Liberal-area synagogue desecration & tauntings pierce complacency

Rabbi doubles-down after vandalism (Photo: Howard Cramer)

Worshipers at the Orthodox Jewish synagogue, Living Torah Center in Santa Monica, Calif ("known as the Home of The Homeless" according to Harry Shearer) are no strangers to antagonism. Last Sukkot, their backyard Sukkah was vandalized with a swastika and smeared crap. Recently, a black intruder disrupted prayers with a "Heil Hitler" and machine-gun rat-a-tat feign. But when the window displaying their 6-foot menorah was smeared with excrement and food garbage, Breitbart News reporter / congregant Joel Pollak attracted global attention to the issue.

Disruptor taunted with Nazi attack during prayers, Nov 17

Synagogue window cleaned from smeared feces Christmas Eve

Santa Monica Synagogue Smeared with Feces in Attack on Chanukah by Joel Pollak, Dec 25, 2016

A local synagogue entrance was smeared with feces and food in an apparent antisemitic attack on the first night of Chanukah on Saturday night. Congregants arriving for prayers on Sunday morning at the Living Torah Center, a synagogue affiliated with the Orthodox Chabad movement, were shocked by the vandalism, which one of the rabbis cleaned as best he could before services. Some feces remained lodged in the upper corner of the building’s facade, and marred a window facing Wilshire Boulevard. Rabbi Boruch Rabinowitz told Breitbart News that the attack was not random. The synagogue may have attracted additional attention because of the menorah lit in the window. Jewish law dictates that the Chanukah menorah be placed in a window facing the outside world in order to publicize the holiday. 

When the temple learned that the TV news was finally interested in their situation, rather than downplaying their window menorah out of fear that it would attract more trouble, Rabbi Boruch and Mrs. Rivka Rabinowitz elected to organize a public menorah lighting party Monday evening. They welcomed the community to come participate in a lighting of the besmirched window's menorah. Even area Gentiles appeared in support.

Santa Monica Synagogue Turns Darkness to Light on Chanukah by Joel Pollak Dec 27, 2016

A synagogue that was vandalized on the first night of Chanukah, with feces and food smeared across the front entrance near a menorah display, held a joyful public menorah lighting on Monday evening to celebrate unity and tolerance.

Community joins in ceremony (Photo: Howard Cramer)

Rabbi Boruch Rabinowitz of the Living Torah Center, a congregation affiliated with the Orthodox Jewish movement of Lubavitch Chabad, told a crowd of over 100 people who had gathered on Wilshire Boulevard that the community would set aside the darkness of the event and spread the light of the holiday instead. “We will make the light burn … we will give the light to another, that they should pass it to another … protect the flame of Godliness.” “It’s not only [that] we care that this synagogue should not be desecrated, but of course we care that no holy place should be desecrated, not in the United States of America, and not anywhere around the world,” the rabbi said. 

Anti-Israel protestors in Chicago

Christmas and Easter has historically brought violence and vandalism to Jewish minorities. Jews in Eastern and Western Europe have experienced a rise in anti-Semitism in the past 15-years- from both Christians and Muslims. But have North American Jews, living in suburban and urban liberal enclaves since the civil-rights movement ''60s, been too cavalier in assuming resentment of Israel and Jews is no social or physical threat.

Is the largely Muslim anti-Semitism of Europe growing on North American shores? Are diaspora Jews oblivious to the extent of anti-Semitism revealed through online media news, posts, and comments? JooTube.TV reports from the post-vandalism vigil to see what  lessons can be learned from the Santa Monica Smearing, the ensuing vigil of support, and in which ways the event might influence how Jews think and adapt to anti-Semitism in our communities.

Valerie Jarrett, Pres.Obama, Hillary Clinton

Are the 70% of Jews who supported Obama and Hillary Clinton feeling betrayed by Obama and Secy of State John Kerry at their holiday-week back-stab of the Jewish State?

Many people assumed that the election of Donald Trump would be a panacea for Zionism. Until January 20th, the Obama administration is setting-up UN resolutions beyond US law which will legally vilify Israel - and socially vilify her supporters in their own communities. More anti-Semitic bigotry and discrimination will surely grow. 

(Will you please support the continued services of JooTube to interpret and depict the battle for the just defense of Zionism and Jewish safety)? Click link here or in the right margin of the JooTube.TV site. Thank you and may you be blessed for a safe, healthy new year!

Anti-Semitism among kaparot protesters

Police apprehend activists for bribing workers to release chickens

"If these animal rights activists wanted to protest the egregious violence our culture does to animals, they should stand outside not synagogues, but restaurants and grocery stores, that mainstream which facilitates the industrial suffering and slaughter of chicken."- Jay Michaelson in The Forward

In "Animal-activists confront orthodox Jewish sin-offering ritual - but lacking any Halal protests, how much is anti-Semitism?" JewTube showed our complete video of a leftist 2013 protest against kaparos/kaparot in Los Angeles. This condensed version shows the counter-protestors, led by Rabbi Moshe Parry, challenging the protestors, led by progressive activists Rabbi Jonathan Klein, executive director at the progressive advocacy group CLUE-LA (Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice) and Iranian-Muslim-born, Ms. Niloo Khodadadeh.

Rabbi Parry argues that their conduct reveals a number of the activists to be hateful of Jews. The movement discriminates by protesting solely against Jews- who conduct this kosher ritual only one week a year, and disregard the more inhumane Halal slaughter which is conducted 52-weeks per year. Rabbi Parry calls for Jews to develop physical vigilance to deter future anti-Jewish protests and confrontations.


In the Jewish Journal, (The battle over kapparot goest to court, Sept 8) writer Edmon Rodman reports that on Aug. 26, a group of attorneys (led by David Simon) representing seven plaintiffs seeking to stop public kapparot ceremonies in Los Angeles filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. 

When asked whether he believes Jews are being singled out unfairly, especially by animal rights activists, Simon said he has seen “some evidence” of this. For some “fringe people,” there “may be some anti-Semitic component to their perspective on this,” he said.

Protestor gets the finger from Hasid for antagonizing outdoor kaparot in B'klyn

Recently in Williamsburg, Brooklyn a Hasid 'flipped-off' a protestor photographing him performing kaparos. Jay Michaelson took-up his cause in The Forward "Why This Hasid WAS RIGHT to Flip the Bird to Kaparot Protestor"

I can imagine it (kaparot) being more cathartic – and thus more worthwhile – than most Yom Kippur services that will be held later this week. ... So why are the protesters protesting?  ... I can’t imagine any of the mostly-white English-speaking protesters standing outside carnicerias and protesting traditional Latin American methods of animal husbandry and slaughter. But the Jews – well, they’re just right. Easy to mock, yet safe to mock.

Anti-Semitism incidents report reveals imperative for more effective management, solutions

ADL Audit avoids web anti-Semitism. Some state levels down only in comparison to Gaza War spikes in 2009. California up - leads nation. 

Following a consistent trend over the last several years, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States remained constant in 2010, with a total of 1,239 incidents of assaults, vandalism and harassment reported during the calendar year, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

The ADL Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, released today, found that the number of anti-Semitic incidents increased slightly in 2010, to a total of 1,239 incidents, compared to 1,211 incidents reported in 2009.  It is the first increase reported by ADL since the numbers hit a record high in 2004, when the U.S. experienced 1,821 incidents of anti-Semitism.  Since 2004, the total number of anti-Jewish incidents had declined incrementally each year.

The ADL Audit tracks incidents of vandalism, harassment and physical assaults against Jewish individuals, property and community institutions across the U.S., using reports and data gathered by the League's 30 regional offices and law enforcement.

Courtesy: Steve Greenberg-Art.com

"While we have come a long way in society as Jews have been accepted into the mainstream, America is still not immune to anti-Semitism and bigotry," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "The good news is that we have continued to enjoy a period of relative calm, where the overall numbers are mostly unchanged and the incidents isolated.  But the bad news is that for all our efforts to educate, to raise awareness and to legislate, anti-Jewish incidents remain a disturbing part of the American Jewish experience."

The 2010 ADL Audit identified:

• 22 physical assaults on Jewish individuals (down from 29 in 2009);
• 900 cases of anti-Semitic harassment, threats and events (up from 760 in 2009);
• 317 cases of anti-Semitic vandalism (down from 422 in 2009).

The 2010 Audit comprises data from 45 states and the District of Columbia, including official crime statistics as well as information provided to ADL's regional offices by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders and members.  The Audit encompasses criminal acts, such as vandalism, violence and threats of violence, as well as non-criminal incidents of harassment and intimidation.

Majority of Incidents Concentrated in Handful of States

Continuing a longtime trend, the states with the highest totals were those with large Jewish populations.  The top four states were California, with 297 incidents in 2010, up from 275 in 2009; New York, with 205 incidents, down from 209; New Jersey, with 130 incidents, down from 132; and Florida, with 116 incidents, up from 90.

According to the ADL Audit, other states with double-digit totals in 2010 include Massachusetts (64, up from 55 in 2009); Pennsylvania (42, down from 65 in 2009); Colorado (38, up from 14); Connecticut (38, up from 24); and Texas (37, up from 28).

The Audit has never included, and does not now include, thousands of anti-Semitic events that have occurred in cyberspace. The Audit does not attempt to evaluate anti-Semitic Web sites, online groups, postings and comments. It does include anti-Semitic cyberbullying and harassing anti-Semitic email or postings when they target a specific private individual. It is intended to serve only as a barometer looking at one small piece of a larger societal problem.

 Anti-Semitic placards at anti-Israel demonstrations

"As a barometer of anti-Semitism in America, the Audit helps us to identify trends across the country and to take stock of how and where anti-Semitism is manifested," said Robert G. Sugarman, ADL National Chair.  "This information helps us to work with law enforcement and others in cities and communities to address the problem of hatred of Jews."

The Audit identifies both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs.  Compiled using official crime statistics, as well as information provided by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders and evaluated by ADL's professional staff, the Audit provides an annual snapshot of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported. This information assists ADL in developing and enhancing its programs to counter and prevent the spread of anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

Watch video, "Anti-Semitism on the Rise in Europe" we helped to produce with CBN News' Dale Hurd which aired on The 700 Club and has garnered approaching 50,000 views online:

Hate-crimes committed 23 more times against Jews than against Muslims; How can we convey the severity of anti-Semitism vs Islamophobia?

A report released by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services concluded that hate crimes increased 14 percent in 2009, led by an increase in attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions. 683 hate crimes were reported to authorities across New York State in 2009, compared with 599 in 2008. Anti-Semitic incidents rose from 219 in 2008 to 251 in 2009, comprising 37 percent of reported incidents.

Just-released New York 2009 report: Hate crimes against Jews: 251. Hate crimes against Muslims: 11. (JihadWatch)

And yet we endlessly hear about "Islamophobia," as if Muslims were huddled in their homes, cowering in the darkness as roving bands of Islamophobes marauded outside, throttling any hapless Believers who dared to stray outside.  In reality, Jews are far more likely to be victimized in hate attacks -- and yet there is no hand-wringing, there are no official statements of outrage and solidarity, there are no seminars or webinars or earnest talking-head discussions about the rise in anti-Semitism.

Yet more evidence that the "rise in Islamophobia" theme that the mainstream media keeps returning to is just a shell game to divert attention from Islamic jihad violence and supremacism.

Despite all the progress made since the hatred of Jews started thousands of years ago, the last month of 2010 showed us just how far we still have to go.

Jeremy Ruden, an independent media consultant & an adjunct lecturer at IDC Herzliya’s School of Communications, is published in the Jerusalem Post Op/Ed pages.

Sites that perpetuate the old falsehoods of Jews controlling the banks and media should be overrun by statistics of how much Arab money has been invested in financial and communication institutions. The numbers are staggering. Even a virtual tour of the posh areas in London should show the skeptics just who’s trying to “take over.”

Israel must invest a considerable amount of resources on this front. It’s a lot of work, but we are the only government whose sacred duty it is to combat anti-Semitism on the Web.

The satirical LatmaTV troupe produces "Saturday Night Live" parodies of Israeli news affairs, such as this piece with the "Egyptian Minister of Conspiracy Theories."

Sometimes the best way to tackle hate is through laughter, but in most cases Israel must be more serious in making the fight against anti-Semitism – in all these arenas – a national priority. There will be plenty more slander and lies and we must be ready to fight and let the world know that we are doing so.

Rabbi Receives Death Threats Over His "Helen Thomas" Video

(Fox News Channel)  The New York rabbi who videotaped veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas telling Jews to "get the hell out of Palestine" says he has received numerous death threats and thousands of pieces of hate mail in the days since Thomas' abrupt retirement.

Shown here is Rabbi David Nesenoff, who filmed the
video of Helen Thomas criticizing Israel in May. (FNC)

Rabbi David Nesenoff said he is facing an "overload" of threatening e-mails calling for a renewed Holocaust and targeting his family — a barrage of hate he said he planned to report to the police on Wednesday.

"This ticker tape keeps coming in," Nesenoff told FoxNews.com. "We got one specific one saying, 'We're going to kill the Jews; watch your back.'"

Nesenoff said he was shocked not only by Thomas' original remarks — which he called anti-Semitic — but by the wave of insults and threats he has received since his videotape brought about her public shaming and the end of her 50-year career at the White House.

"This is something that I thought was a couple of people here or there, [but] it's mainstream and it's frightening," the Long Island rabbi said. "[Thomas] is just a little cherry on top of this huge, huge sundae of hate in America."

Does this Chassidic sect's publicity-quest endanger the safety of Jews?

(A new, Joo-Tube original production)  Fundamentalist Jews delegitimizing Israel - are they a rationale for anti-Semites to endanger Zionistic Jews? Neturei Karta sect chief, Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, maximizes publicity by antagonizing supporters of Israel outside of the AIPAC Policy Conference 2009.

He believes that their visibility quells anti-Semites by embodying a distinction between Jews and zionistic Jews. But do they actually serve as a tool for haters of Israel to rationalize their antipathies?  Does their overtly public displaying ultimately endanger the safety of Jews in Israel - and their diaspora brethren?

Counter-protest haters of Israel demonstration in NYC

Update: Atlas Shrugs filmed, photographed, and links to other chroniclers of this event.

Atlas Shrugs invites all to this counter-protest against antagonists protesting the New York appearance of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces' banquet guest, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazy.

Their particular focus this year is the "horrors" of Operation Cast Lead, of which Ashkenazy was the commanding officer.

They want to shame us?  Let's demonstrate our PRIDE!  WE WILL HAVE A GREAT COUNTER-PROTEST EVENT  SHOWING SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AND OUR IDF! TUESDAY, MARCH 9th from 5 - 7:00 PM ACROSS FROM THE WALDORK ASTORIA HOTEL. WE ARE GOING TO BE on PARK AVE at W. 50th - 51st ST, and the Haters will be at W. 48th - 49th.

In the past, the Haters have turned out in large numbers while those in support of Israel have mostly stayed home.  Come, we will have flags, banners, information, and maybe a few surprises.Be a part of the groundswell in support of Israel - more than a dozen truly pro-Israel organizations and individuals will be there - add your voice, your body, and bring family and friends.