SAN DIEGO — When it comes to pro-Israel and pro-Jewish activities, there are organizations to combat the negatives and organizations to accentuate the positives. Both kinds of groups are necessary.
Examples of each came to me in my email today.
Combating the negative was illustrated by a press release from Todd Gutnick in behalf of a new organization called “Stop Hate for Profit,” which was fostered by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which Gutnick also represents.
It explained that members of the anti-hate coalition would freeze any activities all day Wednesday, Sept. 16, on Instagram in an effort to persuade its parent company, Facebook, “to take action to address racism, hate, and disinformation on its platform.”
In addition to getting Facebook’ attention with the one-day freeze, the coalition plans a week-long campaign “calling out Facebook for its role in inciting violence, spreading racism and hate, and contributing to electoral disinformation.”
In addition to the ADL, the Coalition includes such groups as Color oof Change, Common Sense, Free Press, LULAC, Mozilla, NAACP, National Hispanic Meia Coalition and Sleeping Giants.
The coalition accused Facebook of having a role in the death of protesters earlier this month during a Black Lives Matter rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“Facebook wants you to believe that the company’s role in the death of the protestors in Kenosha was just an ‘operational mistake.’ But it wasn’t. It is just the latest casualty of Facebook’s choices designed to maximize profits,” the coalition said in a statement. “Our organizations as well as other experts have been warning Facebook for years about the problem of dangerous, potentially violent groups and individuals using Facebook. But time and time again they’ve failed to listen.”
On the positive side of the pro-Israel ledger is the House of Israel in Balboa Park, which has engaged in friendship activities notwithstanding that it, along with most institutions in Balboa Park, has been closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ruth Mastron, president of the House of Israel, reports that “Kylie Valency, who has done a superb job of representing the House of Israel as our Queen, has been chosen as Advisor to the House of Pacific Relations Queens Organization. She will continue to serve, lead, and mentor young women in her new role. Noam Texerman has graciously accepted the crown and will serve as the House of Israel Queen for the coming year. In addition to representing their respective cultures, members of the Queens organization learn leadership skills, and take part in charity projects to benefit the local community.”
Although the doors of the House of Israel aren’t open, Mastron said, “We’ve been using this time to do some tidying, updating, and sprucing up. Check out our gorgeous new signs for our front and back doors. (See photos above.)
“We continue to believe that the House of Israel has a vital role to play in promoting a positive image of Israel,” Mastron writes. “Thanks to our location in gorgeous Balboa Park, San Diego’s biggest tourist attraction, we’re one of the few pro-Israel organizations that’s not ‘preaching to the choir.'” In non-pandemic times, “we welcome over 25,000 visitors from around the world. We engage one-on-one with guests to educate, inform, and answer questions from people who may not be able to find Israel on a map, or who know only what they see on TV.
When the House of Israel is open, she added, “every Saturday and Sunday, we raise our flag and set out our brochures and displays (including a life-size cutout of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman at the front door). Once our videos and music are playing and our bourekas are hot, we open the doors. We’re always aware that even a few minutes may be enough to change someone’s perspective, so no matter who comes in or what questions they ask, we greet them with a friendly smile, and answer honestly and respectfully. It’s the best feeling in the world to watch a visitor’s face change, and to know that a mind has changed!”
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com