Antisemitism is in the mainstream

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BDS is even more dangerous than your run of the mill antisemitism. It radicalizes members of all hate movements, and by cloaking itself in a veneer of “political criticism,” this terrorist-led movement conceals its violent roots and vile aims.

Originally published in Arutz Sheva on August 8, 2019.

Since 2010, the U.S. Department of State has had a working definition of antisemitism, sometimes updating it to adapt to new and often terrifying realities of antisemitic hatred around the world. This week, the definition, as listed on the official website, finally got the updated it needed: one that highlights the dangers of BDS and its vile antisemitism.

Now, the posted definition of antisemitism includes “drawing comparison of contemporary Israeli policy to Nazi policy” – a reaction to the deeply antisemitic rhetoric spread by BDS-supporters that Israel has become a new kind of Nazi state. Not only is that accusation blatantly untrue, it also spits on the memory of Holocaust victims and survivors and furthers the age-old antisemitic trope of Jewish conspiracy and power.

I commend the brave civil servants at the State Department, Secretary Pompeo, and Special Elan Carr for showing once and for all just how antisemitic and anti-American the BDS movement truly is. Though it’s only now being reintroduced in the State Department’s definition, for quite some time many of us have seen BDS for what it truly is: an antisemitic anti-American hate group that threats our way of life and the values we hold dear.

Since its establishment in 2001 by the major Palestinian terrorist organizations, the BDS movement has masqueraded as a nonviolent grassroots human rights organization that aims to “improve” the well-being of Palestinians. Instead of protecting the Palestinians, the movement is laser-focused on economically, culturally, and politically isolating and eradicating the State of Israel, using the model that was applied previously to the apartheid regime of South Africa.

Until recently, the BDS movement has been embraced by many around the world. It was able to hide its true intentions, building alliances with global civil rights groups. It sought protection for its hateful ideas using claims that it had freedom of speech, notwithstanding the fact it openly uses anti-Semitic propaganda that demonizes Jews living in Israel, the only homeland of the Jewish people.

This acceptance allowed BDS to promote hate and incitement to violence against Jews in Israel and everywhere. It’s the same acceptance that has allowed antisemitism to creep its way into public education in California.

In recent years, it has become increasingly evident the BDS movement is – and always has been –a front of Palestinians terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Fatah, which are still coordinating the major global BDS activities and have close links to many of its members and groups.

Many have come to understand that BDS is antisemitic. Even before the State Department’s new addition to the definition of antisemitism, they already defined antisemitism as animus toward Jews and cites the specific example of “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” This definition is accepted by governments and organizations fighting anti-Semitism around the globe. Self-determination is recognized as a human right and Israel, the one and only Jewish State is an inseparable part of the Jewish identity.

Thus, BDS by definition is antisemitic – the new addition only emphasizes it. But that’s not all. More and more evidence shows that the BDS movement’s antisemitism not only works to deny the Jewish people the right of self-determination but also drives violence against Jews and others, globally.

The  Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) published a report about the BDS movement’s activities on college campuses, which revealed that Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the primary BDS organization on American campuses, associates with terrorist organizations while its members encourage intimidation and violence against Jewish students.

The JCPA report definitively shows that BDS promotes anti-Semitism has been a primary driver of violence and hate crimes against Jews.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government issued a report called Terrorists in Suits, which exposed the BDS movement’s links to terrorist organizations and demonstrated that BDS was established by Palestinian terror groups to eradicate the State of Israel and murder its Jewish citizens by using violent, but “non-military” means.

It provides unprecedented details about how the BDS movement was established by and continues to be financially supported and run by members of U.S. designated internationally recognized terrorist organizations. The terrorists leading the BDS movement are using military terror attacks against Jews in Israel while complementing these activities with non-military tactics to demonize and threaten Jews in Europe and the U.S.

While the antisemitic and violent nature of the BDS movement is just now beginning to become apparent in America, it is much clearer in Europe, where attacks on Jews have risen exponentially with the mainstreaming of BDS’s rhetoric. As a result, the European Union’s Justice and Home Affairs Council unanimously approved a declaration denouncing antisemitism, which focused explicitly on the denial of Israel’s right to exist that is passionately championed by adherents of BDS.

But BDS is even more dangerous than your run of the mill antisemitism. It radicalizes members of all hate movements and encourages violence. Two months ago, Germany adopted a bipartisan motion recognizing that BDS is anti-Semitic and its methods are reminiscent of Nazi-era calls to boycott Jews.  What led Germany to realize the resemblance of the BDS movement to Nazis?

The top German intelligence agency recently published its most comprehensive analysis of the rising anti-Semitism by Islamist extremists in the country addressing the rise in antisemitic attacks committed by migrants from Arab states. The Anti-Semitism in the Islamism ‘early warning’ report acknowledges that the vast majority of anti-Semitic crimes in Germany still come from right-wing extremists, but also suggests that Muslim communities – who are championing BDS in Germany – are a hotbed of hatred against Jews, infiltrated by Islamist organizations and movements and their propaganda—the kind that ferments anti-Semitic radicalization and “forms the breeding ground for violent escalations.”

This isn’t only in Germany. The NY Times recently published an article “They Spit When I Walk in the Street’: ‘The New Anti-Semitism’ in France”—detailing how French Jews are afraid to appear Jewish when walking in parts of Paris. Some supporters of Marine Le Pen’s populist right-wing party engaged in antisemitic rhetoric, yet the main source of violence in France against Jews are Muslim immigrants, many of whom are engaged in extreme anti-Israel activity.

A 2018 Austrian report on antisemitism analyzed “Imported antisemitic narratives” indicates Muslims residents consistently agreed with anti-Semitic statements more than the general Austrian population. About 65% of them agreed “If the state of Israel no longer exists, then peace prevails in the Middle East.”

Centrist and liberal opponents blame nationalist and populist parties in Western Europe for anti-Semitism. Ironically, Jews are far safer in Eastern European countries such as Hungary and Poland — where governments are controlled by right-wing populists.

It’s not just that BDS has co-opted Nazi-era anti-Semitic tactics to perpetuate hate. The movement also bolsters other fringe antisemites, like white nationalists and radical leftists, as evidenced in the recent amicus brief filed in support of the State of Arkansas’s anti-BDS law at the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The BDS movement that promotes hate against Jews is not inclusive, peaceful, or humane. It is an insidious push to legitimize antisemitism—the same hatred and bigotry that Europe and America have fought to destroy.

By cloaking itself in a veneer of “political criticism,” this terrorist-led movement conceals its violent roots and its goal of denying the Jewish people the same human rights afforded to other people around the world.

We must use anti-terrorist and anti-discrimination laws to defeat this vile BDS hatred.

We cannot let these hate-mongers destroy our academic, cultural, and political institutions. There is too much at stake – not just for Jews, but for all Americans.

We must act now to protect democracy and American values before it is too late.

Adam Milstein and his wife Gila co-founded the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation providing charitable and philanthropic services to a wide range of organizations to strengthen the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the U.S.-Israel relationship. Adam sits on the board of several national organizations such as StandWithUs, Stand by Me, and the Israeli-American Council (IAC). Adam is a “philanthropreneur,” and dedicates his time and energy toward pro-Israel and pro-American causes that fight hate, antisemitism, and bigotry on college campuses and beyond. As an active philanthropist on social media, Adam has been included in JTA’s 2019 ‘50 Jews Everyone Should Follow on Twitter,’ Richtopia’s ‘2018 100 Most Influential Philanthropists Globally’ and their ‘2017 200 Most Influential Philanthropists and Social Entrepreneurs’, The Jerusalem Post’s ‘50 Most Influential Jews of 2016’, JTA’s ‘25 Most Influential People on Jewish Twitter of 2016’, and The Algemeiner’s ‘Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life in 2015’.

The Nazi-Like Boycott of Jews is a Global Menace

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Article originally published in the Jerusalem Post on July 23, 2019.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

Since its establishment in 2001 by the major Palestinian terrorist organizations, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has masqueraded as a nonviolent grassroots human rights organization that aims to “improve” the well-being of Palestinians. Instead of protecting the Palestinians, the movement is laser-focused on economically, culturally, and politically isolating and eradicating the State of Israel, using the model that was applied previously to the apartheid regime of South Africa.

Until recently, the BDS movement has been embraced by many around the world. It was able to hide its true intentions, building alliances with global civil rights groups. It sought protection for its hateful ideas using claims that it had freedom of speech, notwithstanding the fact it openly uses anti-Semitic propaganda that demonizes Jews living in Israel, the only homeland of the Jewish people. This acceptance allowed BDS to promote hate and incitement to violence against Jews in Israel and everywhere.

Abraham Lincoln once said: “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” In recent years, it has become increasingly evident the BDS movement is – and always has been –a front of Palestinians terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Fatah, which are still coordinating the major global BDS activities and have close links to many of its members and groups.

Many have come to understand that BDS is antisemitic. The U.S.  State Department defines anti-Semitism as animus toward Jews and cites the specific example of “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” This definition is accepted by governments and organizations fighting anti-Semitism around the globe. Self-determination is recognized as a human right and Israel, the one and only Jewish State is an inseparable part of the Jewish identity.

Thus, BDS by definition is anti-Semitic. But that’s not all. More and more evidence shows that the BDS movement’s anti-Semitism not only works to deny the Jewish people the right of self-determination but also drives violence against Jews and others, globally.

Late year, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) published a report about the BDS movement’s activities on college campuses, which revealed that Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the primary BDS organization on American campuses, associates with terrorist organizations while its members encourage intimidation and violence against Jewish students.

The JCPA report definitively shows that BDS promotes anti-Semitism has been a primary driver of violence and hate crimes against Jews.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government issued a report called Terrorists in Suits, which exposed the BDS movement’s links to terrorist organizations and demonstrated that BDS was established by Palestinian terror groups to eradicate the State of Israel and murder its Jewish citizens by using violent, but “non-military” means.

It provides unprecedented details about how the BDS movement was established by and continues to be financially supported and run by members of U.S. designated internationally recognized terrorist organizations. The terrorists leading the BDS movement are using military terror attacks against Jews in Israel while complementing these activities with non-military tactics to demonize and threaten Jews in Europe and the U.S.

While the Antisemitic and violent nature of BDS movement is just now beginning to become apparent in America, it is much clearer in Europe, where attacks on Jews have risen exponentially with the mainstreaming of BDS’s rhetoric. As a result, the European Union’s Justice and Home Affairs Council unanimously approved a declaration denouncing anti-Semitism, which focused explicitly on the denial of Israel’s right to exist that is passionately championed by adherents of BDS.

But BDS is even more dangerous than your run of the mill anti-Semitism. It radicalizes members of all hate movements and encourages violence. Two months ago, Germany adopted a bipartisan motion recognizing that BDS is anti-Semitic and its methods are reminiscent of Nazi-era calls to boycott Jews.  What led Germany to realize the resemblance of the BDS movement to Nazis?

The top German intelligence agency recently published its most comprehensive analysis of the rising anti-Semitism by Islamist extremists in the country addressing the rise in antisemitic attacks committed by migrants from Arab states. The Anti-Semitism in the Islamism ‘early warning’ report acknowledges that the vast majority of anti-Semitic crimes in Germany still come from right-wing extremists, but also suggests that Muslim communities – who are championing BDS in Germany – are a hotbed of hatred against Jews, infiltrated by Islamist organizations and movements and their propaganda—the kind that ferments anti-Semitic radicalization and “forms the breeding ground for violent escalations.”

This isn’t only in Germany. The NY Times recently published an article “They Spit When I Walk in the Street’: ‘The New Anti-Semitism’ in France”—detailing how French Jews are afraid to appear Jewish when walking in parts of Paris. Some supporters of Marine Le Pen’s populist right-wing party engaged in anti-Semitic rhetoric, yet the main source of violence in France against Jews are Muslim immigrants, many of whom are engaged in extreme anti-Israel activity.

A 2018 Austrian report on anti-Semitism analyzed “Imported antisemitic narratives” indicates Muslims residents consistently agreed with anti-Semitic statements more than the general Austrian population. About 65% of them agreed “If the state of Israel no longer exists, then peace prevails in the Middle East.”

Centrist and liberal opponents blame nationalist and populist parties in Western Europe for anti-Semitism. Ironically, Jews are far safer in Eastern European countries such as Hungary and Poland — where governments are controlled by right-wing populists.

It’s not just that BDS has co-opted Nazi-era anti-Semitic tactics to perpetuate hate. The movement also bolsters other fringe anti-Semites, like white nationalists and radical leftists, as evidenced in the recent amicus brief filed in support of the State of Arkansas’s anti-BDS law at the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The BDS movement that promotes hate against Jews is not inclusive, peaceful, or humane. It is an insidious push to legitimize anti-Semitism—the same hatred and bigotry that Europe and America have fought to destroy.

By cloaking itself in a veneer of “political criticism,” this terrorist-led movement conceals its violent roots and its goal of denying the Jewish people the same human rights afforded to other people around the world.

We must use anti-terrorist and anti-discrimination laws to defeat this vile BDS hatred.

Adam Milstein is an Israeli-American active philanthropist. He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @AdamMilstein, and on Facebook www.facebook.com/AdamMilsteinCP.

The 21st Century Solomon’s Sling: A New Vision for Impact Philanthropy to Combat Antisemitism

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Originally published in eJewishPhilanthropy on July 3, 2019.

By Adam Milstein

“United we stand, divided we fall.” This common phrase is used to promote unity and collaboration but is often difficult to implement in the world of advocacy, philanthropy, and nonprofits.

For instance, many pro-Israel organizations act to achieve similar – sometimes redundant – goals. Since each organization constantly needs to fundraise and stand above other groups, they find it difficult to work together and collaborate with each other.

In addition, and notwithstanding our community’s efforts to combat the growing Antisemitism in America, there hasn’t been much innovation in the space, and we seem to be doing more of the same.

To change this paradigm, we have to wield Solomon’s wisdom with David’s courage – in what I describe as the 21st Century Solomon’s Sling: the philanthropic multi-network collaboration model.

Broadly, there are at least four networks that can work together to make a significant impact: philanthropists, researchers and analysts, boots-on-the-ground, and the media. Each organization within each network is completely independent and has a unique and important role. Some members of these networks serve multiple functions, and their activities may overlap with the activities of other organizations within different networks.

Philanthropists share their vision and contribute time, connections, and financial resources to support research teams and on-the-ground activists. This collective vision is shared by researchers, who provide insight and strategy, while on-the-ground activists take action. The media organizations enhance awareness of the network’s results – with policy makers, opinion leaders and the public.

This theory was inspired by the late philanthropist Newton Becker, z”l. He recognized that smaller organizations have the ability to punch above their weight by being nimble and utilizing out-of-the-box strategies – and that philanthropists have the ability to bring unique vision, connections and experience to contribute much more than just a check.

About 20 years ago, I was fortunate to begin transitioning from a full-time businessman to an almost full-time philanthropist. My wife Gila and I, inspired by Becker’s call to “do more than just write a check,” decided to devote most of our time to what I call “active philanthropy.”

Like any successful business venture, we realize that we must be fully committed to our philanthropic investments – not only by contributing financial resources, but also by sharing our business vision, connections, marketing skills, operational know how, foundation staff time, and constant focus on improving the effectiveness of the programs we are supporting. After working for many years with a variety of organizations, we realized there were ways to improve philanthropy focused on Israel and the Jewish people to achieve greater impact.

The multi-network collaboration model integrates these findings and also mirrors some of the lessons I learned as a businessman. In business, you need to go the extra mile and work harder than your competitors to succeed; in philanthropy, you have to think outside-the-box to solve big challenges. In business, you work with different vendors to perform outsourced activities and must ensure smooth cross-functional collaboration within your organization; in philanthropy, successful long-term nonprofits build synergies and collaborations that complement each other’s unique work to achieve a greater impact.

Two years ago, I resurrected a regularly scheduled meeting for Los Angeles-based pro-Israel philanthropists, once hosted by the late Newton Becker, called the Impact Forum, which puts the multi-network model into practice. It has cultivated a network of active philanthropists who support a network of small, start-up-like organizations. Some organizations are research-focused, some act as boots-on-the-ground, and others are part of the media. By creating opportunities for collaboration between these four networks, we build synergies that drive maximum impact with limited resources.

This success is tangible. The Impact Forum has raised more than $1.6M to fund small and medium size organizations. That money represents a significant percent of these organizations’ annual budget, which allows them to focus on creating impact, rather than fundraising. The Impact Forum has also been an effective platform to connect philanthropists to research teams, media outlets and on-the-ground organizations, and to ensure that organizations work together.

A recent example that showcases this model’s impact is the campaign to substantiate the links between the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and Palestinian terrorist groups. First, several researchers, think tanks, and the Israeli government published research reports demonstrating the ties between BDS organizations and U.S.-designated terror organizations. Then, organizations within our multi-network collaboration model distributed the information, reaching state and federal agencies, campus administrations, other institutions, and millions of people on social media. Researchers and activists worked together to show the BDS Movement’s true colors with the assistance of the media, demonstrating how it inspires and supports violence against the Jewish people while masquerading as a human rights movement.

As a result, several State Attorney Generals put a greater focus on enforcing their states’ anti-BDS legislation. They are now leveraging the evidence that the BDS campaign is Antisemitic and aids terrorist groups. Omar Barghouti, the founder of the BDS movement, recently had his U.S. visa revoked. Several civilian lawsuits have been filed against U.S. based BDS organizations that raise funds for Palestinian terror organizations.

The impact is clear: create collaborating networks to defeat our detractors’ networks. We need the unique vision, knowledge, connections, and financial resources of many philanthropists to motivate and empower our networks. This is the most effective way to unite the pro-Israel community and fight anti-Semitism.

The 21st Century Solomon’s Sling, the philanthropic multi-network collaboration model, isn’t just a model for the Jewish or pro-Israel philanthropic world. It makes sense for all advocacy campaigns that seek to impact the world by shaping public opinion and influencing policy.

Adam Milstein and his wife Gila co-founded the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, providing charitable and philanthropic services to a wide range of organizations to strengthen the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the U.S.-Israel relationship.

To reach Adam:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adammilstein

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adammilsteincp/

Email: [email protected]

Antisemitism is Anti-American: Now is the Time to Go on the Offense Against Hate!

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This article was originally published in the Jerusalem Post on January 27, 2019.

Antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred, cultivated across cultures, continents, and centuries by people with many different agendas. It led to the enslavement of Jews in Egypt, forced expulsion during the Spanish Inquisition, pogroms in Poland and Soviet Russia, genocide in Nazi Germany, and near extinction in the Muslim world. This history raises the question: why do so many people over so many centuries hate Jews? What makes Jewish communities such vulnerable targets? Many books documentaries, articles, and encyclopedias have been written about the origins of and reasons for antisemitism. But the real questions, we must ask today, are whether this hatred is exclusively a problem for Jews, and what can the Jewish people do to fight back against and stop this evil?

The answers begin with understanding who antisemites are and what they ultimately want.

Today, antisemitism manifests globally like a three-headed monster, coming from the radical Right, the radical Left, and radical Islamists. But a closer look reveals that Jews are not the only the main target of these extremists: each one of these radical movements has a bigger vision for our civilization and their hatred doesn’t discriminate just against the Jews. In Europe, Jews increasingly experience hate and violence from radical Islamists and their allies – from the French-Syrian Jihadist who shot and killed four Jews at a Jewish museum in Brussels, to the random zealot who happened to be a French ISIS member and murdered Jews in a kosher Paris supermarket in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shooting by his two close friends, which itself was lethal violence against a European satirical newspaper—a literal attack on freedom of speech. In Alexandria, Virginia, James Hodgkinson, a radical leftist attacked a group of congressmen during baseball practice, seriously wounding U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, several police officers, and bystanders. At the same time, extremism on the radical right in America has led to Nazi posters targeting Jewish students and drove Robert Bowers, a white supremacist terrorist to gun down 11 Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Pursuant to the recently-released 2018 ADL Center on Extremism report, domestic Right-wing extremists murdered 50 Americans, more people than in any year since 1995. Only one-third of these Americans were Jews.

Antisemites, whether on the far right, on the far left, or among the radical Islamists, hate Jews for different reasons. However, and most importantly, their hatred is a threat to the core values of American society: democracy, free speech, and freedom of religion. We cannot sit idly by in the face of this imminent threat. It’s not only about the well-being of the Jewish people but about the values at the heart of Western society. Understanding, researching, and documenting these radical movements is not enough to alert the American people and to motivate them to combat the threat. To stop the growing movements of hate, we need to switch from defense to offense. In the past, Jews were not able to fight back. This time around, the Jewish people are better equipped to join our American brothers and sisters, go on the offense and defeat these radical movements. In historical perspective, Jews today have three comparative advantages in the fight against those radical movements: the existence of a Jewish homeland – the State of Israel, the unique strength and resources of the Jewish community in America, the opportunity to establish a large coalition of many communities that share the American values, and finally, recognition of our common enemies.

The startup nation of Israel is the most dynamic and powerful shield that the Jewish people have ever known, a dedicated haven for the Jewish people around the world. Israel is America’s strongest ally and shares our common values and common enemies. We can draw from Israel’s knowledge and strength to combat radical movements here at home by using all legal resources at our disposal to research, analyze, document and act against extremist individuals and organizations that pose serious dangers to our community. We need to become familiar with their agenda, goals, and objectives. We need to expose their illegal activities, learn about their plans, and alert the appropriate authorities, organizations, and media. We must engage the American public to be our eyes, ears, and boots on the ground and create real-time tools to prevent and stop extremist attacks. The Center for Combatting Hate in America (C4CHA), a newly founded watchdog group and action center is bringing these strategies together, leading the charge against violent radical movements in America. C4CHA will diminish the influence of hate groups and bigots by researching their members, networks, and activities, exposing their work to the public, and alerting authorities of imminent threats steaming from radicals and extremists.

It’s about time we stop being passive and risk-averse. We must respond to all violent hate attacks with strength and unity. We should go on offense and join forces with other allies to combat this evil at all costs.

Adam Milstein is an Israeli-American philanthropist. He can be reached at [email protected].

Milstein family launches second annual Innovation Competition

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(January 8, 2019 / JNS) The foundation belonging to Israeli-American philanthropists Adam and Gila Milstein announced recently the 2019 Milstein Family Foundation Innovation Competition.

“We are looking for a never-been-done-before, out-of-the-box, pro-Israel initiative on campus and beyond—be it showing positive aspects of Israel, strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance or fighting anti-Israel forces,” according to a poster announcing the second annual contest.

Open to incoming and enrolled college students, up to $16,000 will be awarded to implement the winning proposal. Three finalists will present their projects in front of a judging panel during a reception at the 2019 American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference in March in Washington.

Last year’s winners, Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, launched an international campaign to celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday, spreading awareness for the Jewish state among hundreds of thousands of college students on 160 college campuses in 20 states and Canada.

“We want to support young people with wild, amazing ideas that will spread love for Israel among their peers,” said Adam Milstein. “Israel is more than just a country—it’s a powerful story of homecoming and triumph for the Jewish people, a great source of Jewish pride that inspires courage, and a hub for bold innovations that are changing the world. We want to communicate that in new, exciting ways.”

Current or incoming college students, as individuals or in groups, are invited to complete their online application by Feb. 1 on the Milstein Family Foundation website.

https://www.jns.org/milstein-family-launches-second-annual-innovation-competition-for-collegians/

Are we going to allow the Jewish people to be divided and conquered from within?

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This article was originally published in the Jerusalem Post on December 26, 2018.

The year 2018 has provided a series of reminders that antisemitism, the world’s oldest hatred, is alive and well in our country.

In October, 11 Jews were massacred in Pittsburgh as they prayed on the Sabbath. It is just the latest in a series of violent attacks that have targeted the Jewish community in recent times, which come not only from the radical right but also from the radical left, and from radical Muslims.

The enemies of the Jewish people don’t only physically attack us from the outside. They have also long worked to divide the Jewish people by turning our own against us. For example, a number of Jewish individuals and organizations have become leaders within the BDS movement, which seeks to destroy the Jewish state.

Jewish self-hatred did not begin with the BDS movement. Isaiah 49:17 says, “Your destroyers and devastators will depart from you.” History is replete with examples of Jews who hated the Jewish people so vehemently that they dedicated their entire lives to its destruction.

Take the new Jewish group IfNotNow, which together with their collaborators Jewish Voice for Peace set its sights on demonizing Birthright Israel – an organization that has helped over 600,000 young Jews from 67 countries connect with their Jewish heritage and with the State of Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people.

Last summer, IfNotNow launched a campaign to harass Birthright participants at JFK and Heathrow airports, and planted saboteurs to infiltrate and disrupt Birthright trips, using these stunts to secure slanted media that demonizes Birthright and its Jewish supporters. In doing so, they sought to erode support for a program that made a transformative impact for hundreds of thousands of young Jews – and to discourage participants from accepting this tremendous life changing gift.

The leaders of IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace, who are Jewish themselves, sympathize with Hamas and other terrorist organizations. They present their movement as an anti-occupation group but have never recognized Israel right to exist or the Jewish people right for self-determination.

Along the same lines, some media outlets within the Jewish community are now actively working with explicitly anti-Israel – and in some cases antisemitic – networks, such as Electronic Intifada and Al Jazeera, to attack and demonize pro-Israel leaders and organizations.

It was recently revealed by pro-Israel activist and journalist Noah Pollak that a Forward reporter was using Al Jazeera as a source for a story to smear pro-Israel entities.

It’s despicable that one of the United States’s most storied Jewish papers was working to attack pro-Israel leaders and organizations using material obtained from an Al Jazeera espionage operation, overseen by Qatar, the major sponsor of Hamas and the global Muslim Brotherhood.

The same newspaper has launched a campaign together with Electronic Intifada and Al-Jazeera to attack the financial supporters of the Canary Mission – a watchdog that compiles public statements and social media posts of antisemites and anti-Israel activists who demonize the Jewish state, deny the Holocaust, and call for genocide of Jews.

In its 2016-2017 year-end report, the Israel on Campus Coalition recognized that exposing and discouraging anti-Israel activists through online platforms such as Canary Mission created a strong deterrent against antisemitism and BDS. By publicly documenting the actions of anti-Israel students, these platforms have created a detailed record of the hate and anti-Semitism present on US campuses.

Enemies of the Jewish people also recognize the profound impact of Canary Mission. A recent article in the pro-BDS publication, The Intercept, was headlined: “It’s Killing the Student Movement: Canary Mission’s Blacklist of Pro-Palestine Activists Is Taking a Toll.”

New York Times bestselling author Edwin Black recently wrote that a generation from now, historians will judge the Canary Mission and others who acted to defend against anti-Jewish and anti-Israel bigotry – and those, such as the Forward, who did all they could to frustrate and obstruct those efforts.

Our Jewish community contains a multitude of diverse advocates and activists, but our strength lies in our support for each other and for the State of Israel, and the knowledge that justice is on our side. Our enemies know there are no one more credible and eloquent individuals to divide and destroy us than Jews who demonize the State of Israel and portray the IDF – undoubtedly the most moral army in the world – as craven war criminals. If we glorify and support the tactics that these hateful Jewish individuals and organizations practice, or even if we stay silent, will be responsible for their “success”.

As was demonstrated by the horrific murder of Jews in the Pittsburgh synagogue, our enemies don’t distinguish between us. Jews who support and serve the work of our enemies should not be allowed to continue divide and self-destruct us from within.

The pro-Israel community must stand up to marginalize these bigots and their supporters. If we don’t, history shows that the results could be catastrophic.

Adam Milstein is an Israeli-American philanthropist. He can be reached at [email protected]

Antisemites Seek to Destroy Us

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Last Saturday, we witnessed the deadliest attack on American Jews in history. Eleven members of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh were violently murdered because they were Jewish. I was shocked by this horror, but I was not surprised.

Antisemitism is as old as the Jewish story itself. We honor the victims of the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah, we remember our struggles as slaves in ancient Egypt on Passover, and we even celebrate triumph over Haman’s plans to slaughter us in ancient Persia on Purim. It’s the terrible truth that we live with the constant realization that radical groups want to eradicate our people and all that binds us together: our beliefs, our values, our culture, our history – and our homeland, Israel.

History has shown that antisemitism can reach us anywhere. As novelist Norman Mailer once said, “When the time comes, they won’t ask what kind of a Jew you are.” It doesn’t matter if you go to synagogue every day, every week, once a year, or never in your life. It doesn’t matter whether you love Trump or you hate him. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Poland or you’re in Pittsburgh, and it doesn’t matter if you consider yourself a proud Jew or an assimilated one.

When we see antisemites acting out their hateful bigotry, we are confronted with a choice: What do we do? Do we condemn the evil and hope for the best? Do we stick our heads in the sand and ignore the ever-rising threats? Do we ask the government and other groups to defend us because we are passive or risk averse? Do we turn our backs on the future of our people and allow history to repeat itself?

Or do we fight back? Do we proactively work to fight not just for love, tolerance or even acceptance, but to make it so that our children today, and their children tomorrow, will be prepared and capable to confront antisemites and live safely and freely as Jews?

LAST YEAR, my wife and I traveled to Poland and saw the horrific conditions suffered by the Jews in Auschwitz-Birkenau, which were built with a single purpose: to exterminate our people.

Our takeaway from the trip was that we must be vigilant, and fight against our enemies.

I previously wrote about how today’s antisemitism manifests as a three-headed monster. This monster spews its vile bigotry through the radical Right, the radical Left, and radical Muslims. Each one of these hateful heads poses a real threat around the world. These radical groups work to divide our community to make us weaker and easier to target. We put aside our internal politics and band together, as proud Jews, finding the courage and strength to fight these groups.

How? First, we must closely learn about those who seek us harm. That means investing more resources into research capabilities, drawing on the latest technology to uncover the antisemitic networks online and off-line. We must understand what antisemites are saying, what their plans are and how they operate. We must use this knowledge to expose their unlawful activities and better protect our Jewish institutions in partnership with law enforcement.

Second, we must fight the alarming progress of antisemitism from the extreme fringes of our public discourse into the mainstream. We must be vigilant in educating the public about the evil and the true intentions of antisemitism, whether it is spewed by Louis Farrakhan, Jeremy Corbin or David Duke. For too long we have behaved as if antisemitism is merely distasteful, but not a danger. The attack last weekend made very clear the stakes for us all. Journalists, politicians, celebrities, and business leaders must be immediately called out when they echo antisemitic canards.

Third, we need to utilize the research acquired and to invest more in the physical security of our Jewish schools, synagogues and other institutions. As Jews, we cannot ignore the fact that we are all targets.

Jews don’t have to be like sheep led to the slaughter. Unlike Jewish communities in the past, we have human and civil rights – the right to vote and serve in the government, and the ability to fight back.

We are a proud people with a long memory, who live in the time with a strong and thriving Jewish state. We don’t have to be afraid and passive. We shouldn’t stay beneath the radar to maintain our pristine and nice reputation. We must be proactive and fight this head on.

The writer is an Israeli-American philanthropist. He can be reached at [email protected]

Originally published in the Jerusalem Post

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From Auschwitz to Pittsburgh – How Do We Respond to Rising Anti-Semitism?

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On Saturday, we witnessed the deadliest attack on American Jews in history. Eleven members of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh were murdered in cold blood because they were Jewish.

Like many, I was shocked by this horror, but I was not surprised.

The Jewish people have faced the lethal threat of Anti-Semitism for thousands of years — from the ancient struggle in Egypt to the Islamic conquest in the early middle ages to the Inquisition in Spain and the pogroms in Central Europe to the Holocaust.

We live with the ever-present fear that there are many people who want to eradicate Jews.

I saw this powerfully earlier this year, when I traveled to six European countries — the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Germany – with 100 leading American philanthropists and scholars, and together, we tried to wrap our heads around the scope of the genocide carried out by Nazi Germany and its European collaborators.

We saw the horrific conditions suffered by the Jews in Auschwitz-Birkenau, which were built with a single purpose: to eradicate the Jewish and Roma peoples. We saw mass graves in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, where hundreds of thousands of Jewish families perished by firing squads because their gentile neighbors collaborated with or joined in when the German Killing Machine arrived.

At the Rumbula Forest Memorial, we paid our respects to some of the 2.4 million Jews who were killed in the Hidden Holocaust by bullets — some murdered by neighbors they had grown up alongside.

Far too many people view these places as simply historical sites, where you can learn something about the past, but nothing about the future. Up until now, many — including some within the Jewish community — couldn’t comprehend that the antisemitism that existed in Nazi Germany might happen again, especially in America. I wonder if the massacre in Pittsburgh will change their minds.

Facing these horrors up close focused our attention on the relevance of the Holocaust to our present day. How can we ensure that Never Again isn’t just a slogan, but a mindset and an action plan?

Three lessons from our journey stand out.

First, events like the Holocaust don’t happen overnight. They result from a process of systematic racism, intimidation and discrimination that lasts many years.

Antisemitism had long been present across Europe. Nazi Germany harnessed that hatred to humiliate, marginalize and weaken the Jewish people, as it prepared to unleash the largest genocide in history.

During the first six years of Hitler’s rule, more than 400 decrees and regulations boycotted, delegitimized and sanctioned (B.D.S.) all aspects of Jews’ public and private lives. Jews were dehumanized in the eyes of the public until gentiles believed genocide was a reasonable course of action.

The parallels to recent events should not be lost on us. In the last two decades, America and Europe, in particular, have seen a steady rise in antisemitism from the radical right, the radical Left and from radical Muslims. A growing alliance between radical leftists and radical Islamists has produced figures like Jeremy Corbyn, the head of the British Labour Party, who ignores and even espouses vile antisemitism.

This alliance has driven the rise of figures on the radical Right in Germany, Poland, Italy, Estonia and elsewhere, who are committed to denying the Holocaust, and trade in antisemitic stereotypes. The same alliance is definitely one of the reasons to the rise of the radical right in America.

It seems the only thing shared by all the radical movements is their hatred of the Jewish people. While European governments publicly express strong support for the importance of protecting their Jewish communities, history tells us that nothing lasts forever.

We witnessed this trend up close. In many of our meetings, European officials blamed the Holocaust solely on Germany – not the collaborationist leaders of their countries. None of these countries seemed to take ownership of their actions during the Holocaust. This denial has become public policy.

For instance, a law recently passed in Poland made it illegal to acknowledge the Polish people’s complicity in death camps, outlawing the phrase “Polish death camps.” At the same time, and some Germans — including the third largest party in the parliament — are now working to minimize the Holocaust, claiming it was a small spec of “bird poop” in their 1,000 years of glorious history.

This brings us to our second lesson: We must recognize and fight against antisemitism with all of our power whenever we encounter it.

When we don’t act, we legitimize antisemitism, allowing it to become mainstream. We become an accomplice to its growth and influence.

Before and during World War II, Jewish communities across Europe cried out for help. World powers were overwhelmingly silent. Jews trying to flee were turned away by countries across Europe and the Americas, with Britain blocking immigration to what is now Israel.

Unfortunately, some Jewish communities in Europe and elsewhere now downplay or even ignore the dangers the Jewish people face. We found this in some of our conversations with European-Jewish leaders, who expressed their unwavering confidence in their local government’s willingness and ability to protect them.

Jews in America today have the power to stand up and fight back against the antisemites. We should use this power now — before it’s no longer available. Standing up in unity and fighting back are two different causes of action and we need both.

This brings us to our third lesson. We must support Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people and ultimate insurance policy for all Jews.

Israel did not exist during the time of the Holocaust. It has already saved millions of Jews fleeing antisemitism around the world. In its infancy, Israel accepted Holocaust survivors from displaced persons camps. It launched countless operations to save Jews facing existential threats across the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and Europe.

In the 90s, the Jewish homeland welcomed approximately 1.6 million Jews from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, who had endured harsh antisemitism and hatred. More recently, rising antisemitism in Venezuela brought over half of the country’s Jews to Israel.

Israel has changed the game when it comes to the security of the Jewish people. This point was driven home for us during the trip by Maj. General Amir Eshel — the former commander of the Israel Air Force, who accompanied us to Auschwitz. In 2003, Eshel led a squadron of IAF F-15s in a flyover of Auschwitz, issuing an eternal promise from the cockpit that the IDF is “the shield of the Jewish people and its nation, Israel.”

Following the murder of helpless Jews in Pittsburgh, I was shocked and outraged to hear American Jewish leaders blaming Israel for the rise of antisemitsm in America and encourage Israeli public officials not to come to the memorial events.

How can Jewish leaders betray the only Jewish Country in world, which is the ultimate source of confidence and security for the Jewish future?

Remembering the Holocaust is not enough. We must turn the tragedies of the past into lessons for the future. Nothing less than the continuation of the Jewish people is at stake. It’s in our hands to ensure that Never Again really means Never Again.

Adam Milstein an Israeli-American philanthropist, the national chairman of the Israeli-American Council (IAC) and co-founder of the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.

Original post in The Daily Caller

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Adam Milstein Named One of World’s 100 Most Influential Philanthropists

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LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–This week, Adam Milstein was named one of the world’s 100 Most Influential Philanthropists by London-based publication Richtopia in coordination with the social media ranking system Rise.Global.

“By embracing the principles of active philanthropy, funding projects with an eye to their life-path impact, and looking to build synergies between organizations, the Milstein Family Foundation will continue our work of igniting pride and courage in the next generation of our community leaders”

Milstein is No. 31 on the list of the most influential philanthropists, particularly at being pro-active, based on his Twitter and Facebook accounts. He is a co-founder and Chairman of the Israeli-American Council (IAC), and a leader in many other prominent Jewish organizations, including StandWithUs, the Israel on Campus Coalition, Hasbara Fellowships, and AIPAC.

Last year, Richtopia named Milstein No. 187 for his thought leadership in shaping pro-active global philanthropy and social media entrepreneurship. He has also been named one of the 50 Most Influential Jewish figures by The Jerusalem Post, one of the Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life by The Algemeiner and one of the 25 Most Influential People on Jewish Twitter by the JTA.

Other philanthropists on the Richtopia list include business leaders-turned-philanthropists such as Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, Bill and Melinda Gates, Eric Trump, Marc Benioff, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, as well as other highly influential public figures such as Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, Arianna Huffington, Tim Ferris, Ellen DeGeneres, Magic Johnson, Ashton Kutcher, and Russell Simmons.

“Since my wife Gila and I embarked on our philanthropic journey, our lives have been enriched in more ways than we could have ever imagined. We fully embrace the joy of giving back just as we employ the social media platforms that help philanthropists amplify our impact around the world,” Milstein said. “I am honored to be included on this prestigious list and hope to set an example for, and inspire, the next generation of Jewish leaders looking to make an impact.”

The Milstein Family Foundation advances a mission built on three pillars: strengthening United States, the US-Israel Alliance, and the State of Israel—the homeland of the Jewish people.

“By embracing the principles of active philanthropy, funding projects with an eye to their life-path impact, and looking to build synergies between organizations, the Milstein Family Foundation will continue our work of igniting pride and courage in the next generation of our community leaders,” Milstein said.

Contacts

Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation
Nathan Miller or Michelle Moreh
310-571-8264
[email protected] / [email protected]

 

Original press release in BusinessWire

L.A. Teens at Yom NCSY, Club Z Launch Event

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Original article in the Jewish Journal
BY RYAN TOROK | PUBLISHED AUG 10, 2018 

Thirty-eight Jewish teens from Los Angeles were among about 2,500 NCSY summer program participants who attended Yom NCSY, an evening of celebration and inspiration at the Latrun Tank Museum in Israel on July 25.

Many of the L.A. youths traveled with the Anne Samson Jerusalem Journey, which provides an opportunity for public school and unaffiliated teens to explore sites in Israel. The event marked the 20th anniversary of the NCSY summer program, which is named for Samson, a local philanthropist who died in 2013.

The gathering included young people from 15 different NCSY summer programs in Israel, the U.S. and Europe, who met
with newly installed Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog. They enjoyed Jewish music from New York-based DJZJ, singers Eitan and Shlomo Katz and other Israeli singers.

“Yom NCSY represents the very essence of what NCSY Summer is all about,” NCSY Summer Director David Cutler said. “At the event, it doesn’t matter what your religious background is. It’s about a united, nonjudgmental,
encouraging environment celebrating our shared connections in the home of the Jewish people. The palpable energy, cheering, singing, and dancing has made this the highlight of the summer.”

Formerly known as the National Conference for Synagogue Youth, NCSY is the international youth movement of the Orthodox Union. According to its website, NCSY’s programs are designed to provide Jewish teens with a strong connection to their Jewish roots through inspiration and leadership skills.

From left: Eliot Rushovich, Josh Eichenstein, Warren Coughlin, Marlyse Scherr, Daniel Barkin, Rojean Kashanchi, Stephen Rischall, Ari Rumennik and Evan Lindenmayer were among the young adult leaders of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles Summer Soirée 2018.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’ annual Summer Soiree was held on Aug. 1 at Tiato in Santa Monica, bringing together more than 500 young Jewish Angelenos for a night of music, drinks, games, art and summer fun.

The sold-out event raised over $15,000 through ticket sales for Federation’s Save Our Survivors campaign, which provides urgent and essential in-home care to more than 3,000 Holocaust survivors living in poverty in Los Angeles.

The Summer Soiree is Federation’s biggest event of the year for young adults. It is part of an effort to provide opportunities for young adults in their 20s and 30s to redefine and reimagine Jewish life and build community through social and networking events, leadership programs, travel opportunities and other activities.

From left: Israeli-American Council National Chairman Adam Milstein, Jewish Journal Publisher and Editor-in-Chief David Suissa and Club Z Executive Director Masha Merkulova at Club Z Los Angeles launch event.

Israeli-American Council National chairman Adam Milstein, Jewish Journal Publisher and Editor-in-Chief David Suissa and Club Z Executive Director Masha Merkulova participated in a discussion about Zionism during an evening celebrating the launch of the Los Angeles chapter of Club Z, a Zionist youth movement.

The Aug. 2 event, “Zionism: A Love Story,” was held at the Museum of Tolerance before an audience of about 150 people. The panelists discussed Zionism, their dedication to Israel and engaging tomorrow’s Jewish leaders.

“Club Z is thrilled to be open for business in Los Angeles,” Merkulova said. “We are meeting a critical need for high school students by bringing them together around
their Jewish identity, developing their leadership skills and creating a powerful network of proactive and effective advocates.”

Based in Northern California, Club Z has sought to engage Jewish teenagers whose parents emigrated from the Former Soviet Union, and it is now expanding its programming to other Jewish communities in the United States.

Milstein, an Israeli-American philanthropist, said he is optimistic Club Z will help increase pride for Israel among young people. “Club Z is inspiring the model for the next generation in the Russian Jewish community that is engaged, philanthropic and Zionistic,” he said.

On display at the gathering was an exhibition examining the period leading up to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, titled “The Birth of Israel: 18 Months That Changed Jewish Destiny.” Attendees also enjoyed a private tour of the museum’s Anne Frank exhibit.

From left: Pastor Rasoul Heidari of the Persian Worshipers of Christ church and Pastor Dumisani Washington, national diversity coordinator for Christians United for Israel.

Nearly 40 Los Angeles-area Iranian Christians gathered at Persian Worshipers of Christ church in West Hills on July 29 for a pro-Israel speaking event organized by the Christians United For Israel (CUFI) nonprofit organization.

CUFI’s national diversity coordinator, Pastor Dumisani Washington, the keynote speaker, said the event was the first effort by his organization to reach Iranian Christians living in the United States with a message to support Israel. He said the event was successful because of the congregation’s existing love of Israel and excitement about CUFI’s efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship.

“The Persian Worshipers of Christ church are wonderful people, committed to preaching the gospel to the people of Iran and fostering peace with Israel and all people,” Washington said.

The majority of the church’s members are Muslim converts to Christianity. Their pastor, Rasoul Haidari said their affection for Israel stems from a biblical mandate.

“We as Iranians have nothing but love for Israel and the Jewish people because we believe the Bible where God says to Abraham, ‘Those who bless you will be blessed and those who curse you will be cursed,’ ” Haidari said.

According to community estimates, about 14 small Iranian churches are located in Los Angeles and nearly 10,000 Iranian converts to Christianity live in Southern California. Haidari said his church regularly broadcasts Christian religious and anti-Iranian regime programming via social media platforms to millions of people in Iran who are secret converts to Christianity and support Israel. Washington said CUFI has plans for more pro-Israel events with various L.A.-area Iranian churches in the coming months and hopes to take those churches’ leaders on a 2019 Israel trip.

— Karmel Melamed, Contributing Writer

From left: Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore (seventh from left) and Joseph Herzog (eighth from left) attended a luncheon congratulating Moore for his recent appointment to LAPD police chief.

Los Angeles Jewish community members welcomed new Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore during a July 29 luncheon at the Shefa Melrose restaurant.

About 30 people attended the gathering hosted by Joseph (Motty) Herzog, general manager of Herzog Wine Cellars, and his wife, Ruchel.

Moore, a 36-year veteran of the LAPD, was sworn in as chief on June 28, succeeding Police Chief Charlie Beck, who retired.

The gathering included a discussion of local community issues. Andrew Friedman, an attorney and president of La Brea-area synagogue Bais Naftoli, told the Journal that he asked Moore if he would work to provide more security for the Orthodox community on Shabbat when its members walk to synagogue. Friedman said the new chief indicated he would. “He understands the special needs of the Orthodox community,” Friedman said.

Other attendees included L.A. County Commissioner Howard Winkler; chaplain Shirley Friedman; Bikur Cholim President Hershy Ten; Rabbi Yonah Landau, president of Tomchei Shabbos, and Dr. Irving Lebovics.