Friends of ZOA:And
ZOA has received many emails and phone calls since informing the community of the BDS Boycott that took place at Publix this past Saturday. It was terrific to see all parts of the pro-Israel community work together in response. By all accounts the “Buycott” that was organized was a success. People all over South Florida purchased Sabra and Tribe hummus at Publix supermarkets and submitted letters of support to the management.
Many people want to know more about Florida’s anti-Israel community and the organizers of the BDS Boycott. The article published in today’s Jewish Journal covering the event offered few details about who these people are and what motivates them. A copy of the article appears below.
ZOA submitted a written interview to the Jewish Journal last week that offered specific details and explanations that we hoped would be passed on to the community. We were let down to see that most of the important points we highlighted were not ultimately included in the article. Specifically, we feel that the article did not accurately portray the anti-Israel activists involved in the boycott. As a consequence the public has been denied important facts and understanding. Excerpts from the written interview are included below as well.
The community needs to know that Florida’s BDS activists are anti-Jewish bigots who seek the destruction of Israel. The organizers of Saturday’s Boycott hosted an event in May called the Third Intifada Rally for Palestine. “Intifada” is a call for a violent uprising aimed at destroying Israel. During the First and Second Intifada thousands of innocent Israeli civilians, including women and children, were brutally murdered by indiscriminate terrorist attacks.
The attached video was captured at an anti-Israel rally hosted last month in front of the Israeli Consulate. It was organized by the same group, and many people on this video were present this past Saturday. Turn up the volume and listen carefully. “Intifada” and “From the River to the Sea” have only one meaning. This type of information is essential to understanding what is taking place in our community. If the pro-Israel community is to defeat these enemies they must be equipped with the facts and information needed to do so.
ZOA feels that the pro-Israel Community should be more concerned about the quality of its own efforts than it is by those of the anti-Israel Community. We urge all of you to consider inviting ZOA to your synagogue/church/group to provide a specific presentation about the status of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish efforts in Florida, and the facts information needed for us to defeat them. We want to share first hand evidence about a situation that many other organizations are unwilling to discuss publicly. ZOA believes that in order for our community to prevail over the threats of our enemies, there must be a detailed understanding of Florida's anti-Israel Community, its leadership, strategies, goals and recent activities.
JOSEPH M. SABAG, ESQ.
Executive Director
Florida Region
Zionist Organization of America
Email: Florida@zoa.org
Phone: (561) 470-1948
Address: 21218 St. Andrews Blvd., #600
Boca Raton, FL 33433
Visit Us: www.zoa.org
What does the community need to know about BDS in South Florida?Finally
It is extremely important for the public to know that the leading proponents of the local BDS movement are the same anti-Jewish bigots who lead the anti-Israel community. In fact, the July 23rd boycott event at Publix was organized by the same bigots who organized May’s “Third Intifada Rally” in Miami on Israeli Independence Day. BDS is a form of economic warfare, and is presently one of the favorite tactics of Israel’s enemies. The vulnerability of the BDS movement lies in its being properly recognized as anti-Jewish rather than anti-Israel.
BDS advocates are smart enough to lie about their intentions. They’ll claim that they are simply protesting Israel’s policies, while the media takes them at their word and whitewashes them as simple activists concerned with the so-called Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. But the truth is that their efforts are aimed at seeing Israel wiped off the map – “from the River to the Sea” as their slogan says. The motivation for this stems from powerful traditions of Islamic and European hatred toward Jews. It's extremely important that the connection of BDS to anti-Jewish bigotry be further exposed and highlighted. The vast majority of self-described anti-Israel/anti-Zionist activists and openly anti-Jewish bigots would be hard pressed to explain how their perspectives differ in any meaningful way. This is made clear by the fact that they use the same methodology of demonizing and delegitimizing Israel while constantly holding her to unfair double-standards.
What can individuals in the community do to counteract BDS efforts?
Israel’s supporters generally have nothing to gain by counter-demonstrating and engaging the bigots who support BDS. It’s the retailers being targeted who need to receive the message that the public overwhelmingly supports their decision to sell products made in Israel. In responding to boycott demonstrations, many communities have held ‘buycotts’ as a method to counter, and ZOA is strongly in favor of this approach. Israel’s supporters should go to the retailers being targeted and buy the products being targeted for boycott and other items made in Israel, and they should submit a brief letter to the management at the time of purchase expressing support for the retailer’s decision to carry the products. The efforts of the anti-Israel community are indeed frustrated where they serve to increase sales of a particular Israeli product rather than to prevent them.
Florida Jewish Journal Boycott BattleMe? I'm in favor of the Buycott, and perhaps talking with some of the boycotters about their tactics and their demonization of the only Jewish country on Earth. But I'm obsessive that way.
By Sergio Carmona Florida Jewish Journal
July 26, 2011
Israel's local supporters and opponents engaged in debates and arguments outside a North Miami Publix last week.
As South Florida Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions organizers conducted a boycott demonstration calling Publix to end its sales of Sabra and Tribe brand hummus and food products, they were confronted by counter-demonstrators supporting Israel.
Aventura resident and Israeli supporter Liz Becker, who attended with her friends to "buycott" Israeli products and confront BDS, felt the group was being selective when it came to boycotting Israel.
"If they're going to boycott, let them boycott right," Becker said. "Let them throw away all their cell phones right now. They can't text message or go on AIM because any form of instant messaging was created in Israel."
Becker listed items that were created in Israel such as flash drives, voicemail, camera phone chips on cell phones and more.
Weston resident Arthur Barr, who also counter-protested in favor of Israel, was amazed that the group was being selective in certain products they don't use.
"Every time they say they want to boycott Israeli products, they should boycott all the sophisticated electronics that deal with cell phones," Barr said. "Why are they not doing that? Israel makes money every time someone purchases this equipment."
The protest took place during the Sabbath. Becker said that she felt that the group deliberately planned the demonstration during that time.
"They're doing it because they know the Orthodox community cannot attend," she said. "That's exactly why they're doing it."
However, South Florida BDS organizers said that the decision to schedule the demonstration on that date was because it was the easiest day to get everybody together.
"It was easier for people to get together on a Saturday afternoon than any other time," said BDS organizer Len Kaminsky, a Surfside resident. "It has nothing to do with the Sabbath. Some of us are Jewish."
Kaminsky added that the whole idea of the protest was being anti-Zionist and not anti-Jewish.
"We don't agree with the way the Palestinians are being treated by Israel, which is a Zionist state," he added. "I'm Jewish but I'm not a Zionist. There is a difference. We defend the Jews, but we don't defend Zionism and the reason why we're here is because a lot of the products that are sold are made to benefit Israel."
Despite the turnout of Israel supporters coming out to counter-protest, community leaders don't advise that pro-Israel advocates counter demonstrate these groups. Andrew Rosenkranz, the Anti-Defamation League's Florida Regional director in Boca Raton, said "ADL opposes boycotts in policy and has historically advised against counter boycotts or demonstrations. The best support the Jewish community can give to Israel right now is to stop the flow of inaccurate information which serves as the base of the BDS movement."
Joseph Sabag, executive director for Zionist Organization of America's Florida Region in Boca Raton, said that although Israel's supporters generally have nothing to gain by counter-demonstrating and engaging those who support BDS, ZOA is in favor of the "buycott" approach.
"Israel's supporters should go to the retailers being targeted and buy the products being targeted for boycott and other items made in Israel and they should submit a brief letter to the management at the time of purchase expressing support for the retailer's decision to carry the products," he added.
Copyright © 2011, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
One more thing: Do you think the young - uh - lady in the following video is anti-Jewish, or merely anti-Zionist, criticizing the policies of the right-wing Israeli government. Yes, it's from 2008, but it was filmed in S. Florida. I bet she's a BDS supporter.
by Cowznofski
