Obama Friend Takes Over Jewish Conference of Presidents
The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations is one of the most reactionary power centers in the American Jewish community. Nominally representative of all American Jews, it has been run for decades by its executive director Malcolm Hoenlein, a rightwing activist --Llikud and Republican -- full-throated backer of the occupation, and particularly of the settlers. He did everything he could to tip the Jewish community to McCain.
But he failed. Obama received 78% of the Jewish vote and suddenly Malcolm's position is rather shaky. Who does he represent? A percentage of the 22% who voted for McCain -- and not a large percentage either. Most of the 22% voted for McCain because they are Republicans not because they believed the lies circulated by Hoenlein's friends about Obama being "bad fo the Jews."
For Malcom, push had to come to shove. And now it has. A close Obama friend from Chicago, Alan Solow, is taking over the Presidents Conference. Hoenlein now works for a guy whose loyalty is to Barack Obama. In fact, that is why Solow is being elected.
What happens to Hoenlein now? Who knows? But the recent address he gave to the people of Iran indicates that he could have a future urging the Muslim masses to rise up and support Greater Israel. Check it out, its delightful.
What's wrong with what Hoenlein says in the film? Is there something there you couldn't sign off on there?
There just seems to be no end to the rage and contempt you and some of your fellow "progressives" have for your political opponents. You seem to think the Obama's victory somehow validates all your political theories and positions, e.g. the fact that unemployed people voted for Obama or the fact that Caroline Kennedy may enter the Senatoe somehow means that all the untractable conflicts in the Middle East have suddenly disappeared. We'll see.
December 21, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Caroline Kennedy showed her lack of seriousness when she recently said Jerusalem should be undivided and eternal capital of Israel. (Proving yet again that Arab "moderates" [read: sell outs] are wasting their time.)
Such a comment will bring in some sheckels, but it hardly denotes seriousness in foreign policy.
December 22, 2008 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
You seem to be saying if Caroline Kennedy said that Jerusalem should return to being divided (like when it was part of Jordan pre-67) then she would show she was "serious." Would you then say she was qualified to be Senator Kennedy?
December 23, 2008 3:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps the fact that Solow is a bankruptcy lawyer also has something to do with the decision. I assume some of these organizations have a lot of work ahead of them digging out from under the financial rubble of the Madoff disaster.
December 21, 2008 2:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
The best part of the video was the sheer vacuousness of his remarks. For example, he said we, meaning Israel supporters, want Iran to (1) develop; and (2) have a representative government.
Well, guess what: Iran is developing, just not with our permission. And Iran's dysfunctional democracy is a heck of lot more represenative of their people than almost all of their neighbors.
December 22, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait a minute, is this a reference to Bernie Madoff being Jewish? What does that have to do with the post by Mr. Rosenberg? I thought he was talking about the Middle East, and the impact of a change at the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations.
December 23, 2008 3:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wait a minute, is this a reference to Bernie Madoff being Jewish?
Uh, no, it's not, and your insinuations of anti-Semitism on Dan K's part notwithstanding, it's been clear for several days now that Jewish philanthropic institutions have been extremely hard hit by Madoff's crimes.
A small sampling from my hometown Jewish weekly:
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/36726/format/html/displaystory.html
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/36742/format/html/displaystory.html
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/36743/format/html/displaystory.html
One of several, you should excuse the expression, money quotes:
December 26, 2008 3:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's a great news:
http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2008/10/22/news/local/politics_and_elections/doc48f750c028a29672486109.txt
Alan Solow, chairman of the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America and an Obama friend since he ran for the U.S. Senate, traveled to Israel with the Illinois senator in 2006. Obama is pro-Israel and shares Jewish values, Solow insisted, “because he’s believed them for years, based on his personal vision of America. He understood what Torah meant … Love your neighbor as yourself.”
During that 2006 trip, Palestinian students told Obama they wanted to vote for Hamas and asked why the U.S. wouldn’t accept that democratically elected government, Solow said. Obama replied that the U.S. would not deal with terrorists and would not recognize a Hamas-controlled government in the West Bank, Solow recalled.
During the height of the intifada in 2003, when terrorists frequently blew up Israeli buses, Obama supported the building of the security barrier. Every parent, he said, has the right to put his child on the bus and expect him to come home in the evening safe and sound, Solow related.
While touring South Africa, the Jewish attorney noted, Obama told students that Israel absolutely has the right to defend itself and fight back if attacked.
“Obama has understood from the beginning that living a normal life is the essence of Israel,” said Solow. “Except in the U.S., Jews have never lived a normal life anywhere in the world. A Jewish state is an ideal deserving protection.”
In telling stories about Obama, Solow maintained, “He has a Jewish soul. I like to say he’s going to be the first Jewish president of the United States.”
December 21, 2008 3:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks very much, tnathan, for the insight into Alan Solow. When it comes to advocating for Israelis having the absolute right to defend their citizens against thugs, there ain't a dime's worth of difference beteen Malcolm Hoenlein's views and Alan Solow's. Alan will drive Mr. Rosenberg, Mr. Levy, and J Street crazy by his closeness with the President, the Vice-President and the Secretary of State. Israel couldn't ask for a better advocate for the next four years.
December 21, 2008 6:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
And I thought Bill Clinton was the first African American president, until after the South Carolina primary.
December 22, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
And, of course, he's close to COS Emmanuel too.
December 21, 2008 6:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Palestinians are in for a very rough next 4 years.
Very sad day.
December 22, 2008 12:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
You mean four more very rough years.
December 22, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
"What happens to Hoenlein now?"
If past is prologue, should Hoenlein enter a Jewish Community Center in Seattle or San Francisco or Mumbai he will be murdered by Muslims, after which an indignant MJ Rosenberg will unequivocally condemn Martin Peretz.
Five Islamic freedom fighters were convicted today of planning to terrorize America, but there will be no apoplectic excoriation of them by Rosenberg because a) his loyalties are not to the United States but to those who would destroy it; and b) the Muslim terrorists do not belong to AIPAC. If only the jihadists celebrated Hanukkah, Rosenberg's fury towards their crimes would truly be terrible to behold.
As it is, being MJ Rosenberg means never having to say you're rational.
Thanks for the pick-me-up, tnathan. Most reassuring to know that Obama is the reincarnated Menachem Begin.
December 22, 2008 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, MJ, I see our very own local Kahane-Avigdor Lieberman axis has found you and is posting quite "liberally".
December 26, 2008 3:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Of course, these Kahanist-Liebermanites will studiously close their eyes to what folks like Bernard Avishai and Gershom Gorenberg report on so eloquently. But then, for them, Avishai, Gorenberg, and the rest are all part of that same Israel-hating, wishing-destruction-on-the-U.S., jihadi-loving, treasonous, self-hating crowd, now, aren't they?
December 26, 2008 3:38 AM | Reply | Permalink