Introduction to the Israel Lobby

[mick silver]

The Israel lobby is one of the most powerful and pervasive special interest groups in the United States. It consists of a multitude of powerful institutions and individuals that work to influence Congress, the president, academia, the media, religious institutions, and American public opinion on behalf of Israel.
By Alison Weir
Council for the National Interest (http://www.councilforthenationalinterest.org/)
Updated: August 2014
The Israel Lobby: A Partial List• The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC): AIPAC is the most prominent governmental lobbying organization on behalf of Israel. Fortune Magazine typically rates it as the second most powerful (http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/971128/aipac.shtml) lobby in the U.S. AIPAC frequently writes legislation (http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/firmbills.php?id=D000046963&year=2011) for members of Congress, which extraordinarily large majorities of both parties typically endorse. It has a $100 million endowment (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/washington/25lobby.html?_r=1) and annual revenue of about $60 million (http://firststreetresearch.cqpress.com/2012/03/08/aipac-still-commands-attention-among-movers-and-shakers) and spends about $2-3 million (http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/firmsum.php?id=D000046963&year=2011) each year in lobbying Congress. AIPAC’s annual conventions are typically a who’s who of high government office from both parties pledging their loyalty to Israel.
• Pro-Israel Political Action Committees (PACs): AIPAC does not give campaign contributions itself but instead uses a campaign finance network consisting of around thirty (http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/industry.php?txt=Q05&cycle=2012) Pro-Israel Political Action Committees (PACs), which AIPAC is constantly signaling. Only four of these PACs have names that indicate their true agenda, such as ‘Allies for Israel’ or ‘World Alliance for Israel.’ The rest have innocuous names like ‘National Action Committee’ or ‘Heartland PAC.’ Constituents usually don’t realize their candidates are receiving money from PACs that advance the interests of a foreign government. (More info below)
• Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP): This group of 51 Zionist organizations (http://www.conferenceofpresidents.org/content.asp?id=55) also advocates on behalf of Israel (http://www.conferenceofpresidents.org/content.asp?id=12), including a focus on Iran (http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2009/09/08/pro-israel-groups-create-anti-iran-front-group). It had revenues of over $2.2 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=9365) in 2011. All members of the CoP sit on AIPAC’s executive committee. The Conference of Presidents focuses on lobbying the Executive branch while AIPAC concentrates on Congress.
• The American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF): AIEF (http://www.aiefdn.org/) is a subsidiary of AIPAC that takes Congressional Representatives on all-expense-paid trips to Israel (http://www.legistorm.com/trip/list/by/sponsor/id/4922/name/American_Israel_Education_Foundation.html). In August 2011, 81 members of Congress (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20089313-503544.html) from both parties took trips to Israel with the AIEF. Its annual budget is over $26 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3265), and its executive director, Richard Fishman, is officially “not compensated,” but he receives $395,000 (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3265) annually from affiliates. Roll Call reports (http://www.rollcall.com/news/outside_groups_spent_big_on_congressional_travel-220745-1.html?ET=rollcall:e14954:33433a:&st=email&pos=eam) that in 2012 “The American Israel Education Foundation spent more than $650,000 last year — more than any other group — to send more than 60 lawmakers and staffers to Israel for tours of Jerusalem, seminars on Israeli politics and discussions of asymmetric warfare, according to congressional travel filings.”
• The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP): WINEP (http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/) is a highly influential think tank that pushes Israel-centric Middle East policies. It was founded by a former AIPAC employee, and while it claims to promote a “balanced and realistic” understanding of the Middle East, it is “funded by individuals deeply committed to advancing Israel’s agenda (http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/Washington_Institute_for_Near_East_Policy).” It is frequently called upon by both the government and the media to provide “expert” analysis on Middle East issues. Its 2010 revenues were $9.4 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=5431), and its net assets total $23.5 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=5431). Former AIPAC member MJ Rosenberg stated: “I was working at AIPAC and it was Steve Rosen who cleverly came up with the idea for an AIPAC controlled think-tank that would put forth the AIPAC line but in a way that would disguise its connections.” More information is here (http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Washington_Institute_for_Near_East _Policy).
• Anti-Defamation League (ADL): The ADL bills itself (http://www.adl.org/about.asp?s=topmenu) as a civil rights institution devoted to stamping out anti-Semitism. But in practice, it regularly works to promote Israeli interests (http://www.adl.org/israel/advocacy) and attacks virtually any prominent person who criticized Israel and labels them “anti-Semitic.” It has also been involved in a large spying operation (http://www.counterpunch.org/2002/02/25/the-adl-spying-case-is-over-but-the-struggle-continues/) against American citizens who opposed the policies of Israel and the Apartheid regime in South Africa. It is an architect of “hate crimes legislation” that may effectively criminalize criticism of Israeli policies (http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2009/07/17/record-shows-%E2%80%9Chate-crimes-prevention-bill%E2%80%9D-will-suppress-speech). The ADL is a member of the CoP with revenues of around $60 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=10657) and net assets of over $115 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=10657). Abe Foxman, its national director, makes $688,280 per year (http://forward.com/articles/167238/salaries-of-american-jewish-leaders/).
• International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (aka Stand for Israel): Founded in 1983 by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein “to promote understanding between Jews and Christians and build broad support for Israel,” it promotes advocacy for Israel (http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/sfi_takeaction_advocate) among mostly right-wing Christians. It has annual revenues of nearly $100 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3889).
• Christians United for Israel (CUFI): CUFI (http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer) is a right-wing Evangelical Christian organization founded by John Hagee to advocate for American support for Israel based largely on Biblical prophecy. It has a nationwide membership of over one million advocates for Israel (http://www.cufi.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=11449&news_iv_ctrl=-1) who can be called upon to flood their Congressmen with letters and phone calls (http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer?pagename=advocate_action_alerts) at the slightest hint of legislation not approved by Israel. CUFI has high-level contacts within the Israeli government, including with the Prime Minister, who sometimes speaks at their events (http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer?pagename=2013Summit_Videos).
• Simon Wiesenthal Center: According to its website (http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/pp.asp?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=4441257#.UdJYXOuhVmA): “The Simon Wiesenthal Center is a global Jewish human rights organization that confronts anti-Semitism, hate and terrorism, promotes human rights and dignity, stands with Israel, defends the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations.” It has “a constituency of over 400,000 households” in the US. It is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in New York, Toronto, Miami, Chicago, Paris, Buenos Aires, and Jerusalem.” In 2011 it had an annual budget of $24 million and net assets of $67 million. (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4469)
• The Israel Project: Founded in 2003, the Israel Project specializes in pro-Israel propaganda targeting the press and the American public. In 2009, a secret handbook commissioned by The Israel Project and written by Republican pollster and strategist Frank Luntz, “The Global Language Dictionary,” was exposed by two Newsweek reporters (http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2009/07/09/chosen-words.html). The handbook crafts language and talking points (http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2009/07/10/the-israel-projects-secret-hasbara-handbook-exposed) for Israel advocates in simplistic, diversionary, and dishonest ways. The organization has 70 employees and an $11 million annual budget. In 2011 it opened additional bureaus in India and China and launched a website in Arabic.
• Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF): This American organization supports the Israeli armed forces. It hosts lavish fundraisers (http://www.fidf.org/page.aspx?pid=629) and has fourteen regional offices in the U.S. and one in Latin America. FIDF also brings hundreds of Israeli soldiers (http://www.fidf.org/page.aspx?pid=330)to the U.S. every year to lecture at synagogues, universities, and schools in order to increase American support for Israeli policies. It has annual revenues of around $60 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3734) and net assets of $80 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3734).
• Hadassah (Women’s Zionist Organization of America): Founded in 1912, Hadassah is “a volunteer organization that inspires a passion for and commitment to its partnership with the land and people of Israel (http://www.hadassah.org/site/c.keJNIWOvElH/b.5572905/k.A1D7/Our_Mission.htm).” It has chapters across the U.S. and “more than 330,000 (http://www.hadassah.org/site/c.keJNIWOvElH/b.5716897/k.A653/Our_Members.htm)… Members, Associates and supporters.” It regularly advocates on behalf of Israel and is currently pushing anti-Iran legislation (http://www.hadassah.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=keJNIWOvElH&b=5772823&ct=11535383&notoc=1). It has annual revenues of nearly $100 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=7699) and $400 million (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=7699) in net assets.
• America’s Voices in Israel (AVI): A project of the Conference of Presidents, AVI works to “strengthen American understanding of and support for Israel (http://www.conferenceofpresidents.org/content.asp?id=34) by inviting U.S.-based radio talk show hosts to see Israel and broadcast their programs live from Jerusalem.” It also brings celebrities (http://americasvoices.us/in-the-news/) and other “opinion makers” on guided tours of Israel.
• The Jewish Agency for Israel: The name is often shortened to just “The Jewish Agency.” According to its website, founded in 1929, this links “Jews around the world with Israel as the focal point… ” Major activities include Jewish Zionist education and building a global Jewish community. “In addition to extensive programs in Israel, it operates in close to 80 countries on five continents through a network of over 450 emissaries, including hundreds of formal and informal educators. The world Jewish community participates in the Jewish Agency’s decision-making process through the Assembly, its supreme governing body, and its Board of Governors, which is responsible for policy making and oversight.” The Jewish Federations of North American are a fundraising partner, with individual Jewish Federations from numerous American cities listed. (http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/About/Our+Partners)


James S. Tisch: Chairperson of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors. According to its website (http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/About/Board+of+Governors/Members+of+the+BOG/tisch.htm), Tisch is President and Chief Executive Officer of Loews Corporation, chairman of the Board of Directors of Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc., a member of the Board of Directors of CNA Financial Corporatio, a director on the board of the General Electric Company, Chairman of the Board of WNET, parent of WNET Channel 13 and WLIW Channel 21, a member of the Board of Directors of The New York Public Library, serves on the Executive Committee of the Partnership for New York City, a Trustee of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, President and Chairman Emeritus of Federation Employment and Guidance Service (F.E.G.S.), past Chairman of the Board of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, past Chairman of the Board of United Jewish Communities, past President of UJA-Federation of New York, and a former director on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

• The Foundation for Jewish Camp: This nonprofit foundation states (http://www.jewishcamp.org/why-camp) on its website that in in Jewish camps “Israeli culture is celebrated through song, food, art, and dance,” and reports (http://www.jewishcamp.org/types-camp), “The magic of Jewish camp is rooted in its 24/7 atmosphere” and says that “connection to Israel” is “entwined with basketball, arts and crafts and swimming.” It notes that some camps are particularly “focused on Zionism and the role of Israel in Jewish life.” It reports that in one of these, CAMP INC., “Israel education will be embedded in the program as campers learn about Israel through the lens of their entrepreneurial sector. Campers will learn from high-level mentors, teachers, and business pioneers. Camp Inc., under the direction of Josh Pierce, will be operated by the Boulder JCC.” Another (http://www.jewishcamp.org/specialty-camps-incubator-0), URJ 6 POINTS SCIENCE ACADEMY “will immerse them in a vibrant Jewish community filled with Jewish music, Shabbat experiences, and living connections to Israel.” It states that the Academy, the 14th in the Union for Reform Judaism’s camp system, will be located in the Boston, MA area. Funding comes from a grant of $8.6 million jointly funded by The Jim Joseph Foundation and the AVI CHAI Foundation.
• The Jim Joseph Foundation: This is a DBA of the Shimon Ben Joseph Foundation, which faqs.org reports (http://www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/CA/Shimon-Ben-Joseph-Foundation-Dba-Jim-Joseph-Foundation.html) has assets of $837,220,914. Its website reports (http://jimjosephfoundation.org/israel-education-at-a-new-stage/) that among the activities its sponsors is “Israel Education,” which includes “twinning day schools with schools in Israel; integrating Israel education with learning taking place in general studies courses; and showcasing Israel’s arts and culture so students and teachers are in direct contact with what is happening in Israel today.”
• The Avi Chai Foundation: According to its 2010 form 990 report (http://207.153.189.83/EINS/133252800/133252800_2010_07b9bf0d.PDF) it had total assets of $614,997,808. One of its primary North American focuses, according to its website, is “Promoting Jewish Peoplehood and Israel (http://avichai.org/projects-in-north-america/promoting-jewish-peoplehood-and-israel/).” It states: “Israel studies and Israel advocacy have become centerpieces of AVI CHAI’s peoplehood efforts in North America. All of the day schools receiving support from AVI CHAI have agreed to include in their materials, as an expression of their own philosophy, the following statement: “The creation of the State of Israel is one of the seminal events in Jewish history. Recognizing the significance of the State and its national institutions, we seek to instill in our students an attachment to the State of Israel and its people as well as a sense of responsibility for their welfare.”
• Stand with Us: Stand with Us has headquarters in Los Angeles and chapters in Israel, Europe, Britain, Australia, and South Africa. Its annual budget is at least $4 million (http://www.haaretz.com/standwithus-takes-anti-j-street-stand-1.5542), though this may only cover the U.S. section. (http://www.haaretz.com/standwithus-takes-anti-j-street-stand-1.5542) It has a number of divisions, including StandWithUsCampus (http://standwithuscampus.com/), StandWithUs International (http://standwithus.co.il/), United4Freedom (http://united4freedom.org/), Stand4Facts (http://stand4facts.org/register.html), LearnIsrael (http://learnisrael.org/), Librarians for Fairness (http://librariansforfairness.org/), and Emerson Fellows. (http://www.standwithus.com/app/inews/view_n.asp?ID=619) Student leaders are trained to advocate for Israel on campuses around the country. The organization has erected numerous pro-Israel, anti-Palestinian billboards around the U.S. “Israelis invested $57 billion in U.S. Companies” is one of them. For a deconstruction of this billboard go here (http://israelisinvested57billion.org/).

[mick silver]

Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI): The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-conservatives-form-new-pro-israel-lobby-group-1.301678):
Washington observers may feel there is no obvious shortage of pro-Israel lobbyists in the city—but a group of leading American conservatives thinks otherwise and has set up a new campaign group to attack President Obama over his ‘anti-Israel’ stance. The Emergency Committee for Israel (http://www.committeeforisrael.com/) presents a potent combination of Republican Party neoconservatives and Evangelical Christians. The new group’s board includes Weekly Standard Editor William Kristol and Gary Bauer, a former Republican presidential candidate who leads the group American Values, as well as Rachel Abrams, a conservative writer and activist.
The Committee (http://www.committeeforisrael.com/about) produced an advertisement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MX7gFB4KR0) against Ron Paul that ran in South Carolina because of Paul’s opposition to U.S. aid to Israel and other countries. ECI is currently funding tens of thousands of dollars worth of anti-Obama advertising (http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/07/30/10457/daily-disclosure-jewish-groups-run-anti-obama-ads-romney-visits-israel).
• Leona M. and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust: The trust fund is valued at between $4 billion and $8 billion (http://www.thejewishweek.com/editorial-opinion/gary-rosenblatt/how-leona-helmsley-fortune-helping-israel). Among the main areas its grants support are programs focused on “the security and development of Israel (http://helmsleytrust.org/program-areas/).” According to Jewish Week (http://www.thejewishweek.com/editorial-opinion/gary-rosenblatt/how-leona-helmsley-fortune-helping-israel):

“[Leona Helmsley] left instructions for her charitable trust fund… to benefit dogs. But the courts ruled that the Leona and Harry Helmsley Trust Fund she had established after her husband’s death was not legally bound to fund animals only, and that its grants should be directed solely at the discretion of the trustees she had appointed. Fortunately for the State of Israel, Mrs. Helmsley chose Sandor (Sandy) Frankel, 69, a local Jewish attorney who worked closely with her the last 18 years of her life, to be one of the four trustees who now oversee that major trust. Frankel, who is married to an Israeli and has visited Israel frequently since he was a teenager, is proud to say that he has a passion for the Jewish state.
Among the projects receiving its multi-million grants was a new press center in Israel. At its opening Frankel announced: “Our hope is that with the opening of the club’s doors, the press will flock here, and will accurately report” on the country and its people.
• AMIT: According to its website: “Founded in 1925, AMIT is the world’s leading supporter of religious Zionist education and social services for Israel’s children and youth, nurturing and educating Israeli children to become productive, contributing members of society.” It has numerous chapters throughout the U.S. It sponsors lectures (http://amitchildren.org/news-and-events/calendar/?event_id=400) about Israel, holds screenings (http://amitchildren.org/photos/night-of-israeli-cinema/) of Israeli films, participate (http://amitchildren.org/photos/israel-parade-2012/)s in pro-Israel parades, etc. In 2011 (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3293) its annual expenses were over $8 million and its net assets were $11,705,151. Its executive vice president was paid $120,292.
• Aaron and Marie Blackman Foundation, Inc: Net assets of about $7 million (http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990pf_pdf_archive/943/943105905/943105905_200912_990PF.pdf) (see also here (http://www.eri-nonprofit-salaries.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NPO.Form990&EIN=943105905&Year=2014) and here (http://non-profit-organizations.findthebest.com/l/1362961/The-Aaron-And-Marie-Blackman-Foundation-Inc)). Distributes grants (http://aaron-and-marie-blackman-foundation-inc.idilogic.aidpage.com/aaron-and-marie-blackman-foundation-inc/index.b124.u138.htm#GranteesList) to various Israeli organizations and other organizations with relationships with Israel.
• Jewish Day Schools: As Shalom School in Sacramento states (http://www.shalomschool.org/article.aspx?id=21474836842&terms=israel), many of these schools work to “instill in our students an attachment to the state of Israel.” They frequently have school trips to Israel (e.g. the Jewish Day school (http://www.jds.org/news/170) in Seattle). Their mission statements note that they teach “the centrality of the State of Israel” (see Contra Costa Jewish Day School (http://www.ccjds.org/School_Website/About.html)). These are usually tax exempt institutions, which means they are subsidized by U.S. taxpayers.
• Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA): The Jewish Council for Public Affairs acts as an umbrella for many smaller (http://engage.jewishpublicaffairs.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=3858.) organizations (http://engage.jewishpublicaffairs.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=3858.). One of its three goals, as announced in its mission statement (http://engage.jewishpublicaffairs.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=4147), is to work for “the safety and security of the State of Israel.” Its annual funding is $3,128,795 (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=131624104#.U8Qi5MZ6flI) and comes primarily from private individuals.
• Jewish National Fund (JNF): The Jewish National Fund is an international organization founded at Basil Switzerland by Theodore Herzl (http://www.jnf.org/about-jnf/history/) in 1901. The fund was originally created with for the purpose of purchasing land in Palestine for a future Jewish state. Today the main focus for the JNF is land “reclamation” and forestry (http://www.jnf.org/work-we-do/our-projects/forestry-ecology/). However, the group also serves to fund IDF military installations. (http://www.jnf.org/work-we-do/our-projects/security/improved-military-facilities.html) The organization is well funded by donors with total assets of $1.15 billion dollars. (http://www.haaretz.com/business/.premium-1.583680)
• Zionist Organization of America (ZOA): The Zionist Organization of America was established in 1887, making it the oldest pro-Israel (http://zoa.org/about/) organization in the US. Their goal is to spread the Zionist message wherever in all aspects of American life. Their objectives include spreading Zionism on American campuses (http://zoa.org/category/campus/), work to advance the interests Israel and Jewish people within the American legal system (http://zoa.org/center-for-law-and-justice/). They also engage in pro-Israel lobbying, with expenditures totaling$299,900 (http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000058828&year=2009) in 2009. Their finances (http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2012/135/628/2012-135628475-09d829fd-9.pdf) include over $8 Million in assets and $2.5 million from donors.
• American Jewish Committee (AJC): The American Jewish Committee, founded in 1906, is based is San Francisco. In its mission statement (http://www.ajc.org/site/c.7oJILSPwFfJSG/b.8466673/k.24E9/Who_We_Are.htm), the AJC espouses support for leftist values, such as “shared democratic values” and “energy independence of the US,” while also advocating the right of Israel (http://www.ajc.org/site/c.7oJILSPwFfJSG/b.8466999/k.EE7C/Advocacy_for_Israel.htm) to exist as an exclusionary Jewish state. Its annual income is about $49,525,000 (http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/civil-rights/american-jewish-committee-in-new-york-ny-763/financial) and comes largely from private individuals, with its assets totaling$132,310,000 (http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/civil-rights/american-jewish-committee-in-new-york-ny-763/financial).
• World Jewish Congress: The World Jewish Congress is an international organization (http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/about) representing Jews in 100 countries. Supporting Israel (http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/issues/6) is one of the key components of its mission. Although its global finances are unknown, its US offices have an annual revenue of $5,521,674 (http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/13-1790756/world-jewish-congress-american-section.aspx#financials).
• Friends of Aish Hatorah: Aish Hatora, Hebrew for “fire of the Torah,” is an Orthodox Jewish organization founded in 1974 and headquartered in Jerusalem. The group is known for a number of pro-Israel programs, including The Theodore Herzl Mission (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0001_0_00616.html), which brings heads of state to Israel for one week each year. They also have a program called the Hasbara Fellowship (http://www.hasbarafellowships.org/), where people can come from around the world to learn how to effectively engage in pro-Israel propaganda. The group has also been linked to the distribution of an anti-Islamic propaganda film (http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2008/10/the-jewish-extremists-behind-quot-obsession-quot/9006/) during the 2008 American presidential campaign. Because Aish Hatora is based in Jerusalem with various global branches, the details of their funding are unknown.
• Chabad: Chabad-Lubavitch is an 18th century Hasidic (http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/776104/jewish/FAQ.htm) movement that is now the largest Jewish organization in the world. Although they are a religious group, their support of Israel verges on zealotry; one Chabad Rabbi (http://www.haaretz.com/news/chabad-rabbi-jews-should-kill-arab-men-women-and-children-during-war-1.277616) has even encouraged Jewish people to kill “Arab men, women, and children.” Chabad sometimes openly teaches (http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/148995/jewish/On-Intermarriage.htm) that “the soul of the Jew is different than the soul of the non-Jew.” The group is incredibly well funded and has a reported net worth (http://www.myjewishlearning.com/history/Jewish_World_Today/Denominations/Chabad-Lubavitch.shtml) of $1 billion dollars.
• Republican Jewish Coalition: The Republican Jewish Coalition Jewish is a lobbying group whose mission statement (http://www.rjchq.org/about-rjc/rjc-basic-principles/) includes the “embrace of pro-Israel foreign policy.” The RJC maintains close links to the Likud (http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Republican_Jewish_Coalition) party of Israel. They also control a Super Pac (http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave2.php?cycle=2014&cmte=C00528554), which has upward of 2 million dollars in their war chest. Their Annual revenue is $10,067,507 (http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/52-1386172/republican-jewish-coalition.aspx#financials). The vast majority of their funding (http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000028612) comes from various organizations.
• National Jewish Democratic Council: The National Jewish Democratic Council (http://www.njdc.org/site/page/mission) is a group dedicated to maximising Jewish support for the Democrat party, increasing support for “Jewish domestic and foreign policy priorities,” and “secur[ing] a democratic Jewish state in Israel.” NJDC supports Likud policies and pushes for a hawkish stance against Iran, urging the President of the United States to “stand with Israel (http://www.njdc.org/media/entry/debate102212).” Its annual income is $1,161,195 (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=521706068#.U8gSpBbDNg0) and is funded by private individuals (https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave2.php?cycle=2014&cmte=C00306670).
• Foundation for Defense of Democracies: The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is an international organization whose claimed goal (http://www.defenddemocracy.org/about-fdd) is “fighting terrorism and promoting freedom” and “defend[ing] free nations (http://www.defenddemocracy.org/about-fdd/who-we-are/) from their enemies.” It developed from the educational initiative Emet (http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/most-favored-democracy/), which was created to “win American sympathy for Israel’s response to the Palestinian intifada.” While its mission may appear neutral, the organization is dedicated to promoting the security of Israel (http://www.defenddemocracy.org/project/national-security-trip-to-israel/). Among its other projects is the Iran Project (http://www.defenddemocracy.org/project/iran-energy-project/), which revolves around “supporting energy sanctions.” It is funded largely (http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/foundation_for_defense_of_democracies) by private individuals’ donations (http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/07/19/271431/fdd-donors/). Its annual income is$7,267,839 (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=134174402#.U8gdDxbDNg0). JINSA: JINSA is a non-profit organization whose mandate (http://www.jinsa.org/about) includes promoting a “a strong U.S. military, a robust national security policy, and a strong U.S. security relationship with Israel…” Their total revenue is $3,332,140 (http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/52-1233683/jewish-institute-national-security-affairs.aspx#financials) from contributions and program services.
• Saban Center at Brookings: The Saban Center for Middle East Policy is part of the Brookings Institute (http://www.brookings.edu/about#research-programs/). Its mission statement includes a two-state solution (http://www.brookings.edu/about/centers/saban/about) for Israel/ Palestine. “Ardent Zionist” Haim Saban (http://mondoweiss.net/2012/06/saban-created-middle-east-thinktank-at-brookings-after-cold-call-to-former-aipac-official.html), a former AIPAC official, funds the institute.
• Center for Security Policy: Founded and led by neoconservative Frank Gaffney (http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/gaffney_frank), a longtime Israel partisan (http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/frank-gaffneys-israel-tour-2013/), CSP works to promote a close US-Israel (http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/category/israel-the-middle-east/the-usisrael-alliance/) relationship and to position Israel’s enemies (http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/category/israel-the-middle-east/) as allegedly US adversaries. It’s annual budget is approximately $4 million (http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2012/521/601/2012-521601976-09bdad18-9.pdf)and Gaffney himself earns over $288,000 (http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2012/521/601/2012-521601976-09bdad18-9.pdf) yearly. The Institute for Policy Studies states (http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/center_for_security_policy#sthash.mlx1j7PE.dpuf): “…(CSP) is a prominent member of the neoconservative advocacy community that has promoted extravagant weapons programs, an Israel-centric view of Middle East peace, and a broad “war on terror” against ‘Islamofascists.’……A primary target of CSP’s work is Iran.”

• MEMRI: The Middle East Media Research Institute is an organization founded in the US in 1998. It’s stated objective (http://www.memri.org/) is to “inform the debate over US foreign policy in the Middle East.” However, MEMRI is a shadowy organization (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/12/worlddispatch.brianwhitaker) that does not disclose names of staff members nor office locations. Analysts have commented that MEMRI appears to function as a propaganda organization that circulates biased translations (http://www.rense.com/general77/norm.htm) in order to portray Arabs in the most negative possible light. One of the organization’s founders worked as an Israeli military intelligence officer. MEMRI has full non-profit status in the US and receives donations and grants amounting to $4,872,208 annually.
• Hillel: Hillel is a Jewish international student organization. According to its web page (http://www.hillel.org/about), Hillel “fosters an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel.” Its president has stated (http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/can-hillel-and-open-hillel-smooth-out-their-differences-on-israel-guidelines/): “We are a pro-Israel organization. It is part of our mission to encourage students to build an enduring commitment to Israel as a Jewish and democratic homeland.” Hillel sponsors and promotes free “birthright (http://www.hillel.org/jewish/taglit-birthright-israel-hillel-trips)” trips to Israel. These trips position Israel as the “homeland” for European and American Jews. Hillel collects annual revenue (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4540#.U8lJE8Z6flI) of $25,920,017, primarily from gifts, grants, and contributions. Hillel has had a program (http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new-york-news/hillel-head-steps-down-questions-mount-campus-organization) to try to expand its reach by “paying students to attract other students” to Hillel.

In 2014 (http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/can-hillel-and-open-hillel-smooth-out-their-differences-on-israel-guidelines/) some students launched an Open Hillel (http://www.openhillel.org/about.php) to challenge the Hillel establishment and work to allow campus groups “to adopt policies that are more open and inclusive than Hillel International’s, and that allow for free discourse on all subjects within the Hillel community” and that represent (http://www.openhillel.org/conference.php) “a Jewish community where the full diversity of Jewish views on Israel-Palestine is accepted and celebrated.”

• Birthright Israel: Birthright Israel is an organization that provides free ten-day holidays to Israel for young Jewish adults, age 18 to 26. Their objective (http://www.birthrightisrael.com/TaglitBirthrightIsraelStory/Pages/default.aspx) is to, “strengthen Jewish identities, Jewish community, and solidarity with Israel…” Their web page strongly emphasizes support for Israel. (http://www.birthrightisrael.com/TaglitBirthrightIsraelStory/Pages/Objectives.aspx)Philanthropists, along with 14,000 individual donors, fund (http://www.birthrightisrael.com/TaglitBirthrightIsraelStory/Partners/OurDonors/Pages/Philanthropists.aspx) Birthright Israel. Their total revenue (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=11247#.U8lM5sZ6flI) is $101,960,863.
• David Project: The David Project is a non-profit educational program for the dissemination of pro-Israel propaganda in schools. Their primary goal is justification for Israeli actions (http://www.davidproject.org/2014/07/operation-protective-edge-discussion-guide/), which is often referred to in the Hebrew term, “hasbara” (explaining). Their objective (http://www.davidproject.org/about/our-campus-approach/) is, “work[ing] directly with students and Israel groups to help them reach out to their peers and talk about Israel.” The David Project has annual income (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=161616489#.U8lUxMZ6flI) of $2,824,763. However, the source of this income is unclear.
• Amcha Initiative: The Amcha Initiative is a group whose stated objective (http://www.amchainitiative.org/mission-and-objectives/) is to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitism. Their definition (http://www.amchainitiative.org/how-itca-identifies-antisemitic-activity/) of anti-Semitism is broad and encompasses virtually any criticism of Israel, including criticism of Israel’s human rights abuses. The group also lists the Boycott Divest and Sanction movement as an example anti-Semitism. Their annual income (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=460774311#.U8lYwMZ6flI) is $199,155. The source of this income is unclear.
• Young Israel: The National Council of Young Israel is a group of 146 Orthodox Jewish congregations (https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/youngisrael.html). Starting in 1912, Young Israel’s web page (http://www.youngisrael.org/general-write-up.html) claims that the group has always been “fiercely Zionist” and even boasts the acquisition of arms for the Jewish terror group Haganah. Young Israel currently offers material support (http://www.youngisrael.org/) to the Israeli Defense Force as it engages in attacks on Palestinians in Gaza. Because Young Israel is an umbrella for over 100 individual non-profit organizations, it is difficult to ascertain the amount and sources of the group’s income.
• Ateret Cohanim: American Friends of Ateret Cohanim is a non-profit organization based in Jerusalem. The purpose of the organization is the urban renewal of Jerusalem through Jewish gentrification (http://www.jerusalemchai.org/about.cfm?categoryID=101). Their web site boasts of a new Jewish presence in the Christian and Muslim quarters of the Old City, and proclaims Jerusalem to be a city belonging to every single Jew, in spite of the fact that Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem is still not recognized under international law (http://www.pij.org/details.php?id=650). The group maintains an office in New York with annual revenue (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4918#.U9bKNsZ6flI) of $1,054,618.
• Elad: The Ir David foundation (Amutat EL-AD) is a non-profit organization established in 1986 by David Be’eri, a former elite military commander of the IDF. According to their web page (http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/en/The-Ir-David-Foundation), the group “is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Biblical City of David and its environs.” However, the Ir David foundation is best known for its policy of “Judaization of east Jerusalem (http://www.jpost.com/Features/In-Thespotlight/Shake-up-at-City-of-David-309761)” through forced evictions and housing purchases. In recent years, their activity in East Jerusalem has been linked to violent clashes (http://www.jpost.com/Features/In-Thespotlight/Shake-up-at-City-of-David-309761) between Palestinians and the new Jewish residents. Ir David has a US auxiliary in New York called Friends of Ir David with total annual revenue of $5,884,950.

[mick silver]

• Israeli-American Council: According to the Jewish Daily Forward (http://forward.com/articles/208879/mitt-romney-slams-naive-barack-obama-at-israeli-am/), the Israeli American Council (IAC) aims to establish the Israeli expatriate community living in the U.S. community “as a ‘strategic asset’ for Israel in the U.S.” The goal is to be a “a potent political force in the future.” IAC was established in Los Angeles in 2007, but expanded dramatically in 2013 when casino mogul Sheldon Adelson’s began to serve as its main funder. About 700 expatriate Israelis participated in the “first-ever national political conference exclusively devoted to the expat Israeli community” in Nov. 2014.
According to a 2013 report (http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/israeli-american-council-announces-major-u-s-expansion-plan/), IAC plans “to unite the nearly 800,000 Israeli-Americans who reside in communities across the United States. The IAC’s expansion plan includes opening a national headquarters and local chapters across the country… Programs will include cultural, educational, advocacy and social activities across age groups…

“Current IAC programs include: Tzav 8 (recruiting thousands for pro-Israel rallies); Financing the Israeli “Shlichim” at all major campuses in Southern California; Organizing and funding the Los Angeles Independence Day Festival – the largest Jewish festival in North America, as well as dozens of ceremonies, holidays and mass events for the community; Sifriyat Pijama B’America, through which 10,000 families nationwide enjoy Hebrew bedtime books sent to their kids by mail, free of charge on a monthly basis; IAC-BINA club, consisting of approximately 1,500 Israeli and American Jewish young adults who convene discussions and activities relating to Jewish identity and support for Israel; establishing and funding the IAC-Care project in which thousands of the community members volunteer and organize large scale drives; and Mishelanu (the leadership program for Israeli-Americans students).
“IAC activities are funded by its board of directors, its members, and donors within the Israeli-American and the Pro-Israel American communities, including Sheldon and Miri Adelson, Haim and Cheryl Saban, Beny and Adele Alagem, Leo and Ruth David and David Wiener. In addition, the organization receives support from several Jewish-American foundations in the U.S.”
More information is available on its website (http://www.israeliamerican.org/), including its board of directors (http://www.israeliamerican.org/board-of-directors). It reports that its annual budget is over $3 million (http://www.israeliamerican.org/financial-report). Oddly, no 990 reports can be found for it.
• Israel-America Chamber of Commerce: The Israel-America Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Israel (http://amcham.co.il/why-amcham/)) is an organization of companies and individuals dedicated to the promotion of two-way trade and investment between Israel and the United States of America. The U.S. Ambassador to Israel serves as Honorary Chairman of the AmCham. Just one of its subsidiaries has a $100,000 annual budget.
Influential Pro-Israel Individuals
An example of such an individual is the current US Ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, who gave a speech in which he detailed his extremely close, life-long ties to Israel, concluding: “[A]s a committed Jewish American, with deep roots in the American Jewish community and warm bonds of affection with Israel, I will have an opportunity to draw on those associations to help make the U.S.-Israel relationship, strong as it is, even stronger in the years ahead.” He stated that “ensuring Israel’s future” drives all US policies. See “US Ambassador: Support for Israel drives all US policies (http://ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/po-israel.html)”
Howard Berman, Democratic Congressman from California, acknowledged in a 2008 interview with the Forward, “Even before I was a Democrat, I was a Zionist.” He went on to explain that “an interest in the Jewish state” was one of the main reasons he first sought a seat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where he is the top Democrat. Berman, who is known as “the Congressman from Hollywood,” also told the Forward (http://forward.com/articles/13244/new-foreign-affairs-committee-chairman-draws-prais-/#ixzz22hINDL5G), “He is particularly keen on getting the House more involved in Iran-related issues.”
Martin Indyk, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel (he was naturalized as an American citizen before being nominated for this position); currently Special Envoy for Israeli Palestinian Negotiations. At one point he had his security clearance revoked (http://edition.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/meast/09/23/israel.ambassador/index.html?_s=PM:WORLD), the only time this has happened to a U.S. ambassador. See video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inigiyfX4Dk).
Haim Saban, multimedia mogul whose net worth is over $3 billion dollars (http://www.forbes.com/profile/haim-saban/), has said, “I’m a one-issue guy and my issue is Israel.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/05/business/yourmoney/05sab.html) In 2010, he told New Yorker magazine that his greatest concern is to protect Israel by strengthening the United States-Israel relationship (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/05/10/the-influencer). Saban has bluntly outlined his formula (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/05/10/the-influencer) for gaining influence in American politics: make donations to political parties, establish think tanks, and control media outlets. He tried to buy Time and Newsweek magazines (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/05/10/the-influencer), and has made repeated bids for the Los Angeles Times because he considers the paper to be pro-Palestinian (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/05/10/the-influencer). He donated $9 million to Democrats (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/haim-saban-considering-giving-to-obama-super-pacs/) in the 2002 election cycle alone.
Sheldon Adelson, a businessman and casino magnate, is worth over $28 billion dollars (http://www.forbes.com/profile/sheldon-adelson/). He owns a number of resorts as well as the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom (http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Think-About-It-Sheldon-Adelson-and-democracy-381982), the most largely circulated paper in Israel. Adelson set a new record in political donations by giving $70 million (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/sheldon-adelson-donations_n_1910094.html)(to Republicans) in the 2012 elections, nearly triple the previous highest amount. He also funds pro-Israel organizations such as Birthright Israel (http://www.jta.org/2013/05/23/news-opinion/united-states/adelsons-donate-40-million-to-birthright), which takes thousands of young Jewish Americans on recruiting visits to Israel.
Stuart Weitzman, shoe designer, donated $1 million (http://www.jta.org/news/article/2013/02/21/3120251/shoe-designer-gifts-one-million-dollars-to-maccabi-usa) to Maccabi USA. The Maccabiah is an Olympics-style competition held every four years in Israel.
Other individuals include:
Journalists (NYT’s Ethan Bronner’s son was in the Israeli army (http://ifamericansknew.org/media/bronner2.html); more info on NY Times (http://ifamericansknew.org/media/meet-nyt.html))
Pundits like Jeffrey Goldberg (http://www.ifamericansknew.org/about_us/goldberg.html) Kenneth Pollack, Daniel Pipes (http://www.councilforthenationalinterest.org/new/lobby/promoting-islamophobia/), Bill Kristol, Irving Moskowitz (more (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/12/irving-moskowitz-israeli-settlements-anti-obama-super-pac_n_1416041.html))
The Islamophobia Industry: Institutions and individuals who promote Islamophobia, including Aubrey and Joyce Chernick, Frank Gaffney, Pamela Geller (Park 51 “scandal”), David Horowitz, Stephen Emerson (http://www.councilforthenationalinterest.org/new/lobby/promoting-islamophobia/), David Yerushalmi (http://www.councilforthenationalinterest.org/new/lobby/promoting-islamophobia/), and others. (more (http://www.councilforthenationalinterest.org/new/lobby/promoting-islamophobia/))
Eric Weider (http://www.ifamericansknew.org/media/weider.html), publisher of American History, Civil War Times, Military History, and eight other history magazines.
Hollywood tycoon Arnon Milchan (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4185843,00.html), who produced Pretty Woman, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Fight Club, worked for the Mossad (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4096937,00.html).
There’s no card to carry that says one is part of the Israel lobby. But taken as a whole, this sampling of powerful pro-Israel organizations demonstrates how information is systematically skewed before it reaches the American public. Politicians and journalists are systematically harassed, often losing jobs, if they step out of line.
There is no comparable pressure from the Arab-American side, much less from stateless Palestinians, who have no army, little money, and very little cultural influence or PR savvy. By contrast to the $3 million given by pro-Israel PACs in 2010, the two Arab-American PACs—Arab American Leadership Council PAC and Arab American Political Action Committee—gave a total of $36,500.
The Israel lobby played a major role in the creation of Israel (http://www.councilforthenationalinterest.org/new/lobby/history-of-us-israel-relations/) and continues to exert strong influence on US foreign policy, often in ways that harm American interests and security. It was a major factor in promoting the Iraq war, it continues to advocate for war with Iran, and it has played a central role in fostering Islamophobia in the United States.
—–
* PACs: Usually a PAC can only donate $5,000 for a primary and $5,000 for general elections. But with thirty “unaffiliated” PACs marching in lockstep behind AIPAC, this can balloon up to $300,000 for any given candidate. The extent of this influence remains hidden from view. They also use “bundling,” which means taking various individual donations and handing them over en masse to a candidate, so that on the books it shows up as several individual donations, but everyone except the FEC understands who’s really controlling the money.
A 1996 book called Stealth PACs (http://www.middleeastbooks.com/aetbookclub/nonfiction/curtiss-stealthpacs.html) reports that “in 1988, Israel’s lobby had 78 PACs spending more than $5.5 million to bribe Congress to vote more aid for Israel. That was more than total contributions together of the two next largest special interests in the United States—the real estate lobby and the teamsters.”
During the 2010 elections (http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/industry.php?txt=Q05&cycle=2010), Israel-affiliated contributions were the third highest of any special interest at nearly $3 million (with almost equal amounts given to Democrats and Republicans). But because that number was broken into pieces and hidden behind unrelated names, pro-Israel contributions didn’t “officially” make the top twenty.
One example is Washington Pac, founded by Morris Amitay, former head of AIPAC. Its website states (http://www.washingtonpac.com/about_the_washington_pac.htm): “…over three million dollars has been carefully distributed on a bipartisan basis to Senators, Representatives, and candidates… Its Capitol Hill location enables the PAC to meet with Representatives and Senators on an almost daily basis. The Advisory Board holds regular luncheons with U.S. Senate candidates, and the PAC’s newsletter has earned an esteemed reputation for its analysis of the U.S. Senate races.”
• Teva: Not all PACs with connections to Israel are included in the pro-Israel list. For example, the parents company of the Teva PAC Teva Pharmaceuticals USA (http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?cycle=2014&strID=C00434811), is Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, an Israeli company, the world’s largest generic drug maker. It has achieved its astronomical sales by at times infringing on patents (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4391621,00.html) (although Judge Sidney Stein just rejected a similar claim (http://wkzo.com/news/articles/2014/jan/14/teva-did-not-infringe-oxycontin-patents-shares-rise/) – Stein also rejected (http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/fired-arabic-school-principals-free-speech-case-dismissed) a freedom of speech law suit related to the Palestinian issue ). Teva’s website states (http://www.tevausa.com/GovtAffairs.aspx), “Teva Government & Public Affairs seeks to provide legislators and policy makers with both policy and political assistance on issues of importance to patients, the company, its customers, and the pharmaceutical industry as a whole.

* * *The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (http://www.wrmea.com/index.php) reports on PACs frequently. For example, see their list of pro-Israel PAC contributions to candidates in 2010 (http://www.wrmea.org/component/content/article/351-2010-may-june/9045-pro-israel-pac-contributions-to-2010-congressional-candidates.html).

[mick silver]

I hope a few take the time to read some of this stuff tons an tons of info , past it around the ones that come here and never join read this info then join and then tell me what wrong ............................A War for Israel.............http://www.ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/warforisrael.html

[mick silver]

The Chicago Jewish News:
Obama and the Jews
Pauline Dubkin Yearwood
The Chicago Jewish News (http://www.chicagojewishnews.com/story.htm?sid=212226&id=252218)
October 24, 2008


http://www.ifamericansknew.org/images/obamaandthejews.gif
Cover artwork from The Chicago Jewish News



OBAMA AND THE JEWS: A look at why some Jews love him and some don't trust him; and at the key role Chicago Jews played in getting him to where he is
Abner Mikva, the former Chicago congressman, federal judge and White House counsel to President Bill Clinton, puts a 21st-century twist on the notion that Clinton was "the nation's first black president."
"I think when this is all over, people are going to say that Barack Obama is the first Jewish president," he said.
Mikva, a powerful figure in local and national Democratic politics for decades, was one of Sen. Obama's early admirers, beginning in 1990 when he tried to hire the brilliant student and first black president of the Harvard Law Review for a coveted clerkship. (Obama turned him down, saying he was going to move to Chicago and run for public office. "I thought that showed a lot of chutzpah on his part," Mikva says with a laugh.)


http://www.ifamericansknew.org/images/abnermikva.gif
Abner Mikva



Since then, Mikva's support for and nurturance of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has never wavered. He is one of many influential Chicago Jews who have been among Obama's earliest and most ardent backers.
One longtime Jewish observer of the political scene, who did not want to be identified, said admiringly that "Jews made him. Wherever you look, there is a Jewish presence."
Yet outside of Chicago, there has been a significant amount of Jewish resistance to Obama's candidacy, although that may be lessening with Sen. Hillary Clinton, a favorite among Jews, out of the picture.
The Jewish community has been a particular target of e-mails declaring Obama a secret Muslim who attended a madrassa in Indonesia, took his Senate oath of office by swearing on a Quran, and is aligned with Muslim terrorists. Those allegations have been thoroughly disproven by mainstream media and other sources. But even aside from the crackpot right, there is still distrust of the Illinois senator from some Jewish quarters, much of it centering on Israel and on some former and current advisors who are perceived to be unfriendly to the Jewish state.


http://www.ifamericansknew.org/images/joelsprayregen.gif
Joel Sprayregen



Typical of the naysayers is Joel Sprayregen, a Chicago attorney who is a former chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council and a current member of the executive committee of JINSA, the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs.
"My skepticism about Obama derives from both his lack of experience and his alignment up to recently with the far left," Sprayregen said while acknowledging that the candidate "has moved more to the center once he secured the nomination."
Sprayregen believes that "a number" of Obama's foreign policy advisors "have views which would jeopardize American national security. His association with left-wing views and advisors gives me apprehension as to how firm his support for Israel would be in a crisis," he said.
Obama is "baffled" by the resistance to him from some Jews, a key advisor, former California Rep. Mel Levine, said recently, and has stepped up outreach efforts to the Jewish community, including making a well-publicized trip to Israel earlier this summer, his second visit to the Jewish state. Washington correspondent James Besser, writing in The New York Jewish Week, declares that the senator "is acting as if Jews hold the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."
In a way, they do. "The Jewish vote is important because of the states (Jews) are in," Paul Green, a Roosevelt University professor and longtime political maven, said. While Jews make up only about three percent of the national voting public, they vote in greater proportion to their numbers than almost any other group and are gathered in key states, particularly Florida, a swing state with 27 electoral votes, he said.
"That's the most interesting and important. The Jewish vote will matter the most there," Green said. "New York, Illinois, California - they'll go for Obama. But my guess is right now he has some work do with (Jews in) South Florida."
Levine, the Obama advisor, says that more than anything, the nominee-to-be "wants people to realize what his record is and his closeness to the Jewish community in Chicago."
That closeness can hardly be exaggerated.
Obama's Chicago Jewish roots"Some of my earliest and most ardent supporters came from the Jewish community in Chicago," Obama told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in 2004, just after his keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention had galvanized the party and made his name a household word overnight.
That was not hyperbole.


http://www.ifamericansknew.org/images/newtonminow.gif
Newton Minow



Typical Obama first came to Chicago in 1985, after he graduated from Columbia University, and spent three years in the city as a community organizer. In 1988, he left for Harvard Law School, and in the same year met Newton Minow, a Jew and a longtime Democratic powerbroker who served as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission under President John F. Kennedy. He is currently senior counsel at the Loop law firm of Sidley Austin.
Minow's daughter Martha ("She's not just Jewish, she's very very Jewish," her father said) was a professor at Harvard Law School at the time. "She called me in 1988 to say that the best student she ever had wanted to spend the summer in Chicago and she wanted me to meet him," Minow relates. "I said what's his name, and when she said 'Barack Obama,' I said, you gotta spell that."
Minow asked a partner in his firm to look up Obama when he visited the law school. "He started to laugh," Minow said. "He said, we hired him already."
Obama worked at Sidley Austin as an intern that summer; the firm is where he met attorney Michelle Robinson, and they married in 1992. Minow later offered him a second internship followed by a permanent job, but Obama turned it down because, he said, he was planning to go into public service or politics.
Minow and his wife have remained friends with the couple and supporters of Obama's political career. "We introduced him to a lot of our friends and held fund-raisers for him," Minow said. "We find him to be truly outstanding. If you just look around, you can see he's got many many Jewish friends. He is very much at home with Jewish people, their values and interests."
He believes that many in the Jewish community supported Clinton over Obama because "they didn't know Barack Obama. They were not informed about him. They had a loyalty over the years to the Clintons. It's not that they were negative about Barack; they were just committed elsewhere."
Minow continues to actively support Obama's candidacy; a nephew serves as one of his speechwriters.
In Chicago, meanwhile, the Obamas settled in Hyde Park and Obama became a popular lecturer at the University of Chicago law school. Abner Mikva, whom Obama already knew from Washington, also taught there, and the two renewed their acquaintance and became close. "We would have lunch and breakfast together and talk about a lot of things, different issues," Mikva said.
Through Project Vote, a voter registration drive that Obama worked on in 1992, he met two key future supporters, both Jewish. One was David Axelrod, a former Chicago Tribune reporter and chief consultant to Chicago mayors Harold Washington and Richard M. Daley who has been Obama's chief strategist since 2002.


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Bettylu Saltzman



The other is a largely behind-the-scenes champion who has been there since the beginning of Obama's political career and played a quietly crucial - perhaps the most crucial - role in it. She is Bettylu Saltzman, a longtime liberal activist whose father, Philip Klutznick, was a legendary Chicago developer, Jewish leader and statesman who served as secretary of commerce in the Carter administration and played a leading role in the development of the State of Israel.
Saltzman recalled that when she first met the 30-year-old Obama, "I don't know what I saw, but others saw it too. I'm impressed by the numbers of people who said the same thing. He was clearly brilliant and articulate. I don't know what it was, but there was something about him that was clearly destined to be something very special."
She was working in Bill Clinton's presidential campaign at the time and, perhaps because she was thinking in presidential mode, "I immediately thought, he's going to be president some day. I said to my husband and to a lot of other people, he is going to be our first black president. Why I don't know, but I will never ever forget it."
Later, she said, as she got to know Obama, "I would sort of tease him about it. I always said to him, this is what I think is going to happen, and I think in his own mind he always thought that was what he was going to be, too."
While Saltzman said she "never thought about (her support) Jewishly," she added that "obviously I'm not going to support someone who is opposed to Israel and what it stands for. He's right on all the issues when it comes to Israel. He's in exactly the same place (Hillary) Clinton is, maybe even stronger. He's a clearer thinker."
She was also impressed with Michelle Obama and says that "we could have two great people in the White House."
Saltzman supported Obama during his campaign for the state Senate, which he won in 1996, and in his failed bid for Congress against Bobby Rush in 2000. And when Obama was contemplating a U.S. Senate run in 2002, she introduced him to a group of powerful Chicago women who call themselves the Ladies Who Lunch. Many became his supporters.
The following year, Saltzman may have played an even more crucial role in Obama's political rise when she asked him to speak at a downtown Chicago rally against the Iraq war that she was organizing. The speech he gave there became famous, and Obama's early opposition to the war served as a centerpiece of his primary campaign for president.
Saltzman has remained a supporter and now devotes her time to Obama's presidential campaign. "What he did in his early life in Chicago proved that he has a great commitment to people who are less well off," she said, adding that she is encouraged by how many young people are working to get out the vote for him. "People don't always understand the fact that he thinks so clearly," she said. "He is deliberative but not indecisive." And as for Israel, "I think his (recent) trip to the Middle East proved how well accepted he was there."
Meanwhile, after he finished his work with Project Vote, Obama took a job at a civil rights law firm, Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, led by Judson Miner, a well-known Chicago civil rights attorney and Mayor Harold Washington's former counsel. Miner said he met Obama when he read an article in the paper about Obama's wanting to join "a silk stocking law firm." He called Obama, Obama called him back and Miner's young son answered the phone. "He said a guy called me with a very funny name," Miner related. "I had forgotten all about him, but just by chance I called him back."
They agreed to meet and have lunch. Afterwards, "I called my wife and told her I just had lunch with the most impressive person I've ever met," Miner said. "He was truly extraordinary in all sorts of ways. He had a unique comfort with who he was and no pretenses. He was not trying to impress you with who he was. He had a lot of questions and wanted to talk seriously about things he was giving a lot of thought to."
Obama worked for Miner's firm for close to 10 years in two different stretches. When he decided to take time off to run for the state Senate, Miner said, a telling incident occurred. Under a fairly common arrangement, Obama planned to work for the firm part-time while serving in the Senate, considered by many to be a part-time job, and Miner agreed to pay him.
"On about his third day in Springfield, he called me up and said, Judd, this is unfair to you guys. I'm going to be putting in a lot more time than I thought I was going to, and I wouldn't feel right about being paid" by the law firm, Miner related.
Today, Miner is a firm supporter of his former employee's presidential bid. "He has plenty of life experiences that have sensitized him to the things that matter most," he said. "He has enormous self confidence but it is not arrogance. He is not a person who feels he has to hide things. He has very strong views but is very flexible."
Obama's "great strengths" are that he is "most comfortable dealing with people who he respects, who he thinks are dealing with him as equals, are sharing their true opinions. He is not interested in people who are yes men," Miner said.
"I don't know a blemish the guy has. We had many conversations about how do you engage in what you care about professionally while balancing your family obligations and commitment, and he has been quite successful in working it all out. He would be very effective in anything he wanted to do," he said.
Working at Miner's firm introduced Obama to many in the city's liberal community, and during his state Senate tenure, he gained other supporters, including Illinois Sen. Ira Silverstein, an Orthodox Jew who shared an office with him in Springfield. They also shared carpooling duties when both their children attended the secular pre-nursery at Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School.
When they first met, Obama "never knew what an Orthodox Jew was," Silverstein said. Although his Hyde Park district had a large Jewish community, there were few Orthodox Jews. "Down there (in Springfield) on the Sabbath, he didn't understand my restrictions at first but he offered to help if I needed anything. He was very respectful and curious to find out. We talked about religion a lot. He is a very religious person," he said.
Silverstein continues to support Obama and said he is disturbed that "there is lot of bad information out there, a lot of miscommunication, misinformation that has been proved false" about the senator. He said he and Obama often shared their pro-Israel feelings and that when Silverstein sponsored numerous resolutions condemning PLO bombings, Obama eagerly signed on as a co-sponsor.
"I know him," he said. "People can read what they want to in the press, but I know him personally and I can testify to" his pro-Israel views. "That's different than hitting a blog," he said. "If people don't want to listen to me they don't have to, but there's a lot of hearsay out there."
In the state Senate, he said, Obama impressed him by his ability to work with the Republicans when the Democrats were the minority party, and by his ability to "bring people together."


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Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf



Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, rabbi emeritus of KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation and a legendary Hyde Park liberal, is Obama's neighbor and longtime supporter. When Obama was running for the state Senate, Wolf held a fund-raiser for him and told him that "some day you will be the vice president of the United States. He said, why vice president, then he laughed. But we were all thinking this guy isn't going to stay in the state Senate."
"He moved across the street from a synagogue," KAM, he said. "He didn't have to do that."
In fact, Obama even has a Jew in his mishpocheh, albeit on his wife's side. Rabbi Capers Funnye, the spiritual leader of Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken-Agudath Achim Congregation on Chicago's South Side is Michelle Obama's cousin - her grandfather and the rabbi's mother were sister and brother.

[mick silver]

Funnye, an enthusiastic supporter of Obama's presidential bid, said he met him before the couple married and "thought it was a good match." Later he worked with Obama when he was in the state Senate and Funnye was the director of a South Side youth services center and found him helpful and "always reachable."
"Despite some of the things that have been said, I certainly believe (Obama) has a genuine affinity for the State of Israel and the Jewish people," Rabbi Funnye said. "I'm hopeful that the broader Jewish community and the rest of the country will simply grow to understand they have nothing to fear from Obama on the State of Israel and Jewish issues in general."
His own congregation is "extremely supportive," and, he said, "throughout the black Jewish community in the United States, there's great enthusiasm and support for his candidacy. This is a historic moment in time in the history of our country." If Obama is elected president, "I think we will have achieved the ideals for which this country really stands," he said.
When Obama ran for the Senate in 2004, he had not yet visited Israel - one scheduled trip coincided with the birth of his daughter - but he has since been there twice, in 2006 and earlier this summer. Michael Kotzin, executive vice president of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, was along on the January, 2006 trip, part of the federation's "ongoing agenda to help public officials better understand Israel," he said. (The organization is nonpartisan.)
On the trip, "we exposed him to aspects of Israel that might not otherwise be noted, aspects where this community and the federation are actively engaged," he said. The senator discussed Ethiopian aliyah with the head of the Jewish Agency "to understand aliyah, how basic that is to Israel," Kotzin said, and visited an Israeli-Arab-Christian village, among other sites.
The visit "gave him insights into Israeli life and society that are not commonly known, and that registered for him when he gave his main speech in Chicago on Israel and the Middle East," he said. "He ended up talking about the trip he took and how he connected with aspects of the Israeli population and people and understanding the importance of Israel to our community."


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Lester Crown



Another longtime Chicago supporter, philanthropist, community leader and member of one of Chicago's Jewish royal families, Lester Crown, has known Obama since his first days in Chicago, when Minow called Crown and "said we have in our office a young man who I think is really going places, and I'd like you to meet him." Crown has been a supporter ever since; his son James heads Obama's Illinois financial campaign.
Crown said that despite Obama's "rock-star, amazing popularity," he has not changed fundamentally in all the years they have known each other. "He's the same person, even though there are tremendous pressures on him. In the last six or eight months, he hasn't gotten a swelled head. If he ever got a little bit of one, his wife would bring him back in two minutes." Michelle Obama, he said, is "absolutely brilliant."
Crown said he is "bothered" by portions of the Jewish community that express concerns, particularly, about Obama's position on Israel. "From the time I met him, the times we talked about Israel, and we talked about it several times, he has been an ardent backer of Israel's defense position, Israel's security position," he said. "He has been a proponent of the two-state solution, but only on the hopes that you will have a demilitarized peaceful Palestinian entity, which you do not have now."
Most important, Crown said, is that "knowing him long before he got into politics, I know he is completely supportive, without any question or equivocation, of Israel's security. He is only interested (in a two-state solution) if Israel's security is absolutely assured, and that was his position long before he ever went into politics. His speeches to AIPAC are not new positions, merely the vocalization of what he has always believed," he said.
The doubtersNot everyone in the Jewish community agrees.
Jewish criticism of Obama - aside from the lunatic fringe that still harps on his middle name, Hussein, and supposed Muslim "credentials" - centers on four factors: his positions on Israel, several of his foreign policy advisors, his foreign policy inexperience and his apparent willingness as president to talk to the Iranian regime. His domestic agenda is little mentioned in these debates.


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Emily Soloff



Emily Soloff, area director of the nonpartisan American Jewish Committee, said that is natural since "the Jewish community is passionate about many things but particularly about Israel. People for whom Israel is the issue or the primary issue look with a magnifying glass at everything a candidate says or does. The nature of campaigning in America makes it difficult for any candidate to hold up to that kind of scrutiny."
In addition, she said, "Jews are well educated, they're readers, there are many Jewish bloggers, all of which means the amount of information that comes out about a candidate, there is tremendously more information coming out than there has been in the past."
In such an environment, "people tend to shrei (Yiddish for yell) a little bit louder to get their voices heard," she said. "In terms of this election, Obama's youth and his newness also has put him under greater scrutiny than candidates who have been in the public eye for much longer and have longer records of action as well as words."
Even former Israeli cabinet minister Natan Sharansky has expressed his concerns, telling a Shalom TV interviewer that Obama has no record on foreign policy and that an Obama presidency would be a "risk" for Israel.
Closer to home, Rabbi Victor Weissberg, a local Israel activist and chair of To Protect Our Heritage PAC, which works to promote a closer alliance between the United States and Israel, said Obama is "flawed.
"He is suddenly forced to become specific and not use a lot of gloss words like change; that isn't working for him any more," he said. "He's a very bright fellow but he's sort of a hollow man, and America really needs somebody of substance who will say what he means and won't change," he said. Obama has changed his position on offshore oil drilling and other issues, he said. "We're not dummies, we can think straight," he said. "The people who are going to lead us need to think straight too and not shoot their doggone mouths off."
"At the AIPAC conference, he was a wow." Weissberg said. "He had people standing up on their seats cheering. He has tried to say all the right things about Israel, but because he flip-flops, people are really at sixes and sevens with themselves about him. Israelis think he's not the right candidate at the right time for their situation. We were there for Pesach and almost unanimously they were in favor of (presumptive Republican nominee John) McCain."
Polls have, indeed, shown that McCain is perceived in Israel as a staunch friend of the Jewish state, and that some Israelis have been wary of Obama's statement, during a meeting with Jewish leaders in Cleveland in February, that "there is a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt an unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel that you're anti-Israel."


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Chaya Gil



One Israeli native and longtime Chicagoan, attorney and community activist Chaya Gil, said she is "definitely worried" about an Obama presidency, for several reasons.
One is the candidate's "very close intimate relationship" with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his longtime pastor who gained notoriety for his inflammatory statements and is widely perceived to be anti-Semitic and anti-Israel. Obama denounced Wright earlier this year and eventually severed his ties with him and his church.
"Wright doesn't love America, he speaks against his country and he said awful things about Israel. He's no good for the Jewish community and it's not good that he is the role model for Obama," Gil said. She said that when Obama said he wasn't aware of some of Wright's positions, "he was lying. There is a character issue."
In addition, she said, Obama "said he will talk to Iran and other countries. That says to me that he will be manipulated by Iran and others."
She said she is also concerned about Obama's relationships with some advisors perceived to be anti-Israel, including Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security advisor in the Carter administration; Samantha Power, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and lecturer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, who was forced to leave the Obama campaign after making a derogatory remark about Hillary Clinton but is said to still be advising him; and Robert Malley, another Clinton administration advisor.
Gil's worries parallel those of right-wing media outlets that have recently taken aim at the advisors. Brzezinski was perceived as unfriendly to Israel during the Carter administration and, more recently, initially endorsed the views of Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, authors of articles and a book blaming the pro-Israel lobby for American foreign policy failures. They are anathema to most Jews. Brzezinski later said their book overstated its case.
Power has drawn the ire of Israel activists because of her stinging criticism of Israel's first Lebanon War. Malley was perceived as blaming Israel for the breakdown of the U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian talks at Camp David in the summer of 2000, which he attended as a senior adviser to President Clinton.
Another frequent target of conservative bloggers has been George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist who has often been critical of Israel's policies. He has contributed to the Obama campaign.
The campaign has said that the three advisors, who are among hundreds, have a peripheral role in the campaign and do not advise Obama on Middle East policy. Soros, although he has donated to Obama, has no role in the campaign, an Obama spokesperson has said.
Gil said that Obama "has put these people on ice lately, hushed up their relationship. But they're not dead, they will pop up the minute he's elected." Israelis, she said, although they were impressed with him during his recent visit to the Jewish state, "know he is not coming in good faith."
She said that "at a time of pressure," Obama "loses his balance. He is very good when he is prepared, but once in a while he is asked a question that he does not expect, and he stutters. He would say whatever suits him."
Another Israeli-born Chicagoan, who did not want to be identified, said she is "very very uncomfortable" with Obama, "not because he is not a good man" but because "he knows very little about Israel."
She added that she doesn't believe Obama has enough experience to be able to run the country in difficult times. "If you ask me, we need a strong person who can move things around to what they used to be, a strong America, a great Israel," she said. That person is not Obama, she said.


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Richard Baehr



Much of the concern over Obama's perceived anti-Israel advisors has been spurred by Richard Baehr, the chief political correspondent of the American Thinker, an online conservative magazine that Jewish Telegraphic Agency political correspondent Ron Kampeas calls "the principle redoubt of Obama-Israel skepticism."
In a recent phone conversation, Baehr, who is a member of the Republican Jewish Coalition, reiterated his concerns about Brzezinski, Power and Malley, calling them "Jimmy Carter retreads."
"If you have one or two bad apples, OK, but this team is full of them from top to bottom," Baehr said. "This is what the pro-Israel community is most nervous about."
Kampeas, the JTA correspondent, writes that "much, if not the vast majority, of the material targeting Obama's advisors is distorted and even false," and many Jewish Obama supporters agree.


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Doni Remba



One, former Chicagoan Gidon "Doni" Remba, president and co-founder of the Jewish Alliance for Change, which advocates for Obama in the Jewish community, has dedicated his Web site and newsletter to rebutting what he calls "lies that are spreading virally. A lot of Jews are getting concerned on the basis of a fear and smear campaign, and they're not looking at the facts. This is politics at its worst," he said in a recent conversation.
He said that information in the American Thinker by Baehr and Northbrook's Ed Lasky "looks like a very serious essay, but it is all based on distortions, misleading information, twisting statements, statements taken out of context and downright false information."
For instance, Remba said, Brzezinski "was not an advisor to Obama on Israel, just somebody who had a couple of conversations with him about Iraq." (The Obama campaign confirmed that neither Brzezinski, Power nor Malley advised Obama on Israel-related issues.)
"The critics ignore the fact that McCain had as much or more of a relationship with these same anti-Israel advisors. McCain said he would consider appointing seasoned hands, people like Brzezinski and James Baker (secretary of state for the first President Bush). Obama said he would never consider using Baker. People ignore that.
"The most prominent smear is that he is secretly not pro-Israel, but everything he has done and said, his entire record of years of public life, all the legislation he sponsored is pro-Israel," Remba said, accusing Obama's Jewish detractors of "bringing up very tangential things and twisting them in such as way as to arouse people's fears.
"I saw it in my own family," he said. "A lot of Jews, they are getting these e-mails. I got them from my uncle, my cousins, my family in Israel and other parts of the country. People are saying, is this true? Their fears have been aroused."
On the Israel question, some Jews see the fact that Dennis Ross, President Clinton's Middle East envoy and chief negotiator who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, is advising Obama on Israel as a reassuring sign. Joy Malkus, research director for the Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs, a Chicago-based political action committee that supports Israel, church-state separation and reproductive choice, said members of the PAC "are comfortable with where (Obama) stands as far as Israel is concerned. Especially now that Dennis Ross has come to work for him, we have no concerns whatsoever as far as his position on Israel goes." The PAC has endorsed Obama but will not be supporting him financially because he is not accepting money from PACs.
Malkus said the PAC decided to support Obama because "McCain's voting record (on Israel) is perfect so there's no reason to think he would not be excellent on Israel but he does not meet our domestic criteria."
She said she thinks some Jews are uncomfortable with Obama because of his shorter voting record, but said that "I find it disappointing. I don't think you can just base (your vote) on the length of a voting record. He's surrounding himself with people who care about moving the process forward and having a two-state solution that works. If people have questions, they should look back at what (Dennis) Ross has written. He is quite a strong person to have in your corner." The PAC, she said, is "strongly in favor of the U.S. facilitating whatever is necessary to move the peace process forward, and that's where Obama stands on Israel."
Baehr counters such arguments from Jewish supporters. "I don't see the fact that some major scions of the Jewish community support (Obama) as meaning he is pro-Israel," he said. "In the Senate, he has behaved more traditionally and signed on to most resolutions that AIPAC would consider pro-Israel. But now and then something slips out." He cited a 2004 interview in which Obama was critical of the Israeli security wall and his more recent statement, to Cleveland Jewish leaders, that being pro-Israel doesn't mean being pro-Likud.
"I don't think an American president should decide who he should be for in the Israeli government," Baehr said. "His view of being pro-Israel doesn't mean being sympathetic to the elected leaders of the Israeli people. That's a difficult position to put yourself in."
He said another "bothersome factor" is that people in Obama's Hyde Park neighborhood said "he wasn't reticent about arguing that American policy is too pro-Israel and needed more balance. The general perception is that he was a Palestinian sympathizer. That doesn't mean he is hostile to Jews or Israel but he is not a strong Israel supporter.
"Now he's saying all the right things and voting the right way, but there are a whole bunch of little threads out there that make people nervous," Baehr said. "Nobody questioned whether McCain or Hillary (Clinton) was pro-Israel, but with Obama, there are questions."
Joel Sprayregen, the Chicago attorney and Israel activist, said that he worries about Obama's lack of experience, his foreign policy advisors, and "the fact that he was so wrong on the surge in Iraq," which Obama opposed. Many Americans believe that the added troop deployment known as the surge has made Iraq safer.
Sprayregen said that while he is encouraged that so many thoughtful and committed Jews are in Obama's camp, he believes that "Jews still tend to vote Democratic in knee-jerk fashion thinking they're still voting for FDR's New Deal. Too many Jews do not take into account the fact that President Bush has been enormously supportive of Israel. I think we have no better guide than (Connecticut senator) Joe Lieberman, a true liberal on domestic issues, as to which of his senatorial colleagues is more qualified to be commander-in-chief." Lieberman is supporting McCain.
The supportersIf Obama has a way to go to garner solid Jewish support in other parts of the country, in Chicago it seems solid and growing.
Some of his champions are longtime friends like Rabbi Wolf of KAM, who worries that Jews who don't know Obama think of him as "remote." "It may be the Muslim element in his background, it may be that he's black. Jews are like everybody else, they have some questions about a black president," Wolf said.
But he may understand Obama's background better than most. When people ask him if Obama is "tough enough," he says, "When you come up in Chicago politics, you better be tough."
He believes Obama is "very cautious. Whenever we talked about issues, I would always be more radical than he. He listened a lot but said very little. He'll listen and listen and you don't always know what he thinks. He knows as much as any of us about the Middle East, and he hasn't said a word about the Palestinians that President Bush hasn't already said."
Many Jews may have been more friendly to Hillary Clinton, he said, because "she is more of a known quantity. You know, the Jews can't stand not to worry. Nobody (in politics) is against Israel, they can't afford to be, why should they be? He knows more than most people do about the (Middle East) situation, but he's going to go very cautiously and not do anything that shakes up the Jewish community. I'm not sure I agree with that, but that's what's going to happen."
He would advise Obama to "make his Jewish supporters more visible. He could mention them, put them forward, be proud of the Jewish community's support."
The rabbi's own feeling is that Obama is "sort of Jewish in a way. His overachieving is Jewish, his intellectualism is Jewish, even his charisma has a Jewish side. Maybe I feel it more strongly than others do, but I feel like he's one of us.
"I like McCain too, but he ain't one of us," he added.
One of Obama's most ardent Chicago supporters is Jack S. Levin, an attorney practicing international law and a longtime community activist who said he is not a Democrat but an independent who "supports candidates I think are superior. I am not a down-the-line Democrat or Republican and I don't support mediocre candidates. I support Barack because I think he would be best for our country," he said.
Levin has known Obama for more than 15 years, since Levin served on the Harvard Law School Visiting Committee and met the young law student. "Members of the Visiting Committee don't typically take much note of students, but he was outstanding, an absolutely standout student," he said.
He became reacquainted with Obama when he served in the Illinois Senate and sponsored legislation that would help to create jobs by bringing more private equity and venture capital to the state, one of Levin's areas of expertise. He continued to be so impressed with Obama that now he serves on his campaign finance, tax policy, Jewish community and Middle East committees.
He calls Obama "a brilliant, far-thinking, organized, thoughtful super kind of person. He has wonderful thoughts and ideas and he soaks up experiences in moments that it would take other people years to get. He is jumping in knowledge year by year. His grasp of ideas and concepts and ability to understand what other people are thinking is wonderful."
Having served in the office of the Solicitor General in Washington, Levin said he has many friends who have worked in the White House, and believes that "the most important attribute of a president is the ability to think, reason, absorb information and make decisions when there is conflicting advice, and Obama is just terrific at that.
"You can give all the speeches you want to about how you would handle issues, but (as president) 100 times a day things cross your desk that you had never thought of, and (a president needs) a great ability to think and grasp, to do the right thing, to analyze the conflicting advice being received and work it out and say, this is the course we should take.
"No one is as good as Obama at hearing conflicting views, thoughts, advice and ideas, at looking at a complex problem and implementing solutions," he said.
Levin said he does much international travel and what those trips have shown him is that "our country has turned into a pariah on the world stage. For the last few years, our leaders have not been people who could interrelate well with other world leaders. We are reviled, not respected."
Obama, he said, "is going to be the closest there is to someone who is able to restore some modicum of respect internationally."
Levin said he has worked with Obama for years on many issues and that the senator has always been a strong supporter of Israel.
As for Jewish community support, he said that "here in Chicago, people know him better than other places, and the vast majority of the Jewish leadership of Chicago support him wholeheartedly. We know he would be best for Israel and for the United States. I think it is an issue of Obama getting better known in Florida, New York and other places where the Jewish community hasn't yet had the opportunity to touch hands with him and realize how wise and capable he is and how strongly he supports Israel."
Why the distrust?A number of Obama's Jewish supporters have set about figuring out why some Jews - especially in other states - are distrustful of him. Abner Mikva said that the "unknown" factor is strong. Jews "were distrustful of (John) Kerry, (Al) Gore, (Bill) Clinton before he ran, Jimmy Carter, Lyndon Johnson. It goes all the way back. The first time I was campaigning for John F. Kennedy, I stopped at somebody's door, a Jewish voter, and he said, you know he's an anti-Semite. His father was, so he must be."
Another factor, Mikva said, is one that "always bothers and embarrasses me about my co-religionists. A piece of our community still thinks of African Americans as schvartzes - somehow not sufficiently educated or smart enough to occupy the White House. All I can say to that is, they're wrong. I think (Obama) will turn out to be one of the greatest presidents we've ever had."
He said he once tried to explain to Obama why some parts of the Jewish community didn't support him. "I said, Barack, it wouldn't matter if your name was Sholem Aleichem, there's some segments of the Jewish community you wouldn't get. He said, well, my name is Baruch Obama." (During his 2004 campaign, Obama, visiting a Jewish center for the aged in Boston, discussed the etymological relationship of his first name, which means "blessed" in Swahili, to its Hebrew counterpart, Baruch.)
On the racial issue, Remba, the president of the Jewish Alliance for Change, agreed that "some people from an older generation have a very different experience in their lives with black Americans than people even in their 40s and 50s. Middle-aged and younger people have grown up in integrated America and are very comfortable and used to working with blacks, knowing them as friends and neighbors, viewing them in a way that race doesn't matter."
To some people, including Jews, who grew up in an older era, "your whole experience of black people is they come from the wrong side of the tracks, they're associated with crime, with danger, they're poor, gang related. If your whole experience of black people is the South Side of Chicago - not Hyde Park - you would have a sort of fearful set of associations."
He said he believes some "holdover of these associations and biases" may be in play with Obama's candidacy, but many Jews may be able to overcome it. "The vast majority of Jews, including older Jews, can judge Obama as an individual, an American, someone who has been so close to so many people in the Jewish community of Chicago for so many years. When they get to see who he is, I hope they'll put aside their fears," he said.
Those fears have been stoked by e-mails to pro-Israel activists warning that if Obama is elected, Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton will have prominent places in his administration, as well as a cartoon published earlier this year in the Israeli newspaper Maariv showing Obama painting the White House black.


http://www.ifamericansknew.org/images/alansolow.gif
Alan Solow



Still most of Obama's Jewish supporters believe it is the Israel issue, not racial politics, that may be keeping some Jews from endorsing him. Alan Solow, a Chicago attorney, community leader and former chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council who has known Obama for many years, said he would like to put those fears to rest.
He has known Obama since both lived in Hyde Park and began actively supporting him during his U.S. Senate bid. "Working on his behalf, I had the opportunity to have many discussions with him on a wide range of issues," he said. "I have always been delighted with the way he approaches problems and I've become more impressed as time has gone on."
On the Israel question, Solow said Obama's entire public policy approach, statements and votes "all consistently point to a position that is very helpful to strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and Israel. There isn't one single action or vote that anyone can point to that would cast any doubt on what his position would be," he said.
Beyond foreign policy, Solow said, "I think his positions are much more consistent with the vast majority of the Jewish community - the right to choose, separation of church and state, social justice issues generally. The Jewish community ought to be looking at those issues as well." He said that although many Jews don't feel they know Obama as well as they do Hillary Clinton or John McCain, he has a "long consistent record" of pro-Israel support. "People should look at what his record is and not say, we still don't know," he said.
On the question of inexperience, Obama's old friend Ira Silverstein said, "Look, McCain has been around longer, but we've had President Bush in there and he was a governor, the head of a major league baseball team, and look at our economy. I've seen (Obama) work in the Senate. I've seen him. He can bring people together. I know him personally. Leadership? I can testify to it."
Another old friend, Rabbi Wolf, gives another kind of testimony. Obama, he says, is "embedded in the Jewish world."

[mick silver]

The Missing Headlines from Israel-PalestineStudies (http://www.ifamericansknew.org/media/) show that US news is extremely Israeli-centric. The main bureaus for CNN, AP, Time, etc. are located in Israel and are often staffed by Israelis. The son of the NY Times bureau chief (http://www.ifamericansknew.org/media/bronner.html) is in the Israeli army; "pundit" Jeffrey Goldberg (http://www.ifamericansknew.org/cur_sit/milofficer.html) served in the Israeli military; Wolf Blitzer (http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/25340786/Wolf-Blitzer-AIPAC-and-the-Saudi-Peace-Initiative) worked for the Israel lobby, and numerous other journalists in the region have personal family ties to the Israeli military (http://www.ifamericansknew.org/media/bronner2.html).

We believe that Americans should receive all the news about the region, not just that deemed reportable by those with Israeli connections. As such, we display the latest stories from IMEMC (http://www.imemc.org/), a media center developed in collaboration between Palestinian and International journalists to provide independent media coverage of Israel-Palestine. go to link lots n lots of info
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/cur_sit/missingheadlines.html

[monty]

All those zionist lobbying groups groups and dual citizens infiltrating our government has been the goose laying the golden eggs for the crooked countrty.

US aid to Israel - 2015 Fact SheetTotal American aid to Israel since 1949 exceeds $121 billion (in non-inflation-adjusted dollars).
In 2007, President George Bush and Israel entered into a 10-year Memoradum of Understanding that would give Israel $30 billion in Foreign Military Assistance.


At the completion of this 10-year-plan in 2018, the U.S. will have given Israel $30 billion in unconditional military aid. The United States awards this grant in one lump sum, unlike other foreign recipients, which receive their payments in installments. Israel uses the interest it earns on this amount to pay down its debt to the United States, valued at $455 million in January 2013. In his March 2013 visit to Israel, President Barack Obama pledged (http://archive.defensenews.com/article/20140330/DEFREG04/303300008/Israel-Banks-10-More-Years-US-Aid) to continue multi-year aid packages to Israel through 2028.


Under the terms of the agreement, Israel will be able to spend 26 percent of these U.S. funds on Israeli-manufactured military equipment. (This is known as Off-Shore Procurement.) This agreement, which is unique only to Israel, has allowed Israel to grow to be the world’s 7th largest exporter of military weaponry and equipment.


Israel also receives aid in other ways such as loan guarantees, refugee resettlement assistance, and reduced cost or free military equipment.


In addition to $3.1 billion per year in Foreign Military Assistance issued through the US Department of State, Israel also receives funds through the Defense Department appropriations bills for missle defense programs, like Iron Dome.


Here is a breakdown of some of US Aid to Israel:




Israel is the largest recipient of US Foreign Military Financing.

For FY2015, President Barack Obama’s funding request for Israel would account for more than 55% of FMF worldwide.

Annual FMF grants account for up to 25% of Israel’s defense budget.

Israel is allowed to use FMF to purchase weapons produced in Israel. No other country receives this benefit.

In 2010, the US and Israel agreed to allow Israel tol purchase 19 F-35s at a cost of $2.75 billion. Israel will pay for this entirely using FMF grants supplied by the United States.

Under negotiated agreements, Israel may purchase an additional squadron of F-35s, up to 75 aircraft, costing a total of $15.2 billion.

As part of the deal, the U.S. has pledged to spend $4 billion purchasing equipment from Israel’s defense industries.

In the summer of 2012, the Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin finalized a $450 million agreement to modify the baseline F-35 model to accommodate electronic warfare and munitions systems for Israel’s future F-35 squadrons.

For FY2015, the Administration is requesting $3.1 billion in FMF to Israel and $10 million in Migration and Refugee Assistance. The Missile Defense Agency’s FY2015 request for joint U.S.- Israeli programs is $96.8 million. The Administration also is requesting $175.9 million for Iron Dome.


The US-Israel Strategic Partnership Act


Passed in March 2014, the Strategic Partnership Act will (among other things):




Authorize annual funding for a U.S.-based Joint Energy Research Center

Authorize $3 million to be spent on research pilot programs between Israel and the Department of Homeland Security

Require the Administration to submit biennial reports on maintaining Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge. Current law requires the Administration to report on a quadrennial basis


Israel, not an honest broker


Israel has not always been an honest foreign aid recipient, breaking both U.S. and international laws by the misuse of American weaponry, espionage and selling sensitive military equipment and knowledge to countries unfriendly to the United States.


Weapons use violations




Cluster munitions – In 1982 the Reagan administration found that Israel ‘may’ have violated its 1952 Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement with the U.S. by using U.S.-supplied cluster bombs against civilians in Lebanon.

Israel also may have violated several American laws by its use of American-made Apache helicopters, F-16 fighter jets and other U.S.-produced ammunition on the civilian population of Gaza during Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 and January 2009, according to a report by the National Lawyers Guild.


Questionable deals




In 2000, Israel sought to sell the Airborne Early Warning System to China, which could threaten “the forces of democratic Taiwan and the United States in the region surrounding the Taiwan Straights.”

In 2005, because of Israeli plans to sell American information or technology to China, the US suspended Israel from the development of the Joint Strike Fighter and imposed other restrictions on them.

In 2006, Israel froze a $100-million contract with Venezuela to upgrade its U.S. manufactured F-16 fighter jets due to U.S. pressure.

In 2009, an Israeli defense company partnering with Swedish manufacturer Saab backed out of a bidding competition to sell Swedish-designed fighter jets to India because U.S. officials worried U.S. technology would be integrated into the jets.

In December 2013, the head of Israel’s Defense Export Control Agency resigned after a joint US-Israeli investigation concluded that an Israeli miniature cooling system that can be used for missiles, and that had been licensed for sale to a French company, had been retransferred to China.


Espionage-related cases




Jonathan Pollard was indicted in November 1985 for selling classified documents to Israel. Four Israelis also were charged. Pollard was convicted and is serving a life sentence.

Lawrence Franklin, indicted June 13, 2005, for the unauthorized disclosure of classified information relating to al Qaeda, U.S. policy toward Iran and the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia to a foreign diplomat.

Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, of the AIPAC lobby, were indicted on Aug. 4, 2005, for their part in the Franklin’s espionage. On May 1, 2009, U.S. prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the case because of the likelihood that classified information would be revealed at trial that would damage national security.

Ben-Ami Kadish, arrested on April 22, 2008, on suspicion of giving classified information on nuclear weapons to Israel. Kadish pleaded guilty on May 29, 2009, to one count of conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of Israel and was fined $50,000.

Stewart Nozette, indicted on Oct. 15, 2009, for allegedly attempting to sell classified information about U.S. satellites, early-warning systems and other systems to the Mossad (Israel’s foreign intelligence and spy agency). Nozette pleaded guilty to a “seemingly unrelated two-count charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax evasion.”


Sources: CSR Report for Congress, "U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel," April 11, 2014; “U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel” April 11, 2013; “Israel: Background and U.S. Relations,” Feb. 14, 2011; and “Onslaught: Israel’s Attack on Gaza & the Rule of Law,” National Lawyers GuildAMP 03/15/14

http://www.ampalestine.org/index.php/key-topics/us-aid-to-israel/626-us-aid-to-israel-2015-fact-sheet

[Ponce]

Holyyyyyyyyyyyyyy shit, that's half of the US population.....our future president will have a ball...RIGHT TRUMP?

"The few are paid a lot, to influenced the many"... Ponce