Jewish/Israeli Exploitation of Black Politicians
In 1989 the Los Angeles Times featured an expose on the questionable personal and business relationship between Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and his "friend" Abraham Spiegel. A federal grant jury was in fact beginning a criminal investigation, also subpoenaing Bradley's campaign fund-raiser (also Jewish), Ira Distenfield. (For his part, Distenfield, a Republican, yet the largest personal campaign contributor to Democrat Bradley in 1985, was eventually "sued by five current and former city commissioners for allegedly misappropriating their investments in a limited partnership that included several other political insiders.") [CLIFFORD, F., 3-27-85, p. B1; KRIKORIAN, G., 9-3-90, p .B1] "The City Attorney," noted the Times, "found no illegality in ... the way a top mayoral aide cut through city red tape for three Spiegel [real estate] developments ... Nonetheless ... the relationship raises questions about the degree of access to the mayor enjoyed by political contributors and supporters who have dealings with the city ... The sheer number and personal nature of Spiegel favors for the mayor ensures that he shares an intimacy with Bradley that few others enjoy." [PASTERNAK/BUNTING, p. 1]
Spiegel even drew the African-American mayor of Los Angeles into the web of international activism for Israel. "Bradley," noted the Times, "has traveled twice to Israel to participate in ground-breaking, and dedication of museum and university buildings donated by Spiegel. And Spiegel in turn raised funds at a Los Angeles dinner to establish a Tom Bradley Chair in Social Integration at a college near Tel Aviv ... Spiegel has often invited local officials to galas for visiting Israeli dignitaries." The Times noted one especially disturbing meeting Bradley had with Spielberg; the other two guests were former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban and Israel's Los Angeles consul general. "The discussion at their table," said the Times, "centered on two topics -- Bradley's friendship for Israel and Spiegel's construction projects in Los Angeles ... Spiegel became Bradley's 'point man' in Los Angeles' Jewish community, raising the mayor's profile among Israeli officials and thus among affluent local supporters of Israel." [PASTERNAK, J.; BUNTING, Glenn, F.; p. 1]
In Fall 1999, a Jewish Republican, Sam Katz, ran against an African-American, Democrat John Street, (who beat a Jewish opponent, Marty Weinberg, in the primary) to replace Ed Rendell as the (Jewish) mayor of Philadelphia. (Katz's dog, noted a Jewish journal, is even named Jabo, in honor of the famous right-wing fascist/Zionist Ze'ev Jabotinsky). 87% of the Jews of Philadelphia -- despite high nationwide Jewish proclivities to liberalism and the Democratic Party -- voted for Republican Katz. [FELDMAN, S., 3-2-2000, p. 1] Katz lost the mayoral contest, however, to the African-American by a narrow margin. A victory against Jewish political dominance? Hardly. Jews, after all, are central to the Democratic Party machine.
As the Jewish Exponent observed about the African-American candidate's victory:
"From mayor Ed Rendell to District Attorney Lynne Abraham to City Controller Jonathan Saidel to primary opponent Marty Weinberg to campaign co-finance chairman Robert Feldman to State Senator Allyson Schwartz -- it appeared clear that Street could not have gained his slim victory over Republican Sam Katz Tuesday without key Jewish supporters. Need more proof? Also on stage in the [victory] ballroom at the Warwick Hotel were campaign insiders Leonard Ross, Leonard Klehr and Mark Alderman; Rabbi Solomon Isaacson, who helped get the votes out in the far Northeast, and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Ted Kirsch, who prominently endorsed Street in September. In the back of the room, chief campaign spokesman Ken Snyder was busy fielding last-minute questions from reporters, and looking on was campaign media consultant David Axelrod." [FELDMAN, S., 11-4-99, p. 1] In a follow-up article, the Jewish Exponent noted that "As was the case during Street's campaign, Jews are playing prominent roles in the transition phase [to the new mayor]." Two co-chairs of the transition committee were Jewish: Leonard Klehr and Judith Rodin (the president of the University of Pennsylvania). Education Committee chiefs included Lee Annenberg, David Cohen, and Ralph Roberts; working under them were Lois Yampolsky and Deborah Kahn, who was later named to be Philadelphia's Secretary of Education. [FELDMAN, S., 3-9-2000, p. 15] The Government Organization Committee included Leonard Ross, Mark Adelman, and Alan Kessler. Marty Weinberg was in Policy and Programs. Jewish Task Force transition leaders also included Ed Schwartz, Emmanuel Freeman, Ira Lubert, Moshe Porat, Marciarose Shestack, David Marshall (Campaign Chairman for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia), Harold Goldman (president of Jewish Family and Children's Services), Michael Blum, Harriet Dichter, Ken Jarin, Robert Feldman, John Binswanger, Steven Cozen and Rabbi William Kuhn. [FELDMAN, S., 12-2-99, p. 10] Two weeks later the Jewish Exponent featured another article about the many Jews in mayor Street's entourage, joking to its Jewish audience that "the Jewish community is well represented in this round of appointments. In fact, if your name is not on the list, you just might feel left out." Appointments of Jews in city government included: Education: Shelly Yanoff, Sandra Fellman, Ted Kirsch. Government Organization Specialists: Bennett Levin, Larry Silverman, Michael Sklaroff, Ronald Caplan, Sandy Fox. Policy and Programs: Stuart Shapiro, Ellen Solms, Neil Stein, Max Berger, Richard Green, Sharon Pinkenson, Roseann Rosenthal, Larry Cohen, Bart Blatstein, Marvin Block, Howard Asher, Joseph Zuritsky, Mike Masch, Deborah Kodish, Adele Manger, Stephanie Naidoff, Marjorie Sarnoff, Sandra Stein, Sallie Glickman, Brad Blumberg, Jeffrey Batoff, Judith Eden, Kenneth Goldberg, Wendy Rosen, Ted Hershberg, Paul Levy, Ronald Rubin, Connie Beresin, Howard Kessler, Larry Frankel, Michael Karp, Vicky Weitzman, Joel Posner, Rabbi Lina Grazier-Zerbarini and Sharon Weinberg. [FELDMAN, S., 12-16-99, p. 18]
In the same time frame, the Exponent also did an article about the visit of the Tel Aviv mayor to Philadelphia, noting that the two sites were "sister cities." "There has been, for a long time -- or as long as I can remember," noted the Chairman of the Jewish Federation, Joseph Smukler, "a special relationship between Tel Aviv and Philadelphia." [FELDMAN, S., 4-20-2000, p. 13]
Among new mayor John Street's ceremonial tasks was to cut the ribbon to open Philadelphia's new "National Liberty Museum: America's Home for Heroes." The museum's Executive Director is Gwen Borowsky. Wealthy media mogul Irwin Borowsky founded the organization. He also is the founder of the "American Interfaith Institute, which aims to expunge anti-Jewish sentiment from editions of the New Testament." Borowsky's museum, like so many these days, clearly aims to appropriate American patriotic heritage under the umbrella of Jewish Holocaust mythology. In the heart of Philadelphia, one of the icons of American heritage, the Liberty Museum features a second floor "hall of heroes [which] is studded with Holocaust memories." [MONO, B., 1-20-2000, p. 9]
And new Philadelphia mayor John Street's inevitable bending to Jewish Zionist concerns and their ties to Israel? In 1998, while still a city councilman, Street, his wife, and son were flown to Israel for eight days as a guest of a Philadelphia Jewish businessman, Joseph Zuritsky. Criticism of Israel, nor Jewish loyalties, was not the focus of a Philadelphia Daily News story about the trip. After all, as the paper observed, "Most of the potential candidates in the 1999 mayor's race, as well as Mayor Rendell, have traveled to Israel at some point in their careers -- and in most cases the trip was paid for or subsidized by one of several groups promoting closer U.S. ties to the Jewish state." These politicians courted by Zionists include Happy Fernandez, Doug Evans, and John White, Jr.) [BUNCH, W., 11-2-98] Rather, the Daily News piece examined the economic self-interests of Zuritsky (the CEO of the Parkway Corporation, Philadelphia's major "parking lot developer"), in sponsoring Street's trip to the Jewish state. The future mayor's journey "was paid for by a parking-lot magnate at the same time his firm was lobbying the [City] Council for millions of dollars in low-cost financing for a Center City development ... Zuritsky said he had no motive in sponsoring the trip -- which had planning assistance from several local Jewish community leaders -- other than to educate Philadelphia's highest-ranking black leader about Israel and Mideast politics. He said he wanted to promote ethnic harmony." [BUNCH, W., 11-2-98]
Among the critics of the trip was the president of the Philadelphia division of Common Cause, Barry Kaufmann,
Israeli propagandizing influence in the African-American community -- from Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley across the country to Philadelphia mayor John Street [the African-American mayor of Washington D.C. -- also included Washington DC mayor Marion Barry, famed when he was busted for cocaine possession in 1990. He also had a Jewish "longtime friend and campaign fundraiser": Jeffrey Cohen. [LAFRANIERE, S., 1-19-90]
Jewish/Israeli influence in the Black community was also noted by the Jerusalem Post in 1996, in a piece headlined "The Israeli "Secret" Diplomacy Inside the Afro-American Community." As the Post observed:
"There are 100 Black colleges and universities in this country but only 41 are members of the United Negro College Fund presided over by William H. Gray, III, the ex-congressman. And he is the 'secret weapon' of Israel ... Black scholars, intellectuals and students are the new Israeli target group."
Softening African-Americans to Israeli propaganda is expedited by "Israel Cultural Days" at Black American colleges, visits by Ethiopian Jews (who, never stated, face, as Blacks, omnipresent racism in Israel: see Israel chapter), and vacations to Israel for seven presidents of African-American colleges to build "a new bridge between the academic community in Israel and the black academic community in this country." [NAHSHON, G., 3-96]
In 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC, even Al Sharpton, the controversial African-American religious leader who had long been at odds with Jewish organizations, visited Israel. As Rabbi Shmuley Boteach explained, Sharpton was known as "someone who was antagonistic to the Jewish community. But I think anyone who knew him privately, Rabbi Schneier, myself, [knew] that was clearly not the case ... After September 11 ... he said to me that he wanted to make a bold gesture of reconciliation to the Jewish community ... I hope that all my Jewish brothers and sisters will extend not just an olive branch, but a warm hand of familial friendship, seeing Rev. Sharpton as a friend of the Jewish community, as a friend of the State of Israel." [FORWARD, 10-26-01] The Village Voice also notes that Sharpton has also been courted by Jewish New York mayoral candidate Mark Green who "took Sharpton and his wife to the opening of a performance of Judgment at Nuremberg, a Broadway play about the Holocaust. At the same time Green was trying to kosher Sharpton, he was riding his coattails to popularity in the African American community." [NOEL, P. 10-22-01]
Council's Minority Caucus Should Welcome Weprin, Newsday (Editorial) , March 4, 2002
"The Weprin name is as synonymous with Jewish affairs as it is with Queens politics. So some members of the City Council's Black and Hispanic Caucus were understandably taken aback when a membership application arrived from Councilman David Weprin - whose mother is a Jewish-Cuban immigrant. Some of the caucus' 25 members are resisting, which is troubling because of the message it sends. Even if the Hollis Democrat has not identified as much with Hispanic causes, he is emblematic of a city in which many people claim multiple heritage. That he's extending his reach later in life is a poor excuse for discouraging him from joining the caucus, which is not some private club."
Zionist Logic - Malcolm X on Zionism, by Malcolm X (Omowale Malcolm X Shabazz), Taken from The Egyptian Gazette -- Sept. 17, 1964, malcolm-x.org
"If the Israeli Zionists believe their present occupation of Arab Palestine is the fulfillment of predictions made by their Jewish prophets, then they also religiously believe that Israel must fulfill its "divine" mission to rule all other nations with a rod of irons, which only means a different form of iron-like rule, more firmly entrenched even, than that of the former European Colonial Powers. These Israeli Zionists religiously believe their Jewish God has chosen them to replace the outdated European colonialism with a new form of colonialism, so well disguised that it will enable them to deceive the African masses into submitting willingly to their 'divine' authority and guidance, without the African masses being aware that they are still colonized ... The Israeli Zionists are convinced they have successfully camouflaged their new kind of colonialism. Their colonialism appears to be more 'benevolent,' more 'philanthropic,' a system with which they rule simply by getting their potential victims to accept their friendly offers of economic 'aid,' and other tempting gifts, that they dangle in front of the newly-independent African nations, whose economies are experiencing great difficulties ... The modern 20th century weapon of neo-imperialism is 'dollarism.' The Zionists have mastered the science of dollarism: the ability to come posing as a friend and benefactor, bearing gifts and all other forms of economic aid and offers of technical assistance. Thus, the power and influence of Zionist Israel in many of the newly 'independent' African nations has fast-become even more unshakeable than that of the 18th century European colonialists... and this new kind of Zionist colonialism differs only in form and method, but never in motive or objective."
Apartheid in the Holy Land, by Desmund Tutu,
The Guardian, April 29, 2002
"I have experienced Palestinians pointing to what were their homes, now occupied by Jewish Israelis. I was walking with Canon Naim Ateek (the head of the Sabeel Ecumenical Centre) in Jerusalem. He pointed and said: 'Our home was over there. We were driven out of our home; it is now occupied by Israeli Jews.' My heart aches. I say why are our memories so short. Have our Jewish sisters and brothers forgotten their humiliation? Have they forgotten the collective punishment, the home demolitions, in their own history so soon? Have they turned their backs on their profound and noble religious traditions? Have they forgotten that God cares deeply about the downtrodden? Israel will never get true security and safety through oppressing another people. A true peace can ultimately be built only on justice. We condemn the violence of suicide bombers, and we condemn the corruption of young minds taught hatred; but we also condemn the violence of military incursions in the occupied lands, and the inhumanity that won't let ambulances reach the injured. The military action of recent days, I predict with certainty, will not provide the security and peace Israelis want; it will only intensify the hatred ... My brother Naim Ateek has said what we used to say: "I am not pro- this people or that. I am pro-justice, pro-freedom. I am anti- injustice, anti-oppression." But you know as well as I do that, somehow, the Israeli government is placed on a pedestal [in the US], and to criticise it is to be immediately dubbed anti-semitic, as if the Palestinians were not semitic. I am not even anti-white, despite the madness of that group. And how did it come about that Israel was collaborating with the apartheid government on security measures? People are scared in this country [the US], to say wrong is wrong because the Jewish lobby is powerful - very powerful. Well, so what? For goodness sake, this is God's world! We live in a moral universe. The apartheid government was very powerful, but today it no longer exists. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Pinochet, Milosevic, and Idi Amin were all powerful, but in the end they bit the dust."
Schuster, Joshua. Jews Want E. Bay School Activist Removed for Racism, Jewish Bulletin of Northern California, 3/5/1999, p. 12A
"Oscar Wright lit the fuse in December when he remarked that an attempt to oust the district's superintendent was a play for 'white and Jewish control' of the predominantly minority district. He has continued to make such comments at school board meetings and to the press, which has in turn given wide coverage to his statements. Wright, 76, is a community activist and the appointed co-chair of the school district's Task Force on African-American students. He has a a history of anti-Semitic speech dating back to at least 1993. 'Wright should be removed from the task force,' said Jan Malvin, who works for Oakland's Human Relation Commission and has been following Wright's case for several years. Malvin, who is Jewish, said, 'The issue is racist rhetoric at the school board in general. Anti-Semitism is part of the bigger picture.' In 1993, Wright told the board that a cadre of Jews from the schools to the government to businesses was responsible for some of the 'wickedest acts of institutional racism against black people.' Local Jews didn't want to hear it again. 'He's the wrong person to hold an official position,' said Barbara Bergen, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League ... Wright's anti-Semitic epithets, however, are apparently directed at school board member Dan Siegel and Alameda County Superintendent of Schools Sheila Jordan. Both are Jewish ... Wright has not been the only one to denounce Jews in the Oakland school district in recent history. Superintendent Jordan said that when she was on the school board from 1988 to 1992, a flurry of anti-Semitic remarks was hurled at Jewish board members. Some Jewish members ended up resigning."
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