žressman for tying fight against anti-Semitism to ‘respect for Palestinian human rights’.
Arutz Sheva Staff , Feb 08 , 2021 8:18 AM
CJA spokesman Rabbi Aryeh Spero released a statement Sunday, lambasting Rep. Levin for his comments a week ago during an online seminar hosted by the anti-Israel group IfNotNow.
“Injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere,” Levin said during the webinar. “Unless Palestinian human rights are respected, we cannot fight anti-Semitism.”
Rabbi Spero called the statement “absurd” and “cruel.”
“In a breathtakingly absurd statement, Congressman Andy Levin (D-Mich) stated during a February 1 webinar that anti-Semitism cannot truly be defeated until ‘Palestinian human rights are respected.’
“Mr. Levin is blaming anti-Semitism on the Jews, the very victims of anti-Semitism. This is cruel. Anti-Semitism pre-dates the Israel-Arab conflict and will be with us, unfortunately, in future decades to come.”
“The world’s anti-Semitism is not a function of the lack of conclusion to the Israeli-Palestinian Arab situation. The Jews of Israel have made countless efforts towards peace and have implemented thousands of acts of humanitarianism towards the Arab and Muslim population, which is seldom requited back to them. Yet, anti-Semitism still exists. Jewish families and Israeli schools are constantly under bombardment by groups of Arab Palestinians whose hatred of Jews predated by centuries the establishment of a Jewish state.”
Rabbi Spero continued: “Reading Mr. Levin’s other comments, it is obvious that his leftist ideology places blame on those parties continually demonized by today’s leftwing leaders. Israel is one of those targets. His statements show that he appears to see anti-Semitism as coming from the political right only. This willful blindness allows the widespread, dangerous anti-Semitism fomenting in today’s leftwing camp. It is obvious that Mr. Levin, as with many wayward Jews who sadly have lost their way, is focused much more on hurting the political right than actually stopping anti-Semitism.”
“Levin boasts of his friendship with Ilhan Omar and of his warm cooperation with ‘his sister’ Rashida Tlaib, both widely known for expressing disparaging and pejorative remarks not only about Israel but also about Jews who support Israel. This should be proof enough that Mr. Levin is not an honest broker when talking about anti-Semitism.”
“That Levin blames anti-Semitism on Jews who do not surrender to Palestinian Arab leadership calling for Israel’s destruction is akin to blaming Jews for the dislike of them by the Third Reich. Unfortunately, it seems that many people born Jewish, carrying a distinctive Jewish last name, are the last people in the world upon which the Jewish people and America should place their hope for eliminating anti-Semitism.”