Dear Chaverot,
I hope you are all well. It has been so fantastic to see many of our Chaverot getting back to meeting in person, holding events and of course, visiting us here in Israel!
We are barely into 2022 and there have been enormous challenges. Jewish communities were shocked when news broke about a hostage situation in a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas and reminded just how vulnerable we are as antisemitism rises. Amnesty International released a report accusing Israel of practicing Apartheid – although this has been rejected by many democracies. As I write this, Russia is braced to invade the Ukraine and there is enormous concern all over the world about what the repercussions will be.
In this rather bumper edition of Straight Facts, we explore how BDS is a colonialist project, investigate the circumstances around the Colleyville hostage taking, and ask why are Jews always the scapegoats and more.
I hope this is of service to you. Please share on social media and with your Federations and communities.
Warmest regards,
Rolene Marks
World WIZO Executive: Public Diplomacy & Hasbarah – Office of the Chairperson
+ 972 52 582 9090
rolenemarks@yahoo.com
The Normalisation of Holocaust Parallels
An ugly phenomenon has reared its head during the Covid 19 pandemic – the comparison of vaccines, green passports, lockdowns and more to the Holocaust. The misuse of Holocaust terminology is wildly offensive and has exposed the need for more education. Read more:
https://transatlanticinstitute.org/analysis/normalization-holocaust-parallels-covid-era
BDS is a Colonialist Project
BDS sells themselves as a social justice movement but is that what their endgame is? They have stated quite clearly time and gain that what they really want is “Palestine to be free from the river to the sea” – which essentially is the destruction of the State of Israel. Read more from Emily Schrader:
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-692805
Scapegoating Jews will lead to Bloodshed
The recent hostage situation at the Colleyville synagogue in Texas sparked a ripple of fear throughout global Jewry. The antisemitic motives of the terrorist who took the Rabbi and several congregants as hostages was largely downplayed in the global media. Journalist Zach Shapira shares his thoughts and warms of the dangers of downplaying antisemitism and making Jews scapegoats:
The Eternal Scapegoats
Recent reports have published statistics that prove that 2021 was the most antisemitic year in over a decade. What has contributed to this and will events like the recently released Amnesty International contribute to more scapegoating of the Jewish people? Read more here:
https://layoftheland.online/2022/02/03/the-eternal-scapegoats/
Contemporary Antisemitism and Ways to Counter It
Antisemitism doesn’t go away but it does take on a different iteration every time it manifests its ugly head. This means we have to adapt and change the way we approach fighting antisemitism. Julie Nathan looks at practical ways we could be fighting antisemitism:
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/contemporary-antisemitism-and-ways-to-counter-it/
Britain has an antisemitism problem
The Jewish world was dismayed when news broke about a hostage situation at the Bnei Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. The terrorist was not from the USA but was a British national who had been planning this for two years. Brendan O’Neil, Editor-in-Chief of Spiked takes and in-depth look at Muslim antisemitism in the UK:
https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/01/23/britain-has-a-muslim-anti-semitism-problem/
Israel wins the war of Ideas
The question often asked of those of us who speak about Israel is “why is Israel’s PR so bad”? Renowned journalist and speaker, Bret Stephens looks at ways we can tell Israel’s story here:
https://sapirjournal.org/aspiration/2022/01/israel-wins-the-war-of-ideas/
WATCH
Antisemitism is rising to alarming levels globally and 2021 was one of the worst years. It was my honour and privilege to speak about it on i24 News International yesterday. You can view the interview here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usfg0xU6Gh8
Rolene Marks
World WIZO Executive: Public Diplomacy & Hasbarah – Office of the Chairperson
+ 972 52 582 9090
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