $675,000.00 per year in both 2008 and 2009.The Founder of JCCWatch.org, Richard Allen states: "It is unconscionable at this time of tremendous need by the beneficiaries, that the head of the UJA-Federation received a compensation package of over $675,000.00 per year. John Ruskay, the Chief Executive officer of the UJA-Federation of New York, is not only taking an exorbitant personal compensation package, he has also been charged by JCCWatch.org with using his position to further his personal political ideology."
Allen went on to say "Ruskay is also using the UJA-Federation funds to support organizations with a clear political agenda. This is not surprising since he has a history of supporting radical groups including the original anti-Israel group 'Breira' during the 1970's. John Ruskay, through the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), recently supported a group actively calling for the Boycott of Israel, be allowed to march in the Israel Day Parade in NYC." This group, named after a far left political party in Israel, Meretz-USA, marched, as well as a group that funds organizations that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel; The New Israel Fund."
Richard Allen further states, "John Ruskay allocated UJA-Federation Funds of over $1,000,000.00 (One Million Dollars) to the George Soros political front group, "Funders for Jewish Justice". That group spent over $100,000.00 on an ad attacking Glenn Beck. Neither George Soros or his front groups are known as Jewish Charitable organizations. There are urgent needs in the community that could have used that money. These needs are going unmet and the funding that could have made a difference was allocated to groups with a political agenda."
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Media Advisory
July 5, 2011
Last week, JCCWatch.org charged that the Jewish Agency (MAKOM) had cosponsored the program along with the New Israel Fund, J Street, and other organizations. The Jewish Agency spokesman, Haviv Rettig Gur, speaking to the Israeli press, denied any such alliances. JCCWatch.org has discovered notices that clearly list the Jewish Agency (MAKOM) as a sponsor. These prove the sponsorship of not only this year’s event, but also last year’s and, based on evidence in articles still found online, at least as far back as 2009.
JCCWatch.org’s founder, Richard Allen, calling “Love Hate and the Jewish State 4.0: Airing the Dirty Laundry” a “bash-Israel event,” stated that it “trains the younger Jewish generation to hate the Jewish state. There is nothing at all positive being taught at these political bash-Israel sessions. In fact, the program might be better called ‘Love to Hate the Jewish State 4.0.’” He went on to condemn the JCC in Manhattan, a beneficiary of the UJA-Federation of New York, for hosting yet another event put on by groups that fund and support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. “There are clearly elements within the American arm of the Jewish Agency (MAKOM) that have established links to these nefarious organizations.”
“The Jewish Agency (MAKOM) and the JCC in Manhattan should not be utilized as a sponsor or a gathering place for those who work to delegitimize Israel,” Allen continued. “NGO-Monitor has proven that, for some time now, the New Israel Fund has directly funded groups that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. J Street, the George Soros-funded group, has also partnered with efforts to further the insidious BDS movement.
“We once again call on the JCC in Manhattan’s board of directors to establish firm and serious guidelines to prevent the JCC in Manhattan from becoming a hotbed of anti-Israel activities. The Jewish Agency must also supervise their American arm, MAKOM, and establish better oversight to prevent sponsorships of anti-Israel activities.”
contact JCCWatch.org at
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Media Advisory
Jewish Agency Hoodwinked by
New Israel Fund to Sponsor a
Bash Israel Event at JCC in Manhattan
Here are some more of JCC in Manhattan's "partners"
On November 16, 2010, Uri Zaki,U.S. director of B'Tselem (right), andRachel Sussman, U.S. associatedirector, spoke to members of theJCC and the public in the “Speak Up” session in the Speakeasy Café during the Other Israel Film Festival.
Without any remuneration to the JCC in Manhattan, J Street and B-Tselem were provided with a table (left), from which they promoted their agenda, handed out literature, solicited contributions, and promoted the J Street PAC and their Washington conference.