Anti-Semitism in Seattle
Alison Weir of the anti-Semitic organization “If Americans Knew” speaks at University Methodist Church. The Mike Report contributor Randy Kessler was there and reports on what he saw.
ANTI-SEMITISM IN SEATTLE.
By Randy Kessler.
Seattle hosted another anti-Israel speaker on Wednesday night, when Alison Weir, founder of If Americans Knew (IAK), spoke at University Temple United Methodist Church in the University District.
Weir, dressed professionally with a soft tone and nicely styled haircut, founded IAK in 2001 to help “educate the American public on issues of major significance that are unreported, underreported, or misreported in the American media.”
She proceeded through a 90 minute PowerPoint presentation to explain exactly what that means. In short, it’s the old story that the Jews (sorry, “the Zionists”) exert control over American foreign policy, which has led to the illegal occupation of a land that rightfully belongs to its indigenous people, the Palestinians. Her organization is called “If Americans Knew” because she believes that once Americans know “the facts,” we will come to our senses and stop all of this madness.
A small sample of Weir’s product
Here are a few of the key points she made:
Israel is evil. And so is the US. Besides the fact that “Barack Obama is running the biggest terrorist organization in the world,” the Israelis specifically target Palestinian civilians. Israel “intentionally created poverty, and it’s paid for with our money.”
The media is totally biased towards Israel. She claimed that the deaths of Israeli children were much more reported than Palestinian children. Even NPR was pro-Israel, according to Weir! “We get such filtered coverage with so many omissions,” she said, concluding that this is what has caused the pro-Israel bias among Americans.
Everything was great until the Zionists came along. Weir told of the Zionist infiltration into the US government starting in the 1910s, when Louis Brandeis was part of a “secret society” that ultimately influenced many sectors of society towards the Zionist cause (including President Woodrow Wilson), and dragged the US into World War I, so that once we won, Britain would reward the Zionists with control over Palestine.
Zionists control the US Congress. Amassing massive financial means, Zionists organized to try to sway Congressional sympathy to the Zionist cause, and they were successful. So successful, in fact, that any member of Congress who defies “The Israel Lobby” will be “taken down.”
By the end of Weir’s barrage, how could anyone consider Israel to be worthy of American support or sympathy? Her use of rhetorical techniques was effective, as she supported her claims with research that appeared to be reputable. And she had the crowd of about 40 people, many of whom appeared to be social misfits and outsiders, riled up.
Her main point was that if Americans simply knew about all of this, and spoke up, we could turn the tide, and America would no longer support Israel with aid (such as funding for the Iron Dome), military cooperation, and supportive votes in the United Nations.
Alison Weir spouting her bile at University Methodist Church. Photo: Randy Kessler
What Weir is missing is that Americans do know. We know that Israel shares the same values of life, freedom, and peace that Americans do. We know that it was not Israel who attacked the Twin Towers on 9/11, but radical Islam – the same radical Islam that threatens Israelis with rockets, terror tunnels, and murderous vitriol. We know that Palestinian civilians are suffering tremendously, and that if the Palestinians had simply made different choices, their people could be thriving rather than suffering. But she can’t see that, because in her mind, Zionists have succeeded in brainwashing an entire population.
While the Zionist enterprise has not been perfect, I believe in Israel’s fundamental righteousness. I also realize that it’s impossible to know all the facts, to read all the books, or to win all the arguments. So I went to this talk in order to hear how the other side frames it messages, and to learn. Here are my key takeaways for readers:
- Don’t be afraid to show up at these events. You will learn a lot about how the other side minimizes the threat that Israel faces (such as when Weir said Hamas rockets are “small homemade projectiles”, Hamas is a group of “resistance fighters” and Israel’s actions in Gaza are “genocide”). Yes, people will be upset with you, and no, you don’t need to have all the right answers if someone challenges you. But be strong and resolute. Your values will carry you through.
- Have one or two questions in mind. Weir discussed religious extremism among some of the Jewish settlers. My question took that theme and extended it to the religious extremism of Hamas, and their charter which mentions “Jihad is our path, and death for the sake of Allah our highest aspiration,” so all the audience members could hear my perspective.
- Be polite, empathetic, and respectful. If you’re obnoxious, no one will be swayed by your words. By focusing on solutions, I was able to shift the conversation away from the steady string of anti-Zionist accusations. Both peoples exist in the land, and need to live together, but Hamas and its supporters reject Jewish sovereignty over any of the land. How can we pursue peace together?
- Engage, engage, engage with Congress. This is perhaps the most important point. The crowd was inspired to gather large numbers of people to tell Congress to stop supporting Israel. It takes just a few minutes to call or write your Congressional representatives, thank them for their past support, and ask them to continue to support the US-Israel relationship.
We cannot take the strong US-Israel relationship for granted. The other side is working every day to destabilize it, and they are inspired. We need to be more inspired.
Randy Kessler describes himself as a Radically Moderate Left-Wing Conservative. He lives in the Puget Sound region and is a graduate of the University of Washington and Seattle University (where he earned his MBA).
Editor’s Note: We thank Randy for his dedication to exposing the underbelly of hatred that rots just beneath the organic Seattle soil. We would like to see our Jewish communal institutions take a more active interest in addressing the scourge of local hate spewing churches as well as the anti-Semitic tone of most of the recent anti-Israel rallies in the Puget Sound region.
Every time pro-Israel nuts, or simply organized Jewish groups cry “anti-Semitism” I’ve learned to ask “is it true”?
It certainly isn’t always, and that’s either true anti-Semitism, or ignorance.
But most, if not the vast majority of what Weir claims is solid, if “hidden” as history – the facts are right, but one can’t talk about it without people like you all crying “anti-Semite.”
That trick conflates actual racism, with historical fact or current fact, that repeatedly show a disproportionate influence of both Jews and Zionists on American society.
Wilson was influenced by ardent Zionists – he did receive money from wealthy Jews.
The Balfour Treaty was expressly designed to get American Jews, disproportionately wealthy and influential [as is so often the case – it clearly wasn’t about “votes” given the numbers”] to use that influence to get America to join the war. Britain promised land it did not then control and had no right to give away.
Americans were overwhelmingly against the war. There was no good reason at all for America to enter that war. It did because of lobbying by Zionist Jews – in large part.
The problem is that many Jews and many pro-Israel types are intellectually incapable of seeing anything negative in Israel, or Zionism, or Judaism. All other peoples and cultures and religions are open to attack of course.
But for many Jews, they simply think criticism of them = hate. It takes a certain level of intelligence to distinguish what may *motivate* some people, and people speaking truth about history or current events.
‘Anti-Semitism’ is largely used in response to exposure to disproportionate Jewish, and/or Zionist [which certainly includes lots of Christians] power. It is also used to excuse and obfuscate what are often unequivocally war crimes committed by Israel as it tries to seize the remaining 22% of historical Palestine from the indigenous people.
Weir says NOTHING about all Jews being bad or in on some dark conspiracy. She talks about the influence that wealthy, Zionist Jews have had in influencing US policy.
That one has to be brave to do so goes merely to the point that when Israel Firsters shout “anti-Semite” – we should all ask “is it true?”
You make two basic assertions, first that there is a ” a disproportionate influence of both Jews and Zionists on American society.” That may or may not be true (I think not) but if yes, so what? Every constituency wants power, that is to say, the ability to guide the agenda and outcome to reflect their values, beliefs and priorities. The civil rights movement wanted “power” to further a specific agenda, as does the environmental movement, pro-life and pro-choice movements, etc. etc. If there were a strong coalition that influences the United States or other world government to support Israel, Ukraine, South Yemen, Poland or any other nation struggling to survive against an insidious enemy, I say great! If only it were so!
Your second assertion is that Israel “seized” Palestine from the “indigenous people”. Palestinians are Arabs. Arabs are from Arabia. They are some of the most aggressive colonizers in recorded history, having invaded and colonized the Eastern Mediterranean in the 7th Century, advancing as far as Spain. Jews are called Jews because they are from Judea. The area you refer to as Palestine was inhabited by Jews over 2500 years prior to the Arab invasion and colonization. Jews are indigenous to the area between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, Palestinian Arabs are not.
That is not to say that Palestinian Arabs should be expelled or denied civil rights, it is merely that the rights of indigenous peoples should not be abrogated by the non-indigenous.
Out of sheer frustration that the facts don’t mesh with their worldview, some on the fringe resort to the claim that Jews are not really Jews or even that Palestinians are not really Arabs. I have nothing but sympathy for those who propagate that view, the same as I do for those who believe Elvis never died, and man never landed on the moon.
Alison Weir has spoken several times at UC Irvine. Last time she was there, I pointed out a fact that if only she had known. The connection between her organization and convicted terrorist Abdurrrahman Alamoudi.
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/day-two-at-uc-irvine-anti-israel-week.html
The True Causes of Greek Anti-Semitism
http://iakal.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/the-true-causes-of-greek-anti-semitism/
Mr. Alhadeff, thank you for sharing your fascinating examination and analysis of Greek anti-Semitism. We here in Seattle are part of a large Rhodesli community with many Alhadeff’s!
Thank you very much for your reply. I am very glad to hear that. I hope this docuent will help other Europeans identify the causes of anti-Semitism in their counrties too. Things are much better in American tv, so my document is not relevant for you. Thank you very much for your reply again
Very good ‘Editors Note’, hear hear. Thank you, Americans do know; conservative Americans are pro-Israel. Tangentially related is this article written by the Pacific Northwest Chapter Campus Coordinator for StandWithUs, Hen Mazzig regarding his personal experiences with bigotry in our area and anti-Israel packaged as BDS.
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/an-israeli-soldiers-call-to-american-jews/
Nobody wants Gaza. Israel tried to give it back to Egypt – they said no way Jose
If the population of Gaza weren’t Arab, but Jewish, Israel would be including them as normal, rightful citizens of Israel with protections for their civil rights. And it stands to reason there would be no conflict at all. It is the unjust expulsions of Arab populations since 1948 and continuing expansion of the lands controlled by the Jews that enrage the Palestinian Arabs. Now Israel has apparently cornered every Gazan into ever smaller territory, with worse conditions than ever before and no open borders at all. Historical precedents are not happy ones when populations are driven to such desperation. Why not give them equal rights and recognize their titles to lands they formerly owned? The answer to this question is, selfish Jews want that land, and water and resources, for themselves. That’s what the war is about.
Todd Boyle: “selfish Jews want that land”….ah there it is.. that good ol’ antisemitism… can’t hide it, you had a chance to say ‘zionist’ and try to pretend you don’t mean ‘Jew’.. could have even said “Hey man, some of my friends are Jewish”.. but you’ve just proven that there is no such thing as ‘anti-zionist’ without meaning ‘anti-Jew’.
Hear, hear! Thank you, Mike!!!
Shabbat Shalom.
David Chivo
Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks David: All credit goes to Randy Kessler for his willingness to enter these dens of hate so that we can know what is happening right in our own neighborhoods. Very concerning.