 |
| Matthew Finkelstein, in hat, and Susan George (right) from Vallejo, and other members of Oakland United Against Hate, protest outside of Reem's California bakery in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, January 28, 2018. They are protesting a mural of Rasmea Odeh located inside of the bakery. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) |
Our numbers significantly increased so that we were not out-numbered by a factor of four to one, as has been the case in the past.
Matt Finkelstein and Susan George took point in front of the opposition while our lead organizer talked to the press.
I understand that there were concerns about staying on message, as well as organizational discipline.
I think that those are reasonable and necessary concerns depending on what we want to accomplish going forward.
But, needless to say, this should not prevent those of us with a different take from expressing our opinions.
What I found most interesting about the recent action was the fact that Susan and Matt clearly demonstrated the illiberality of the other side.
From my perspective, this is not about progressives versus conservatives.
This is about liberals versus anti-liberals and, make-no-mistake, anti-Zionism is decidedly anti-liberal.
Susan and Matt gave us a demonstration of this and the other side did not even realize it.
Not a single anti-Zionist took up the gauntlet that Matt and Susan threw down.
All we wanted was for them to justify their ideological position and they absolutely refused.
The liberal tradition, whatever else it may be, is concerned with discourse and discussion because those are the alternatives to force.
In any case, the leadership in this effort deserves kudos.
Perhaps we are building some momentum.
Hi Mike,
ReplyDeleteMy congratulations to everyone who protested. I was glad to see the Times of Israel article about it.
In some ways northern California is to Jews as Alabama and Mississippi used to be to blacks. (Except there might not have been a restaurant that celebrated the Birmingham bombing.) So it must be difficult, knowing you're in hostile territory.
I reported Reem's to the SPLC several months ago, on two counts: their incitement of terrorism, and the roughing up of demonstrators. The SPLC, of course, was completely indifferent. Jewish lives don't matter.
I thought about what else can be done. One possibility is contacting California's top elected officials, asking them to take a stand and maybe even join a protest. After all, what Reem's is doing is like displaying the Confederate flag, only much worse. And if their response is indifference, that in itself would be valuable. Sen. Harris will be running for president soon, and it would be helpful to know her stance on the incitement of lynching.
On a different note, I noticed Reem's has the word "Bakery" in their name. I wonder if they would bake a gay wedding cake. Or a cake that says, "Mazel Tov Yosef, on joining the IDF. Smash Hamas!" It'll teach them they have no right to discriminate against minorities.
Finally, this story brought back the memory of what Major Nidal Hasan did. He was openly promoting terrorism all along--"early warning signs" that signaled his leanings but were ignored. I'm not sure if this is a fair and accurate analogy, but the cases are similar enough to be concerning.
The cake idea is a great one.
DeleteStill think that posters of Odeh that identify her as a convicted terrorist and immigration cheat and inviting passers by to ask would allow customers to know who that smiling lady actually is.
I like the idea of harassing their customers directly.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of harassing the city government better.
DeleteIn the 1990s I witnessed protests by Orthodox Jews in Manhattan. Those protests included many traditional Jewish prayers in Hebrew. I know that these protestors are not Orthodox, but I feel that no Jewish protest is complete without traditional Jewish prayers in Hebrew.
ReplyDeleteWhy Pray for Tzahal-IDF:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/04/guest-post-why-pray-for-idf.html
How to Pray for Tzahal-IDF:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-pray-for-tzahal-idf.html
How Torah Can Defeat Terrorism:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/08/defeat-terror-with-torah.html
Actually, a fair number of them are Orthodox, including a few who seem quite learned. In fact, one thing that I learned about the Orthodox is that they are not quite as socially rigid as I had assumed.
DeleteIn any case, our little group - to the extent that we constitute a group - pretty much runs the gamut.
Different kinds of Orthodox Jews in New York City include: Modern Orthodox, Yeshivish, Chabad / Lubavitch, Breslov, Bobov, Satmar, New Square, Morrocan, Persian, Syrian, Yemenite, Buhkarian, Carlbach, etc.
DeleteThere is no one Rabbi or organization that represents or includes all Orthodox Jews.
Orthodox Judaism includes all forms of Judaism that were practiced before the creation of Reform Judaism in the early 1800s.
Before the creation of Reform Judaism, all Jewish communities were Orthodox. Therefore, any Jew who traces his ancestry back far enough will always find ancestors who were Orthodox.
----------------------------------------
Rambam vs. Reform Judaism:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/11/rambam-vs-reform-judaism.html
Why Barak Hullman left Reform Judaism and became Orthodox:
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-reform-judaism-doesnt-work-wont-work-and-how-to-fix-it/
How a Reform Rabbi Became Orthodox (true story):
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/how-did-reform-rabbi-become-orthodox-jew.html
Reform Judaism vs. Real Judaism:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/05/guest-post-real-judaism.html
Sephardic Jews REJECT Reform Judaism:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/sephardim-reject-reform.html
How Reform Jews CHEATED on the Pew survey:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/06/reform-jews-cheated-pew-survey.html
I am glad to hear the vigil was a success and I wish I could be there with you in person when you do these. But I do not see from your post above how this was a success in raising the issue of liberal versus illiberal. It did not come out from the East Bay Times article either.
ReplyDeleteSheri, they're missing the obvious story and that story is the failure of liberalism within the progressive-left.
DeleteThe Mercury News and the East Bay Times did not make that editorial comment, because it is not their job.
That is strictly my opinion.
As far as I know, I am the only one making it within the context of these discussion around the conflict.
What intrigues me is the fact that when I was growing up in NY/CT "left" and "liberal" were synonymous for most people.
This is no longer the case.
The leftists who despise us at Reem's and spit at us "racist" and "white supremacist" and whatever highly emotionally charged vomitous bullshit that they can disgorge are not the least bit open to discussion.
That is, they oppose discourse... which does not leave people much in the way of options.
Matt and Susan requested honest discussion and received spite for their efforts.
I have nothing against reporter George Kelly, but I would not necessarily expect him, as a reporter, to acknowledge my editorial point.
In fact, as far as I know, he does not know who I am.
But what we are witnessing in the US and Europe is the erosion of liberalism as part of the political left and Reem Assil's Islamist and left-leaning antisemitic friends gave us a simple demonstration thru their fear of engaging in open discussion.
I was surprised to learn that Rasmea Odeh shared the stage with a Democratic congresswoman at a rally against the travel ban.
ReplyDeletehttp://observer.com/2017/02/jan-schakowsky-alliance-progressives-anti-semites-rasmea-odeh/
Moreover Illinois 9 is one of the most Jewish districts in the state. They can't get enough of Jew hating leftwing bullshit.
DeleteFigures.
DeleteFrom the linked article in the East Bay whatever:
ReplyDelete"Israeli courts convicted subject of work with connection to 1969 bombing of Jerusalem supermarket that killed two"
Yes, certainly. Planting a bomb might get you convicted of having a "connection" to a bombing.
At first, I was thinking I wish I could be there with you guys. Then, I thought, maybe not, maybe I would have lost it. This stuff gets me pretty pissed off!
ReplyDelete