Greater Philadelphia ZOA Mobilizes To Protest Philadelphia Affront to Jewish People, Israel
Greater Philadelphia ZOA mobilized for a
protest vigil in response to the city of Philadelphia and Mayor Jim Kenney issuing a proclamation and holding an event which echoes a United
Nations attack against the re-establishment of Israel and Jewish self-determination.
About 40 pro-Israel/pro-Zionist/pro-Jewish
activists from our region participated, proudly holding Israeli and American flags. Some brought signs in support of Israel and Jewry.
Action Alert and Call for Mobilization as Philadelphia Sponsors Anti-Israel Event
Greater Philadelphia ZOA ACTION ALERT and Call for MOBILIZATION
ALERT: The city of Philadelphia is staging an official event on November 29 marking the U.N.’s “International Day of Solidarity with the ‘Palestinian’ People” – a commemoration denigrating the re-establishment of Israel and denigrating Jewish rights and heritage; official city poster (see below) supports violence against Jewish community. Politicians, others slated to speak at event.
Action: Greater Philadelphia ZOA will lead a vigil on Nov. 29 from noon to 1 p.m. on the peri
meter of the city event — around the plaza of the Municipal Services Building at 1401 Kennedy Boulevard – please bring Israeli AND American flags, and signs (see examples of messages for signs below). Together, we will show the city and the community-at-large that Israel belongs to the Jewish People, that we have the right to self-determination in our legal and historic homeland, and that we reject the violent imagery and messaging of the Palestinian-Arabs and their supporters.
Please help spread the word – we want as many supporters of Israel as possible to be present. If you care about Israel, and you oppose attacks against the Jewish People and denial of Jewish rights, come out and be seen with our flags.
Please let congregations, schools, organizations know about this event; alert your email lists; post on social media.
Additional Action: Contact Philadelphia officials and other politicians to object to this event (see information below). Ask them to oppose the Philadelphia anti-Israel event and to join us in holding Israeli and American flags in support of Israel and the Jewish People.
Call: 215-686-2182 — Mayor’s Office (Christina Pastrana Hernandez is chief of staff – email her at: christina.hernandez@phila.gov)
215-683-2060 — Philadelphia city representative’s office (Sheila Hess is the Philadelphia City Representative: sheila.hess@phila.gov)
215-686-0876 — Office of immigrant affairs. (Amy Eusebio is director: amy.eusebio@phila.gov)
When you call or write: Please be civil, polite and concise. Ask to speak to the top person in each office/department. Ask why the city is promoting Jew-hatred, attacks against Jews and the delegitimization of Jewish rights.
In addition: contact elected officials from the city and suburbs to please ask them to oppose this event and to join us in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish community.
Background: For the second consecutive year, the city of Philadelphia and Mayor Jim Kenney are officially joining an international United Nations-spearheaded event that essentially calls into question the re-establishment of the Jewish state of Israel. Note the violent themes in the city’s poster: clenched fists and PLO flags. The PLO, under that flag, have murdered and maimed thousands of Jews and scores of Americans and other civilians. The poster that carries the official designations of the City of Philadelphia’s City Representative, and Mayor Jim Kenney’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
The date – November 29 – coincides with the United Nations General Assembly vote (UNGA Resolution 181) on that date in 1947 to partition the British-controlled Mandate of “Palestine” into two states: A Jewish state and an Arab (not “Palestinian”!) state. The Jewish community accepted the outcome of the vote, but the Arab League rejected the partition.
“International Day of Solidarity with the ‘Palestinian’ People” was created by the UN in 1977 on the 30th anniversary of the partition vote.
It is important to be aware of the fact that the Jewish People accepted a mere 22% of the territory that the League of Nations (predecessor of the UN) dedicated for the re-establishment of the Jewish homeland. In 1922, Britain took away 78% of this territory to create what is today the Arab nation of Jordan – there was no such place ever before – and Jordan’s population today is about 70% Palestinian. Throughout history, there has never been an independent nation called “Palestine” and the Arabs have rejected every offer for such a state.
Prior to Israel’s declaration of independence, the Jewish People in the land were known as the Palestinians, and nearly every Jewish institution there had “Palestine” or “Palestinian” as part of its name.
Additional points: There is no Israeli “occupation” – the label “occupation” under international law requires that the territory that is “occupied” had to previously belong to another sovereign nation. Yet no other sovereign nation had control of the territories. Further, Israel came to control the Gaza Strip, the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria (a k a “the West Bank”) in a defensive war. Egypt committed an act of war, and Jordan attacked Israel.
Anti-Jewish claims that Israel commits “apartheid” are patently false: Arabs in Israel have equal rights, which are the same for all Israeli citizens regardless of religion, ethnicity, race or gender. Arabs serve in Israel’s parliament, in the Israel Defense Forces, in the diplomatic corps and in all walks of life. In the Gaza Strip, Arabs are under the complete control of Hamas. In Judea and Samaria, 98% of Arabs are governed by the Palestinian Authority. It is Hamas and the PA that deny them civil rights and human rights.
When the City of Philadelphia and Mayor Kenney had a similar event last year, it was shocking (you can read about it within the report at the link https://philly.zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/03/report-philadelphia-anti-jewish-f1.pdf that details many of the city’s official anti-Jewish activities that Greater Philadelphia ZOA compiled). Having this event a second time makes clear the positions of Mayor Kenney, and the Philadelphia City Council members and other officials who will attend and speak at this year’s event about the Jewish state of Israel, Jewish self-determination, Jewish rights and Jewish heritage.
Slogans for signs should be in support Israel and Jewish rights, and condemnation of violence against Jews. Messages could include:
“The Land of Israel Belongs to the Jewish People”
“Israel is here to stay”
“Oppose Jew-hatred and attacks against Jews”
“Why all of the PLO flags? — The PLO pays people to murder Jews?”
“Stop supporting terrorism against Jews”
“The Palestinian-Arabs have rejected every peace offer”
For more information about this event or Greater Philadelphia ZOA, contact us at office@zoaphilly.org or 610-660-9466. Please support our vitally important work. To donate, go to
https://zoa.org/donate/philly/
For educational and advocacy materials, go to the “Take action” tab at: https://philly.zoa.org/
See a PDF of this ACTION ALERT at:
ADVOCACY for “Back to School”
ADVOCACY for “Back to School”
With the exception of locations where there are labor disputes, America’s K through 12 schools are back in session – which means that in classrooms, schools and entire school districts, young Americans are vulnerable to being taught propaganda and lies about the Muslim and Arab war against the Jewish People and the Jewish state – euphemistically known as “The Israel-Palestine Conflict.”
We know, for example that in July, the National Education Association: America’s largest union, approved an initiative to emphasize “Palestinian” history, geography and culture in America’s schools; that during the summer, the Democratic Socialists of America’s BDS and Palestine Solidarity Working Group held training workshops for teachers under the guise of “Educators for Palestine;” that a national initiative called “the National Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Our Schools” was promoting those training workshops for schoolteachers; and that the national organization “BLM at School” is in a partnership with the NEA’s “edJustice” program.
But the effort to demonize Israel, Zionism and the Jewish community before young Americans need not be part of a national campaign. It can happen merely through the initiative of a single anti-Israel educator.
It is therefore vitally important to pay attention to what is happing in your local school district, in individual schools and in the classroom. If you have school-age children, grandchildren, and/or nieces and nephews, ask to see their textbooks so that you can scan through them to see if there are errors or deliberate misinformation; find out if other supplementary books are being used, or if a newspaper or websites are used as supplementary materials or are suggested for students to turn to as resources.
Some classes or schools may use or suggest the anti-Israel New York Times or Philadelphia Inquirer; teachers might suggest students look at the websites of the anti-Israel Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International or other problematic websites or organizations; younger students might be asked to read “A Little Piece of Ground,” an anti-Israel book that the publisher describes as “explores the human cost of the occupation of Palestinian lands through the eyes of a young boy” that is recommended to be used in classrooms for children as young as third grade or other propaganda materials presented as children’s literature.
Please reference and use Greater Philadelphia ZOA’s Textbook Survey Form: https://philly.zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/06/textbook-survey-form-updated-012819.pdf
If you see any problematic materials being used or suspect that there might be, please contact Greater Philadelphia ZOA at office@zoaphilly.org or at 610-660-9466.
ZOA: Mastriano’s Statement Falls Short – He Must Repudiate Torba; Not Enough to Say Antisemite “Doesn’t Speak” for Him
Greater Philadelphia and Pittsburgh ZOA: Mastriano’s Statement Falls Short – He Must Repudiate Torba; Not Enough to Say Antisemite “Doesn’t Speak” for Him
July 29, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The Zionist Organization of America’s Greater Philadelphia Chapter and Pittsburgh Chapter call on Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano to unequivocally and immediately specifically repudiate the anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist rhetoric and attacks made by Gab social media platform founder and CEO Andrew Torba, who is a vocal Mastriano supporter. Further, Mastriano must reject Torba’s endorsement and support.
Mastriano’s statement on the matter that he issued on July 28 (see it below) does not go far enough, and his minimizing of Jew-hatred by conflating it with economic issues and matters related to government policy in response to COVID are disturbing and insulting.
Greater Philadelphia ZOA and Pittsburgh ZOA together represent and serve the Jewish people, advance Zionism and support the pro-Israel community throughout the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Mastriano is the Republican Party’s nominee for governor of Pennsylvania for the general election in November. On Thursday, July 28, Sen. Mastriano posted a terse statement on the matter of Jew-hatred to his twitter feed – though not on his campaign web site. The statement (see below) neglects to repudiate Torba or any of his anti-Jewish claims, accusations and demands, and it lacks any apology for any discomfort his association with Torba and Gab may have caused Jewish Pennsylvanians.
Were he to become governor, Mastriano would represent nearly 13 million Pennsylvanians and among these are hundreds of thousands of Jewish Americans. Pennsylvania is America’s fifth most populous state.
Mastriano’s statement in its entirety:
“Andrew Torba doesn’t speak for me or my campaign. I reject anti-Semitism in any form. Recent smears by Democrats and the media are blatant attempts to distract Pennsylvanians from suffering inflicted by Democrat policies.
“While extremist speech is an unfortunate but inevitable cost of living in a free society, extremist policies are not – and the only candidate in this election who wants to impose extreme policies on Pennsylvania – inflation, crime, lockdowns, and mandates – is Josh Shapiro.”
While ZOA appreciates Sen. Mastriano issuing a statement on the subject of “anti-Semitism,” and clarifying that Torba “doesn’t speak for me or my campaign,” Mastriano’s words fall short of what is necessary to put the minds of Pennsylvania’s Jews at ease given the breadth and frequency of Torba’s anti-Jewish verbal assaults — and Mastriano’s use of this situation to wage a political attack is unseemly.
Please see our entire statement at:
Greater Philadelphia ZOA Special Report: City of Philadelphia, Agencies Promote Anti-Jewish Movement and Agenda, Inciting Hatred, Endangering Jews
City of Philadelphia, Agencies Promote Anti-Jewish Movement and Agenda, Inciting Hatred, Endangering Jews
The Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Zionist Organization of America today released a report documenting and detailing a campaign by the government of Philadelphia and some of its agencies to incite Jew-hatred, delegitimize Jewish heritage and history, and falsely accuse Israel – the nation state of the Jewish People – of atrocities. This is occurring as elected officials and the Free Library of Philadelphia promote a Palestinian-Arab movement that has as its goal the destruction of Israel: the world’s largest Jewish community, and as the School District of Philadelphia associates with three organizations that have a record of promoting and/or supporting Jew-hatred or seeking to harm Israel.
The 27-page report cites example-after-example of manifestations of Jew-hatred as well as relationships that Philadelphia agencies have with anti-Jewish/anti-Zionist/anti-Israel entities, and other promotions of anti-Jewish figures — plus distortions of historical and contemporary situations. It includes many screen shots and photos that capture examples of items and situations described in the report. There is also a two-page executive summary.
For a copy of the report and/or the summary, please email us at office@zoaphilly.org