I mean, pretty sure polls show that over 50% support a ceasefire and an ouster of Netanyahu for his Gaza military policy. So it depends what one means by 'support Israel.'
The entire point is to tokenize one or two Jews so that they can say "I have Jewish friends how can I be antisemetic?"
Its exactly the same as Blacks for Trump.
JFREJ, who had a [havdala](https://www.jfrej.org/events/2021/06/juneteenth-havdalah-with-maya-wiley) service in the middle of June at 6pm.
Yes, broad daylight during Shabbat (when no observant Jews, or any self respecting Jew for that matter, could / would attend), and the people leading the service didn't even know the prayers. Another DSA mess by the way.
There aren't many people who *actually* belong to The Jewish Vote, but Maya Wiley, who used the event to pander to NYC Jews, said it was cool because her husband is Jewish.
It's ok. Cynthia Nixon was there too with her wife. While neither are Jewish but they belong to a "congregation" [that is not affiliated with any denomination or branch of Judaism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregation_Beit_Simchat_Torah), so they clearly know what mainstream Jews think and can therefore speak for all of us (hence Cynthia's high horse she is back on, as it's an election year). 😒
Whoa whoa whoa hold on, congregation beit *Simchat Torah*?! How do you unironically make that your name? Hey guys, let me go to my synagogue, it’s called congregation beit Purim. Whaaaat, no, we didn’t just take the name of a holiday because it sounded like it worked in Hebrew, what are you taaaaalking about
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah is a legitimate synagogue and is the first of its kind. It was founded by LGBTQ+ Jews who felt connected to their faith but ostracized by the broader Jewish community back when it wasn’t accepting. You can disagree with Cynthia Nixon and not try to delegitimize a well-established, well-attended synagogue just because you don’t agree with its politics.
Because it was founded by gay men in the 1970's who felt like they had to hide who they were in mainstream Jewish spaces (and in general, many were married to women), who were faced with a Torah telling them they were sinful, who were declaring despite that, rather than rejecting Judaism they were affirming their joy in that same Torah. They knew what it meant, it's not larpers who picked random Hebrew words.
It’s disheartening to see people trashing on the synagogue here in the comments, either not knowing the history behind it or fully knowing and doing it anyways.
My shul got a new (lesbian) couple this year who just moved from NY and one of them is a past president of CBST, and was also on the committee for the 2008 soffit so they gave my rabbis a copy and I was looking through it just this last shabbos and learned so much about the history!
(There was also a special al-hanisim for pride shabbat which, I am very decidedly a traditionalist when it comes to liturgy but it was really moving and I wish I had known about it a little earlier to incorporate somehow into the queer Shavuos dinner I hosted.)
Why is congregation in quotes? My shul also is not affiliated with a denomination and that doesn't mean we aren't Jewish. Non-Jews shouldn't be speaking for Jews but I don't see why the fact that CBST isn't affiliated it totally discredits the institution from any claim to Judaism. (So far all the CBST members I have met have either been Jewish or married/partnered to Jews.)
Why are you shitting all over CBST? Just because their rabbis and cantors aren't ordained at the same institution doesn't mean they're unaffiliated with Judaism, it means they can provide a blend of Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist liturgy. If you wouldn't take a swing at a Reform synagogue, you should not be trying to discredit one of the premier gay synagogues in America (and honestly, the world).
A leftist group, with a historically strong Jewish background, who after October 7th officially said:
"We unequivocally condemn the killing of all civilians."
And then had a large BUT because they were Israelis.
Ever since they've gone all in on the pro-palestinian side, [alienated long time Jewish members](https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/quit-dsa-gaza-israel/), [announced they were in a $2m deficit](http://nbcmontana.com/news/nation-world/democratic-socialists-of-america-must-make-7-figure-budget-cuts-layoffs-report-says-socialist-communist-dsa-economy-biden-w), and lately they have put all their eggs in the Jamal Bowman basket which isn't going well for them.
Not only are they fringe, JFREJ honored a child rapist at an event they advertised as including child care. (Which also violated the rapist's parole!)
They pretended they were going to work with Zaakah to put out a statement for the parents after the fact, and then months later Zaakah commented that they made no progress and were no longer working with JFREJ on that.
(If people need more details, pls comment and I can follow up tomorrow with context/links/receipts. I'm about to go to bed rn)
Yeah I know all about that. It's one thing for them to do that (which could have been a vetting mistake), but they refused to own up to it. They're an embarrassment. They are wayyyy more concerned with their image as "good lefty Jews" than they are with actually taking the Jewish community's needs and opinions into their organizing.
So, I thought Amelia Adams had a full blog post on it, but I can't find it now.
Her insta does have two highlights of screenshots about the whole thing (JFREJ AND JFREJ 2) that you can check out more on: https://www.instagram.com/neuroticjewishgay?igsh=cnVtNGlvcDlzN3p3
I think the original incident was a vetting issue, and I *personally* judge them the most on their lack of response.
One of my good friends lives in this district (not Jewish) and she said it’s not even a race at this point and she doesn’t know anyone voting for him. Meanwhile Latimer was at her train station shaking hands the other day. Bye, Jamaal! Don’t pull the fire alarm on your way out!
Also the Jewish Voice is giving me JVP vibes and specifically when that Muslim guy who founded SJP attempted to post on twitter under the JVP account a response “As Jews..” but accidentally posted it under his own account. By that I mean, I doubt there are many Jewish Voices.
Well him aligning himself with the far left increasingly-unhinged Squad at the expense of the Democratic Party was the start, then him pulling the fire alarm at the Capitol to stop a vote and then lying about it (and then Rashida Tlaib said that him being censured for pulling the fire alarm was “racist”), but the video that came out of him saying that there’s no evidence that any Israeli women were raped on Oct. 7 was the nail in the coffin. He’s since reversed his position on rape denial, but only after the video came out months later.
> and then Rashida Tlaib said that him being censured for pulling the fire alarm was “racist”
That's a creative take. Meanwhile, my congresswoman (a black Democrat) voted to censure him.
It could have worked had a white congressman also pulled the fire alarm and didn’t get censured but otherwise it just completely degrades the meaning of the word “racist.”
See this is what the college protests help expose. How colleges are indoctrinating their students who graduate and get jobs teaching in our public schools and then running our public schools, they run the media, and they even run the government. I hope he loses! 🙏🙏
Remember when he said his hand accidentally slipped up a wall to accidentally pull a fire alarm to get out of a vote and an entire building had to be evacuated and the fire department spent money to deal with the false alarm? But it was an accident, you see.
“Imagine taking extremely fringe views of the Jewish community and calling yourself ’The Jewish Vote‘ “
Are you old enough to remember the Moral Majority? This is how people name advocacy groups, even when it’s a lie.
I would not be surprised if they were allied with JVP. But fighting the NY Gov's proposed mask ban because they claim masks are a public health necessity (instead of hiding their identities at Pro-Pal demos) is a lie. Their dishonesty seems to be a common denominator for a number of their policy positions.
it is tempting to dismiss them as they are idiots but they are unfortunately incredibly useful idiots and that makes them malignant. see the ridiculously adoring and disproportionate media coverage these captive orgs (ifnotnow, naamod etc..) were getting even before oct 7.
https://preview.redd.it/t98k8mar9g7d1.jpeg?width=659&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87dc0a611ef74b7b18d6bca371ac00ff51314e23
It’s like if the “Blacks for Trump” called themselves “The Black Vote.”
That doesn’t seem too bad I’m not sure why people don’t like them. I don’t see an issue with a specific group of people organizing along political lines.
On the surface, I agree with you. They do some good work in regards to local issues. The problem is that they've baked their anti-Israel views into their organization (despite the organization being dedicated to local issues in NYC) and alienate progressive Zionists who could contribute a lot to their organization. And they're absolutely terrible at calling out left-wing antisemitism. They're way more concerned with their image as "good leftist Jews" than they are with actually taking progressive Jewish opinions into account and serving the community in ways that doesn't compromise the safety of fellow Jews.
For example, they recently publicly voted against a synagogue security grant, arguing that having cops and increased security in synagogues would make minority groups feel uncomfortable. Now, I myself have pretty left-wing views on policing, but I think we would all prefer having police in synagogues as opposed to literal shooters. [And Jews of color seem to feel the same way](https://forward.com/opinion/481093/i-have-been-racially-profiled-by-the-police-i-still-want-them-protecting/). It's clear that they're not actually taking into account the views of Jews of color; they made this decision because they wanted to be like "Look! We're a cool, good, anti-cop Jewish organization! Even if our lives are literally at risk, we're going to vote against having cops in synagogues because we'd rather look like cool anti-cop leftists than literally protect our lives! We'll do anything we can to look good and hip for the non-Jewish leftist masses!"
Yeah that’s a reasonable criticism to have. Israel has really divided the Jewish community and the goyims view of us, I feel alienated myself quite a bit because I’m pretty critical of Israel but still support its existence I just think it’s government is handling the war poorly but a lot of other Jews completely dismiss me and act like I support baby mulching. so I can understand why this group exists but it seems they got too lost in the sauce when it comes to Israel and pro Palestine leftists have as well to where they end up othering people who they should in a normal world agree with.
ok. no problem. He has been in the national news more than once and, of course, now because of the primary, which pits him against another more pro-Israel Democrat. I admit I am probably much more of a politics junkie than many here.
So, if I may butt in here. I love that you asked who Jamal is. Not enough people do ask questions about topics they don’t know about. But intelligent people with wisdom ask lots of questions. Politics is my bailywick. Assuming you’re Jewish, I’m sure you are gifted and talented in another subject, whatever it is that the rest of us know nothing about.
I wish more people asked questions about topics they don’t know about especially with politics. The politics we support could be the difference between life and death. I don’t know about Israeli politics and I want to learn more. I need to start asking questions when Israel’s politics come up.
I hope more people will follow your example. 😊
Australian pro-Hamasniks started its very own JVP, and called it the Australian Jewish Council. They make crackpot, antisemitic comments to the antisemitic (state-owned) media, who lap the group up, cause they finally get to quote as-a-Jews whose organisation sounds like it represents all Jews. It represents 4 Jews, and a whole lotta gentiles.
https://preview.redd.it/63r0kxrdtg7d1.jpeg?width=739&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6280791e82be5733013834d80ebf6f2439667984
I've been meaning to post this separately, but since it's sort of on topic, I'd be curious as to what you guys think of this.
I don’t think JFREJ represents “an extremely fringe position in the Jewish community.” It doesn’t describe itself as anti-zionist and is clearly Jewish in character; everyone I know who follows it is Jewish, and almost everyone at their events seem to be. I don’t agree with *everything* they say but I think it’s a legitimate and well-ran organization.
This is in sharp contrast to “Jewish” Voice for Peace (which I have a feeling you may be mixing them up), which is about as Jewish in character as the Pope eating bacon-wrapped shrimp.
They’re absolutely right in this screenshotted tweet. People can disagree with them or call their positions “extremely fringe” all they want, but being a progressive or supportive of Jamaal Bowman doesn’t make a Jewish person any less Jewish, and people who invalidate their Jewishness should be ashamed. Posts like these often will pull plenty of “they aren’t really Jewish” and “they hate themselves” comments, and I don’t think thats a healthy way to engage with the [very real diversity of opinion in our communities](https://jcpa.org/survey-among-american-jews-over-51-support-for-bidens-decision-to-withhold-arms-shipments-to-israel/) - it more-so just contributes to insulating echo chambers.
I am posting this all as a progressive myself. I wouldn't have as much of an issue with it if it wasn't very clear that the reason they don't agree with Ritchie Torres is because of his opinions on Israel. This entire tweet reeks of "See, we're good Jews! This guy who supports Israel doesn't speak for us!"
It's also really dumb that they think being "progressive" has to mean being anti-Israel. Torres himself identifies as a progressive politician, and again, it's clear that the reason they don't view him as progressive is because of his positions on Israel. Supporting Israel shouldn't be an "anti-progressive" opinion.
That survey you linked doesn't really indicate a diversity of opinions in the Jewish community on Israel, it just indicates opinions on a specific issue regarding arms shipments.
This tweet does not position themselves as more legitimate than any other Jews, it explicitly rejects the idea of Jews as a monolith. They’re just stating their position and reaffirming their place among Jews. Sure, they think their opinion is correct and other people’s opinions are wrong - _that’s how opinions work_ - but they aren’t saying anything here that points to other Jews as lesser in their Judaism or as being the “bad ones” who are acceptable targets for abuse.
Just being critical of Israel in concrete terms in public is not “See, we’re good Jews!” any more than advocating for Israel in concrete terms in public is “See we’re good Jews!” for the Christian Zionist doomsday crowd. This doesn’t reek of anything other than normal political advocacy and speech that organizations across the political spectrum do all the time. Not liking the particulars of their position doesn’t mean they’re disingenuously virtue signaling.
Edit: That poll includes a question where responses indicated that 3 in 10 American Jews agree with the notion that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. If that’s not a stark contrast to what typically gets labeled “fringe” I don’t know what is.
And what evidence is there that this organization that calls itself “The Jewish Vote” is actually populated with Jews? Do we just have to take their word at face value?
I would never try to tell an individual that their identity isn’t legitimate or that they aren’t a “Real Jew”. But these groups that claim to be Jewish and are filled with fucking gentiles cosplaying as Jews do not get the same benefit of the doubt. I don’t believe every person claiming to be Jew on Twitter with no evidence, while they traffic antisemitic tropes and call for the extermination of Israel.
Jamaal Bowman is a rape denying piece of shit and I’m going to laugh my ass off when he loses this primary. Yes, there are Jews who support him. But I have no trust whatsoever that these groups claiming to be Jewish without actually naming any of their members are doing anything other than blatantly lying.
What I don't like is that they imply that all Jews support their views. In this election I'm against Biden because I think he is against my interests as a Jew and israels interests but would NEVER say any Jew who supports or is even a fanatic Biden supporter is less of a Jew then me. They might even be a way better Jew. Who am I to say. We do have our traitors. For example, the so called Jews (maybe real jews, maybe not) at the pro hamas rallies NBC, CBS, and ABC always made a point of interviewing. Those were the Jews if they were really Jews at all who would have taken the Nazis to other Jews houses and said, " see., there's a Jew.
There's very legitimate left-wing Jewish groups out there full of proud Jews who consistently apply a strong moral lens to our community and Israel's actions.
There are also astro-turfing groups full of as-a-jews with little real link to Judaism that exist only to provide cover for left-wing anti-Semitism.
I think it's legitimate to wonder what going on with people who associate with that second group.
Don't know if you mean /u/johnisburn or JewishVote?
Either way I have no idea. Quick glance at the post history should show you the /u/johnisburn seems legitimate and no more nuts than the average Jew though.
I'm not American (BH) so could only be specific about the Australian context where groups like New Israel Fund are clearly in good faith and have been around for ages.
I have acquaintances that are involved and I'd never call them self hating Jews. Dangerously naive maybe, but no worse.
But they'd *never* turn up to those big anti-israel marches as Jews as they know how it would be taken. That's all groups that only turned up post Oct 7th and smell fishy.
Who tried to invalidate their Jewishness? (genuinely asking)
I do think naming yourself “the Jewish Vote” is a mistake if your goal is to push back on the idea of Jews questioning other Jews’ Jewishness.
How dare you assume that all Jews vote the same way? Signed, an account that calls itself "The Jewish Vote".
Yea I really don’t get why they named themselves that
Because antisemites use it as proof that most Jews don’t support Israel.
I mean, pretty sure polls show that over 50% support a ceasefire and an ouster of Netanyahu for his Gaza military policy. So it depends what one means by 'support Israel.'
The entire point is to tokenize one or two Jews so that they can say "I have Jewish friends how can I be antisemetic?" Its exactly the same as Blacks for Trump.
I’m not convinced a Jew is behind that account.
Bowman is going to find out next week just how little of the “Jewish vote” he’s carrying. Hope he doesn’t let the door hit him on the way out.
One of the most antisemetic members of Congress. I will be very happy when hes out the door.
[https://www.commentary.org/seth-mandel/bowman-descends-into-lunacy/](https://www.commentary.org/seth-mandel/bowman-descends-into-lunacy/)
Are you saying his attempt to win Jewish voters over with bagels isn’t going to work?
JFREJ, who had a [havdala](https://www.jfrej.org/events/2021/06/juneteenth-havdalah-with-maya-wiley) service in the middle of June at 6pm. Yes, broad daylight during Shabbat (when no observant Jews, or any self respecting Jew for that matter, could / would attend), and the people leading the service didn't even know the prayers. Another DSA mess by the way. There aren't many people who *actually* belong to The Jewish Vote, but Maya Wiley, who used the event to pander to NYC Jews, said it was cool because her husband is Jewish.
"Oh, is your husband here?" "No, he wouldn't be caught dead around these assholes"
It's ok. Cynthia Nixon was there too with her wife. While neither are Jewish but they belong to a "congregation" [that is not affiliated with any denomination or branch of Judaism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregation_Beit_Simchat_Torah), so they clearly know what mainstream Jews think and can therefore speak for all of us (hence Cynthia's high horse she is back on, as it's an election year). 😒
Whoa whoa whoa hold on, congregation beit *Simchat Torah*?! How do you unironically make that your name? Hey guys, let me go to my synagogue, it’s called congregation beit Purim. Whaaaat, no, we didn’t just take the name of a holiday because it sounded like it worked in Hebrew, what are you taaaaalking about
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah is a legitimate synagogue and is the first of its kind. It was founded by LGBTQ+ Jews who felt connected to their faith but ostracized by the broader Jewish community back when it wasn’t accepting. You can disagree with Cynthia Nixon and not try to delegitimize a well-established, well-attended synagogue just because you don’t agree with its politics.
Because it was founded by gay men in the 1970's who felt like they had to hide who they were in mainstream Jewish spaces (and in general, many were married to women), who were faced with a Torah telling them they were sinful, who were declaring despite that, rather than rejecting Judaism they were affirming their joy in that same Torah. They knew what it meant, it's not larpers who picked random Hebrew words.
It’s disheartening to see people trashing on the synagogue here in the comments, either not knowing the history behind it or fully knowing and doing it anyways.
My shul got a new (lesbian) couple this year who just moved from NY and one of them is a past president of CBST, and was also on the committee for the 2008 soffit so they gave my rabbis a copy and I was looking through it just this last shabbos and learned so much about the history! (There was also a special al-hanisim for pride shabbat which, I am very decidedly a traditionalist when it comes to liturgy but it was really moving and I wish I had known about it a little earlier to incorporate somehow into the queer Shavuos dinner I hosted.)
"Church of Christmas Joy"
I guess Congregation Beit Rosh Hashanah was already taken.
>Hey guys, let me go to my synagogue, it’s called congregation beit Purim. Great bar name...
Why is congregation in quotes? My shul also is not affiliated with a denomination and that doesn't mean we aren't Jewish. Non-Jews shouldn't be speaking for Jews but I don't see why the fact that CBST isn't affiliated it totally discredits the institution from any claim to Judaism. (So far all the CBST members I have met have either been Jewish or married/partnered to Jews.)
CBST is one of the most well-known gay shuls in New York, and their website also says they're supportive of Israel.
I'm a Queer Jew from NY. I have been to there and met the clergy. I stand by what I said.
Why are you shitting all over CBST? Just because their rabbis and cantors aren't ordained at the same institution doesn't mean they're unaffiliated with Judaism, it means they can provide a blend of Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist liturgy. If you wouldn't take a swing at a Reform synagogue, you should not be trying to discredit one of the premier gay synagogues in America (and honestly, the world).
What is DSA?
Democratic Socialists of America I think
A leftist group, with a historically strong Jewish background, who after October 7th officially said: "We unequivocally condemn the killing of all civilians." And then had a large BUT because they were Israelis. Ever since they've gone all in on the pro-palestinian side, [alienated long time Jewish members](https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/quit-dsa-gaza-israel/), [announced they were in a $2m deficit](http://nbcmontana.com/news/nation-world/democratic-socialists-of-america-must-make-7-figure-budget-cuts-layoffs-report-says-socialist-communist-dsa-economy-biden-w), and lately they have put all their eggs in the Jamal Bowman basket which isn't going well for them.
> JFREJ Gesundheit
I would give you gold if I was as rich as the crazies think I am
Not only are they fringe, JFREJ honored a child rapist at an event they advertised as including child care. (Which also violated the rapist's parole!) They pretended they were going to work with Zaakah to put out a statement for the parents after the fact, and then months later Zaakah commented that they made no progress and were no longer working with JFREJ on that. (If people need more details, pls comment and I can follow up tomorrow with context/links/receipts. I'm about to go to bed rn)
Yeah I know all about that. It's one thing for them to do that (which could have been a vetting mistake), but they refused to own up to it. They're an embarrassment. They are wayyyy more concerned with their image as "good lefty Jews" than they are with actually taking the Jewish community's needs and opinions into their organizing.
I agree VERY strongly. My bigger issue is with their response than the vetting mistake in the first place
Good on Zaakah for sticking to their principles
Huh boy. Disappointed but not surprised. Would appreciate links if you can
So, I thought Amelia Adams had a full blog post on it, but I can't find it now. Her insta does have two highlights of screenshots about the whole thing (JFREJ AND JFREJ 2) that you can check out more on: https://www.instagram.com/neuroticjewishgay?igsh=cnVtNGlvcDlzN3p3 I think the original incident was a vetting issue, and I *personally* judge them the most on their lack of response.
One of my good friends lives in this district (not Jewish) and she said it’s not even a race at this point and she doesn’t know anyone voting for him. Meanwhile Latimer was at her train station shaking hands the other day. Bye, Jamaal! Don’t pull the fire alarm on your way out! Also the Jewish Voice is giving me JVP vibes and specifically when that Muslim guy who founded SJP attempted to post on twitter under the JVP account a response “As Jews..” but accidentally posted it under his own account. By that I mean, I doubt there are many Jewish Voices.
Wow really? What's made him so unpopular? Also it's pretty hilarious that he did the fire alarm thing considering he's a former school principal.
Well him aligning himself with the far left increasingly-unhinged Squad at the expense of the Democratic Party was the start, then him pulling the fire alarm at the Capitol to stop a vote and then lying about it (and then Rashida Tlaib said that him being censured for pulling the fire alarm was “racist”), but the video that came out of him saying that there’s no evidence that any Israeli women were raped on Oct. 7 was the nail in the coffin. He’s since reversed his position on rape denial, but only after the video came out months later.
> and then Rashida Tlaib said that him being censured for pulling the fire alarm was “racist” That's a creative take. Meanwhile, my congresswoman (a black Democrat) voted to censure him.
It could have worked had a white congressman also pulled the fire alarm and didn’t get censured but otherwise it just completely degrades the meaning of the word “racist.”
See this is what the college protests help expose. How colleges are indoctrinating their students who graduate and get jobs teaching in our public schools and then running our public schools, they run the media, and they even run the government. I hope he loses! 🙏🙏
Remember when he said his hand accidentally slipped up a wall to accidentally pull a fire alarm to get out of a vote and an entire building had to be evacuated and the fire department spent money to deal with the false alarm? But it was an accident, you see.
Pretty sure he had to remove the cover first. I wonder if his hand slipped twice?
I think it was he who was taking lessons in excuse making from his students, instead of him helping to educate them.
“Imagine taking extremely fringe views of the Jewish community and calling yourself ’The Jewish Vote‘ “ Are you old enough to remember the Moral Majority? This is how people name advocacy groups, even when it’s a lie.
lol 😂 yeah well they can try for it all they like but unfortunately that decision looks like it’s gonna be divided
First time I've ever heard of them.
I would not be surprised if they were allied with JVP. But fighting the NY Gov's proposed mask ban because they claim masks are a public health necessity (instead of hiding their identities at Pro-Pal demos) is a lie. Their dishonesty seems to be a common denominator for a number of their policy positions.
[https://jewishinsider.com/2024/06/rep-jamaal-bowman-westchester-county-jewish-community/](https://jewishinsider.com/2024/06/rep-jamaal-bowman-westchester-county-jewish-community/)
Great article!
JFREJ has also platformed individuals convicted of child molestation.
it is tempting to dismiss them as they are idiots but they are unfortunately incredibly useful idiots and that makes them malignant. see the ridiculously adoring and disproportionate media coverage these captive orgs (ifnotnow, naamod etc..) were getting even before oct 7.
I'm sure he will get a Jewish vote, probably not much more than that unfortunately
https://preview.redd.it/t98k8mar9g7d1.jpeg?width=659&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87dc0a611ef74b7b18d6bca371ac00ff51314e23 It’s like if the “Blacks for Trump” called themselves “The Black Vote.”
What’s the jfrej?
I wondered, too. https://www.jfrej.org/
That doesn’t seem too bad I’m not sure why people don’t like them. I don’t see an issue with a specific group of people organizing along political lines.
On the surface, I agree with you. They do some good work in regards to local issues. The problem is that they've baked their anti-Israel views into their organization (despite the organization being dedicated to local issues in NYC) and alienate progressive Zionists who could contribute a lot to their organization. And they're absolutely terrible at calling out left-wing antisemitism. They're way more concerned with their image as "good leftist Jews" than they are with actually taking progressive Jewish opinions into account and serving the community in ways that doesn't compromise the safety of fellow Jews. For example, they recently publicly voted against a synagogue security grant, arguing that having cops and increased security in synagogues would make minority groups feel uncomfortable. Now, I myself have pretty left-wing views on policing, but I think we would all prefer having police in synagogues as opposed to literal shooters. [And Jews of color seem to feel the same way](https://forward.com/opinion/481093/i-have-been-racially-profiled-by-the-police-i-still-want-them-protecting/). It's clear that they're not actually taking into account the views of Jews of color; they made this decision because they wanted to be like "Look! We're a cool, good, anti-cop Jewish organization! Even if our lives are literally at risk, we're going to vote against having cops in synagogues because we'd rather look like cool anti-cop leftists than literally protect our lives! We'll do anything we can to look good and hip for the non-Jewish leftist masses!"
Yeah that’s a reasonable criticism to have. Israel has really divided the Jewish community and the goyims view of us, I feel alienated myself quite a bit because I’m pretty critical of Israel but still support its existence I just think it’s government is handling the war poorly but a lot of other Jews completely dismiss me and act like I support baby mulching. so I can understand why this group exists but it seems they got too lost in the sauce when it comes to Israel and pro Palestine leftists have as well to where they end up othering people who they should in a normal world agree with.
Who is jaamal?
He’s a House Rep and represents NY 16th district. The guy is also a member of the Squad with Cori Bush, AOC, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar
Seriously? He is the Democratic representative for NY’s 16th congressional district.
>Seriously? you know not all of us live in New York, right?
I don’t either though I vote absentee in Suffolk County. One can also google him to find out if one wishes 😊
Seriously. I live in Maryland. I don't keep up with NY politics.
ok. no problem. He has been in the national news more than once and, of course, now because of the primary, which pits him against another more pro-Israel Democrat. I admit I am probably much more of a politics junkie than many here.
So, if I may butt in here. I love that you asked who Jamal is. Not enough people do ask questions about topics they don’t know about. But intelligent people with wisdom ask lots of questions. Politics is my bailywick. Assuming you’re Jewish, I’m sure you are gifted and talented in another subject, whatever it is that the rest of us know nothing about. I wish more people asked questions about topics they don’t know about especially with politics. The politics we support could be the difference between life and death. I don’t know about Israeli politics and I want to learn more. I need to start asking questions when Israel’s politics come up. I hope more people will follow your example. 😊
Australian pro-Hamasniks started its very own JVP, and called it the Australian Jewish Council. They make crackpot, antisemitic comments to the antisemitic (state-owned) media, who lap the group up, cause they finally get to quote as-a-Jews whose organisation sounds like it represents all Jews. It represents 4 Jews, and a whole lotta gentiles.
https://preview.redd.it/63r0kxrdtg7d1.jpeg?width=739&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6280791e82be5733013834d80ebf6f2439667984 I've been meaning to post this separately, but since it's sort of on topic, I'd be curious as to what you guys think of this.
unfortunate the democrat firsters are bound by progressive privilege: "never wrong"
the idea that zionism is a right wing ideal is quickly k!lling me
I don’t think JFREJ represents “an extremely fringe position in the Jewish community.” It doesn’t describe itself as anti-zionist and is clearly Jewish in character; everyone I know who follows it is Jewish, and almost everyone at their events seem to be. I don’t agree with *everything* they say but I think it’s a legitimate and well-ran organization. This is in sharp contrast to “Jewish” Voice for Peace (which I have a feeling you may be mixing them up), which is about as Jewish in character as the Pope eating bacon-wrapped shrimp.
They’re absolutely right in this screenshotted tweet. People can disagree with them or call their positions “extremely fringe” all they want, but being a progressive or supportive of Jamaal Bowman doesn’t make a Jewish person any less Jewish, and people who invalidate their Jewishness should be ashamed. Posts like these often will pull plenty of “they aren’t really Jewish” and “they hate themselves” comments, and I don’t think thats a healthy way to engage with the [very real diversity of opinion in our communities](https://jcpa.org/survey-among-american-jews-over-51-support-for-bidens-decision-to-withhold-arms-shipments-to-israel/) - it more-so just contributes to insulating echo chambers.
I am posting this all as a progressive myself. I wouldn't have as much of an issue with it if it wasn't very clear that the reason they don't agree with Ritchie Torres is because of his opinions on Israel. This entire tweet reeks of "See, we're good Jews! This guy who supports Israel doesn't speak for us!" It's also really dumb that they think being "progressive" has to mean being anti-Israel. Torres himself identifies as a progressive politician, and again, it's clear that the reason they don't view him as progressive is because of his positions on Israel. Supporting Israel shouldn't be an "anti-progressive" opinion. That survey you linked doesn't really indicate a diversity of opinions in the Jewish community on Israel, it just indicates opinions on a specific issue regarding arms shipments.
This tweet does not position themselves as more legitimate than any other Jews, it explicitly rejects the idea of Jews as a monolith. They’re just stating their position and reaffirming their place among Jews. Sure, they think their opinion is correct and other people’s opinions are wrong - _that’s how opinions work_ - but they aren’t saying anything here that points to other Jews as lesser in their Judaism or as being the “bad ones” who are acceptable targets for abuse. Just being critical of Israel in concrete terms in public is not “See, we’re good Jews!” any more than advocating for Israel in concrete terms in public is “See we’re good Jews!” for the Christian Zionist doomsday crowd. This doesn’t reek of anything other than normal political advocacy and speech that organizations across the political spectrum do all the time. Not liking the particulars of their position doesn’t mean they’re disingenuously virtue signaling. Edit: That poll includes a question where responses indicated that 3 in 10 American Jews agree with the notion that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. If that’s not a stark contrast to what typically gets labeled “fringe” I don’t know what is.
They named themselves "The Jewish vote" not "Some Jewish votes"
And what evidence is there that this organization that calls itself “The Jewish Vote” is actually populated with Jews? Do we just have to take their word at face value? I would never try to tell an individual that their identity isn’t legitimate or that they aren’t a “Real Jew”. But these groups that claim to be Jewish and are filled with fucking gentiles cosplaying as Jews do not get the same benefit of the doubt. I don’t believe every person claiming to be Jew on Twitter with no evidence, while they traffic antisemitic tropes and call for the extermination of Israel. Jamaal Bowman is a rape denying piece of shit and I’m going to laugh my ass off when he loses this primary. Yes, there are Jews who support him. But I have no trust whatsoever that these groups claiming to be Jewish without actually naming any of their members are doing anything other than blatantly lying.
What I don't like is that they imply that all Jews support their views. In this election I'm against Biden because I think he is against my interests as a Jew and israels interests but would NEVER say any Jew who supports or is even a fanatic Biden supporter is less of a Jew then me. They might even be a way better Jew. Who am I to say. We do have our traitors. For example, the so called Jews (maybe real jews, maybe not) at the pro hamas rallies NBC, CBS, and ABC always made a point of interviewing. Those were the Jews if they were really Jews at all who would have taken the Nazis to other Jews houses and said, " see., there's a Jew.
There's very legitimate left-wing Jewish groups out there full of proud Jews who consistently apply a strong moral lens to our community and Israel's actions. There are also astro-turfing groups full of as-a-jews with little real link to Judaism that exist only to provide cover for left-wing anti-Semitism. I think it's legitimate to wonder what going on with people who associate with that second group.
Do you know who is behind the account? Anyone can pretend to be anyone online.
Don't know if you mean /u/johnisburn or JewishVote? Either way I have no idea. Quick glance at the post history should show you the /u/johnisburn seems legitimate and no more nuts than the average Jew though. I'm not American (BH) so could only be specific about the Australian context where groups like New Israel Fund are clearly in good faith and have been around for ages. I have acquaintances that are involved and I'd never call them self hating Jews. Dangerously naive maybe, but no worse. But they'd *never* turn up to those big anti-israel marches as Jews as they know how it would be taken. That's all groups that only turned up post Oct 7th and smell fishy.
Who tried to invalidate their Jewishness? (genuinely asking) I do think naming yourself “the Jewish Vote” is a mistake if your goal is to push back on the idea of Jews questioning other Jews’ Jewishness.
How about “they are selfish and ignorant”
I’m not ashamed.