After years of being the favorite go-to guest on antisemitism, Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, is being slammed by a range of critics for his lack of response to Trump’s Madison Square Garden event, which recalled the 1939 Bund Rally held by the American Nazi Party.
The gathering was a cornucopia of hate speech, racism, antisemitism, and misogyny. With a rogue’s gallery of speakers (including Steven Miller, a one-man horror show, and shanda to Jews everywhere), it was the kind of October surprise nobody had anticipated.
With Project 2025 serving as the agenda for a potential second Trump administration, it was an extremely inopportune moment for Greenblatt to choose to be “non-partisan” in his reaction.
Greenblatt, in his media appearances even before October 7, has been consistently called on to present comments on antisemitism and other discrimination in America. However, he almost always shifted the dialogue to conflating Zionism and any criticism of Israel to an equivalent of antisemitism.
Comments disparaging other Jewish organizations who have questioned the Israeli government’s lack of concern over Palestinian human rights have added to the conflict within the American Jewish community. Greenblatt supported Elon Musk’s move on X to ban language that Greenblatt considered offensive and anti-Israeli. Yet, in November 2023, Musk referenced an antisemitic statement as the “actual truth.”
Moving into ten years of leadership at the helm of the ADL, Greenblatt is now being vociferously questioned about his weak response to the Trump rally. From a Biden administration official to Abe Foxman (the previous head of the ADL), Greenblatt is being challenged as to why he has chosen such a conciliatory path regarding Trump.
On Thursday, October 31, NYC4Kaplan, an Israeli-American activist group, took it a step further. They demonstrated in front of the ADL headquarters on Third Avenue in Manhattan, bringing the question directly to Greenblatt.
Gathering on the sidewalk, they held signs and called to the organization:
“ADL, Listen to our plea, Condemn Trump’s statements, For everyone to see.”
I spoke with Avital Shimshowitz, one of the organizers, to ask her why she felt it was imperative to take this action. Referencing Greenblatt, Shimshowitz stated, “He failed in his mission. He’s the head of the ADL. He’s to blame.” Shimshowitz found Greenblatt’s lack of a strongly worded response to the night at Madison Square Garden “unfathomable.” Why was Greenblatt reticent to call out the antisemites by name? Shimshowitz qualified Greenblatt as “Looking the other way,” adding, “Silence is violence. He is normalizing this language.”
Anat Goldberg-Yosefi traveled from Long Island to ensure her voice was heard. Born in Netanya, Israel, Goldberg-Yosefi has been in the United States for thirty-four years. An architect, both of her parents were Holocaust survivors. Her outrage was palpable. She emphasized how appalled she was by Greenblatt’s absence of commitment to having the “courage to speak the truth.”
Without parsing words, Goldberg-Yosefi noted that Greenblatt’s lack of a definitive reaction was the equivalent of suggesting that he has no problem with “Trump’s affinity for Hitler.” She referenced the incident in Jupiter, Florida, where neo-Nazis shouted out “Heil, Trump” at a boating event for the former president. Goldberg-Yosefi was clear about the messages that Trump consistently delivers when he addresses American Jews and calls Israel “Your country,” suggesting dual allegiances and loyalties.
When I asked her why she thought Greenblatt continued to maintain his stance despite calls to acknowledge Trump’s ongoing affinity with Adolf Hitler, Goldberg-Yosefi suggested that Greenblatt was hedging his bets if Trump won the election. “Maybe he’s trying not to aggravate anyone,” she offered. “But how is this not antisemitism? It’s as blatant as it comes. It (ADL) is supposed to be an apolitical organization, but it is aligning itself with antisemites. There is no clearer antisemitic message than being a Hitler sympathizer!”
Goldberg-Yosefi responded to my question on Trump’s comments about how great he would be for Israel. She said, “Being pro-Trump is not being pro-Israel.” Giving herself a moment to reflect, she said, “What does pro-Israel mean anyway at this point?”
Ironically, several placards had statements on Greenblatt’s judgments about demonstrations on college campuses. One said, “Student protests were flagged as threats to Jews, but a Hitler fan gets a pass? What gives, Jonathan?”
Greenblatt’s ADL bio asserts that the objective of the ADL is “to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” It’s evident that in his lackluster response to the performance at Madison Square Garden, Greenblatt failed his objective.
By Election Day, the majority of New Yorkers will have decided who they are voting for, from the top of the ballot on down.
What they may not know is that the back of their ballot has a vitally important proposition that will codify essential protections for New York State. This is of particular relevance to at-risk populations, including immigrants, seniors, the LGBTQ+ community, those with disabilities, and for women’s reproductive health.
When asked about Proposition 1, voters have been drawing a blank.
The legislature passed this constitutional amendment twice. Now, voters can activate its passage in this year’s election.
What will Proposition 1 Do?
The amendment language states that it will protect the right to abortion for all New Yorkers. It will also close all loopholes in the State Constitution to ensure that no New Yorker can be discriminated against by the government, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, pregnancy status, disability status, or whether someone is LGBTQ+.
I attended two events to learn more. The first was an educational presentation in New York City (Bronx). The second was a rally in Yonkers to support the legislation.
Morgan Evers and Abigail Martin from the 81st Assembly District anchored the Bronx meeting. State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz were in attendance. Martin emphasized that in 2018, women could get Reproductive Healthcare throughout their pregnancies. Rivera said, “Proposition 1 is needed because New York State must be a bulwark.”
Martin explained, “Prop 1 protects citizens against what could happen in the future. It puts decision-making with the people of the state, not politicians.” Along with protecting abortion rights and needed healthcare options, Proposition 1 safeguards IVF and birth control. Martin addressed attacks on the proposition that have been emanating from Republicans in the state who have mobilized to spread disinformation and fear to voters about “the change of existing laws” or circulating that Proposition 1 “will strip parents of their God-given parental authority and responsibility.” Opposition groups have primarily targeted transgender protections, while also conflating immigrants with voting rights. Martin underscored that the legislation does not deal with transgender surgery, sports playing options, or the handing out of “special rights.” She added, “That’s a version of they’re eating the pets.”
The New York City Bar has a concise explanation of what Proposition 1 does and what it doesn’t do, dispelling any doubts about “parental rights, sports team participation, or voting qualifications.”
The rally held in Yonkers, despite the rain, featured top New York Democratic electeds, civil rights advocates, and activists. Signs for candidates were visible, along with literature and buttons available for distribution. Arriving early, I connected with several presenters before they took the stage.
Leslie Chervokas, Chairperson of the Women Democrats of Westchester, told me, “The time to act is now because of threats across the United States to essential freedoms. We may not have another chance based on the composition of future legislatures.”
Donna Lieberman
The director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Donna Lieberman, articulated, “Prop 1 will enshrine abortion rights and full equality into our State Constitution.” Looking down the road, Lieberman sees a failure to pass the proposition as a green light for the extreme right-wing to engage in other forms of revisionism. “This inoculates all New Yorkers from a shift in the political environment,” she said. As an example, Lieberman offered, “This can save us from a potential governor who is dead set on stopping abortion rights.”
A repeated theme was that Proposal 1 should be a model for the country, especially given the well-financed efforts of adversaries and the need to protect “against unequal treatment.”
One of the most vibrant speakers was Attorney General Letitia James. Responding to “Tish, Tish” chants from the water-logged crowd, she made it clear, “We won’t go back.” James spoke of her trip to Texas and the gut-wrenching stories from Georgia. “We don’t want that in New York. We have to put it in the hands of New Yorkers who will never tell healthcare workers to get [to] one step away from death.”
“Lift it up! Turn It Over. Vote Yes on Proposition 1! became the refrain.
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Majority Leader of the State Senate, called out the number of days remaining to get the word into circulation. “New York’s 1970 abortion law was in play before the national one,” said Stewart-Cousins. She spoke about how she carried the bill until it was passed. “In those days, it was in the homicide section. It was not considered health.” Stewart-Cousins conveyed the importance of keeping a Democratic majority in Albany. “I want to make sure that we have progress and save democracy. We need leaders to reflect who we are.”
Tying together the hyperlocal, state, and national scenarios, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said, “Today’s rally is really important. New York is going to decide on five House seats. We’ve built a coordinated campaign to get stuff done in five battleground districts. We’ve made 1.2 million calls and knocked on 350,000 doors. We have to elect Harris. We can do this. Don’t ever say ballot initiatives don’t matter. They can guarantee freedoms. New York has to be part of the solution. This election is about you, your children, your grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”
A balance to those speeches was the personal narratives shared by those whose stories demonstrated why passing the proposition resonated so deeply for them.
Anthony Nicodemo, high school teacher and coach, voiced why Prop 1 was essential to protect members of the LGBTQ+ population. Lisa Hofflich shared the secret that she had carried for 30 years: an unplanned pregnancy with the boyfriend who became her husband and father of her five children.
Perhaps the backstory that cut the deepest for me was that of Julie Shiroishi, the Executive Director of Eleanor’s Legacy. When we spoke privately, the clause to protect New Yorkers against unequal treatment based on ethnicity or national origin became painfully clear. Her father and other family members were placed in internment camps for Japanese-Americans during World War II, including in Poston, Arizona.
It was a crystalizing moment, recalling how far America has gone off the rails in the past…and under certain circumstances, could easily do so again.
With the Jewish High Holidays, the first anniversary of October 7, and the American elections approaching in November, American Jews have plenty to reflect upon. Will the clergy delivering sermons in their synagogues talk about Jewish ethics and morality in conjunction with the war in Gaza? Will the focus be on antisemitism? Will anyone mention the role of the Israeli government in the ongoing events that have left their country stunned and bereaved, Palestinians in Gaza engulfed by ruins and hunger, and West Bank Palestinians terrorized by radical Jewish settlers?
I don’t know if I will hear answers to these questions from the pulpit during the Days of Awe, but on Thursday, September 26, I did learn plenty during a demonstration in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza spearheaded by NYC4Kaplan and the American Progressive Israel Network. Those who came were American and Israeli Jews with a specific message for Benjamin Netanyahu, who was scheduled to speak at the United Nations that Friday.
Many factors were at play, reflecting the different backgrounds of those in attendance. However, the unrestrained contempt and revulsion for Netanyahu was a robust unifying thread.
I arrived just as the T’ruah prayer service ended. Before the program began, I spoke with Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the Executive Director of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. “The message of the High Holidays,” said Jacobs, “is that we are in this together.” She talked about the joint anguish of bringing the hostages home and ending the war in Gaza. Jacobs also pointed to the “poisonous agenda” the current government in Israel has been implementing, along with the messianic settler strategy of taking over Palestinian land. We then shifted to the homegrown venom that was flowing through American veins. Jacobs called out the insidiousness of Trump’s comments, in which he suggested that if he lost the 2024 election, American Jews would be partially responsible.
Rabbi Margo Hughes-Robinson, Executive Director of Partners for Progressive Israel, related her thoughts about how “Americans, both in the Jewish community and beyond, had an opportunity to make their voices heard and to lift the messages that hostage families and protesters in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and beyond have made clear.” She emphasized the need for a diplomatic solution to the crisis while pegging Netanyahu as an impediment to “a future of peace for Israelis and Palestinians.”
When I asked Jonathan Kopp, Chairperson of J Street New York, about his thoughts on co-sponsoring the event, he said, “We felt it was important to stand in solidarity with the hostages and their families along with the vast majority of Israeli citizens who want a ceasefire deal that gets the hostages home and clears the way to a constructive diplomatic process that will deliver security and stability to Israel and the Middle East.”
Ameinu’s Vice-President, Nomi Coltman-Max, reiterated the belief that the solution is not military. “We have to find a way to live equally in sharing the land…for the future of the next generation.”
Despite the rain, a large crowd had assembled. Every contingent had signs. Standing Together folks were immediately recognizable by their purple shirts. (Leaders Alon-Lee Green and Rula Daood have been named as two of Time Magazine’s “Next 100.”) The drums and whistles common at Israeli-American gatherings were in play, along with chants in Hebrew of busha (shame.)
After a moment of silence, the first speakers were Yehuda and Vikki Cohen, parents of Nimrod, a hostage still in captivity. Yehuda said, “Netanyahu is doing everything to prevent a deal. He doesn’t want to lose his position and go to jail and is using the hostages to keep his extremist coalition to conquer Gaza. They want war. They want blood.” One of his goals is to “try to change the narrative of U.S. Jewish groups.”
Rabbi Amichai Lau Lavie led the proceedings. I’ve heard him speak numerous times. His humanity, empathy, and honesty are palpable. In his welcome, he stated, “We stand here today aware that the only path forward is a shared one, where Israelis and Palestinians have the chance to thrive, grow, and dream together.” He called on Netanyahu to “end the war and ensure a hostage deal now.” He qualified the Prime Minister’s ongoing actions as an “anti-democratic vision of extremism and dehumanization.” Grounding his comments in Jewish theological thought, he pronounced the need for reflection, teshuva, and “making repentance for past mistakes.”
Cohen’s outrage stood in contrast to the hostage remembrance conducted at my synagogue every Friday since October 7. Combined with a prayer for the State of Israel and the return of the captives, it has become somewhat of an abstract exercise. The passion of Nimrod’s parents made it visceral.
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib followed the Cohens. He grew up in Gaza City and came to America as an exchange student. Presently, he works at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs. He detailed the ongoing horrors in Gaza as the “most destructive chapter in Palestinian history.” Alkhatib told of the family members he had lost in Gaza (thirty-one of his extended relatives) and the others who were displaced. He rejected the “zero-sum equation” for solving the Israel/Palestine conflict and the “self-serving leaders of both sides.”
Former Deputy Head of Israel’s National Security Council, Eran Etzion, was unequivocal in his declaration, “Netanyahu no longer represents Israel.” He urged Biden and Harris to use all the leverage at their disposal, with direct advice on how to deal with Bibi: “He’s playing you. History is looking you in the eye.” In a statement reminiscent of the Eldridge Cleaver quote, Etzion underscored, “If you’re not fighting with us against it, you are inadvertently part of it.”
Yael Admi, wearing a white shirt and turquoise scarf, the colors of Women Wage Peace, which she co-founded, articulated the “need to find compromises.” She described how her group’s sister organization, Women of the Sun, and Women Wage Peace work together. “We have a historic opportunity,” Admi told the crowd. Later, when we conversed briefly, Admi mentioned her upcoming trip to Washington, D.C., to receive an award from Hillary Clinton in a ceremony at The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security.
Adding to the tumult of U.N. week in Manhattan was the breaking news that Mayor Eric Adams was under indictment. Despite the crisis at City Hall, NYC Comptroller and a co-founder of the New York Jewish Agenda, Brad Lander, was on-site, joking that it was the only commitment of the day that he hadn’t canceled. He was there to comment on the “entrenchment of the Occupation” and the need to identify that “Israelis and Palestinians were intertwined.”
Zahiro Shahar Mor, who I had the opportunity to dialogue with after the event (See sidebar), expressed his pain from the personal losses, the deaths of his uncle and his cousin, from which he had suffered. He pegged Netanyahu’s actions as “all about his political survival.” He challenged Netanyahu to “Make your visit to New York something other than a P.R. charade. Stop the war now!” He echoed the sentiment on several shirts and signs that announced, “We are not our government.”
Senior Rabbi of B’nai Jeshrun, Felicia Sol, shared the vision of “what God wants from us,” invoking the concepts of Moses Maimonides. “Everyone can stand up for justice, doing what is right and good,” she said. Addressing Netanyahu’s ongoing strategy, she declared, “Enough of Bibi’s warmongering. There’s no time to waste. Bring them home now. Wednesday evening, say goodbye to 5784; good riddance. We want to welcome in the New Year with hope.” As a final benediction, she added, “Let this year and its curses come to an end.”
Former Israeli fighter pilot and a veteran of the Six Day War, Dr. Kobi Richter, announced flatly, “Bibi does not represent me. He is sacrificing Israel for his own career.” He also called for Netanyahu’s resignation.
Gili Getz, photojournalist and Israeli American activist, gave an impassioned speech. Instrumental in numerous organizations. Getz laid out his frustrations unambiguously.
“Tomorrow at the U.N., Bibi will lie and use bullshit terms like Total Victory. He’s a dictator wannabe. He’s helping Trump, which will put our [American] freedoms at risk. Israel is being sacrificed. All he cares about is keeping his government.” Getz specifically articulated Netanyahu’s agenda of cementing “violent exclusivity over the land and turning the police into a militia.” He asked, “Where does it come from?” Without missing a beat, he declared the truth that many Jews in the United States still don’t want to recognize. “A system of occupation.” Getz implored the crowd, “They must be stopped. Bring peace and prosperity to all Israelis and Palestinians on behalf of Israelis for peace.”
Josh Drill, born in America, moved to Israel because he saw it as his “spiritual home. A leader in the pro-Democracy movement, he delineated the attack within the [Israeli] nation as a “slaughter of Israel’s soul.” His top takeaways, while allowing the path forward wasn’t easy, was: “There are Palestinian partners for peace.” He told listeners, “Each and everyone here today can ignite [action] in your social circles.”
In a brief moment of humor, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum suggested that if Netanyahu “really” cared about the people of Israel, he would trade himself for all the hostages. She related how, in the 1970s and 1980s, there was already a distinct understanding that the “Occupation would destroy the soul of Israel.”
Kleinbaum pulled in a worldview when she underscored, “We need to get rid of Bibiism and Trumpism. There is a tsunami of hate we are facing.” Listing the countries experiencing a rightward political shift, Kleinbaum said, “It’s happening all over the world. We must link arms and reject the politics of hate.”
I particularly appreciated her discussion of Rosh Hashanah, the sixth day of Creation, and the Biblical thoughts on darkness, chaos, and the Hidden Light. The symbolism of that Hidden Light resides in God telling the human race: “Look for it.”
Kleinbaum concluded with an excerpt from a eulogy delivered at the funeral of peace activist Vivian Silver by one of her Palestinian colleagues:
“Do not despair. Carry the light. We did not give in. We laid a foundation for Jewish and Palestinian humanity across this terribly broken world.”
Photos: Marcia G. Yerman
SIDEBAR: Zahiro Shahar Mor
After the demonstration concluded, I was introduced to Zahiro Shahar Mor. Rather than sitting in the intermittent rain, I suggested getting a coffee. At the time, I hadn’t connected the dots between his specific family members and the news stories that had filtered into American media. I knew he was an outspoken activist, but the extent would become clearer when I read about his arrest during Netanyahu’s “speech” to members of Congress. Mor was seated as a guest in the visitor’s gallery when he was escorted out in response to his vocalizations and then arrested by the Capitol Police. I knew that he was a core member of the families of hostages who had been demonstrating regularly in front of Begin Gate (The location in Tel Aviv of the IDF HaKirya military headquarters.) Mor was also an early participant in the protests against the judicial coup.
I learned details about his family of origin (from Poland and Moldavia), life in Tel Aviv, and the role he has taken in the activist struggle. Mor left the Israeli army in 1997 after over two decades of service, with the rank of Army Captain, and vowed not to serve again.
Mor underscored how the takeover of the police leadership by extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir, now the Minister of National Security, has changed the force and unleashed a proclivity for over-the-top violence. The clashes with Israeli cops, seen with frequency on social media, have escalated.
There is no preference in treatment for those who have relatives still in captivity. For demonstrators, detentions and arrests are now part of the script. Mor showed me a video of himself in a police car, confined for hours while the officers waited for backup.
One of our conversations focused on the challenge of dealing with the cult of messianic Judaism. That morphed into the legacy of Simon bar Kokhba. “They celebrate him,” Mor said. “Zealousness inside the Jewish gene pool must be addressed.”
Mor informed me that he would continue to be present at the Begin Gate demonstrations because, “I can shout my rage out.” In a quiet voice, he continued, “It’s for the future generations. Everyone’s kids.”
As the United Nations General Assembly, attended by Prime Ministers, Presidents, and diverse world leaders, convenes for its 79th session, an actual “peacemaker” has been speaking in New York City. His message is simple, but it isn’t on the front burner of either the Israeli right-wing government or the Hamas decision-makers.
The concept that Palestinian Hamze Awawde has been putting forth regarding the previous eleven-plus months of destruction and despair is succinct:
“There is no violent solution.”
Awawde is in the United States, appearing in numerous cities to discuss the work that he has been doing. On Sunday, I was at a session hosted by the NYC Chapter of Supporters of Standing Together Abroad, a group that gathers on Sundays in Union Square to raise awareness for the Israeli Standing Together organization, their Theory of Change and to call for an end to the war and the return of the hostages.
Tamara Gayer, the point person for the New York group, moderated the conversation. (Partners for Progressive Israel sponsored a Brooklyn gathering the following night.) Gayer referenced the ongoing weekend event, which promotes the calls to “Bring Them Home” and “Let Gaza Live.”
“We are the keepers of the flame,” Gayer said to a room filled with attendees. The atmosphere was both low-key and intense as everyone was fully aware of the stakes, punctuated by the Israeli incursions into Lebanon and the planned demonstrations to greet Benjamin Netanyahu.
Awawde started with a statement outlining his general premise:
“I’m not here to preach anything. We are in this together. We’re keeping the idea of peace alive.” Noting that it was almost the first anniversary of October 7, he addressed Netanyahu’s role in the process: “Bibi wants total victory. For him, peace is dangerous.”
Awawde pointed to the decades filled with killing and devastation as totally wasted. “Rabin and Arafat made decisions in their context,” he said. “Hamas thinks they can push Israel out and make an Islamic place. Any person with two eyes should see this is the wrong approach, and it’s not working.”
Tackling a problem that often goes under the radar when people are trying to dialogue, Awawde said, “We need a new language. We need to help people see what is happening. We need to explain to people who are accepting the status quo. We have to impact those who are complicit or neutral.”
Addressing the respective historical traumas of both Israeli Jews and Palestinians, Awawde acknowledged, “You have trauma. It’s all about the past, [but] we can build and create. The October 6 formula is over. The sooner people wake up, the sooner it will end.”
Awawde briefly talked about his background. I knew some details from previous calls where he was a featured speaker, including his background in conflict resolution and his emphasis on creating leadership in the ranks of the upcoming generation of Palestinians and Israelis through “education, dialogue, and action.” Awawde, the recipient of a Bachelor of Arts from Birzeit University in Ramallah and a Master of Arts from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, was a vital part of Hands of Peace, which closed in March 2024 after twenty-one years.
That evening, I listened to the podcast that Awawde had made with Unapologetic: The Third Narrative when he was their first guest speaker. It filled in details of his backstory. He was born in Dura, a village southwest of Hebron, where his family had deep ties to the land. He remembered the presence of soldiers in his home to question his father, tear gas in the air, being surrounded by demolitions and arrests, and the repeated cycles of hostilities. Awawde moved to Ramallah following his university studies. After October 7, Awawde has resettled in Italy because he wants his son “to be in a safe place.”
Questions from the floor comprised the event’s final portion. The role of the American government in the ongoing situation was primary, in addition to the polarization of the American voting public, and the weaponization of antisemitism.
Awawde underscored that America is not a neutral player. “Unconditional military arms doesn’t make sense. The United States isn’t enforcing their own [Leahy] laws. There has to be consequences for Israeli politicians.” Looking ahead, Awawde expressed concerns about the lack of “red lines” and the larger regional picture. “This can go to Jordan and Egypt,” he said.
The American election came up. Awawde proposed, “With Kamala, we’ll have bought some time.” He took Congress to task, stating that the “average Congressperson is anti-Palestinian. They talk about Tlaib like she’s Hitler.” (Another brouhaha recently developed when Rep. Tlaib and Michigan’s Attorney General Nessel got into an argument amplified by two CNN anchors which was then followed up by comments from Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL.)
There was a discussion of the alliances formed between two right-wing entities. The dollars that come from American Jews who directly support Netanyahu and the settlement endeavor and the millions of Evangelicals who fund Christian Zionism and back Israel unequivocally.
So, how do we move forward?
“You can’t sell peace in wartime,” Awawde said. “We need the smartest, toughest people…to enable the road to peace. Our futures are intertwined. There is no one without the other.”
Awawde recognizes that Israelis who oppose the Occupation and militaristic tactics are seen as “traitors” by others. He, too, has faced accusations under the banner of “normalization.” He explained that it was more pronounced before October 7 because then “the conversation was theoretical.” Some fellow Palestinians didn’t like that he had so many Jewish followers on social media. “Do you talk with your oppressor?” Awawde asked rhetorically.
It’s precisely the road that he sees as leading somewhere.
Separating the Israeli people from the messianic radical sector is essential for Awawde. “I humanize Israelis because I’ve met amazing people. Most Palestinians think all Israelis are settlers and soldiers. Over the years, people on the left are leaving. More right-wing Jews are coming.”
Advocating the option of building a moderate camp of Israelis and Palestinians, he suggested working from the outside. “Why must we stay in a bloodbath until we reach a solution? We can learn from history and enable the road to peace.”
In closing, Gayer underscored, “Israel is the canary in the coal mine. The right is a global thing. We have to improve the situation as much as possible.”
The meeting ended in time for people to head over to 14th Street for the weekly vigil by the statue of George Washington. Here, Awawde would speak to a new group of American and Israeli Jews who will continue to convene “every Sunday until the war is over.”
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