Pittsburgh Organizers Stopped an Effort to Boycott Israel; But It Was Far Too Close

Julie Paris

A man pauses at a memorial for the 11 victims shot by a neo-Nazi at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue. Photo: Reuters/Cathal McNaughton

The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is known for many things: bridges, steel, sports teams, and sadly, the Tree of Life Synagogue building shooting, where the worst massacre of Jews in US history took place on October 27, 2018.

After the Tree of Life attack, we felt a sense of community, support, and understanding in the area. Non-Jewish social justice and religious groups showered our community with love, and elected officials rallied to help our community recover and rebuild.

Unfortunately, that sense of love and community has shifted dramatically since October 7. After the brutal Hamas attack against Israel, the likes of which we have not seen since the Holocaust, many of us felt that Americans would more deeply understand the threats that Israelis are facing, and the risk that antisemitism poses to communities everywhere.

Sadly, the Jewish community in Pittsburgh has not felt even a fraction of the support we once felt, and we’ve often been left to fight battles with very few allies.

Like many Jewish communities around the world, my Squirrel Hill community has seen a dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents, including graffiti on my synagogue walls and my local Jewish Federation, physical and verbal attacks, hateful rhetoric during ceasefire resolution debates, encampments, and other anti-Israel protests.

In early June, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Pittsburgh tried a new tactic, dedicating their time to trying to introduce a ballot question that would have asked whether the city should participate in a boycott against Israel, and prohibit investments and public funds to “entities that conduct business operations with or in the State of Israel unless and until Israel ends its military action in Gaza.”

Such a referendum would have targeted our city’s synagogues and Jewish organizations, almost all of which have strong bonds — historical, religious, and commercial — with the State of Israel.

Anti-Israel activists spent months going to concerts, farmers markets, festivals, public pools, and anywhere they could think of with petitions for people to sign “if you’re in favor of a ceasefire.”

Of course, in many cases, the DSA activists failed to mention that this was a boycott petition that would force Israel to meet impossible (and unattainable) standards, threaten local Jewish institutions, and bring our city to a grinding halt, since some Israeli companies play an integral role in the day-to-day functions of our local government and institutions.

Those of us who have been fighting back against anti-Israel entities knew immediately how dangerous this was, and that we had our work cut out for us. We watched and waited to see if the DSA would submit the minimum number of signatures required to make it onto the ballot. All the while, we started researching, planning, and mobilizing. We found out the process for petition approval, created legal arguments, recruited legal counsel, mobilized community members, and worked to educate elected officials on the dangers of this referendum.

Finally, on August 6, our fears came true. The DSA submitted their petition, and we got to work. Our legal counsel began drafting our challenge, community leaders started recruiting hundreds of volunteers to challenge the petition, and we worked to encourage elected officials to oppose this petition on separate grounds.

We were overwhelmed with the response from within our community. Within a day, hundreds of Jewish community members were being trained on the very complex way to check signatories. Our legal counsel prepared their arguments, and City Controller Rachael Heisler issued her own challenge. We organized plaintiffs, witnesses, and testimony.

Volunteers spent hundreds of hours combing through signatures multiple times to identify those that did not meet the criteria for submission. The DSA continued to insist that, despite all evidence to the contrary, they had the minimum verifiable signatures to proceed.

However, we were able to find enough invalid signatures to stop the referendum from moving forward, and the DSA had no choice but to concede. On August 19, StandWithUs, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and a coalition of four local Jewish clergy, successfully defeated the petition. We were well prepared to argue the legal challenges as well, but never got the chance to do so.

This effort took massive collaboration, mobilization, and community engagement. As the Regional Director of StandWithUs, I was so proud to partner with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, the Beacon Coalition, local synagogues and Jewish institutions, and community members to fight back against this precedent-setting referendum.

A growing number of anti-Israel entities, including the DSA, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), pose a serious threat to local Jewish communities. Their goal is to spread misinformation and propaganda, and to wear down our community by exhausting us and our resources, but we won’t let them. We’ll continue to fight back against all attempts to discriminate against our community and work to defend Israel against misinformation and propaganda.

This success was truly a community effort that required time, resources, and dedication, in order to defeat the first attempt to put an anti-Israel boycott proposal on a US city ballot. We are grateful for this result and to our partners in this work, and we will continue to fight back against all attempts to harm our community and unfairly attack the State of Israel. At a time of rising antisemitism, these efforts have never been more important.

Julie Paris is Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for StandWithUs, an international, nonpartisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism.

Terror Group’s News Outlet Deletes Article About PFLP-Tied Journalist Criticized for Emmy Nomination

Shiryn Ghermezian

Palestinian PFLP supporters seen during a rally marking the 52nd anniversary of its founding, in the West Bank city of Nablus, on Dec. 14, 2019. Photo: Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90.

A Gaza-based news outlet established by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) deleted an article that praised Gaza journalist Bisan Owda amid controversy about her receiving an Emmy nomination because of her connection to the US-designated terrorist organization.

The Arabic-language publication Al-Hadaf, which serves as the mouthpiece for the PFLP, deleted an article titled “Journalism in the Crosshairs of Politics… how Bisan Owda became a symbol of resistance journalism” that was published on Thursday, according to The Jerusalem Post. The move came after more than 150 members of the entertainment industry called on the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) last week to rescind Owda’s Emmy nomination due to her support for the PFLP.

The Gaza-based Palestinian journalist and filmmaker was nominated for her documentary series “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” in the 2024 Emmy Awards for News & Documentary in the category of outstanding hard news feature story: short form. In the docuseries, Owda reports from Gaza and documents the daily life of Palestinians during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The docuseries was a collaboration with the digital media outlet AJ+ which is based in the US and is a subsidiary of the Qatari-owned media outlet Al Jazeera. In 2020, the US Department of Justice ordered AJ+ to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The Justice Department declared that the outlet, which is backed by the royal family of Qatar, engages in “political activities” on behalf of Qatar’s government and is “designed to influence American perceptions of a domestic policy issue or a foreign nation’s activities or its leadership.” However, the outlet has refused to follow the department’s orders.

Owda’s longstanding ties to PFLP – which is designated as a terrorist organization in US, Israel, European Union and Canada — was exposed shortly after her Emmy nomination was announced in mid-July. She attended and spoke at PFLP rallies, hosted events honoring Palestinians fighting Israeli soldiers, and the PFLP referred to her in 2018 as a member of its Progressive Youth Union. She also regularly makes anti-Zionist comments on social media while reporting from Gaza about the Israel-Hamas war.

More than 150 entertainment industry figures said in an open letter to NATAS that Owda’s Emmy nomination is in violation of the Academy’s code of ethical conduct, and is also “deeply troubling, given the creator’s history of promoting dangerous falsehoods, spreading antisemitism, and condoning violence.” The letter was spearheaded by the nonprofit organization Creative Community for Peace (CCFP).

In response to the open letter, NATAS President and CEO Adam Sharp sent a letter to CCFP President Ari Ingel defending Owda’s nomination.

“NATAS is aware of reports, cited in your letter and initially surfaced by a communications consultant in the region, that appear to show a then-teenaged Bisan Owda speaking at various PFLP-associated events between six and nine years ago. NATAS has been unable to corroborate these reports, nor has it been able, to date, to surface any evidence of more contemporary or active involvement by Owda with the PFLP organization,” Sharp wrote.

He explained that Owda’s docuseries “was reviewed by two successive panels of independent judges, including senior editorial leadership from each significant US broadcast news network.” The panels concluded that “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” was “consistent with competition rules and NATAS policies.”

“Accordingly, NATAS has found no grounds, to date, upon which to overturn the editorial judgment of the independent journalists who reviewed the material,” he added. Sharp also told Ingel that some Emmy nominations “have been controversial, giving a platform to voices that certain viewers may find objectionable or even abhorrent. But all have been in the service of the journalistic mission to capture every facet of the story.”

Hamas udowodnił, że jest ruchem nazistowskim. Z nazistami się nie negocjuje. Zabija się ich.

Elder of Ziyon
Tłumaczenie: Andrzej Koraszewski

Hamas oświadczył, że będzie kontynuował mordowanie zakładników, jak długo Siły Obronne Izraela będą próbowały ich uwolnić.

W języku hebrajskim i arabskim napisano: „Nacisk militarny równa się śmierci i porażce… umowa wymiany równa się wolności i życiu”. Jednak nawet plakaty Hamasu pokazują, że chętnie zabijają zakładników.

Podobnie jak to robili naziści w obozach śmierci, Hamas udaje, że ich wybór mordowania Żydów jest naturalnym wynikiem wyborów dokonywanych przez Żydów. Gdyby Żydzi w obozach śmierci próbowali uciec lub zaatakować strażników, naziści zamordowaliby więcej Żydów i udawali, że sami Żydzi, którzy próbowali ratować swoje życie lub walczyć, byli odpowiedzialni za mordowanie niewinnych później. 

To poziom sadyzmu, który Hamas dzieli ze zwolennikami Hitlera. 

Nie chcę umniejszać beznadziejnej sytuacji, w jakiej znalazł się rząd Izraela, który jednocześnie stara się uratować zakładników i nie dopuścić, aby Hamas zachował siły, dzięki którym mógłby wielokrotnie powtórzyć dokładnie to samo co zrobił 7 października. 

I nie łudźcie się: Hamas przyznał, że nie obchodzi go moralność, międzynarodowe prawo humanitarne ani prawa konfliktów zbrojnych. To bezwzględni kaci, którzy obwiniają niewinnych za swoje mordercze cele i  metody.

Kiedy Hamas i jego zachodni obrońcy twierdzą, że grupa terrorystyczna „nie ma wyboru”, twierdzą, że Hamas nie ma wolnej woli. Tylko zwierzęta nie mają wyboru, kiedy atakują ludzi lub innych, i tylko zwierząt nie można obwiniać za te śmierci. Hamas i jego obrońcy usprawiedliwiają morderstwa, mówiąc, że Hamas nie ma innego wyboru, jak tylko mordować i gwałcić Izraelczyków. Przyznają, że według ich własnej logiki, terroryści  Hamasu nie różnią się od zwierząt.

Ze zbydlęconymi istotami nie można negocjować.

Ale w rzeczywistości terroryści z Hamasu są biologicznie ludźmi. Dokonują wyboru, czy zabić, czy nie, czy zgwałcić, czy nie, czy skazać rodziny zakładników na piekło, czy nie. 

Co oznacza, że są odpowiedzialni za swoje zbrodnie. Są nazistami.

Każdy, kto daje wiarę twierdzeniom Hamasu, pomaga Hamasowi. Kupują logikę, że Hamas nie ma innego wyjścia, jak tylko mordować. Robienie tego jest na rękę Hamasowi, a to jest właśnie powód, dla którego Hamas spędza tyle czasu na torturowaniu rodzin zakładników za pomocą wymuszonych i edytowanych filmów. 

Obwinianie premiera Netanjahu za próbę ratowania zakładników to robienie dokładnie tego, co Hamas chce, by świat zrobił. 

Wydarzenia tego tygodnia dowodzą (jakby 7 października już tego nie zrobił), że Hamas i jego sojusznicy są dzisiejszymi nazistami. Moje serce jest z rodzinami zakładników, ale świat nie może traktować Hamasu inaczej niż nazistów. Obdarzając ich szacunkiem, obwiniając Izrael za nieudane negocjacje, protestując przeciwko Izraelowi zamiast przeciwko Hamasowi, ludzie robią dokładnie to, czego chcą od nich ci współcześni naziści. 

Lecz gdyby świat naprawdę zdał sobie sprawę, jak zły jest Hamas i traktował go jak nazistów, którymi ci ludzie są, Hamas nie miałby żadnej siły nacisku. 

Po zamordowaniu sześciu izraelskich zakładników w zeszłym tygodniu przywódcy Hamasu niewątpliwie zacierają ręce z zachwytu, gdy zaskoczeni i zrozpaczeni Izraelczycy wychodzą na ulice, aby domagać się natychmiastowego porozumienia o zawieszeniu broni z islamistyczną grupą terrorystyczną. Przywódcy Hamasu, którzy uważnie obserwują protesty, prawdopodobnie zaostrzą swoje stanowisko w nadziei, że rząd Izraela ulegnie żądaniom demonstrantów. Na zdjęciu: Protestujący Izraelczycy domagający się porozumienia o zawieszeniu broni z Hamasem blokują skrzyżowanie dróg 2 września 2024 r. (Zdjęcie: Hillel Maeir/Flash90 via Times of Israel)

Izrael: Umowa o zawieszeniu broni uniemożliwi zakładnikom powrót do domu, protesty antyrządowe jedynie dodają otuchy Hamasowi

Bassam Tawil
Tłumaczenie: Małgorzata Koraszewska

London Launches New Bus Route to Help Jews ‘Feel Safe’ When They Travel Amid Rampant Antisemitism

Algemeiner Staff

A pro-Hamas march in London, United Kingdom, Feb. 17, 2024. Photo: Chrissa Giannakoudi via Reuters Connect

With antisemitic incidents surging in London, the British capital city has introduced a new bus route to help Jewish residents “feel safe” when they travel.

The newly launched 310 bus will run every 20 minutes from 7 am to 7 pm daily between Stamford Hill in Hackney and Golders Green in Barnet, areas with two of the biggest Jewish communities in London, according to British media reports.

Transport for London, a local government body overseeing much of the city’s transport network, will collect data on the new bus route’s use before deciding whether to make it permanent.

“Jewish Londoners have felt scared to leave their homes,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan told The Jewish Chronicle. “So, this direct bus link between these two significant communities means you can travel on the 310, not need to change, and be safe and feel safer. I hope that will lead to more Londoners from these communities using public transport safely.”

Khan expressed similar sentiments to BBC London.

“I was struck by the conversations I’ve had in recent months with the Jewish community,” he said. “They were frightened because of a massive increase of antisemitism since Oct. 7 of last year. I was told stories by families who, where they changed buses from Stamford Hill to Golders Green at Finsbury Park, they were frightened about the abuse they had received.”

London specifically and the United Kingdom more broadly have experienced a surge in antisemitic hate crimes following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) recorded 2,065 antisemitic hate crime incidents between October and July, with several hundred taking place in Barnet and Hackney.

Orthodox Jews in the Stamford Hill section of the city have been targeted disproportionately for being visibly Jewish, as shown in a spate of incidents reported by Shomrim, a Jewish organization that monitors antisemitism and also serves as a neighborhood watch group.

Such incidents included an Orthodox Jewish man being assaulted by a man riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, two attackers brutally mauling a Jewish woman, and a group of Jewish children being berated by a woman who screamed “I’ll kill all of you Jews. You are murderers!” A similar incident occurred when a man confronted a Jewish shopper and shouted, “You f—king Jew, I will kill you!”

The new bus route “connects communities, connects congregations” and would reassure Jewish Londoners they would be “safe when they travel between these two communities,” Khan told BBC London.

“We have heard stories of Jewish Londoners receiving verbal abuse,” he added. “We’ve also heard stories about Jewish Londoners not leaving their homes … because they’re worried about their safety. I don’t want any Londoner to be scared to leave their home because they’re worried about public transport.”

The mayor continued, “I think we’ve got to recognize the fear that Londoners feel who are Jewish; we’ve got to recognize the tremors of hate that are felt by Jewish people across the country. We’ve got to be good allies to our Jewish friends and neighbors.”

The London Jewish Forum and the Board of Deputies of British Jews both expressed support for the new bus route.

The mayor’s office said the effort was launched following requests from Jewish organizations that have campaigned for it for the past 16 years.

Beyond London, more antisemitic incidents occurred in the United Kingdom in 2023 than any year in the history of recording such data, according to a report issued by Community Security Trust, a nonprofit that offers security services and training to the country’s Jewish community. The group’s data showed a massive uptick in antisemitic incidents immediately after the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7 that continued throughout the ensuing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.