News Roundup for April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

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J Street in the News

J Street Horrified, Deeply Saddened By Attack On Chabad of Poway, California, J Street
“There are no words to describe our anguish at once again seeing Jewish worshipers, as in Pittsburgh just six months ago, targeted by a vicious act of xenophobic hatred — while they stood together in community to observe Shabbat and celebrate the final day of Passover. At this time, all of our thoughts are with the victims, their families, the Jewish community of Poway and of the wider San Diego area and J Street’s own San Diego chapter. We hope for the speedy recovery of the wounded and stand ready to do all that we can to aid this community in its time of pain, mourning and need.”

Top News and Analysis

‘No One Should Be Gunned Down in Worship’: Synagogue Shooting Keeps Religious Leaders On Edge, New York Times
The rabbi had just finished comforting a congregant as she prepared to say the traditional prayer for the dead in honor of her mother when a loud crack rang out in his synagogue. It was about halfway through the Sabbath service on Saturday when a gunman turned what was supposed to be a time of solace into a day of horror. The rabbi, Yisroel Goldstein, turned quickly to see the body of the woman, Lori Gilbert Kaye, 60, slumped on the floor.

Trump Is ‘Traitorous, Zionist,’ Suspected Poway Synagogue Shooter Writes in Online Manifesto, Haaretz
The manifesto includes hateful statements against Jews, Muslims, African Americans, Hispanics, immigrants and feminists, as well as other groups and minorities. “Every Jew is responsible for the meticulously planned genocide of the European race,” the manifesto said […] This theory was behind the shouts “Jews will not replace us” that were made by far-right activists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017. Just this weekend, President Donald Trump once again said there were “good people” within that group.

Alleged Poway synagogue shooter lives with his parents and thinks Jews are taking over the world, JTA
The 19-year-old alleged gunman who attacked a Poway, California, synagogue lives with his parents and said in a manifesto that he thinks that Jews are planning to take over the world. John Earnest also claimed that he set fire to a mosque in Escondido, California, in the weeks after the shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

News

Trump calls rabbi at synagogue where fatal shooting attack took place, JTA
President Donald Trump placed a condolence call to the spiritual leader of the Chabad of Poway, the San Diego-area synagogue where a shooting Saturday killed one and injured three others. “He spoke about his love of peace and Judaism and Israel,” Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein told the media Sunday afternoon in front of the synagogue building.

Hundreds Attend Vigil in Poway After Synagogue Shooting, Haaretz
In addition to mourning the loss of 61-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye, some 600 people at a park just down the street from the Chabad of Poway celebrated what Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein called “a miracle of miracles”: That the assault rifle of the 19-year-old gunman jammed moments after he entered the synagogue.

Netanyahu calls for stepped-up fight against anti-Semitism in wake of Poway synagogue shooting, JTA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the international community to “step up the struggle against anti-Semitism” in a statement issued in the wake of the shooting attack on a suburban San Diego synagogue. “This is an attack on the heart of the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said.

After Synagogue Shooting, Poway Jewish Community Mourns: ‘We’re Just So Afraid’, Haaretz
“We’re fearful. I’m fearful … my kids didn’t sleep at all last night,” [Debra Trestman] said, linking hate against the visibly Orthodox Jewish community to a toxic environment regarding Israel on campuses of the local university which both the shooter and her son had attended.

Palestinians launch bid to foil ‘deal of the century’, The Jerusalem Post
The Palestinian leadership will soon dispatch delegations to several countries as part of its effort to rally support for its opposition to US President Donald Trump’s upcoming plan for peace in the Middle East, also known as the “deal of the century.” Palestinian officials in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post that the delegations will also brief world leaders on the measures the Palestinian leadership intends to take in response to Trump’s plan and Israeli “violations” of agreements signed with the Palestinians.

New York Times ‘deeply sorry’ for anti-Semitic cartoon of Netanyahu and Trump, The Times of Israel
The New York Times on Sunday apologized for publishing an anti-Semitic caricature of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attributing the misstep to a lack of oversight and vowing to revamp its editorial process. The image included in Thursday’s international print edition showed Netanyahu as a guide dog wearing a Star of David on his collar, leading a blind Trump, seen wearing a skullcap.

Israel foiled Hamas terror plot planned around national election, Shin Bet reveals, I24 News
Israel’s Security agency (Shin Bet) announced on Sunday that it prevented a severe terror attack planned around election day after uncovering a Hamas network in the West Bank. 

Netanyahu, Kahlon reportedly plan for possible financial collapse of PA, The Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon have reportedly discussed emergency plans, should the Palestinian Authority’s financial system collapse over its refusal to accept tax dividends collected by Israel, according to television reports Sunday.

Opinion and Analysis

Spare Me Your Thoughts And Prayers. The US Has Betrayed Its Jews, The Forward
Jane Eisner writes, “Anti-Semitism is a real threat in this country now, far more so than any moment in my lifetime. Black churches are burning to the ground. Mosques are under fire. Children cannot attend school without genuine fear. A virulent white nationalism is allowed to fester in an Internet netherworld that resists real responsibility for the hateful discourse it spreads. When this toxicity is paired with the ridiculously easy access to assault weapons […] we get Poway, California.”

After San Diego Synagogue Shooting, U.S. Will Have to Increase Online Tracking to Stop the Next Murderer, Haaretz
Amos Harel writes, “Brabbing, who has served as head of the Shin Bet’s cyber division and was in charge of the Jerusalem and West Bank district during a wave of lone-wolf Palestinian attacks in late 2015, thinks American security agencies will ultimately have no choice but to monitor violent extremists on social media more thoroughly, despite the inherent difficulty of employing such means in a democratic society.”

Mass Shootings Have Become a Sickening Meme, New York Times
Charlie Warzel writes, “As in New Zealand, the suspected Poway shooter appeared eager to win approval for his act of violence. In his post, the synagogue shooter cites the 8chan message board for indoctrinating him, urging others to take similar action. His manifesto not only refers to the online postings of the New Zealand shooting and of the man who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October, but seems almost cribbed from past white nationalist rants.”

For a man who considers himself to be a dealmaker, Trump is avoiding a lot of deals, Washington Post
Jackson Diehl writes, “As for the deal of the century, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Jason Greenblatt are expected to roll out their long-awaited Mideast peace plan in a month or two. But the administration has already sabotaged it by delivering a series of body blows to the Palestinians, from cutting off funding to the Palestinian Authority to moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.”

An Israeli Shot Me. An Israeli Healed Me, New York Times
Yousef Bashir writes, “One night after dinner, the soldiers started shooting at our kitchen windows. As we crawled to the center of the house, I could see the bullets ricocheting around me. Soon after, the soldiers told my father that it was time for him to leave. They wanted to use our house as a command center. My father politely but firmly refused.”

Will Benjamin Netanyahu Annex the Settlements? Election Pledge Would Redraw Map of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Newsweek
David Brennan writes, “Netanyahu has been buoyed by US recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. Both were the subject of territorial disputes — Jerusalem with the Palestinians and the Golan with Syria — and both moves were condemned by the international community. But Trump and Netanyahu were not deterred, and may even have gained confidence that Israel could withstand the backlash if Netanyahu were to annex the West Bank settlements.”

What kind of democracy deports human rights workers?, +972 Mag
Hagai El-Ad writes, “Israel is trying to deport Human Rights Watch’s Omar Shakir, claiming democratic states have every right to defend themselves. The only problem? Israel is neither democratic nor acting in self-defense.”