Seattle’s BDS Rabbi scuffles with the IDF
Rabbi David Basior (Center with wool cap) interfering with IDF soldiers’ evacuation of a closed military zone. Photo Credit: YouTube.
Rabbi David Basior, pulpit Rabbi of Seattle’s Kadima Congregation, is well known for courting controversy. Past exploits include promoting the BDS movement and raising funds with his congregation for a group that promotes violence and anti-Semitic canards. This past May, Basior accompanied a group of Jewish activists who traveled to Israel to protest a Jewish presence in the biblical heartland.
Rabbi Basior announced plans to “resist occupation” in this Facebook post.
Not content with signs and chants, this past May, Rabbi Basior joined by others from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence (CJN) illegally entered a closed military zone about five miles south of Hebron. On May 20th Basior and his mostly American cohort defied multiple warnings and directives from Israeli soldiers to leave the area, a military firing range, leading to an inevitable confrontation.
Refusing orders to disperse Basior scuffled with the young soldiers.
Rabbi David Basior (left) scuffling with IDF soldiers. Photo Credit: YouTube.
Following the incident Rabbi Basior represented himself as a victim, posting to Facebook that “last night I was shoved around by fellow Jewish men, armed soldiers in the IDF”.
Rabbi Basior defied directives by Israeli authorities to leave this closed military zone.
Hen Mazzig, a media consultant and former officer in the Israel Defense Forces humanitarian COGAT unit, told TMR that the antics of Basior and his fellow travelers can put Israeli soldiers in harm’s way. “When our soldiers come under attack, oftentimes these groups interfere with their ability to defend themselves”. Explains Mazzig “the soldiers are there to do their job of protecting the Jewish state and the activists that come to these areas, are looking for trouble. Why would you go to a closed military zone other than to cause trouble?”
A member of Rabbi Basior’s CJN delegation confronting an IDF soldier. May 20, 2017.
Mazzig questions the motives of Basior and his anti-Israel entourage, telling TMR that he has no issue with people having reasoned differences with Israeli policies, but says this type of grandstanding is counterproductive. “If you have a political agenda” says Mazzig “you should move to Israel and work to change the political situation. These violent outbursts help no one.”
Rabbi Basior is active in the Seattle Jewish community, he was recently invited to speak at Temple DeHirsch and leads classes at Congregation Herzl Ner-Tamid’s annual Torahthon.
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Basior is yet another Reconstructionist fringe “rabbi” more interested in self-righteous Israel defamation than helping find a sustainable peace or better Jewish community. Over 20 RRC rabbi’s (many just rabbinic students) are members of the virulently anti-Israel, and more recently terror-celebrating Jewish Voice for Peace. Basoir fits in perfectly self-aggrandizing,and hypocritical in that he’s willing to take on IDF peace forces, but looks past JVP’s hosting a convicted terror-killer like Rasmea Odeh (at JVP’s national convention this Spring). He’s a devotee of ex-rabbi Brant Rosen, so anti-Israel the Chicago Board of Rabbi’s disbarred him in 2014. Shame on anyone that employees Basoir.
America’s ‘new Jews’ are beyond anything anyone of my generation could have imagined outside an Alfred Hitchcock horror movie. Across the land in thousands of congregations’ Jews have gone insane. Applauding Palestinians while booing Israelis is now standard operating procedure. Yoga and other practices in the sanctuary have replaced Judaism and of course the rabbi and most other synagogue officials are female. Jews’ enemies are pikers compared to what the Jews themselves have done and are doing to their image, in their desperation to be accepted by others. And HaShem has been replaced by the new god Diversity.
I don’t get how he keeps his job. As a member of a Reform Temple, when my Leftist rabbi went too far over the bend, I realized that I could no longer hold him up as someone for my sons to respect, I therefore resigned. Are there no Jews in Seattle that have enough of a backbone to get this man fired or start a synagogue of their own?
nope
May we please stop calling these people “rabbis!” They are not.
May we at least put “rabbi” in quotes?
like bds supporters, him & his community should never be allowed into israel again
I agree! ! !
Keep in mind the British governments direct violation of the Balfour Declaration, as part of the San Remo Resolution of April 25, 1920 that specifically created a “Home Land for the Jewish People in all of Mandated Palestine”, with final signatures attached by 1922 from 51 League of Nation members and recognized by today’s United Nations Security Council.