A Hill With A View

Originally published May 18, 2022 https://www.jns.org/opinion/the-nakba-myth-hijacks-congress/ Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) has taken to Twitter to announce that she will introduce a House resolution that calls for official recognition of the “Nakba,” which she—like most Palestinian nationalists—describes as the “catastrophe” that occurred in 1948 when Israel demolished 400 Palestinian communities and made refugees out of 700,000 Palestinians. She frames this as an issue of human rights and justice, but in reality, it is an issue of ignorance of recent historical events in the region and the anti-Semites that prey upon it for personal gain. The resolution’s supporters were the normal cadre of Israel-haters and anti-Semites—Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Marie Newman (D-Ill.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.). Most, if not all, of these co-sponsors have consistently sided against Israel, endorsed the BDS move

 Originally published June 8, 2022 https://queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/6748-biden-s-price-hike A furniture manufacturer depends on the steady supply of lumber to ensure cost-efficient products. The lumber market, which is heavily regulated by the federal government, depends on a friendly environment to determine prices not only today, but for the next 5 to 10 years. There’s a growing contingent of political activists who hate wooden furniture.  They protest the lumber industry, the government for allowing trees to be cut down, and they have the power of the media, Hollywood, the United Nations and many politicians on their side.  Their leadership wins Academy Awards, makes hundreds of millions of dollars, and is named Time’s Person of the Year.   Meanwhile, furniture still needs to be made.  Non-wooden furniture exists, but it doesn’t work as well.  It’s far more expensive, doesn’t last as long, and is simply not a viable alternative for wooden furniture.  Due to supply chai

Originally published June 1, 2022 https://queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/6708-it-s-not-about-guns-it-s-about-power  Tragedy struck again, this time in Texas.  Like many other times before, the vultures descended on the victims, piling them up high to create a stage for their political purposes.  They stand upon this stage not to make societal change, but to anger enough people to swing the electorate in their favor. For anyone who thinks that guns are the problem - and should we only pass more gun laws we’ll stop tragedies like this - ask yourself a few questions: Why was the topic of conversation after Buffalo the scourge of white supremacy, as opposed to guns?  And now that Uvalde happened, it’s back to guns?  Why is it that no one talks about guns when there is a cavalcade of shootings every weekend in major cities like Chicago?   This is a contentious issue, and unfortunately one that will not be solved because there is no interest in focusing on the real problems in this c

Originally published May 25, 2022 https://queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/6663-dems-show-up-for-israel-parade-no-show-when-israel-attacked   The Celebrate Israel Parade occurred earlier this week, and among the 40,000 marchers from over 250 groups were the usual cavalcade of politicians who are seeking to ingratiate themselves to the Jewish community.  They all claim to be pro-Israel, thinking this will get them votes and donations.  However, when Israel is actually attacked within their own borders and jurisdictions, they are conspicuously silent. Over the last few weeks, several major events happened that would have been a perfect opportunity for these politicians to show actual support for Israel, not when politically convenient but when it’s politically  inconvenient  - when the attacks are coming from within the same party.   On May 11, Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar accused Israel, without evidence, of murdering a Palestinian journalist. Over the weekend, on

Originally published May 18, 2022 https://queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/6619-democrats-stand-on-graves-for-electoral-gain   After the heinous act of murder in Buffalo by an alleged white supremacist, the media and Democrats immediately did the smart and responsible thing by looking at the gunman’s manifesto, and questioned how a young man could do something so evil.  Then they brought in a team of analysts and psychologists to talk about the mental health crisis in this country, but only after giving a respectable amount of time to honor the dead and give comfort to the families of those who were killed. Just kidding - they blamed Republicans! Fox News, Tucker Carlson, and Republicans like Elise Stefanik were immediately called murderers, along with the usual suspects like the NRA and pro-Second-Amendment members of the GOP.  They were called white supremacists, with blood on their hands.  Former Bill Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said, “More blood on the hands of [Tuck

 Originally published May 18, 2022 https://queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/6616-cuny-law-is-latest-platform-for-jew-hatred Anti-Semitism is too polite of a moniker to describe what just occurred at the graduation ceremony for CUNY Law, right here in the heart of the largest Jewish community in the United States. Selected by the students to give an address – knowing full well where she stands on these issues – Nerdeen Mohsen Kiswani grabbed the opportunity, and the microphone, to espouse hatred of America, Israel, and the Jewish people. She started her speech thanking her “comrades,” notable because it’s a Marxist term, showing where she lies on the political spectrum from the first sentence. She laments that she has been “facing a campaign of Zionist harassment by well-funded organizations with ties to the Israeli government and military on the basis of my Palestinian identity and organizing,” and that she has been subject to numerous articles attacking her. Well, Nerdeen, you’r

 Originally published May 18, 2022 https://queensjewishlink.com/index.php/local/26-community-corner/6610-rabbi-yoel-schonfeld-elected-president-of-coalition-of-jewish-values Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld has a new role after his scheduled departure from the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills: He will be leading an organization that represents over 2,000 Orthodox Rabbis in issues of American public policy, the Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV). Founder and Executive Director of CJV, Rabbi Yaakov Menken, is elated with the appointment. “His leadership, sober judgment, and dedication to our mission have been evident throughout,” said Rabbi Menken, “and we are truly fortunate that upon stepping down as leader of the YI Kew Gardens Hills he agreed to become our President.” Rabbi Menken founded CJV when he saw that modern Jewish groups and movements were not representing Orthodox Torah Judaism, rather espousing political ideology while using Judaism as a cover. “American liberal Jewish movements have

Originally published May 11, 2022 https://queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/6575-democrats-are-hoping-for-an-assassination   This headline is not meant to be clickbait or hyperbole.  It is the logical conclusion to a series of words and actions that would lead anyone to believe that the Democrats, as a rule, are hoping that their political enemies are killed - or at least threatened into agreement.   On March 4, 2020, at an abortion protest on the steps of the Supreme Court as they were hearing arguments on a pro-life law coming out of Louisiana, then-Minority-Leader Chuck Schumer was giving a speech.  “I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” he said.  Schumer is now the Majority Leader in the Senate. Schumer is hardly alone in his rhetoric - and this is not reserved only for abortion.  When it came to Trump’s border policy in 2

Originally published May 11, 2022 https://queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/6573-redistricting-maps-were-tossed-now-what  Two weeks ago, the New York State Court of Appeals threw out the gerrymandered redistricting in New York State. The maps, which were signed by Governor Kathy Hochul, gave Democrats a monumental advantage in both the State Senate and House of Representative.   Prior to the 2020 census count, Republicans held 8 of New York’s 27 congressional seats.  After the combination of the mass exodus movement combined with the higher than average COVID deaths that occurred under the Cuomo regime, New York lost one Representative to Washington.  Democrats in Albany took advantage of this loss to cut the Republican representation in half, making only four “safe” Republican seats in the state with all others solidly Democrat.   These maps were not only harmful to Republicans, but they also violated the law.  During the 2021 election, voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot mea