Petition Submitted to Planned Parenthood to Rescind Endorsement of Jamaal Bowman

Posted on June 21, 2024 by First.One.Through

In an environment of politicians and political organizations endorsing people running for office, it is noteworthy to see a grassroots-led initiative push for an organization to rescind an existing endorsement.

In one of the most-watched primaries in the country, residents of New York State’s 16^th Congressional District have been writing to Planned Parenthood to rescind its endorsement of Rep. Jamaal Bowman. The impetus for people in the liberal district to call the women’s rights organization was the recently surfaced video of Bowman yelling at a crowd on the streets of White Plains that the October 7 rape of Jewish women in Israel was a “lie” and “propaganda.”

“I have been giving to Planned Parenthood for forty years. I send them money monthly, and I cannot believe that they would endorse a rape denier,” said Jackie Laub, a retired medical technician who lives in White Plains. “Do the leaders of the organization hate Jews and Israel so much that they would still endorse him?”

Rabbi Scott Weiner of New Rochelle used to be a board member of Planned Parenthood. He submitted the petition to the organization’s CEO and Chair last week, signed by six hundred people in just one week, the vast majority of whom are residents of the district. “I am deeply shocked,” Rabbi Weiner said. “I care deeply about the organization, and for it to have its brand tarnished by endorsing Bowman will likely cost them important donors.”

The video of Bowman denying the sexual assault of women in Israel came out in late March, even though it was filmed at a pro-Palestinian rally in November. When people began to question and criticize Bowman about his rape comments, he refused to discuss it, according to Politico.

Eventually, Bowman got around to condemning the sexual violence committed by Hamas but many of his constituents remain deeply troubled by his initial instinct to not believe women who are raped if they are Jewish.

Diane Katz, who raised her four children in the district said “I wrote to Planned Parenthood as soon as I learned that they had endorsed Bowman. The organization’s response was abysmal. How can they endorse someone who clearly denied the extremely well-documented evidence and testimony of Israeli women who were raped and sexually mutilated? Jewish women around the United States have been leaders in the pro-choice and reproductive rights movement for decades and this is a slap in the face to our community.” She added her name to the petition to not feel so alone and abused by the organization’s tepid response to her letter.

“Screams Before Silence” movie

“They are endorsing a rape denier. Can you imagine that?” Katz asked. “A woman’s rights organization is endorsing a rape denier.”

Others had a similar road to signing the petition.

Dr. Rebecca Amaru of White Plains shared her initial email with Planned Parenthood. It led with “I write as a resident of NY-16, a woman, an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, an abortion provider, a proud activist on behalf of abortion access and rights, and a Jew.” She added “Jamaal Bowman does NOT stand for the values that Planned Parenthood represents. Mr. Bowman’s statements after October 7, 2023, included denials of the sexual violence propagated by Hamas terrorists against countless women in Israel. The denials by some progressive politicians of the well-documented crimes against women on October 7 are a stain on the Democratic Party. No matter what Planned Parenthood believes about the war in Gaza, you MUST come down on the side of women victimized by rape as weapon of war.”

After not getting a response from Planned Parenthood, she began to forward the petition to friends.

“It is not as though [Westchester County Executive] George Latimer is not pro-women. He is every bit as pro-choice as Bowman. Minus the rape denial,” added Amaru.

Dr. Sandra Weinstein of New Rochelle, a mother of three girls, was glad that the petition was being circulated. “Candidly, I wasn’t going to vote for Bowman anyway, so this has nothing to do with the race. This is about the normalization of rape denial if the victims are Jewish.”

The petition does not discuss the primary race and acknowledges Bowman’s stance on abortions. Specifically, the petition states that it is “deeply distressing to see Planned Parenthood continue to endorse Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY16). While he has been a supporter of female reproductive rights, he has vocally denied the mass rape of Israeli women before a chanting crowd on the streets of his district. Women’s bodily autonomy is not limited to a right to abortion. It must include protections from sexual abuse and assault. Rep. Bowman’s disgraceful ridicule of raped women is beyond the pale and cannot be normalized as acceptable, which Planned Parenthood’s endorsement does.”

*One Email sent by someone in District 16 to Planned Parenthood, and a QR Code which was used to get people to sign the petition*

Dr. Tali Lando of White Plains was very direct, saying “I’m disgusted. How can my congressperson’s initial reaction not only be to mock the rape of Jewish women, but to incite a crowd that Jewish rape victims are liars? What kind of country are we in?” She continued that the entire premise of Planned Parenthood endorsing Bowman is a contradiction of being for abortion rights. “Planned Parenthood should be ashamed of itself. It cannot claim to be the leading advocate of women’s bodily autonomy while simultaneously aligning itself with a rape denier.”

Rabbi Weiner added that “this is not just a Jewish issue. When a leading national woman’s rights organization like Planned Parenthood affixes its name to person who denigrates the victims of sexual assault to a cheering crowd, every person is at risk.”

The group’s action is already costing them one donor. “After forty years, I am no longer giving to them. They’ve lost me,” said Laub.

Planned Parenthood has still not responded to the petition other than acknowledging that it was received on June 10.

Jamaal Bowman Is Not Progressive, He’s Divisive (June 2024)

When Enemies Of The Jews Use “Any Means Necessary” (May 2024)

Antisemitic Wind Chill, Now In Westchester (January 2024)

The Rape And Torture Of Jewish Women By Emasculated Palestinian Men (January 2024)

Bowman’s Main Speaker Threatens Jews At Jewish Day School

Posted on March 12, 2024 by First.One.Through

Rep. Jamaal Bowman has saddled up with some of the most violent anti-Israel Jew-haters in his New York district. They are now actively coming for Jews.

At the launch of Bowman’s 2024 congressional campaign, he featured Nada Khader who said before a cheering Bowman that Jews in Israel will only be safe when Palestinian Arabs “return to our homeland!” Until then, they can expect more October 7 massacres.

*Nada Khader of WESPAC threatening Jews with more attacks if Palestinians do not get to move into Israel, with Rep. Jamaal Bowman cheering “Free Palestine”*

Khader has taken her screed directly to Jewish schools.

On March 10, 2024, Khader and about twenty fellow anti-Israel agitators came to the Jewish Leffell School, where Jews gathered to discuss buying homes in Israel.

This seemed like an ideal time and location for Bowman’s supporters to tell Jews that they should be attacked.

*Jihadist extremists carry banners in front of a Jewish Day School in Westchester County, NY on March 10, 2024*

Khader and friends carried signs to “end the 75 year occupation”, meaning to destroy the Jewish State, as well as to “end Western complicity in Zionism” to rip any protections for Jews, so Muslim extremists can seek “Palestinian Liberation by any means necessary.”

Pro-Palestinian extremists are very clear what “any means necessary” means – more October 7 massacres with raping, beheadings and burning families alive.

NYC – these vile stickers are being spotted all around Union Square.

The "Free Palestine" movement is truly deranged. pic.twitter.com/FoTDbR5Sb0
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) March 11, 2024

Khader’s charity, WESPAC, is somehow a tax-exempt entity despite calls for violence. It operates openly in the heart of Westchester County, home to 150,000 Jews.

*Nada Khader with allies calling for the rape and slaughter of Jews in front of a Jewish day school on March 10, 2024*

The brownshirts (the Sturmabteilung) are here and have begun making house calls to local Jewish establishments.

Imagine the danger to Westchester’s Jews if Jamaal Bowman prevails in the June 25th Democratic primary.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Rep. Rashida Tlaib shout “Free Palestine” before crowd after the October 7 massacre and mass rape of Israelis by Palestinian Arabs

Combat Rashida Tlaib’s Iranian allies from pouring millions of dollars into the NY District 16’s race of Manchurian Bowman. Donate to Westchester County Executive George Latimer

Jamaal Bowman And Hamas (February 2024)

Jamaal Bowman’s “Good Trouble” Is All Out War With Zionists In Israel and America (January 2024)

The Normalization Deformity: No To Zionism and Peace; Yes To Massacres and Terrorism In a Global Intifada (January 2024)

Jamaal Bowman Is Unfit To Serve In Congress (November 2023)

WESPAC, The Charitable Terrorist Supporters In Your Backyard (October 2023)

Rashida Tlaib’s Modern ‘Mein Kampf’ (August 2021)

The Insidious Jihad in America (July 2019)

The Holocaust Will Not Be Colorized. The Holocaust Will Be Live. (May 2019)

February New York State Poll Parsed For Jamaal Bowman Race

Posted on March 3, 2024 by First.One.Through

Now that Rep. George Santos is out of Congress, the current most hated representative in New York State is Jamaal Bowman of New York’s 16th District. Censured by a bipartisan Congress for pulling a fire alarm to delay a vote and then lying about it, his antics have long drawn the condemnation of Democrats and Republicans.

He is being challenged by popular Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who comfortably out-raised Bowman in the period ended December 31, 2023, raising $1.4 million with 73% coming from inside the district, while Bowman raised less than half that amount with a paltry 9% from inside the district. Bowman is so unpopular among his constituents, that he has resorted to teaming up with antisemitic money-raising machine Rep. Rashida Tlaib FROM MICHIGAN who is running unopposed, so can transfer all of her externally raised funds to Bowman.

The race is considered among the most watched in the country.

Siena College conducted a poll of likely New York voters from February 12-14, 2024 on a variety of issues. By every category of race, religion and age, New Yorkers were more pessimistic about the country than the state. That says a lot, because Democrats, Republicans and Independents all think that things in New York are getting worse, with Jews being the most angered about the situation in the state.

And it’s not about crime, as Jews were less likely to fear crime than other religious groups. Latinos are the most worried about being attacked.

According to the poll, when it comes to people’s representative in Congress, Democrats and Republicans are, not surprisingly, inclined to vote for the member of their own party. Independents are more likely to vote for the Republican over the Democrat (41% to 30%). The same holds true for people in the suburbs (40% to 37%) and upstate (42% to 40%). A significant percentage of suburban voters – like those in NY-16 – chose “someone else”, perhaps indicating a strong preference to oust their current Congressperson, beyond strict party consideration.

These results are problematic for Bowman. His district includes a large percentage of Latinos who worry about crime and are against his call to “Defund the Police.” Further, more than 2,000 Republicans and independents switched party to Democrats by the February 14 deadline to vote in the primary to be held on June 25, presumably to vote for Latimer.

Bowman now seems to be banking – literally – on Black and Muslim voters and donors.

In a transparent effort to buy votes, Bowman sponsored a resolution to hand $14 TRILLION to Black Americans, or about $333,000 for every Black American.

As part of his alliance with antisemite Rashida Tlaib, Bowman has taken the stage at fundraisers with a variety of antisemites and anti-Zionists including Nada Khader, Norman Finkelstein and several people who support the butchers of the political-terrorist group Hamas.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Rep. Rashida Tlaib shout “Free Palestine” before crowd after the October 7 massacre and mass rape of Israelis by Palestinian Arabs

Perhaps Bowman is looking at a silver-lining for him in the Siena poll which shows liberals more in favor of supporting military aid to Ukraine than to Israel, in N.Y. state, overall. The only place that the trend breaks is in the suburbs and among Jews, a constituent Bowman tossed into the garbage long ago.

Bowman has openly declared war on Jews across America and in his district, with the hope that the beleaguered minority-minority will be drowned by the masses and Gulf petrodollars, as he stokes a campaign based on hatred and divisiveness.

The insidious jihad is growing, and must be turned back now before it overwhelms America.

ACTION ITEMS

Donate to the George Latimer campaign

Follow George Latimer

Contact Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as Governor Kathy Hochul to not endorse the disgraced and unpopular incumbent from their party

Jamaal Bowman’s “Good Trouble” Is All Out War With Zionists In Israel and America (January 2024)

Jamaal Bowman Parrots Iran That American Exceptionalism Is A Lie Based In Racism (January 2024)

Jamaal Bowman Is Unfit To Serve In Congress (November 2023)

Rep. Bowman Is A Liar. And Dangerous (October 2023)

Bowman Defends Pulling Fire Alarm By Calling Republicans “Nazis” (October 2023)

The DSA Is Systematically Coming For Zionist Jews (August 2023)

Hamas’s Willing Executioners (July 2021)

Be A Proud DINO And Expunge Extremists

Posted on February 6, 2024 by First.One.Through

There are deeply red and deeply blue congressional districts throughout the United States. In those districts where either Joe Biden or Donald Trump won by a 30% spread, it is likely that the member of congress from that seat will be highly partisan.

It is not always the case. Passions surrounding Trump may not always correlate to the general political leanings of a district. In New York State for example, the presidential partisan spread in a district did not always correlate with the extremist voting records of the associated members of congress.

NY District	Cook PVI leaning spread	2020 member	voting record
NY5	D+30	Gregory Meeks	-0.65910
NY7	D+31	Nydia Velazquez	-0.93053
NY8	D+26	Hakeem Jeffries	0.04515
NY10	D+35	Mondaire Jones	-1.12582
NY12	D+34	Jerry Nadler	-0.27263
NY13	D+38	Adriano Espaillat	-1.03698
NY14	D+28	Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez	-1.48570
NY15	D+35	Ritchie Torres	-0.61421
NY16	D+20	Jamaal Bowman	-1.43612

Cook PVI analyzes the partisan spread in a district. Voting record from Lugar Center

As seen on the table above, some districts were very strongly democratic like NY8 (D+26) but elected a fairly moderate Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, who had partisan voting record of about zero, a very balanced score which showed a spirit of bipartisanship. The same could be said of Jerry Nadler in NY12 whose district had a Cook PVI score of D+34 but Nadler’s voting record was -0.27, showing definite Democratic leaning but not an extremist.

The real outlier was NY16 with a Democratic-leaning district of D+20, the lowest of those highlighted above, showing a much more moderate populace. However, the district was represented by a left-wing extremist, Jamaal Bowman, with a -1.436 score, showing a complete rejection of bipartisanship and cooperation (barely surpassed by the queen of the squad, AOC).

New York’s District 16 will almost certainly elect a Democrat, with a ranking of D+20. The moderate Democrats, Independents and Republicans in the district understand this and want to rid the district of the left-wing extremist that currently represents them, Jamaal Bowman. Independents and Republicans are rushing to change their registration to the Democratic Party by the February 14th deadline so as to vote for a more moderate member for congress, Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

A new group called Westchester Unites opened an office on 1297 North Ave. in New Rochelle to help facilitate this change in registration. It has run a banner “antisemitism is on the ballot” because of the highly inflammatory rhetoric of Rep. Bowman against Jews and the Jewish State. While the site doesn’t specifically mention Bowman by name, his horrible reputation is well known.

The grassroot group has been effective at not only getting people registered as Democrats but to donate to the Latimer campaign. According to an analysis by local media outlet LoHud, Latimer secured 73% of his donations from people within his district while Bowman only had a paltry 9% coming from locals, showing his money is coming from extremists outside of the county.

Those same left-wing extremists backing Bowman have accused the district’s activists of creating “DINOs” meaning Democrats in Name Only. They argue that groups like Westchester Unites are gaming the system and changing the nature of the primaries.

That is because the DINOs are realists who understand that the political system is broken. The handful of people who vote in primaries really decide elections in deeply partisan districts, not the general elections in November. Further, elections favor incumbents who win endorsements from fellow incumbents in a game of self-preservation which has nothing to do with the quality of the person in office.

Despite Bowman’s incumbency, Latimer has continued to rack up endorsements of many Democratic committees in Westchester including Eastchester, Mamaroneck, Pelham, Rye, Scarsdale and White Plains. It’s quite a victory and vote of confidence for Latimer and a harsh rebuke of Bowman, who was censured by a bipartisan congress in December 2023.

The deadline for changing party is February 14, and people in Westchester County, NY are proudly becoming DINOs to rid themselves of their toxic current congressman and replace him in the primary with George Latimer.

Jamaal Bowman’s “Good Trouble” Is All Out War With Zionists In Israel and America

Jamaal Bowman Parrots Iran That American Exceptionalism Is A Lie Based In Racism

Rep. Bowman Is A Liar. And Dangerous

Bowman Defends Pulling Fire Alarm By Calling Republicans “Nazis”

Antisemitic Wind Chill, Now In Westchester

Posted on January 25, 2024 by First.One.Through

Winter temperatures can drop to freezing in many parts of the world. When one factors in the strong winds that often accompany bad weather, the “real feel” temperature is often much lower. The wind chill effect is caused by the wind blowing the natural heat that our body generates to further lower our external body temperature, and over time, our internal temperature.

The same happens with antisemitic attacks and antisemitic vitriol.

Jews have always been the most targeted group of hate crimes according to FBI Hate Crime statistics, more than Blacks, LGBTQ and Muslim communities. An average Jew in the United States is six times more likely to suffer a hate crime than an average Arab.

And that was before the October 7 massacre.

Rather than the global community rally behind Jews who suffered the most heinous attack since the Holocaust, many people attacked Jewish stores and people. They added their vile voices to the antisemitic storm, to further instill a shuddering fear into Jewish communities. “Gas the Jews!” in Australia. “This is the beginning… Death, death, death to Zionism wherever it exists! Whether it is in our neighborhoods or across seas! Death to Zionism every single place it lays its feet!” in New York City.

And in Westchester County, NY, Rep. Jamaal Bowman screamed to a crowd at a campaign rally as if he were Adolf Hitler in Munich’s Hofbrahaus in 1920:

“This is just the beginning y’all, this is just the beginning… AIPAC is one of the most powerful lobbies in America. Well you know what we have got to say to AIPAC? Bring it on, y’all. AIPAC, bring it on, y’all! We are not scared of none of that! I’m from the streets of New York…. I was a middle school principal. Taught kids in the South Bronx. Hey y’all, this is New York. AIPAC, we’re ready for all of that. If you wanna support a corporate career corrupt pay-to-play politician, you go ahead and do that…. Our movement is much more powerful than they can even imagine!“

After blowhard-Bowman chillingly called his own constituents “they” as if they were and not Americans and New Yorkers, and frighteningly challenged local Jews essentially to a rumble as if we were living in West Side Story, the cold acts of hate hit Jewish stores.

Just a few hours later, at around 3:45am according to video cameras, a woman painted graffiti on a couple of Jewish-owned stores in Scarsdale, in Bowman’s district.

“Genocide Supporters” painted on storefronts of Jewish-owned stores

Word spread quickly in the Jewish community.

Hundreds of Jews came to the scene by 4:00pm, to support the Scoop Shop ice cream store and hear from politicians such as Westchester County Executive George Latimer who is running in the Democratic primary against Bowman, and State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin. Both told the crowd that while there is free speech, it has consequences and Westchester stands united against vitriol and hate of any kind.

Scoop Shop ice cream store packed with people supporting store owner

Jamaal Bowman has long made a reputation in congress as a toxic race-baiter. He accused Republicans of being too White and “lack[ing] the cognitive and emotional ability to recognize diverse opinions, when they talk truth to power.” He similarly thinks that a lobbying group made principally of Jews has too much power which must be railed against, even though he’s backed by a much more powerful lobbying arm, the teachers’ unions.

The antisemitic wind chill of Bowman’s caustic remarks and screaming challenge against the Jewish community hung in the air more than the sting of the vandalism.

Jews in Westchester closed ranks for warmth and comfort, and used the opportunity to get people to register to vote as they supported the victimized ice cream store and prayed the mincha service in the parking lot. The antisemitic wind chill felt less biting as they huddled and considered how they live in a time and place where an antisemitic storm can descend quickly with a toxic hail of words and actions.

By no means a natural storm. A storm manufactured and directed by their current governmental representative, Jamaal Bowman.

Owner of Scoop Shop after rally on January 25, 2024

ACTION ITEM

Donate to George Latimer campaign. Any amount, truly.

Follow George Latimer

Jamaal Bowman Doesn’t Care About Hate Crimes Against Jews Committed By Non-Whites

Jamaal Bowman Is Unfit To Serve In Congress

Jamaal Bowman Abandons Hostages And Absolves Hamas

Rep. Bowman Is A Liar. And Dangerous

Bowman Defends Pulling Fire Alarm By Calling Republicans “Nazis”

Don’t Let AOC Buy Another Squad Seat (August 2023)

Jamaal Bowman Insists On Playing Dealer In The Dangerous Game Of Jew Hatred (July 2023)

Letter To Rep. Bowman About Palestinians’ Lack of Support For Two States

Jamaal Bowman Does Not Recognize Discrimination Against Jews (March 2023)

Letter To Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY16) About Palestinian Support For Attacks (April 2023)

Jamaal Bowman Disgustingly Compares Israeli Actions in Jerusalem To A ‘Military Coup’, ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ And A “Genocide” (August 2022)

Why Does Rep. Jamaal Bowman Lie to Constituents? (December 2021)

WESPAC, The Charitable Terrorist Supporters In Your Backyard

The Anti-Israel Community in a Jewish House of Worship (November 2019)

A Disservice to Jewish Community (April 2015)

WESPAC, The Charitable Terrorist Supporters In Your Backyard

Posted on October 25, 2023 by First.One.Through

In the Westchester County, New York capital of White Plains, a front for Palestinian terrorism collects funds and promotes a jihad against American Jews and the Jewish state.

WESPAC Foundation describes itself as the “leading force for progressive social change in Westchester County, New York, since 1974. We have been educating, agitating and organizing for a more just and peaceful world, an end to militarism and racism and a more fair economy.”

Its version of “progressive social change” and “a more just and peaceful world” is attacking Jews and the destruction of Israel.

With donations to WESPAC, people affix posters in public spaces of Palestinian Arabs killed in confrontations with Israeli forces with a statement “Glory to our martyrs” over a map of all of Israel. PYM states “We used creative protest to honor our martyrs and uplift their legacies.”

Palestinian Youth Movement

The Palestinian Youth Movement gets funding from WESPAC. Its support for violent jihad can be found throughout its website and statements.

Some statements are subtle, like its recap of 2022 actions in which the group “commemorate[d] our martyrs, condemn[ed] Zionist violence, and affirm[ed] our peoples’ right to resist,” being unclear as to whether it supports terrorism.

The hatred for Jews is clear. PYM strongly supports the “Mapping Project out of Boston” which has been roundly condemned as horrifically antisemitic in laying out the various synagogues and Jewish institutions throughout Massachusetts. The Boston Globe printed that the “BDS-promoted mapping project is anti-Semitic and must be condemned” and that the “targeting of Jewish organizations and individuals harks back to the virulent conspiracy theories of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”

Reaction to Hamas’s October 7 Massacre

After the gruesome butchery committed by the Palestinian political-terrorist group Hamas of over 1,400 people in Israel and abduction of over 200, WESPAC released a statement “The attack from Gaza has a context. It follows months and years and decades of constant violence, pogroms, expulsions and other manifestations of apartheid inflicted on Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”

WESPAC defended Hamas’s grotesque terrorism of beheadings, rapes and burning people alive.

It continued “we refuse to be labeled as anti-Semitic for opposing Israel’s apartheid policies of supremacy and separation. The only solution, as it has always been, is to bring an end of apartheid, occupation, and siege, and promote a future based on justice, equality and human dignity for all. We call for a change from unconditional US support for Israel to equitable support for both Palestinians and Israelis in their struggle for peace with justice.”

On Your Dime

According to the ADL, “WESPAC uses its tax-exempt status as an NGO to provide financial support to groups and initiatives that actively denigrate, disparage and attempt to ostracize pro-Israel and Jewish communities, at times using blatant antisemitic language. As a fiscal sponsor, WESPAC receives and administers donations on behalf of groups such as National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP). WESPAC then keeps a percentage of the donation and gives the rest to the groups/projects that it fiscally sponsors. Groups the organization fiscally sponsors that engage in antisemitic anti-Israel activity are Adalah NY, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Palestinian Youth Movement, US Palestinian Community Network, and Within Our Lifetime. WESPAC occasionally will sponsor and participate in Israel Apartheid Weeks.“

The State of New York, home to roughly 2.2 million Jews, is also home to a vile group which is “honor[ing] our martyrs and uplift[ing] their legacies” of Hamas butchers who slaughtered innocent people. Its headquarters is in the NY-16 congressional district, which has the eighth most Jews of any district in the country, headed by Congressman Jamaal Bowman, who has repeatedly demonized Israel.

That is the state of diaspora Jews today. Watching the architects of a jihadi inferno operate openly under cover of democracy.

ACTION ITEM

Write NY Governor Kathy Hochul “Investigate the incitement to terror of WESPAC which funnels money to antisemitic groups”

Farrakhan in Westchester, and Jamaal Bowman

Rep. Bowman Is A Liar. And Dangerous

An Open Letter To Progressive Diaspora Jews

Bowman Defends Pulling Fire Alarm By Calling Republicans “Nazis”

New York Democratic Committee Doubles Down Calling Pro-Israel Republican Candidate an Anti-Semite

Farrakhan in Westchester, and Jamaal Bowman

Posted on June 13, 2023 by First.One.Through

A mural in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, NY, which was meant to celebrate Black history has instead become a symbol of the Black community’s anti-Jewish sentiments: that the rise in Black power will come at the expense of Jews.

Farrakhan in Greenburgh

Louis Farrakhan is a notorious antisemite and Black supremacist. He is the current leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI), which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) – a group devoted to defending Black people – labels as a hate group where “seeds of antisemitism are deeply rooted.” It listed just a few of his vile comments such as calling Hitler “a very great man” and Judaism a “dirty religion,” but the list is extensive. At a rally in 2020, he said “Those of you that say that you are Jews, I will not even give you the honor of calling you a Jew. You’re not a Jew. You’re so-called. You’re Satan. And it’s my job now to pull the cover off of Satan.”

A portrait of Farrakhan is now in public, on government property, paid for by local Westchester taxpayers.

In response to the Black Lives Matter movement, the town of Greenburgh hired a local artist to paint a mural on Manhattan Avenue on Black history. The town approved the initial sketches but town supervisors were later upset to see that the final version included Farrakhan, with hand raised, screaming over the U.S. Capital building. On August 25, 2022, the town said that it “voted to remove the unauthorized imagery. The Artist has agreed that Louis Farrakhan will be taken off of the mural and the image will be removed this week.” That never happened as the pictures above attest (taken June 9, 2023). Instead a barrier was placed at the platform’s stairs making it difficult for people to ascend to view the mural up close, while the platform’s rails obstruct the view for passers-by.

Black Westchester Magazine wrote an article about the mural and defended it with arguments that Farrakhan was an instrumental part of fighting for Black rights, and as there was no specific commentary against Jews in the mural, Jews should not get overly offended. The author added that he would be more sympathetic to Jews if they spoke out forcefully when Blacks were offended, curiously making sympathy an emotion with preconditions.

The artist and the Black community have continued to fight against removing the image of the antisemitic preacher and seem to be prevailing. The Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus is trying to raise $100,000 to pay back to Greenburgh to keep the mural up on public property.

Nation of Islam in New Rochelle

A few months later, in December 2022, the New Rochelle Public Library hosted an event to discuss Black-on-Black gun violence after a local rapper was shot and killed in October. Two politicians attended, including Council Member Yadira Ramos-Herbert who is running to be the next Mayor of New Rochelle and former New Rochelle Board of Education President Lianne Merchant who is running to replace Ramos-Herbert as the representative for Council District 3. Several speakers took the stage including NAACP President Minister Mark McLean, New Rochelle Municipal Housing Authority Executive Director Angela Farrish and City of New Rochelle Director of Economic Development Jorge Ventura.

Then Brother Arthur Muhammad of the Nation of Islam and a “drill team” performed. They recommended that the “FOI” – Fruit of Islam, the armed wing of the Nation of Islam – manage New Rochelle’s streets. They chanted “War! War! Farrakhan! Salute Elijah! Raise Front Farrakhan! There’s a time for peace, there’s a time for war! Hear the guards! Hear the guards knocking at your door! You need the FOI to the day we die!”

*Members of the Nation of Islam at the New Rochelle Public Library, December 2022*

As described by the “Talk of the Sound”, The Fruit of Islam (FOI) is the security and disciplinary wing of the Nation of Islam (NOI). It has also been described as its paramilitary wing. The FOI was created at the founding of the Nation of Islam and existed until the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975 when it was disbanded. The FOI was reestablished by Louis Farrakhan with him as Commander-in-Chief.

Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY16)

Jamaal Bowman is the congressman who now serves the newly redrawn NY District 16 which covers lower Westchester County. He won principally on the strength of the turnout in the predominantly Black areas, including Greenburgh where the Farrkhan mural hangs in public. While that town is less than half the population of the city of Yonkers, it had more votes in the Democratic primary, with 8.1% of the residents coming out to vote, a remarkable 20% of all primary voters. Bowman’s tally in Greenburgh, Yonkers, Mount Vernon and New Rochelle (13,918) was more than enough to sail to victory in 2022.

On June 6, 2023, Bowman endorsed Working Families Party candidate for New Rochelle mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert. She was one of the attendees at the New Rochelle Public Library as the Nation of Islam performed who has refused to comment about the event.

Bowman has a long history of upsetting his Jewish constituents, both within the former contours of District 16 and in the current borders of lower Westchester. He has failed to support resolutions condemning antisemitism and supported anti-Israel initiatives. In 2020, he replaced Jewish congressman Eliot Engel in the Bronx, and Bowman now serves the region which had been represented by Jewish congresswoman Nita Lowey for decades.

Lower Westchester County is home to some of the wealthiest towns in the country, including Scarsdale, Bronxville and Larchmont. It is also becoming the home of left-wing and radical Muslim extremism, as those communities put forward extremist candidates in local elections (like those backed by the Working Families Party), and organize to get out the vote, as much of the county ignores local primaries – next one on June 27 – to their own detriment.

Early voting starts June 17. Click for locations.

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Orthodox Institutions Should Rally To The Westchester Reform Temple

Posted on February 9, 2022 by First.One.Through

An anti-Zionist teacher was fired from the Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York, and is now suing the institution. Religious organizations should support the Reform Temple in this lawsuit.

Jessie Sander wrote an article in May 2021 in which she “call[ed] for American Jewish institutions to revisit their educational philosophy and curriculum about Palestine and its history,” and that American Jews must stop their “racist practices and beliefs” and support of Israel (which she spelled each time with a lower case “i”) in its “settler-colonial violence” and “genocide in Palestine.” She added that “israel actively trains the actors of our military state to enact violence against our Black and Brown siblings,” portraying Israel as committing racist violence both in Israel and the United States.

A few weeks later she was hired as a Hebrew teacher at the Westchester Reform Temple before the school was aware of her writings. Once the administration found out about it, she was questioned and then dismissed. She is now suing the school for reinstatement plus compensatory damages.

*February 6, 2022 New York Times article on a Jewish school firing an anti-Israel teacher*

The New York Times covered the story in its typical anti-Israel jaundiced fashion. It noted that Sander is like many younger American Jews, who are not emotionally attached to Israel, as it cited a poll which found that 25 percent of Jews believed Israel to be an “apartheid state” and 22 percent said it was “committing genocide against the Palestinians.”

Those aren’t “beliefs” any more than Holocaust denial is a belief. They are simply wrong. When 25 percent of a class gets a question wrong on an exam, we don’t reorient the narrative to accommodate the incorrect.

Schools must be able to evaluate the teachers they hire and whether they pose a threat to the students and mission of the institution. This teacher was not simply stating that she was concerned about Palestinian self-determination but sought to change the “educational philosophy and curriculum” with her false impressions about the state of Palestinian “genocide.” Together with her deliberate refusal to capitalize the state of Israel, the institution was rightly concerned about what she was going to teach in her classes.

While liberal anti-Zionists like Peter Beinart may run to defend this teacher, it is important for other religious denominations – especially the Orthodox – to rally to the side of the Reform Temple.

Jewish institutions have long hired a variety of people from different backgrounds. Yeshiva University, the flagship Jewish university in the United States, hires many non-Jewish faculty. Jewish Day Schools hire people with a range of political views from conservative to progressive.

But they do not hire someone who seeks to instill a false narrative into the cirriculum.

Yeshiva University, the Orthodox Union, the Rabbinical Council of America and other Orthodox organizations do not always have an opportunity to bond with the Reform movement. These mission-driven groups – as well as non-Jewish ones – should rally to support the Westchester Reform Temple in the suit by an anti-Israel extremist, in an important defense of their religious rights.