Greenfield never ceases to amaze with his prolific in-depth articles on a variety of subjects. Ted Belman
By Daniel Greenfield
Anyone who has watched enough monster movies knows how hard it is to kill the monster. You can set Frankenstein on fire, stab Dracula through the chest with a wooden stake and take the Wolfman to the vet; but sooner or later they come roaring back twice as angry as ever.
The Israel Policy Forum, a left-wing group, which mated a few years ago with the Center for American Progress, has split away again to corner that booming market in Jewish organizations that hate Israel; but try to pretend not to when people are watching.
With J Street, Jewish Voice for Peace, Open Zion, Uri L’Tzedek and Americans for Peace Now, just to name a few, all boasting more column inches in the media than members, the revival of IPF is about as timely as opening up a bank dedicated to subprime loans. The market for Israel-bashing, like the market for underwater homes, is falling as fast as Obama’s approval ratings.
In 2008, shortly before IPF merged with CAP, it sent out a letter urging Condoleezza Rice to find a way to bring Hamas into the peace process. So far, the Israel Policy Forum has had no luck with Hamas, but it has dragged in the usual left-wing Jewish millionaires and billionaires looking to ride roughshod over Israel and the Jewish community.
Israel Policy Forum, like Peter Beinart’s Open Zion, is funded in part by Peter A. Joseph, who also serves as IPF’s president. Joseph presides over Palladium Equity Partners, the kind of private equity firm that liberals pretend to bash when it’s associated with Romney, but which they welcome when it’s associated with a lefty. Like so many other lefties with big pockets and bigger egos, Joseph’s money causes him to believe that he can hijack the Jewish community by spending money to create organizations full of fellow lefty millionaires and a few famous names with business ties to them.
The new IPF features David Avital, of the MTP Investment Group who founded Seeds of Peace. There’s hedge fund billionaire Donald Sussman, Neil Barsky of Alson Capital Partners, Lawrence Zicklin, formerly of Neuberger Berman Financial Services, and James E. Walker III, who isn’t actually Jewish, but is also an Obama donor and in the money management business. Finally there’s Marcia Riklis, the daughter of corporate raider Meshulam Riklis, and another Obama donor.
Naturally all the financial guys brought along their lawyers and Israel Policy Forum is full of them, the slimiest of whom may be Melvyn Weiss who specialized in securities class action lawsuits, pleaded guilty to kickback charges and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Weiss also had ties to Blagojevich and has been disbarred, but he’s back out of prison and back at IPF..
With all these Wall Street guys and layers, IPF looks a lot like a hostile takeover and that’s just what it is. It’s one more attempt by the Anti-Israel left to stage a hostile takeover of the Jewish community and swing the agenda their way. But it didn’t work with J Street and it won’t work with IPF.
The tycoons and lawyers have brought along some of their clients and pet “rabbis” to make the IPF look like something other than a group of left-wing millionaires and billionaires trying to forcibly set the agenda for the Jewish community. And they’re going about it in the usual way, by authoring letters to heads of state telling them what to do, because when you’re playing at that level, that’s just the sort of thing you do.
The IPF has relaunched its bid for policymaking power with a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu telling him to ignorethe Levy Report, which found that Israel is not an Occupying Power, and that there is no reason to discriminate against Jewish homes in any part of Israel. The letter claims to represent a larger consensus, which it does not, despite being chock full of presidents and former presidents of Jewish organizations, who were not elected by any Jewish community, but whose paths to power were paid for, either by them or by those wealthy donors who truly control them.
Then there are a few others, like Deborah Lipstadt who occupies the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History chair at Emory U. Dorot is partnered with the far-left New Israel Fund and a number of other Anti-Israel groups. Dorot has given grants to J Street, and its assets are partly managed by Neuberger Berman Financial Services, mentioned above.
Daniel Gordis’ last book was jointly co-authored with David Ellenson, a member of IPF’s Advisory Council. Ellenson is the president of Hebrew Union College, on whose board of governors IPF president Peter A. Joseph sits. Ellenson and Gordis have been described as “good friends”.
Attempting to defend his signature on the IPF letter, Gordis did not take issue with the legal basis for the Levy Report, arguing that even though, “Israel has no partner with which to make peace”, accepting it would make it appear that Israel is no longer committed to creating a Palestinian state. And it would be a terrible thing if Israel stopped being committed to an unworkable program that is destroying its diplomacy and killing its people.
In his Haaretz editorial, Gordis rewrote Zionism’s aspiration from building a nation to making peace by giving up a sizable portion of its country to people whom he admits have no interest in making peace. Gordis’ argument, that the hope of Hatikvah actually means believing in a peace that even he can’t summon up any argument for believing in, makes absolutely no sense. But when there’s enough money and power leaning on one side of the scales, then the arguments don’t have to make sense anymore. They just have to be made.
“Hope” has been the only selling point of the Two-State Solution. There is no logical argument to be made for empowering terrorists as a path to peace. By 2012, the only way to still peddle peace is by irrationally insisting that every Israeli leader and every Israeli concession somehow fell short of achieving peace or even a cessation of violence because they didn’t go far enough.
While presenting “Hope” as an argument may remind some people of hippies on park lawns, it reminds me of a more conventional form of marketing. When you can’t sell your product based on the tangibles, you have to sell it on the intangibles. Appeasement, especially with a twenty year track record of failing to work, is a hard sell. But rename it “Hope” and suddenly it’s flying off the shelves. And once you’ve sold people a few bags of “Hope” and they realize there’s nothing inside, then you can tell them that it’s Israel’s fault.
The Merchants of False Hope know that they have no wares, but they still have to move a product. The real product they’re moving isn’t “Hope”. The true product comes in a variety of flavors. There’s “Make Israel Stop Embarrassing Me” and “I Want Things My Way” and the old popular, “Destroy the Jewish State”. It’s not always possible to know which merchant is selling which wares, most of them are labeled the same way. But the attitudes of the merchants give us an occasional clue.
However the truly significant question is whose interests does the peace business serve. It certainly doesn’t serve Israel’s interests. A quick comparison between Israel’s international position and domestic security in 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2012 makes that rather painfully clear. It isn’t in America’s interests either, though plenty of domestic appeasers have tried to make that case over the years.
Destructive ideas go away after having failed enough times, but a destructive idea that is extensively funded and subsidized is like Dracula; no matter how often you kill it, it pops up again with a cry of “Blood” or “Hope.”
“Two State Solution” doesn’t rhyme with “Hope”. It rhymes with “Dissolution” which is exactly what it accomplishes. But everyone has their own interests and their own agenda.
In the small towns in Judea and Samaria, farmers and herders are just trying to survive, battling government bureaucracy, judicial activism and Islamic terror. But for a lot of investors, Israel is just a troubled company that needs to dump those people and their towns, sell off whatever resources it has to make a deal with the terrorists, and then reap the benefits of legitimacy and stability. They call their program the “Two State Solution.”
The Israeli left is an alliance between Israeli and American oligarchs who would be perfectly happy with a country the size of Singapore, a city-state stretching across the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, a place with a bustling stock exchange, a lot of good restaurants and start up companies coming up with clever new gimmicks for them to invest in. A properly liberal place at peace with its Muslim neighbors, with gay bars side-by-side with mosques and experimental theaters putting on the latest revolutionary plays.
That such a country is completely nonviable doesn’t interest them; it’s what Israeli leaders have led them to believe is possible. Most of all though it’s what they want, and they are used to getting what they want. And if the people, Israeli and American Jews, aren’t as enthusiastic about this vision as they are, they will find people to sell it to them as “Hope”.
Anything can be sold with the right marketing. Throw together enough organizations, inject peace and the Two-State Solution into every conceivable arena until it seems as inseparable a part of Israel as the Tembel, and just as foolish, and keep pushing the politicians to deliver this “Peace” thing. If there’s no peace, hire some experts, give them a few organizations and let them work out why there isn’t any peace and how the government, and those farmers and herders in Judea and Samaria are to blame.
This disgusting orgy of hollow organizations populated by the greasy leftovers of rubber chicken dinners is what passes for Jewish leadership these days. These are the people who not only invested with Madoff, but who dragged the charitable organizations on whose boards they sat, into making those same bad investments. But Madoff is small potatoes compared to their “Peace Process” investment, which may only be a decade or two away from killing the Jewish State.
The Peace Business is bad under Netanyahu, so the hedge funders get together, summon their lawyers, bring in a few of their more famous friends, and draft a letter telling the Prime Minister of Israel to stop paying attention to the law and start paying attention to them. And it he doesn’t, then he had better stay tuned for the next letter and the next phony organization they create to harass Israel.
Israel is in a range war, not only with Muslim terrorists, but with lefty billionaires who would like to see a few hundred thousand farmers, herders and small businessmen kicked off their land in the hope of securing the rest of the country within the 48 borders. The Levy Report bothers the peace barons, as does every new house and barn that goes up, every new field planted and every new vineyard tended, because it tells them that they may not get their wish. That despite their money and the organizations that they create; the victory will in Israel’s range war will not go to the billionaire on Wall Street, but the farmers and herders of Judea.
@ Martin Bunzl:
You can’t be a passionate Zionist and a two-stater at the same time. Zionism means settling the land- including and especially Judea and Samaria. If J street preaches the two state solution then they really are Zionists in name only.
@ Shy Guy:
I don”t think the Torah advocates democracy as a national standard but, as Rabbi Kahane would say, you can have democracy in a Jewish state- he meant democracy among Jews. I would also like to know since when democracy started supplanting Judaism as the end all of national aspiration- especially among the so-called “passionate Zionists” associated with J Street American Jews. It was not hateful speech that motivated Kahane to call for expulsion of Arabs but a love of Jews. Just because you don’t believe in demographic suicide doesn’t mean you can’t have a democratic Jewish state. If Martin Bunzl’s J street wants a Jewish state that is also democratic then it has to be a Jewish state for Jews. Most Palestinians when asked would take a financial incentive to relocate to another country- I believe 60% have said so. All the money that the two-state J street people want to go towards relocating Israelis from Judea and Samaria could go to relocating the Palestinians pawns to their rightful place among other Arab nations, especially Jordan. They even say they would happily go if given the chance. Since they would be coming with financial assets as well as a willingness to work they would not be a drain on the host country- if only they would take them. The J street two-staters don’t seem to know this. They seem to care more about a theoretical democracy with the demographic threat that it poses for Jewish Israelis. They would rather see the Jewishness of the state be overtaken for the sake of “democracy” rather than fathom a realistic solution which would entail relocating the demographic threat- under there own free will and for there own good as well.
Martin Bunzl Said:
Ding! Ding! Ding! Give the professor a Kewpie doll!
I want a Jewish state that is also a democratic state – I don’t believe that is possible while holding the current land with its Palestinian population. Unless you support expulsion, which I don’t, one of the three has to give – the Jewish character of the state, the democratic character of the state or the land held by the state. This is not a left position unless you consider Sharon to be a leftwinger. I am afraid this will be my last post on this topic due to other demands. But I enourage you to visit http://www.jstreet.org to learn more about this. I am grateful for the civitlity of these exchnages.
David Chase Said:
Most things yes, some things not.
Where do you think the Torah advocates democracy as a national standard?
@ Shy Guy:
If Judaism doesn’t advocate democracy and democracy doesn’t advocate Judaism, does that mean they are inherently mutually exclusive.
To Martin Binzl- If Zionism promotes Jewish settlement and therefore Judaism are Zionism and Democracy, therefore, also mutually exclusives?
@ Shy Guy:
Thank you but I was hoping Martin Bunzl would answer. Since when is the present Jewish state not also a democracy. If you (Martin) are a passionate Zionist do you support the development or settlement of the larger Israel (ie Judea and Samaria) or is that also incompatible with your definition of Democracy?
David Chase Said:
Judaism does not advocate democracy any more or less than democracy advocates Judaism.
I would even say what’s been already said here many times before: Democracy is today’s Jewish Golden Calf.
@ Martin Bunzl:
Explain to me how Israel can’t be both Jewish and democratic.
@ Ted Belman:
Why would you think the two are incompatible?
Martin Bunzl Said:
I invite you and your J streeters to visit Israpundit on a regular basis and debate the issues with us.
The topic of the first debate will be to decide whaether J-streeters are passionate Zionists or passionate liberals.
RINOs and ZINOs: part of the enemy’s tactics.
@ Robert_K:
I hope you will come to the launch event to learn more about J Street in San Diego – we are passionate zionists (including many Israelis living here in San Diego). Like the majority of Israelis, we are convinced that Israel cannot stay both Jewish and Democratic as things stand. Join the conversation at 7pm at Temple Beth Israel in Old Town.
Do these people live in a cacoon?
Are they totally oblivious of HITLER’S CHOICE?
I HAVE NO OTHER COMMENT TO MAKE.
@ Laura:
What the news media chooses to cover and not to cover is incredibly troubling.
For instance, I’d like to know why the Israel news media is not reporting on violinist Nikolaj Znaider. He carries an Israeli passport, appears often with the Israel Philharmonic, has numerous relatives in Israel—and, I read today, is right now, this very minute, appearing in Venezuela, a country that broke off diplomatic relations and wants Israel to disappear from the face of the earth.
Given what’s going on right now in Venezuela, why is Znaider appearing there? And why is the news media not reporting on this? And why does the Israel Philharmonic keep engaging this guy?
Znaider is aiding Israel’s enemies—a Jewish man with an Israeli passport is giving a two benefit concerts in Caracas to aid two of Chavez’s projects? Wow! If I were in the news media, I would be all over this story like a cheap suit.
@ Bert:
I wanted to add another comment. It is really an addendum to my previous comment and that is the parallel between the causal psychology of the Palestinians I mentioned and the promotion of affirmative action in the States. Many competent Black and Latinos, for example, whether doctors or lawyers or any profession have to contend with the stigma that the only reason they made it is because they are minorities- not to mention the expectation that you can get by without meriting it. Again, how liberating it would be for the Palestinians to realize their destiny could improve if they only stopped playing the blame game by externalizing the cause of their problems
@ Bert:
Yes, the two-state solution is an act of racism by taking away any sense the Palestinians may have that their problems are not their own. Their leadership has “externalized” the cause of the their problems as “Israel” and the two state-solution feeds right into it.The ultimate failure of the two-state solution could and probably would ironically liberate the Palestinians- a win-win situation.
@ yamit82:
In an ideal world one would expect the Israeli government to absolutely reject treasonous ideas, even if they come from Jewish “advocacy” groups.
But in reality, there are top Israeli authorities who warmly embrace groups such as J-Street. And I’ll say no further on this particular item.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s like a mental disease that afflicts some members of the Jewish family.
But they’re not insane, and so they’re fully responsible for their actions.
They are just disgustingly WARPED.
~~~~~~~~
People like that must not be allowed to teach youth (as they still do in Israel), or to be honored by Jewish institutions.
They are psychopaths who, because of their numbers, their smarts, their dedication, and often their influence, are GUILTY of relentlessly unleashing tragedy on Israel and the Jewish People.
They should be completely discredited and regarded as a shame and a danger to the state of Israel and the Jews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the real world, however, the state of Israel grants their ideas full legitimacy.
But then, so it does to Abbas and his terrorists.
SIGH……
Laura, I am not anti American but I did live in Atlanta for one year. I visit the US often and greatly respect and admire the American people. But truth be told, I find the typical American male to be boorish, gross, uneducated, obnoxious, rude and physically grotesque to look at and painfully male looking. Basically, a caveman in a suit and tie.@ Laura:
@ BethesdaDog:
Very easy to explain. He hasn’t attracted more attention because he is politically incorrect, especially with regard to Israel and islam. The ideologically rigid establishment media only wants people who don’t stray from conventional wisdom on these topics. They don’t want anybody who states the blunt truth.
Greenfield is absolutely brilliant. I don’t know why he hasn’t attracted more attention than he has.
@ Robert_K:
Of course, the signatories are overwhelmingly academics, those least likely to be in touch with reality.
We’ll always have these people in the Jewish community (and Israel). Not much we can do but counter them with more effective work. I really don’t understand why they think peace with the Palestinians is possible, at this time or anytime in the near future (if ever).
Laura Said:
Me too. He always writes beautifully. His articles are eradite without being didactic.
It’s OK! These “Jews” have not had any children or their children have intermarried or their children have not bothered to marry or their children’s children do not have any connection with Judaism. Judaism is self-cleansing. Judaism goes on for those who value its understanding of the world and its evolution.
You have rich Jews embarrassed at being Jewish and fearful of what the Goyim will say.
You can take the Jew out of the Galut but you can’t take the Galut out of the Jew.
@ Canadian Otter:
S.H.I.T List: THEY ACT LIKE THE ENEMIES OF ISRAEL BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ENEMIES OF ISRAEL!
Self-Hating and/or Israel-Threatening LIST…8,860 Jews… Just the tip of the iceberg.
Word TREASON not allowed in Israeli media.
I have just been censored elsewhere for using the word TREASON. And the target was not a politician, by the way. My talkback referred indirectly to a Jewish artist who does not even live in Israel but who actively supports Israel’s enemies, such as Hamas.
I suppose that website has the right to protect itself from lawsuits. I can understand and accept that.
But I don’t understand why Jewish society at large is so tolerant of people who are by every definition TRAITORS to Israel and to their people.
It’s as if there is no stigma attached to the act of betraying your own.
Many Israelis will even take pride in the fact that Israel is a “diverse” society where people have so much freedom of speech that they can even express racist and inflammatory ideas (as long as the target is patriotic Jews, but not Arabs of course).
It’s not necessary to incarcerate people for their ideas. But there should be social and professional consequences for Jews who call for acts obviously detrimental to the country, such as boycotts, partition, and even violence against settlers and other religious Jews.
For example:
Israeli parents could organize a boycott of educational institutions that have professors siding with the enemy.
Or Jews could organize a boycott of all advertisers on media that consistently side with the enemy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And since the Diaspora claims to be so invested in the fate of Israel, they too must be strongly denounced when betraying their own.
There should be no tolerance for that kind of attitude. Not after so many millions of Jews were wiped out while the world did nothing. There’s too much at stake.
Media denunciations, no matter how well-researched, such as the above, are not enough, though.
There must be a strong organized effort to widen the exposure of the true nature of the anti-Israel, anti-settlement movement. They must be exposed at every level: the active participants as well as the ones who finance them and facilitate their activities. And after exposure there should be social and economic consequences. And legal consequences, when possible.
TREASON SHOULD NO LONGER BE TOLERATED.
Here is some more information about J Street’s San Diego Launching (mentioned in my previous comment):
J Street attracts some well-known San Diego Jews
http://www.sdjewishworld.com/2012/07/16/j-street-attracts-some-well-known-san-diego-jews/
By Donald H. Harrison
Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Congressman and San Diego mayoral hopeful Bob Filner, City Council member Marti Emerald, and various leaders of the business and academic communities have signed their names to a half-page ad in the U-T newspaper urging support for J-Street.
The message on Page B10 of Sunday’s edition, July 15, announced: “We support Israel! We want a peaceful, secure and democratic future for the Jewish homeland. That is why we stand with J Street.”
The group announced an organizing meeting at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 26, at the Old Temple Beth Israel in Heritage Park, Old Town, for creation of a San Diego chapter of J Street, which lobbies the United States to adopt policies that its members believe will lead to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Said the advertisement, whose signers also included businessmen Irwin Jacobs, founder of Qualcomm; Rabbi Michael Satz, and Democratic party leader Murray L. Galinson: “J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans fighting for the future of Israel as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people. We believe that Israel’s Jewish and democratic character depend on a two-state solution, resulting in a Palestinian state existing alongside Israel in peace and security. With J Street, we advocate for strong U.S. leadership to bring about a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We are building support for J Street here in San Diego and we invite you to join us, together with 1200 other San Diego supporters, in becoming part of this conversation and making your voice heard.”
Among other signers listed in the advertisement were Amnon Ben-Yehuda,a veteran of the Palmach; Martin Bunzi of the J-Street National Advisory Council; Pulitzer Prize winning editorial writer Jonathan Freedman, who won the coveted prize while writing for the San Diego Tribune; UCSD professors Amelia Glaser, Tal Golan, Peter Gourevitch; Deborah Hertz; Eran Mukamel, Jeff Rabin and Mel Spiro; USD Prof. Nadav Goldschmied; SDSU Prof. Ronnee Schreiber; Dr. Jonathan Licht; and Lawrence Family JCC Board Member Elisa Lurkis.
The ad said more information is available at sandiego@jstreet.org , and at http://www.facebook.xom/jstreetsandiego
BTW, In San Diego, on this coming Thursday, July 26th (see link and details below), J-Street will be having a Two-State support rally. It struck my attention that one of the sponsors of this rally is Billionaire Irwin Jacobs, Founder and past CEO of Qualcomm and benefactor of KPBS (the local PBS/NPR station, also known as National Palestine Radio).
These U.S.Jewish Leaders are the same as the Rabbi Stephen Wise Jewish leaders during the Holocaust years in America who opposed Peter Bergson (Tzvi Hillel Kook, Israel’s first Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook’s nephew) and Ben Hecht’s efforts to pressure FDR to act to save Europe’s Jews, because they claimed this would increase antiSemitism in America. What good it did them?!!
As a note of irony, some have given IPF president Seymour Reich the moniker Seymour Third Reich!!
http://act.jstreet.org/signup/sandiego_072612?referring_akid=.7350.GGM6Aj
J STREET SAN DIEGO LOCAL LAUNCH
Street is coming to San Diego!
Join us at our local launch where pro-Israel, pro-peace supporters can come together, hear about how to get involved locally to educate the community and let local congressional representatives know where we stand.
When: Thursday, July 26th, 7:00 pm
Where: Temple Beth Israel in Old Town State Historic Park at 2454 Heritage Park Row, San Diego 92123
Forgive my harping on the matter; but since you bring it up… Greenfield seems to have hit upon the core of ALL Israel’s foreign policy problems: Jews fight by “Jewish rules”, which require the fighter to tie up one leg and use one of his fists to bash himself. This is all part and parcel of Jewish religion’s heritage of
1. Being completely divorced, in the galut, from any need to behave like a real nation, and
2. the replacement of common sense with a sick reliance on the opinions of rabbis — who, in turn, make their opinions on the basis of enabling and necessitating their continued place of prestige in galut Judaism.
3. A refusal to admit that J___ was right in anything, while reformulating everything he said into halacha. “Turn the other cheek”, for instance, which addresses gut responses to personal wrongs, evolves into calling capital punishment “murder”, and releasing convicted terrorists by the thousands. Jews, get off your trip!
Deal with those things, and I dare say, there won’t even BE an “Arab-Israeli” problem.
I completely agree.
Our side is in the right but also suffers from a terrible lack of imagination. It is the Jewish left that is racist and which is also harming the Palestinians. They are racist by acting as if the Palestinians are too dumb to be held responsible for their actions. They are harming the Palestinians by encouraging them to continue their insane struggle to destroy Israel. The Jewish left should be helping the Palestinians by telling them the truth and urging them to seek their future in another country where there would be no conflict with Israel. This is the crime of the Jewish left that should be exposed to help destroy their credibility both as Jews and as friends of the Palestinians.