#jdca

[bilolli]

Sneak-peek?

[eretzyisrael]

by Alana Goodman

An influential Washington, D.C., synagogue is facing backlash from furious congregants after its rabbi claimed Jews "need to elect Vice President Kamala Harris" in order to comply with "sacred texts."

Adas Israel, whose membership has included Supreme Court justice Elena Kagan and the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is one of the oldest and largest synagogues in Washington, D.C. But members have become increasingly frustrated with the leadership’s "insulting" left-wing advocacy that has left congregants "dreading the upcoming high holidays," the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

The controversy came to a head at a Jewish Democratic Council of America event earlier this month, when Adas Israel Co-Senior Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt cited Jewish scripture as a basis for why Jews must vote for Harris.

"I could tell you that we need to elect Vice President Kamala Harris because as Jews our sacred texts tell us we need to build a world where we feed the hungry, where we care for the sick, where we love the stranger, where we guard and nurture this planet," said Holtzblatt on the JDCA Zoom call with Harris supporters. "Those are her values. That is what her policies seek to achieve."

Holtzblatt, who officiated Ginsburg’s funeral and has appeared on The Forward’s "Forward 50" list, is a vocal supporter of Harris and led a Passover seder at the vice president’s home last spring. She did not respond to a request for comment regarding which Jewish texts support her assertion that Jews "need to elect" Harris.

Holtzblatt’s comments drew criticism from some Adas Israel congregants, who said the synagogue’s political bias has become "insufferable."

"[T]o be lectured that as Jews we are compelled to vote a certain way is frankly insulting," wrote a longtime congregant in an email to Adas Israel’s rabbinical leaders. Two other Adas Israel congregants independently shared the exchange with the Free Beacon.

"[T]ying ‘our sacred texts’ to a political candidate in this way is, at best, simplistic. And easily rebutted with myriad other examples from scripture," wrote the members. "The reality is that Adas has become borderline insufferable for anyone who doesn't share what is assumed by leadership to be the universal point of view. It's politics all day everyday; politics always from the same direction—no balance."

Members are also reportedly irked by Adas Israel’s decision to have Hamilton director Lin-Manuel Miranda, a non-Jewish Democratic activist, headline the synagogue’s Yom Kippur programming in October.

"[T]here are many more Adas members than you might realize, who are put off as well (some of whom are BCC'd here)," wrote the congregants. "I have spoken with a number who are dreading the upcoming high holidays, headlined bizarrely by father and son Miranda (hawking his book no less!)."

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Alana Goodman

CHICAGO—The longtime leader of the Anti-Defamation League, who now serves as director emeritus, expressed concern about Jews being forced to meet in "secret locations" at the Democratic National Convention due to security threats and anti-Semitism.

"I know in my heart that in the future, it will be better, for Jews in America, then [sic] it is today. But I fear it will never be the same," said Abraham Foxman in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

"After 50 years fighting anti-Semitism in America, I could not have imagined a time Jews would have to meet in secret locations in Chicago at DNC."

Foxman, a Holocaust survivor, served as director of the Jewish civil rights organization from 1987 to 2015. The ADL is now run by Jonathan Greenblatt, a former Obama aide, who has steered it in a much more partisan direction.

Foxman’s comments come as Jewish groups holding events on the sidelines of the convention have kept their meeting locations a closely guarded secret.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America held panel discussions with former U.S. ambassador to Spain Alan Solomont and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D., Fla.), but attendees were required to register before receiving the location. Private security and metal detectors were present at both events.

The Israeli-American Council only disclosed the location for its "Hostage Square" discussion to attendees a few hours before it started, the Times of Israel reported on Wednesday.

The security concerns appeared justified. On Tuesday, pro-Hamas agitators disrupted a DNC event with hostage families hosted by Agudath Israel of America, an Orthodox Jewish group. The protesters shouted, "Zionism has got to fall" and "Shame on you" at attendees. Dozens of anti-Israel protesters were also arrested after clashing with police near the convention Tuesday night.

Jewish Democratic leaders acknowledged the concerns about anti-Semitism at the DNC but also downplayed the divisions within their party.

Wasserman Schultz, speaking at a JDCA event on Thursday, said she had "angst for over a week over what the reaction would be" when the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the eight Americans being held captive by Hamas, spoke at the DNC on Wednesday.

Wasserman Schultz said there was a lot of "hype about how many protesters there were going to be," and she felt relieved when there were no disruptions from the audience.

But Democratic politicians have also seemed reluctant to mention Israel’s war with Hamas and the Oct. 7 attacks on the convention stage. None of the prominent Jewish Democratic speakers—including second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro—mentioned Israel or the hostage crisis in their remarks.

The only speakers to broach the subject were Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison, who are aligned with the left-leaning anti-Israel movement. Both politicians called for an Israeli ceasefire.

President Joe Biden briefly acknowledged the anti-Israel protests in his speech on Monday, saying the activists "have a point."

[schraubd]

Getting Out in Front on Antisemitism

A few weeks ago, when the New York City Council was debating a resolution combating antisemitism, we had a bit of awkwardness when various lefty groups (and a few lefty councilmembers) expressed concern about aligning themselves with the undeniably right-wing actors who were the primary movers behind the underlying campaign. Six councilmembers ultimately declined to vote for the resolution, resulting in some absolutely expected negative headlines and bad press as the right seized the opportunity that fell into their laps.

In response to that own-goal, I wrote the following:

Look: Brooke Goldstein is an undeniably toxic actor. I totally get why a progressive wouldn't want to touch anything she's within ten feet of. But here's the thing: you don't *have* to wait for her to draft an anti-antisemitism resolution. You can draft your own!

NYC progressives have nobody to blame but themselves that they let Goldstein get out in front of them. If you don't want to vote for "her" res, write and submit your own first. Who knows, maybe [Republican city councilwoman Inna] Vernikov will pale at associating with you and you can turn the screws on her a bit!

But if you aren't writing these resolutions and you aren't frontloading the fight against antisemitism, you can't get too chippy that other people fill in the gap you've left. It's a problem entirely of your own making. 

As the day of the Biden administration's big antisemitism action plan rollout comes to a close, doesn't it feel nice to be on the right side of that lesson?

The Biden administration didn't wait on antisemitism. It didn't hold back, it didn't stay quiet and do nothing until some Matt Gaetz style yahoo created a "plan to fight antisemitism" that they had to reject while awkwardly insisting that of course they oppose antisemitism but they just can't oppose it this way.

The Biden administration wrote their own plan, on their own initiative, in their own words. And what was the result?

An array of Jewish organizations from the left to the center-right echoed those sentiments in welcoming the plan with enthusiasm, marking a change from recent weeks in which they had been split over how the plan should define antisemitism. Still, a handful of right-wing groups blasted the strategy, saying that its chosen definition of antisemitism diluted the term.

The Jewish left seems happy. I've seen naught but praise from groups like the JDCA, J Street, JFREJ, and so on. The Jewish center seems happy. The ADL and AJC clearly are taking this as a win. The Conference is happy. Groups like JIMENA are thrilled that the document expressly acknowledges and represents Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews. A rapid consensus has already emerged across a broad swath of the American Jewish community that this document is an example of true allyship from the White House.

And the right? Well now it's their turn to feel uncomfortable. They're still trying to stomp their feet about Nexus getting 15 words of modest praise. They're awkwardly trying to figure out how handle MAGA darling Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) calling the proposed campaign against antisemitism a means of "go[ing] after conservatives" and comparing it to Soviet repression. They're on their heels, reeling from the fact that the biggest national program to fight antisemitism is being conducted and they're struggling to even board the train.

Right now, the fight against antisemitism is a coalition of left and center, with the right bickering on the sidelines. It's not just a win for the Jews (though it is), it's a great political coup as well. And it's all because the Biden administration took the very simple step of getting out in front.

Learn that lesson, and learn it well.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/FnJLdI4

[the-ships-to-rule-them-all]

sitting in on the JDCA Kamala kickoff call and the SECOND GENTLEMAN JOINED IN

hell yeah, let's go get a mezuzah on the white house door

[beardedmrbean]

Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri is facing a massive polling deficit behind her primary challenger, prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County, Wesley Bell, according to a poll obtained by the New York Post on Sunday.

Bush, who like other ‘squad’ members has been vocally anti-Israel, is now up against a 23-point deficit against Bell as her primary approaches on Aug. 6, according to the poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates for the CCA Action Fund. In June, fellow ‘squad’ member Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York was also confronted with a massive polling disadvantage after being outspokenly anti-Israel, going on to eventually lose his primary against now Democratic nominee George Latimer on June 25.

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 07: (L-R) U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) speak at a press conference on the Israel-Hamas war outside of the U.S. Capitol on December 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. A group of Democratic lawmakers joined by members of Doctors Against Genocide called on a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Like Bowman and other squad members, Bush has previously been criticized by pro-Israel Democrats for her comments and legislative action following the Oct. 7 massacre. Bush has continuously called for a ceasefire while at the same time voting against legislation that would condemn Hamas and antisemitism, prompting various pro-Israeli groups to endorse her opponent.

Shortly after Oct. 7, the House voted to condemn Hamas for beginning an “unprovoked war on Israel” after “slaughtering Israelis and abducting hostages in towns in southern Israel, including children and the elderly.” Bush, along with Democratic ‘squad’ members Bowman, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Rep. Ilan Omar of Minnesota and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, all voted against the bill.

In February, Bush and Tlaib were the only two members of the House to vote against a bill that “imposes immigration-related penalties” on Hamas terrorists.

Many pro-Israeli groups, including the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) PAC and the American Israel Affairs Public Committee (AIPAC), have now publicly endorsed Bell over Bush.

“Mr. Bell’s record stands in sharp contrast to his opponent, Congresswoman Cori Bush, whose opposition to the Democratic agenda and longstanding enmity towards Israel was underscored by her vituperative statements and votes since the October 7th terrorist attacks,” Mark Mellman, Chairman of DMFI PAC, said in a press release. “We’re going to do everything we can to help Wesley Bell defeat Congresswoman Cori Bush.”

The poll surveyed 300 likely Democratic voters from June 28 to July 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.7%.

Bush’s congressional campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

[antonjesus]

JDCA at the DNC: What the 2024 Election Means for Israel

[bgoldberggoldman]

President Biden and the Democratic Party’s Pro-Israel Record

Established in 2016, the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) advocates for domestic and foreign policy positions aligned with values of social equality, justice, and strong relations between the United States and Israel.

The organization recognizes the historical importance of the bond between the United States and Israel regarding values and security interests. The JDCA believes that Israelis deserve to live free from terror in their independent state, while Palestinians also must be allowed to live in an independent state.

Furthermore, the JDCA recognizes Israel’s capital as Jerusalem, which should be open to individuals of all backgrounds and religions, and advocates for continued American security aid to Israel to help the country maintains its defensive ability.

The JDCA emphasizes the vital role of the Democratic Party in supporting Israel as a democratic Jewish state. President Biden, for example, has a five-decade history of support for the Middle Eastern country. As Vice President of the United States, Biden consistently supported security assistance to Israel and opposed all calls for cuts to military aid to the country. Additionally, he fought unilateral steps that might negatively impact a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Biden supported sending U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority for humanitarian and security cooperation purposes, as outlined in the Taylor Force Act, which Israel endorsed. During Obama’s presidency, Biden advocated for securing support for technology such as the Arrow 3 anti-rocket and missile defense systems, the Iron Dome, and David’s Sling. He also helped draft the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Israel. Created in 2016, the $38 billion, a 10-year memorandum, was the largest military aid package in American history.

Biden has historically opposed any efforts to delegitimize Israel, including the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), a Palestine-led movement that promotes boycotts and economic sanctions against Israel.

The Obama-Biden administration worked to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons by imposing multilateral sanctions and engaging in negotiations that ultimately informed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Further, Biden helped an emergency appropriations bill move through Congress when Hamas attacked Israel, in addition to emphatically condemning Hamas.

Even before he became Vice President, Biden established himself as a strong Israel ally. He first visited the country in 1973, meeting with Prime Minister Golda Meir and Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin. As a Senator, he met with nine Israeli prime ministers.

As President, Biden has upheld this unwavering commitment to Israel and the Jewish-American community. Under President Trump, the United States experienced a historic increase in hate and bias incidents affecting Jewish Americans and other minority populations. Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran Deal allowed Iran to pursue a nuclear weapons program, while Israel’s security suffered under Trump’s policies. The United States was a less effective ally to Israel under President Trump.

Strongly committed to strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance, President Biden advocates for bipartisan support for pro-Israel causes. He also supports the economic and technological partnerships between the two countries, which increase commercial opportunities and expand innovation in the Middle East and worldwide.

President Biden has received support from the Democratic Party. In July 2019, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 1837, which provided security assistance for Israel and justice for victims of Palestinian terrorism. The House also passed H.R. 1850, imposing sanctions on foreign entities that support Palestinian terrorism.

[camerababa]

CameraBaba - Lina | Jatin Das sir | Raghuraj Sir | Siddhartha Das Sir | Nandita Das Maam | Ashok Panda Sir | India International Exhibition Center | Siddhartha Das Studio | New Delhi' Finally, the days of hard work got surprised by an exhibition at one of the most prestigious galleries of New Delhi. Interpreting Jagannath & Lingaraj Temples, Odisha by Siddhartha Das Studio at New Delhi. #CameraBaba #Lina #InterpretingJagannath #Lingaraj #TemplesOfOdisha #IndiaInternationalCenter #SiddharthaDasStudio #NanditaDas #JatinDas #AshokPandaSir #JDCA #TheIncredibleOldTown #OdishaTourism #NewDelhi #PhotographerCouple #FilmMakers (at India International Centre) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ncTsap4q0/?igshid=9m3ye3j8c5ua

[tomoko-kuzukami]

所属協会 #JDCA 復興応援事業で、熊本に出張していた小さな私の分身達が帰ってきました。 被災した訳ではない、何事もなく日々過ごしているニンゲンが何を言うか、何を書いとるんかと、このテのお声かけの度に深く考えさせられるものがあります。 時には活字で、時には肉筆で、コトバの響き方は大きく変わる。 夕暮れにゆっくりと大きく伸びて行く影のように じわじわと拡がる波紋のように 手でふれる事は決してできないけど 小さき影が響くことを祈って。 合掌 ※写真は『一心』 #禅語 より 揮毫 #くず上ともこ （展示作品ではありません） #calligraphy #japanesecalligraphy #japaneseculture #書 #筆文字 #デザイン書道 #datawork #design #一心 #alwayswithyou

[bilolli]

Hi, your Just Dance Care designs are delightfully bright and colourful and so wonderful!! Definitely love how you set it in the future, and it’s like a cool mismatch of reminding me just dance from when I was younger and seeing it reinvented!! Your art is lovely <3

Ahhhhh thank you so much! I really wanted to bring back the style of the first just dances (like JD4, 2014/15/16) and personalise them because it's for me a fond childhood memory aswell. I used to play it A LOT and I still play it with my friends in special occasions I force them XD

[bikebound]

Murderdrome Missile: 1924 Harley-Davidson JDCA/B Board Tracker. Can you imagine hitting 100+ mph on a steeply-banked motordrome aka “murderdrome” on one of these brakeless machines? Full story today on BikeBound.com! ⚡️Link in Bio⚡️ https://instagr.am/p/Ces9fLtuDJU/

[wetsteve3]

This JDCA outlaw racer was raced by Carl Doran at BearCat Speedway races in central Minnesota through the ‘50’s. Dale discovered the bike in the early 1980s, got it running and raced it for years at Antique bike events around the country.  Be sure to stayed tuned as we'll be firing this bike today to kick off week 3 of Drive for History!

[schraubd]

A Rare, Coveted Debate Link Endorsement: Andy Levin

I don't like member-on-member Democratic primaries. That's because, for the most part, I like Democratic incumbents. I rarely bear them ill-will, and so I don't wish for them to lose elections. A member-on-member primary forces me to choose, and I resent that.

So it is in the Haley Stevens/Andy Levin match over in Michigan. I like both representatives just fine. I have no desire to see either out of Congress. And yet I've come to the conclusion that it's important to back Rep. Levin, because the message that would be sent by his defeat would be exceptionally toxic in Democratic Party circles. Rep. Levin is one of Congress' leading proponents of a two-state solution for Israel/Palestine -- an actual proponent, not a rhetorical one; someone who is actually willing to put money next to mouth and invest the resources necessary to induce both sides to take the steps necessary to make a just peace happen. It would be sad to lose his voice, but it would be catastrophic to lose his voice in a manner that suggests this very advocacy is what doomed his career.

Perhaps counter-intuitively, my logic is similar to that which prompted support for Shontel Brown over Nina Turner in their Ohio race. I noted there that Turner's formal position papers on Israel were not actually anything too objectionable. However, the coalition surrounding Turner seemed eager, even gleeful, at the prospect of sticking it to the Jews Zionists in a way that really couldn't be rewarded. Similarly, when they spoke to Michigan Jews, Stevens and Levin didn't seem that far apart on key issues -- there was a difference in how they talked about Israel, but it wasn't some gaping chasm. But the atmosphere around Stevens' campaign is very much "we need to punish Levin for his heresies about Israel", and that rhetoric hit a fever pitch early. On this, I agree entirely with Abe Silberstein's assessment:

The reason Andy Levin has drawn such vocal opposition from pro-Israel groups is not because he supports the two-state solution. It's because he doesn't accept the dogma on why a two-state solution has not materialized (Israeli flexibility/Palestinian rejectionism binary).

That's absolutely correct. One hears often from many Jewish and/or pro-Israel groups that they don't object to "criticism of Israel", what they object to is one-sided criticism of Israel; criticism that treats the entire conflict as wholly a matter of Israeli wrongdoing and malfeasance. The reality is, though, that many of those groups love "one-sided" criticism -- so long as it's Palestinians that are the only side being criticized. The last thing they want is an account of the Israel/Palestine status quo that takes seriously the reality that Israel bears a considerable portion of the responsibility for getting us here.

Levin's support for a two-state solution isn't rhetorical, it's actual; and being actual it entails Israel changing portions of its conduct just as Palestinians must. That's good, healthy, necessary, what many if not most Jewish organizations say they want to hear -- and is apparently absolutely, positively intolerable in practice. The amount of energy and resources being devoted to taking out Levin, not just from groups like AIPAC but from organizations that really should know better, like the JDCA, is suggestive that these groups cannot and will not tolerate actual action supporting a two-state solution, and that'd be a devastating lesson to internalize.

It's no knock against Stevens herself. Again, I bear her no ill-will. I wish both Democrats could stay in Congress next year. But the atmosphere that surrounds this race makes it very important that Andy Levin win it. And so for that reason, the rare and highly coveted Debate Link endorsement has to go to Rep. Levin.

UPDATE: Andy Levin liked this post. I'm so tickled.

[Via the Debate Link]

[thelincolnproject]

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