StandWithUs condemns disruptors at Creating Change; Malaysia’s decision to ban Israeli athletes
StandWithUs condemns the hijacking of the Creating Change plenary session by a group of anti-Israel activists who stormed the stage and took over the microphone for fifteen minutes at the opening plenary on January 24. During this time, they made anti-Semitic allusions about American Jewish organizations, and chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
“The slogan ‘from the river to the sea’ is an anti-Semitic dog whistle. It is a euphemism for the destruction of Israel, and the resulting subjugation of its nearly seven million Jewish citizens to vulnerable minority status, or even expulsion and murder. Calling for Israel’s destruction is not mere criticism of Israeli government policies It is an explicit call for the denial of the inalienable right of the Jewish people to self-determination, as a historically oppressed minority,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs.
At the last “Creating Change” Conference in 2016 in Chicago, anti-Israel protesters also violently disrupted a presentation by Israeli LGBTQ activists sponsored by “A Wider Bridge,” shutting down the program and silencing them.
“Creating Change,” a project of the National LGBTQ Task Force, declares on its web site that it “discourages the disruption of conference sessions, plenary sessions, meetings or exhibits that result in attendees not being able to fully participate in learning and educational opportunities available at ‘Creating Change.’ We ask that this core principle of free exchange of ideas be respected as essential to the mission and spirit of the ‘Creating Change’ Conference.”
The “Creating Change” organizers, however, did nothing to stop this disruption, have not condemned the anti-Semitic rhetoric, and have not apologized to the Jewish community.
“We call upon the national LGBTQ Task Force to enforce their own policy. While the National LGBTQ Task Force declares as a core principle its commitment to free and open expression, for the sake of moral clarity, it must speak out in the face of such anti-Semitic provocation and halt such disruptions at future conferences in conformity to their own guidelines,” said Rothstein.
In news elsewhere, StandWithUs has applauded the January 27 decision by the International Paralympic Committee to deprive Malaysia of the right to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships to be held this summer. On January 12, 2019, Malaysia announced it would not permit Israeli athletes to participate in a competition in the country that was intended to serve as a qualifying event for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has a long history of making anti-Semitic comments. In his book, The Malay Dilemma, Mahathir wrote, “The Jews are not merely hook-nosed, but understand money instinctively.” He repeated these offensive views in an October 2, 2018 BBC interview in which he also disputed the number of Jews murdered in the Holocaust.
“The IPC Governing Board is to be commended for taking this appropriate step. This was a right move that sends a clear and unequivocal message that discrimination against any athletes based on national origin is morally unacceptable,” Rothstein said.
“It is noteworthy that the IPC decision was announced today (January 27), which is International Holocaust Remembrance Day,” said Rothstein. — From StandWithUs
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American Jewish Committee issues statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The AJC statement follows:
“The UN designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This was the day, in 1945, when the Soviet army liberated Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi German death camp that has come to symbolize the demonic depths to which the Third Reich descended in the “industrialization” of genocide.
In the Jewish tradition, we are commanded to remember (zachor) and not to forget (lo tishkach).
Let us remember…
…the six million Jews, including 1.5 million children, who were exterminated in the Holocaust (in Hebrew, Shoah).
…the entirely new alphabet created by the Nazis for the Final Solution — from the letter “A” for Auschwitz to the letter “Z” for Zyklon-B.
…not only the tragic deaths of the six million Jews, but also their vibrant lives—as shopkeepers and craftsmen, scientists and authors, teachers and students, parents and children, husbands and wives.
…the richly hued and ancient Jewish civilizations that were destroyed—from Salonika to Vilna, from Amsterdam to Prague.
…the slippery slope that began with the rantings of an obscure Austrian-born anti-Semite named Adolf Hitler and led, in the course of less than 15 years, to his absolute control over Germany.
…those who failed to grasp the emerging threat of the Hitler regime, who minimized his maniacal ravings in the 1930s, and who thought a policy of appeasement might satisfy his unquenchable lust for power and conquest.
…the fertile soil of European anti-Semitism—cultivated over centuries by cultural, political, and religious voices—that created an all-too-receptive climate for the Nazi objective of eliminating the Jewish people.
…the courage of Denmark, as well as Albania, Bulgaria, and Finland, for their extraordinary efforts to protect their own Jewish communities.
…the example of thousands of Righteous Persons—who are called, in Hebrew, Hasidei Umot Ha’olam. They risked their own lives—and, in some cases, gave their lives—so that others might live.
…the millions of non-Jews—Poles and Russians, Roma and the disabled, political opponents and homosexuals—murdered under the relentless Nazi onslaught.
…the determination and sacrifice of the Allied nations, which, through “blood, toil, tears and sweat,” as the indomitable Winston Churchill said, vanquished the Third Reich.
…the survivors of the death camps, who endured such unimaginable suffering and who have inspired us all with their indomitable courage, spirit, and will to live.
…the absence of an Israel in those war-time years—an Israel that, had it existed, would have provided a haven when so shamefully few countries were willing to accept Jewish refugees.
We must never forget…
…those who perished at the hands of the Third Reich and its collaborators.
…those who saved even a single life. As it is written in the Talmud: “He who saves one life has saved the world.”
…the ancient Jewish teaching that we are all created “in the image of God.”
…the importance of speaking out, forcefully and unambiguously, and taking action against xenophobia and anti-Semitism, which, tragically, are once again on the rise both at home and abroad.
…the inextricable link among democracy, the rule of law, and protection of human rights.
…the age-old prophetic vision of a world of justice, harmony, and peace.
…that each of us, in ways large and small, can help bring us closer to the realization of that prophetic vision.
— From the American Jewish Committee
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Preceding items culled from news releases. Please send yours to editor@sdjewishworld.com