Tag Archives: Ilhan Omar

When looking at the Crisis on College campuses, we need to be honest about how we got here

I am not going to lie. I hate every last one of the pro Hamas protestors on every American campus. But unless we identify those responsible for getting us here, it will be over for Jews in the United States, and after that happens the United States as we know it may ultimately be well on its way to a collapse.

I first started identifying a disturbing trend after 9/11. There were those on the right that blamed what they called failed policies by Bill Clinton. There were those on the left that attacked then president George W. Bush for not publicly showing alarm in front of kindergarteners when he first heard of the attack. Those that did that seemed too afraid or too political to go after those responsible for the attack, namely Al Qaeda and their leader Osama Bin-Laden. Why? Maybe because it felt safer to them to react in the manner. Do I hold young adults protesting on behalf of murdering terrorists accountable for their actions? Of course I do. But that can not let any one of us stay silent about those that either planted the seeds or fertilized the ground. We need to speak openly and honestly about how we got here.

First and foremost, let me be perfectly clear. Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. You do not have to like Israel’s current government, a large percentage of Israelis do not. But Israel is a strong and functioning democracy that can work it out for itself, and standing against it in what may be the most perilous time in the history of the Jewish state is ultimately calling for the death of Jews.

If you are a proud Jew and Zionist such as myself, one who makes every attempt to learn from history, holding back on speaking the truth should no longer be an option. The seeds of this cancer have been planted by Qatar, the most devious country on the planet. With its annual influx of billions of dollars to College administrations, this country, one that is playing everyone, has in essence bought the narrative of America’s future.

Then there’s the 10’s of billions of dollars of frozen assets released to Iran during the Obama administration, culminating with a massive airlift of cash in his last days in office, in essence supplying the money needed to fund Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and of course Hamas which ultimately led to previous wars, October 7th, and the current war in Gaza. This is not a truth many people want to admit to, but a truth nonetheless.

But let’s not forget the era in which we live. An era of Instagram posts and Tik-Tok reels in which Chuck Schumer, the highest ranking Jewish politician in U.S. history, calls for elections to replace Israel’s Prime Minister in the middle of a war. Students see and hear this. When Jonathan Glazer, a Jew himself makes an acceptance speech at the Oscars for Best International Feature Film and states that his Jewishness and the Holocaust are “being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people”, young college students see this clip. It is widely believed that when you follow the money, much of what does not lead back to Iran and Qatar leads back to George Soros, a Jew himself and one who escaped the Holocaust. Bernie Sanders, notoriously anti-Israel to the point of providing false statistics during previous conflicts, can only be described as a traitor, who, as one of my brothers so eloquently put, should rot in hell. Even if you want to say that many of those among my fellow Jews mean well and have even done a lot for Israel and the Jewish people before now, what they are doing today is fueling the burning and growing fire of Jewish hatred in America and worldwide. To put it more bluntly and to clarify how devastating this is, giving life and power to these protestors is likely killing any hostage still alive, because as Hamas sees the societal disaster taking place in America, they have increased incentive to keep the war going. Why would they accept Israel’s terms when thanks to the voices against Israel and the agitators protesting on campus, some of which are actually students, Hamas is in effect, winning the war.

There are the Jew hating celebrities like Roger Watters, Susan Sarandon and Jon Cusack, who repeatedly accuse Israel of committing Genocide and will insist that some of their best friends are Jewish. They are all cowards and fools, as displayed by Cusack who banned me from his X account after I accused him of being on the wrong side of history. https://x.com/HollandsHeroes/status/1785158544645378104 . They are cowards because it is truly my belief that deep in their hearts they see a world with growing Muslin extremism and they feel safer going after 8 million Jews. It is hard to argue with their logic if you only look at the numbers, but it brings their cowardice into focus.

Let’s not forget the squad and the loud and proud Jew hating voices led by Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Jamaal Bowman, whose growing power have forced President Joe Biden into hiding during the crisis on colleges campuses.

The heroic voices of people such as Douglas Murray, Bill Maher and John Fetterman need to grow. Proud Jewish celebrities like Robert Kraft and Jon Lovitz need to be identified and supported for their position in favor of their people.

I recognize that America and the current administration has supported Israel since October 7th, and for that I am grateful, but if the people in power spend more time worrying about keeping their jobs than doing their jobs, this will only get worse, and history is flush with stories of empires that collapsed after they persecuted and either killed or expelled the Jews. Past is prologue, and those who do not learn from it are in essence digging their own graves. This is not meant only for Jews, but non-Jewish Americans as well. When protestors on campus are calling for Intifada, if you believe it is only directed towards Israel, you are a fool.

When I started watching the news last night, it was so disturbing that I wanted to turn off the TV. However, what happens if I and all of you choose to bury our heads in the sand will make what it happening now look like a picnic, so I kept watching. Silence is not as option. Never Again is Now.

Am Yisrael Chai

Never Again is Now!

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Open Letter to Senator Chuck Schumer regarding his recent comments on Israel and Netanyahu

Dear Senator Schumer,

It pains me that I even have to write this letter to you. It would have been my hope that the highest ranking Jewish politician in American history would be someone I could see as loyal to Israel and the Jewish people. However, in light of your recent comments it is apparent that your priorities and motivations must come into question.

I am not someone who believes that you do not have a right to disagree with the position of the Israeli government. You do not have to like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. What you do need to do though, is understand the power of your platform and the consequences of your words. For you to state at this point in time that Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way and that Israel needs new elections makes you seem like a traitor to your Jewish people. It is not about the merits of the argument itself. Maybe Israel will need new leadership, and a 2 state solution with real partners in peace is something that certainly can be discussed, but to do this now is irresponsible and dangerous to Jews all over the globe and extremely empowering to Hamas and all parties wishing to obliterate Israel and kill Jews worldwide. Furthermore, if your response is that you are a U.S. Senator, not an Israeli Member of Knesset, if you do not realize that your comments put America in danger as well, maybe it is time New York held elections and elected new leadership in the Senate.

I would like to believe your motives are pure and that you made your comments because you believe it is the most swift and secure path to peace, but it certainly appears to many as though your comments show you to be a Jew 3rd, an American 2nd, and a politician first. I would feel otherwise Senator Schumer, but the one thing I am not accusing you of is being stupid. When looking at the old and famous Arab proverb, ” the enemy of my enemy is my friend”, and seeing how your comments subsequently make you seem like a friend to the likes of Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, I must ask you this question. Are you trying to curry favor with the certain elements within your state and within the country? Do you feel as though ingratiating yourself to those who want to see every Jew killed will help you in the future? If so, I have just one thing to say to you. Kapos were killed by the Nazis as well.

I am not litigating why your comments at this point in time were as harmful as they were, because as I mentioned, I am not calling you stupid, Even though I would almost prefer to do so. I am calling you at best misguided, at worst a traitor. Not so much for your opinions, but for the timing of saying it to the world. You have a responsibility, like it or not, not just to the Democrat Party, but to the American people and your fellow Jews. In standing in opposition to the Israeli government while it is fighting for the survival of the State of Israel, Jews worldwide and in many ways freedom in the western world, you have shirked your responsibilities, and I, as a proud Jew and American will not be silent. It is my genuine belief that you do not speak for most Jews and very likely not for most Americans.

Sincerely,

David Groen

Am Yisrael Chai

Never Again is Now!

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Why the attack on Bradley Cooper is unfair and not at all about him

Maestro. (L to R) Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre and Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein (Director/Writer) in Maestro. Cr. Jason McDonald/Netflix © 2023.

As a proud Jew and vocal Zionist, I find the recent backlash against Bradley Cooper to be beyond ridiculous. Before anyone chooses to criticize the choice of how best to look like Leonard Bernstein, one needs to start by doing one thing. Look at a picture of Leonard Bernstein. The man had a pronounced nose. But as someone who has a stake in this conversation, I believe this whole discussion needs to go much deeper. What is my personal stake you ask? It is a simple answer. I am the author of a book titled , “Jew Face: A story of love and heroism in Nazi-occupied Holland.”

I have so many problems with this discussion that I almost don’t know where to start. I will start by saying that if you are someone who sees depicting an immensely talented Jew in a different manner than he actually looked, your attempts to avoid prejudice indicate either an ignorance as to to what it means to be a Jew, or a leaning toward such prejudice. Whether or not this movie is prejudiced against Jewish people will be indicated in the plot and dialogue, not in the attempt for the lead actor to look like the person he is playing. On the surface, I am not concerned. Leonard Bernstein was a brilliant conductor. This is why this movie is being made. Other aspects of the movie, be they favorable or not, will only indicate prejudice if they are incorrect or used to push an agenda against Jews. If for no other reason, this alone would be enough for me to tell people to get a grip.

What also bothers me is something that has bothered me for quite some time, albeit a wonderful opportunity for self-promotion. The word Jew is not a bad word. The context in which any word is used when describing a person or group will often determine how good or bad a word is. One of the main reasons I called my book “Jew Face” is because when you looked like my mother in 1940 Amsterdam, there was no questioning the fact that you were Jewish. But funny enough, not because she had a pronounced nose, which she somewhat did when she was younger. Rather because of the fact that she had dark hair, and a darker complexion than the typical Dutch person, and being from Spanish-Portuguese descent, even darker than many Jews. One of them being my fair skinned, redheaded (at the time), father. I guess that would mean, by 1940’s Dutch standards, if you got someone with dark hair and even slightly dark skin to portray my mother, that would be seen as Jew Face as a negative term. So this speaks to how perception is what creates this problem, not fact. The fact is, that if you depict a Jewish man or woman accurately, you are being a responsible reporter or filmmaker. If you break away from the truth to depict a hateful stereotype, THEN you should be seen as a problem. It should not be based on how accurately you attempt to make the person’s facial features look.

Going back to how the word Jew is not a bad word, I will reflect on a story regarding my late mother Sipora Groen, the woman on the cover of “Jew Face”. When speaking to a group of people and telling her story with the help of my book, someone confronted her saying, “Jew Face is an ugly title”. My mother responded immediately saying, “it was an ugly time”. If your focus is on the fact that the way something sounds offends you, rather than the importance of its content, you become part of the problem.

Which brings me to my next point. If you are up in arms about a prosthetic nose, used to depict a Jewish legend with a large nose, I must ask you where you were in the past? Where were you when Ilhan Omar said, “it’s all about the Benjamins”, when criticizing Jewish influence? Or when Marjorie Taylor Greene said that there are “Jewish space lasers” trying to shoot down Santa Claus. Or when Bryan Adams distorted facts about Gaza while never criticizing Palestinian terrorists targeting Jewish civilians. Have you paid to hear Roger Waters lately? The man who repeatedly calls Israel an Apartheid State? Or are you just concerned about a high profile nose, because it suits your agenda or speaks to your ignorance?

Bradley Cooper has never exhibited any public prejudice towards anyone. For all I know, and I won’t research it because I don’t care, he isn’t even the one who decided on the nose. If you want to fight for Jewish causes, how about taking on the difficult fights. Not the one that brings attention to a silly stereotype that only means anything if you associate it with something negative. All this is to me is another example of virtue signaling. For those who don’t know what virtue signaling is, it is when you express a strong opinion because you want to show how good you are, not because you really care. Before you say another word about Bradley Cooper and a prosthetic nose, look into your heart and figure out how much you really care.

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Open Letter to Bernie Sanders: How dare you?

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Dear Bernie,

I decided that before I begin sharing with you my feelings on your stance towards Israel I would first research your comments condemning the attacks by Palestinian terrorists on the civilian Jewish population.  So, in fairness, to begin I will post those condemnations before I proceed with what I would like to say.

 

Now that I have finished with that I will continue.  No, I did not forget to cut and paste anything in this letter and I skipped a line on purpose to bring attention to the blank space.  The truth is that I was unable to find any time in which you condemned acts of terrorism against the Jewish population of the State of Israel.  Of course it is easy to find times in which you condemn Israel.  Everyone is very aware of that, however in order for you to be an honest broker, would it not be required to address the issue from an objective standpoint rather from the vacuous self-serving pandering place from which you wish to start?

Mr. Sanders, I have no problem with people criticizing Israel or its governments policies.  A large portion of the Israeli population does the same.  The difference is that the larger percentage of these people, besides having to live with the consequences of their opinions, also have served in the Israeli military.  The vast majority of these people do not have to answer to anyone for their motivation.  You however, seeing as you believe yourself worthy of the presidency of these United States can indeed be questioned as to your motivation for all of your political viewpoints.  To me your motivation regarding Israel is clear.  You see it as far more politically expedient to attack Israel than support her.  When do you stand with any representatives of the State of Israel?  Even those opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.  I see you standing proudly and with joy next to those who openly hate Israel.  To people like Linda Sarsour, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, people who at best laugh off blatant anti-Semitism, at worst contribute to it and perpetuate it.

I will not listen to the argument from you about how you can be against the State of Israel and still care about the fate of the Jewish people when you have done nothing to show yourself as an honest broker.  Where are your efforts to help the people you claim more and more to be part of as you get closer and closer to primaries in states with a larger Jewish population? And in case you claim to not know why Israel is connected to the fate of Israel, something I believe you do know but conveniently ignore, allow me to enlighten you.

The Jewish people have been victims of persecution throughout time, culminating into what was the most systematic and organized mass murder of one segment of the population the world has ever seen.  Out of the ashes of the Holocaust the modern State of Israel was born.  It was not created as a business venture or for political gain.  It was created as a safe haven for the Jewish people.  History shows us that the very survival of the Jewish people, YOUR people, may very well depend on having a Jewish state ready and able to protect and shelter us.  So while criticizing its government is a democratic process permitted and accepted in what you refer to as a racist government, supporting people, as you do, who attempt to grow organizations determined to bring Israel to her knees and destroy it is totally unacceptable.  To say in a New York Times interview 4 years ago that Israel killed 10,000 people in Gaza when that was way more than the terrorist group Hamas fraudelently claimed were killed is unacceptable.  To argue on behalf of the dignity the Palestinians while keeping quiet when it comes to the survival of Jews is unacceptable.

When asked recently what it means to you be to Jewish you responded as follows.

“I can remember very vividly, as a kid, looking at picture books about what happened in the Holocaust. As it happens, my father’s family was wiped out by Hitler.”

To this I say to you the following words. How dare you?  As a son of Holocaust survivors I see the most poignant words in your answer as being “As it happens”.  As though it’s a side point.  Forget being Jewish for a minute, something I imagine should be easy for you, your response shows a disrespect for your father and his ancestry. As it happens?  Did you only just find this out because you felt it would help your campaign?  Or is it, as it happens, on a side note, my father’s family was wiped out by Hitler.  Or, and this is how I see it, you felt that by making it too big of a deal you wouldn’t properly pander to a base you see critical to your political ambitions.  If I were to invoke the Holocaust as the one thing I see as what it means to be Jewish, let me tell you how I would answer. “Having learned about the Holocaust from a young age, having never had a grandparent because of it and knowing that 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, I will never sit quietly when people threaten my people again, and I will do my best to be the kind of person who will stand up to any groups that look to persecute and wipe out any group of people.”  That is what I would say Mr. Sanders.  It wouldn’t be a soundbite that sounds so disingenuous that I have to fight the urge to question if it is even true.

As a Jewish American I will conclude by saying that as long as you continue to behave in a way I believe to be the ways of a traitor to his own people, you will not only not get my vote, you will get my active opposition.  You see Mr. Sanders, if you can’t show an ounce of loyalty to your own people, background and heritage, why would I ever consider someone like you, someone I see as a disgrace, to be a leader in the country I proudly call home.

Sincerely,

David Groen

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Making sure of NEVER AGAIN starts with our choices

bernie-sanders-jeremy-corbyn

Over the past year or two I have progressively shied away from being political in my posts.  It’s not because I do not have opinions. That couldn’t be further from the truth.  I probably could write an opinion about every meal I eat.  I don’t have to look for an opinion to share. If anything I have to control myself from sharing every opinion I have, something I am happy to say I have learned to do.  But today I will share a political opinion.  Because today the Jewish people, I dare say all of humanity finds itself at an increasingly dangerous crossroads, and being the child of Holocaust survivors and a person who is committed to doing his part in helping to make sure it truly never does happen again, I can no longer remain quiet.

I am not about to endorse or attack one particular political party.  I know many who think like me when it comes to  the safety of Israel and the Jewish people tend to trash the Democrats because of how the far left of the party has in many ways gone off the rails, but when push comes to shove there is a very good chance that a more centrist, moderate, pro-Israel friend of the Jewish people, maybe even a  pro-Israel Jew, will get the nomination.  Hopefully then the choice will be between 2 individuals that at least don’t want to see harm come to us and the choice can be about other factors. This is more about a litmus test.

If, in light of  increasing attacks, attacks that have gone beyond disgraceful vandalism and have reached the point of violent attacks and murder, anyone as a Jew is prepared to support a candidate that is openly in favor of movements calling for Israel’s collapse or supportive of Jew-haters, you are making a critical mistake.  Although I have been open about the fact that I am not Donald Trump’s biggest fan, I have said numerous times that I would work for his campaign before I would vote for Bernie Sanders.  Hurray for the Brits and their statement against the vicious anti-Semite Jeremy Corbyn in the recent election.  He wasn’t only defeated, he was basically crushed into what will hopefully wind up as retirement and political oblivion (even worse than that wouldn’t devastate me either).  But what we are learning now should tell you, if you weren’t ready to admit it or informed enough to know it already, something very important about people like Bernie Sanders.  In the following Washington Post article you can read about how the day after the British election Bernie Sanders called Jeremy Corbyn to congratulate him on a good campaign and when asked where he got his campaign ideas Corbyn replied, “well, you actually”. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/07/13/britains-corbyn-i-got-my-ideas-from-bernie-sanders/

Besides hoping that Bernie Sanders’s career takes the same turn Corbyn’s has, what does it tell you about him that he buddies up with the likes of Corbyn, Omar and Tlaib while wanting nothing to do with Benjamin Netanyahu.  I don’t think liking Netanyahu and his government is a litmus test for who to support, but who you pick as your friends certainly should be, especially in light of criticism that is more like an onslaught against Israel than it is an expression of concern.

I have often said that I can not hate anyone that clearly likes Jewish people as much as Donald Trump does.  That being said, I have also stated that you can love people and have nothing but their well-being in mind and still not be good for them.  In other words, just because I believe President Trump is far more friend than foe of the Jewish people, the jury is still out whether or not he is good for us.

While I wait to see who the Democrats will choose as their nominee in the current election and reserve the right to keep who I vote for to myself, at least for now, I will declare that their are lines that as a Jew I will not cross.  Any candidate that comes even close to supporting the BDS Movement will not get my vote.  The Boycott, Divestment, Sanction Movement is a movement that in its very name reveals that it is not about the well-being of the Palestinians, it is about bringing Israel to its knees.  Anyone who supports that is, in my estimation declaring themselves to not only be anti-Semitic, they are wittingly or unwittingly complicit in the recent and increasingly frequent attacks.  I will make a very strong effort to distinguish between those who oppose the policies of Israel’s current government, something many Israelis and fellow Jews I like and respect do, but those who support crippling Israel as a tactic are not only wrong, they are dangerous.  Whether they are Jewish or not.

During the Nazi occupation of Europe there were Jews who were as dangerous for the Jewish people as any complicit non-Jew.  Although it will never be something someone will brag about, fear might be an excuse for doing nothing.  It is however not an excuse for being a traitor to your people.  We also live in an age with cable news and social media when ignorance is no longer an excuse. Subsequently I will say emphatically that NEVER AGAIN starts right here.  NEVER AGAIN means not accepting someone who openly declares a policy that hurts Israel and the Jewish people.  It means not supporting someone who puts his support for Jew haters above his support for Jews and it means understanding that although it is acceptable to oppose the policies of an Israeli government, being anti-Israel is today’s anti-Semitism.  And NEVER AGAIN means that when you have the opportunity to speak, be it literally or through your vote, you start by not tolerating someone who shows no concern for your survival.  All of our lives may very well depend on it.

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