Tag Archives: Jewish

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!

Like what you see? Feel free to share!

Learn more at http://bramsviolin.com


Mixed Emotions: Courtesy of Hamas

For those of us who feel deeply connected to the events that have taken place in Israel since October 7th, the return of 13 hostages should be reason to celebrate. Intellectually we feel tremendous joy as we see children coming home and families at least partially reunited. I want to feel like celebrating, for it is on some levels a joyous day, but the psychological warfare being perpetrated by Hamas, leaves us collectively as a people with a small degree of happiness created by the events of the day, and simultaneously saddened by the pain and suffering of those still held captive and the families desperate for their safe return.

The emotional roller coaster this is putting Israel and the Jewish people on is undoubtably part of Hamas’s strategy. It is of course to be expected, as the release of hostages is not being done out of kindness or mercy, it is being done out of necessity for Hamas. It is no secret to anyone that they needed a cessation in fighting to regroup. It is also no secret that they want to kill every Jew on the planet. So their willingness to make a deal indicates that they feel they can gain significantly from the time it is giving them. So while we are thrilled to see these people freed, it just magnifies a harsh reality. This is far from over.

The other part of it that is tough on our collective psyche is that while we are happy there are 37 more hostages to be released in the coming days, each day this takes place there is an emotional drain felt by so many. What compounds it more than anything is the fact that in a few days when they are freed, there will still be close to 200 additional hostages held by Hamas. Everywhere we turn, the joy we want to feel today is tarnished by the reality created by Hamas.

What we must do is continue to stay strong in our support for the Israeli government and our heroes in the IDF. The only way we can once again feel complete joy is to see this evil wiped out, allow all our people to have time to mourn in peace and security, and rebuild our morale, and if at all possible, not allow the mind games of Hamas to bring us down. That is just one more victory they have no right to achieve. So for now, look at the picture above, and get joy from the knowledge that this is one family that will be complete once again, and for that we thank God.

Am Yisrael Chai

Never Again is Now!

Like what you see? Feel free to share!

Learn more at http://bramsviolin.com


Is the truth being covered up regarding the murder of Synagogue President Samantha Woll?

On Saturday morning, October 21st, Samantha Woll, President of the Isaac Agree Downtown synagogue in Detroit was found stabbed to death outside her house in the Lafayette Park neighborhood. Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, is the day many would know that a president of a synagogue would likely be home. Samantha Woll was a high profile member of her community, and by all accounts very much loved and respected.

It is hard to imagine a more frightening place to be living as a Jew right now than Detroit, Michigan. You have a large Muslim population being riled up by their Congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib. Always one to speak out against Israel, since the vicious terrorist attack on October 7th, Tlaib has taken it to new heights, displaying a visceral hatred for Israel that is clearly rooted in anti-Semitism. The protests in the streets, some that happened even before Israel began its response to the attacks, shows how Tlaib willingly put fuel on an already dangerous fire, without caution or remorse.

Fast forward to October 21, when Samantha Woll was found dead of stab wounds in front of her home. Since that time, the only definitive statement coming from the Detroit Police Department is that there was no evidence that it was a hate crime. Detroit Police Chief James White said the following. “We are working through what we have identified as some persons of interest … but we are very early in the investigation. We have a number of people who give us interest, we are just short of calling one of the people a suspect.” A “number of people who give us interest” but somehow you are sure it was not a hate crime? In this climate, a climate exacerbated by a local Congresswoman? There is no evidence to suggest that there is some sort of cover up here, but without information proving otherwise, is it so crazy to consider that this might be the case? After all, if it was someone, Muslim or otherwise, inspired by Rashida Tlaib’s ongoing tirades of hatred towards Israel and the Jewish people, one might say that she has blood on her hands. If this were to be the case, might we consider the possibility that the police would dismiss this quickly to avoid an increase of tensions, or even in order to absolve Tlaib from responsibility?

Frankly, I hope it is not the case, as I do not want tensions increasing anywhere, and as of now no evidence has shown this to be so, but until someone says something to indicate otherwise , how can we be sure it is not the case? The most important thing people not only in Detroit, but in all of the country can do, is make sure this story doesn’t just vanish into obscurity. I did not know Samantha Woll, but from what we hear about her, she would deserve better than to have the investigation just go away without a resolution. I hope Detroit police are as so many other police in this country are, decent and ethical law enforcers, and that there none within their midst, including the upper echelon acting as politicians just protecting their own. Or what would be even worse, getting pressure from people higher up outside the department. Maybe even Detroit’s Mayor Mike Duggan. If this is the case, we need to know, as does the rest of the world.

Never Again is Now!

Like what you see? Feel free to share!

Learn more at http://bramsviolin.com


Jewish unity grows, as Haredim prepare to join the Israeli army

While the collective psyche of the Jews around the world is shaken, nothing strengthens the resolve of a people more than unity. Never have I been more proud to be Jewish than I am today. There will always be those who make the bad choices, but it feels to me as though we have never been more united as a people than right now. And it is about to get better.

One of the biggest eternal problems Israel has had to deal with is the schism between the Haredi, ultra-Orthodox community and the secular community. The division was on a collision course and was becoming increasingly untenable. Although all the problems between the multiple segments of the community will not be fixed overnight, there is some very good news coming out of Israel, albeit as a result of the horrors of October 7th.

Haredi journalist Yanki Farber reports that as early as this coming Sunday or Monday, thousands of Haredim will be joining the Israeli Defense Forces. The plan is to have them train for a day or 2, learn how to use some basic weapons, and then work mainly as medics and truck drivers. They will be 26 or older, mostly married with a family.

I know for some the inclination will be to reflect on how they did not serve in the IDF till now, and that there will be many who still don’t, but I suggest a different perspective. As I have said often over the past 2 1/2 weeks, now is not a time to litigate the past or predict the future. Now is a time to focus on the present. Presently we are more united as a people than we have ever been in my lifetime, and I dare say it is hard to find times when we were more united than today. Let’s remain united in strength and dedication and not be victims of the psychological warfare of Hamas and our other enemies and succumb to fear and division.

As a people we are strong and as a people we survive. Am Yisrael Chai!

Like what you see? Feel free to share!

Learn more at http://bramsviolin.com


Open Letter to Rashida Tlaib and a call to expel her from Congress and put her on the terrorist watch list

Dear Ms. Tlaib.

Over the years I have written numerous open letters to high profile individuals in defense of Israel and the Jewish people. Today I am writing one that is also in defense of the United States of America and the entire free world.

I will be direct. Not only are you continuously behaving in a cynical and heinous manner, and not only should you be expelled from Congress, as far as I am concerned, you should be on the no fly list and the terrorist watch list. It is not that complicated. You continuously take the side of murderers and terrorists, you fake crocodile tears, and you rally the ignorant in support of a cause that promotes a second Holocaust of the Jewish people. Because I believe in the 1st amendment, I do not believe that anything we know of that you have done requires incarceration, but your words do need to have consequences. You are willingly and enthusiastically promoting hate. Please note that I chose my words carefully when saying “anything we know of”, because anyone who embraces lies to promote evil as you do, and has your level of vitriol, should be investigated and be under constant surveillance. If you were privy to any intelligence that could have assisted in the October 7th terrorist attacks, we need to know. If you have access to any information that could lead to terrorist attacks on American soil, we need to know. Simply put, moving forward, you should no longer be seen as a member of Congress, you should be seen as a potential enemy combatant of the United States and the entire free world. Furthermore, as it says the following in the 1st Amendment, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, and as a member of Congress you took an oath to uphold to constitution, as a Jew who feels that your behavior is prohibiting the free exercise of religion of my fellow Jews, I believe that calling for your expulsion is justified.

I believe you know what you are doing and that you always have. I also believe that you are motivated by 2 factors. Personal gain being the primary one and hatred for Jews being the second. If you truly were concerned for the well-being of the people of Gaza you would want Hamas gone. But that doesn’t suit your own personal, sick intentions. I am sure you know the truth. You live in an environment where it is all around you and if not right in front of your face, incredibly easy to find. Decent and honest people pursue the truth, you ignore it willingly and this is the most disgusting part, you do so gleefully.

You showed your true colors in the most magnified sense over these past few days by focusing on the debunked accusation of Israel’s responsibility for the deaths of the people in the hospital in Gaza, over focusing on the tragedy of the deaths. You ignored evidence indicating that the explosion was not caused by an Israeli airstrike because the truth does not suit your own personal and despicable motives.

I call on every person who reads this letter to share it everywhere. More importantly Ms. Tlaib, I urge them to flood it into your social media outlets. Post it on your X (twitter) feed and to put it as a comment on every post you have on X till it gets to a point where your account is unimaginable. Since you have shown the world that you are evil, I am confident that disturbing you on social media would bring you more grief than watching the videos of Israelis being tortured on October 7th. And to take these particular actions because I, and people like me, do not call on any violence to be committed against you, because we are decent people that value the rule of law.

While I am not so naive as to believe that you care about the difference between right and wrong, I will not be silenced. People need to know who you are and all legal means need to be taken to take away your voice. Your words make this world more evil and more dangerous, and will and have already put innocent people in danger. You put fuel on the fire and help Hamas in its war against Israel, the United States, and the entire free world. Ms. Tlaib, simply put, despite your crocodile tears and dramatic performances, you have blood on your hands. It is my contention in putting Jewish people and American citizens everywhere in danger, you should be expelled from Congress. I hope that there is enough moral clarity among our leaders to see this through, and I urge everyone out there to communicate this on a grand scale.

Sincerely,

David Groen

Like what you see? Feel free to share!

Learn more at http://bramsviolin.com


Why 45 years later, B’nei Akiva’s logo is showing to be so much more than just a slogan

For those who do not know, I will give you a brief and simple historical background. B’nei Akiva is an Orthodox & Zionist Jewish youth group in which boys and girls, later to become men and women, from all over the world, Israel and beyond, get together in celebration and solidarity. It was founded in 1929 and has over 125,000 members in over 42 countries. Each age group has what is called a Shevet, or in English, a tribe. Once you belong to a Shevet, you don’t change to another, you are part of that Shevet for life. B’nei Akiva’s slogan is 2 words. Torah ve’Avodah. Torah, which is for the Jewish people very literally the 5 books of Moses, but includes all forms of Jewish study and learning, and Avodah, work, or labor, the physical and supportive efforts needed to build the land of Israel and help the Jewish people.

On a more personal note, I am a proud and happy member of Shevet Amichai. When I was 13 and living in Philadelphia I flirted with a few B’nei Akiva events, meeting a few amazing people including the late Ari Horowitz of Blessed Memory. But it was not until I was 14, after my parents moved to Holland and I began to attend Hasmonean in the Hendon area of Northwest London, that B’nei Akiva (BA) became something so important to me that it would resonate with me till today. Little did I know that during that one lunch hour in school when I was approached by an older student and convinced to come to a BA event, that over 45 years later his younger brother would still be one of my best friends, as would be a number of other of my friends from Amichai. Socially, nothing has ever compared, and to this day, my 6 week BA Israel camp in 1978 is still the best summer of my life.

But today BA and what I can speak to specifically, Shevet Amichai, is so much more than just a gathering of men and women enjoying each other’s company whenever possible. It is an organization of comfort and support. With Israel going through what looks to be its worst crisis since its establishment in 1948, and the Jewish people under its greatest attack and continuing threat since the Holocaust, my friends from Amichai, many who have family, including children fighting in the IDF, Israeli Defense Forces, are stepping up with amazing commitment, resolve, and love. It is no surprise to me, since every time an individual in the group has experienced a crisis or a loss they are always there, but today the sense of responsibility for Israel and the Jewish people has never been on greater display. Their efforts are ongoing, practical and critical, and I have never been so proud and so honored to be part of Shevet Amichai.

If I am to call all of Israel my family, Shevet Amichai is my immediate family. I stand with you, I pray for you, and I love you.

Like what you see? Feel free to share!

Learn more at http://bramsviolin.com


Hatred of Jews puts the world on trial, and in peril

As the full scope of the barbaric attack on Israel is still unfolding, people’s true colors are on full display.  For all those tourists who visited Anne Frank’s House, or movie lovers and Hollywood types who loved and honored Schindler’s List, for all of those who have visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., or took selfies at Auschwitz, this is your time to speak up. The world is on trial now, and the verdict will likely not only determine the fate of Israel and the Jewish people, but very possibly the fate of the planet for decades, maybe even centuries to come.

Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933. By the time he was conquered in 1945, while estimates vary, the death toll was believed to be around 60 million people in total, more than two thirds of which were civilians. While Hitler rose to power on the back of economic devastation in Germany, much of what powered him was an insane, uncontrollable homicidal hatred for, you guessed it, the Jewish people.  Yet the world did nothing while Fascists groups rose and spoke up all over the world, including a pro-Nazi rally in New York City’s Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1939.  Had it not been for Pearl Harbor, one could would wonder if the United States would have even entered the war at all.  While America and Great Britain eventually played significant roles in defeating the Nazis, their knowledge of the tracks leading to Auschwitz never lead them to destroying them.  Ultimately what it came down to then, and still comes down to today, is one very sad truth, and that is the fact that for a large portion of the planet, Jewish blood is cheap.

I know there are many good people.  I know there are many who would die just as quickly to save a Jewish life as they would for any other innocent life.  But still today there are far too many people out there who are tolerated for unimaginably distorted ideas of what the Jewish people are and what Israel is as a nation.  People who saw videos of young women, children, elderly being kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Women raped and brutalized. Families slaughtered in their homes. Jews dehumanized as they were by the Nazis in what would turn into the mass murder of 6 million Jews.  Many of who were Jewish women and children, raped, brutalized, humiliated, terrorized and experimented on by evil “doctors”.  All lead by the obsessive hatred of one man, whose obsessive hatred led him to seek world domination that ended in the death of tens of millions of civilians.

Are you scared yet? You should be. Because that same hatred has been indoctrinated into a generation of Palestinian youth, youth that have now grown up to want what Hitler wanted, the death of all the world’s Jews.

So, politics aside, if you are anyone who tolerates anti-Semitic rhetoric from your local politicians, you are ultimately digging your own grave.  If you are a social activist who is believing the rhetoric that Israel is an Apartheid State, you are digging your own grave.  If you are a member of the LGBTQ community marching and shouting Free Palestine, you are marching against the one country in the Middle East where you could live freely, and yes, ultimately digging your own grave. But most of all, if you are watching brutality playing out before your eyes against innocent Israeli citizens, including women, children, and the elderly, and you are still blaming Israel, you are digging everyone’s grave.

This is not a game. The world is on trial, and those of us who believe in God might say that he is watching very closely. Watching to see who makes the right choice, and who makes the wrong one. This is real life, and whether those of you who hate Israel and think Jewish life is cheap want to admit it or not, you are fighting a battle that will end in your own demise.  Ironically, not from those you are attacking, rather from those that you are supporting. 

Are you scared yet? You should be.

Like what you see? Feel free to share!

Learn more at http://bramsviolin.com


Holland’s Heroes presents: It’s Friday. You’re Welcome!

I have never been one to overly sell the merits of the Jewish way of life.  I choose to leave that up to those far more qualified.  However, as someone who observes Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, I and my fellow Jews occasionally have an advantage during this time that others might not. Since Shabbat starts on Friday at sundown, unlike many who during this unprecedented time find one day after another blending into each other, we always need to know when it’s Friday.  With that in mind Holland’s Heroes will do its best to provide you with a weekly post with the intention of inspiring you, encouraging you, and bringing some joy to the many faces looking for reasons to smile.

These weeks installment is from my friend Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, a  Chabad Rabbi in South Jersey and his heartwarming interaction with some Ugandan Jewish young men.  Enjoy!!

You can watch more of rabbi Raps’s videos by subscribing at www.youtube.com/rabbiraps or following on Instagram @rabbiraps

 

LIKE THIS POST? SHARE IT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER

BRAM’S VIOLIN

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

IN CONJUNCTION WITH GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL


This year Passover incorporates past, present and future like never before

benchdg2

As I write this, Passover has  already begun for my friends and family in Europe and Israel.  For those of us in the Americas, as we prepare to start the holiday and for the majority who will have a Seder like never before, I want to offer the following message of hope and encouragement.

In my years of celebrating the holiday, even when I was most focused, I admittedly would remember the past, acknowledge the present, and talk about the future.  But this  year the biggest difference for me is that we look at everything through a different lens.

As we look to the past, we will recount the story of the Jewish people being slaves in Egypt and the suffering of the Jewish people throughout the ages, most notably for so many of us, the suffering of the Holocaust.  As human nature is prone to cause us to do, this year we find more parallels between our lives and the past suffering as ever before. That doesn’t automatically mean we are correct in drawing that parallel, but to many the death and illness, coupled with the fact that we need to stay home to avoid a plague of sorts, is enough for many to see it in that light.

Our present, which is indeed connected to the past perspective, is given more focused attention than it usually is on any given Passover.  Usually Passover is a break or pause from how we conduct our every day lives, be it through changing the dietary laws, altering our work schedule, or spending time with more friends and family.  This year however, it is merely a break of a few hours over the course of a matter of a few days, as so many will be conducting their lives when the holiday is over in a very similar way to how they will conduct it over Passover. At home and, at least for the time being, adjusting to a very different normal.

However, it is my belief that the biggest difference comes in how we see the future.  Not just in practical terms but for those of us who are so inclined, in religious or spiritual terms.  For the majority of us, talking about how this year we are slaves and next year will be free, was an important yet disconnected part of our Seder in past years.  Maybe our lives haven’t always been everything we wanted,  having never truly questioned our freedom, but we have never been more appreciative of that freedom as we are today.  We look at our restrictions today and wonder if they will increase or diminish.  We question if the future holds more significant amounts of pain and suffering than we’ve already experienced.  And we question whether or not the world will become a place for all of humanity to exist in peace, freedom and love.

The answer is a simple yet complex one.  We just do not know what the future holds. But to paraphrase my father of blessed memory, we are better off not knowing the future, because inevitably we learn things we rather not know. Here is what we do know.  If we have the physical or mental capacity to do so, we can make our world better not just for ourselves but for those around us.  Acts of kindness, patience and understanding are more than just catch phrases.  They help to form that future we so dearly will look to at our Seders.  But as long as we can do something to make a difference, even in one person’s life, then we always can be hopeful for a better future.

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy Passover.

A Positive Perspective on a Seder Alone

LIKE THIS POST? SHARE IT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER

BRAM’S VIOLIN

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

IN CONJUNCTION WITH GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL


Open Letter to Bernie Sanders: How dare you?

sandersbernie_090518gn4_lead_0

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

LIKE THIS POST? SHARE IT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER

BRAM’S VIOLIN

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

JOIN “THE GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL” ON FACEBOOK

IN CONJUNCTION WITH GLOBAL COALITION FOR ISRAEL