The Jewish Star

Page 1

THEJEWISHSTAR.COM

STAR

Tetzaveh • Feb. 15, 2019 • 10 Adar 1, 5779 • Expanded Torah section pages 18–20 • Luach page 18 • Vol 18, No 6

Oh, Omar! By The Jewish Star and combined sources Widespread condemnation and demands for punitive action are following the latest anti-Jewish tweets by Michigan Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. Sunday’s tweets employed hateful antiJewish tropes and stereotypes. The tweets by Omar — whose public statements about Jews have riled before, but not to this extent — accused the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobbying organization, of paying members of Congress to back Israel. She made her accusation during a Twitter exchange with left-wing journalist Glenn Greenwald about threats by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to punish Omar and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib (DMich.) “over their criticisms of Israel.” “It’s stunning how much time US political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans,” Greenwald tweeted. “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” Omar tweeted, a reference to $100 bills in a 1997 Puff Daddy hit. Forward opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon responded: “Would love to know who @IlhanMN thinks is paying American politicians to be pro-Israel, though I think I can guess. Bad form, Congresswoman.” Without specifying her guess, Un-

Don’t say I didn’t warn you, our columnist writes: P. 21

gar-Sargon added, “That’s the second anti-Semitic trope you’ve tweeted.” Replying to Ungar-Sargon, Omar tweeted: “AIPAC!” “Anti-Semitism in any form is unacceptable, and it’s shocking to hear a Member of Congress invoke the antiSemitic trope of ‘Jewish money’,” said Bronx Democratic Rep. Elliot Engel. Engel is Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which Omar sits on. While Democratic House leaders condemned Omar’s remarks, many congressional and Jewish communal voices that span the political spectrum demanded that House Democrats take

punitive against Omar similar to that taken by House Republicans against Iowa Rep. Steve King over King’s defense of white nationalism. King was stripped of his committee assignments. Under mounting pressure, Omar issued an apology of sorts on Monday. “Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes. My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole,” she wrote. “We have to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me for my identity. This is why I unequivocally apologize.” Then she linked the ADL to two notorious bogeymen of the left: “At the same time, I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry. It’s gone on too long and we must be willing to address it.” Here’s a sampling of reaction, starting with members of Congress from Long Island and Queens and continuing with Jewish communal leaders: Rep. Kathleen Rice (Five Towns) At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across the country and around See Omar on page 4

Long Island’s #1 Jewish Newspaper THE LEADER IN PROPERTY TA X REDUCTION Si

gn up today. It Apply online at only takes seconds. m or call 516.479. ptrg.com/herald 9176

Hablamos Espa ñol

Maidenbaum Pro perty Tax Redu ction Group, LLC 483 Chestnut Str eet, Cedarhurst, NY 11516

MB_99801_Nass

1016503

JEWISH

Protect your rig hts! Challenge your REASSESSMEN T!

Herald_3x3Note

_Protect.indd 1

Bamba KOs US invasion

12/18/18 4:57 PM

Bamba lovers, some bad news: Nestle apparently is not planning to more widely distribute the Israeli snack in the U.S. — at least for now. The Israeli news site CTech had reported that Osem, Bamba’s manufacturer, was negotiating with the food giant over the puffed peanut nosh that is wildly popular in Israel. “Osem will continue to work diligently on marketing Bamba in North America through its U.S. subsidiary Osem USA,” Nestle spokeswoman Caroline Bietry told the JTA in an email. “Osem is not negotiating with Nestle over Bamba’s distribution.” While Nestle would have provided wider distribution, Bamba is still available in a range of major stores, including Trader Joe’s and Target, as well as on Amazon. Some fans point to a study suggesting that feeding Bamba to kids from an early age may prevent peanut allergies.

Mistreatment of beloved Shalva Band shows that the Orthodox do not really control Israeli politics

The Shalva band.

Shalva band website

Commentary by Rabbi Shlomo Brody JERUSALEM — A beloved group of Israeli musicians, the Shalva Band, gave up the chance of a lifetime rather than risk desecrating the Sabbath. The group, which is comprised of musicians with various disabilities and diverse religious commitments, could not get assurances from the European Broadcasting Union that they would be able to avoid having to perform their Eurovision dress rehearsals on Shabbat. This is quite ironic, since the annual song contest includes “Inclusion, Diversity, and Unity” as a headline on its official website. The Shalva Band’s remarkable selfsacrifice for Shabbat is worthy of great admiration — and a sad moment for

From Central Park, Tehilla considers the band: P. 21 religious liberty. Beyond the missed opportunity for an inspiring group to represent Israel on the world stage, the incident says something larger about religion in the Israeli and European public squares. After Netta Barzilai won the 2018 Eurovision, dictating that the following year’s competition would be hosted in her native country, Israeli politicians quickly insisted that the event would take place in Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. This was seen as a great symbolic victory against the cultural boycotts reguSee Shalva on page 2


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
The Jewish Star by The Jewish Star - Issuu