Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein and Chair Mark Levenson, Esq. released the following statement:
ZOA previously explained in detail that the watered-down House “Antisemitism” resolution passed yesterday fails to even mention the major antisemitism problem of violent Islamist attacks on Jews; fails to mention that Congresswomen Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Alexandrea Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) repeatedly defamed the Jewish people and the Jewish state – and have never sincerely apologized; and instead focuses on “white supremacy” and portraying Muslims as victims of “Islamophobia.” Even a good resolution would have been insufficient, for failing to impose real consequences on Rep. Omar for her heinous, repeated antisemitic attacks on the Jewish people and the Jewish State. ZOA, the Simon Weisenthal Center, a dozen other Jewish groups, and a petition signed by over 212,000 people, have all called for Rep. Omar to be removed from her Committee assignments, especially her post on the House Foreign Affairs Committee – which Omar has been using to promote her agenda of damaging U.S.-Israel relations and promoting brutal dictatorships including the Palestinian Authority terrorist dictatorship and Maduro’s Communist anti Israel regime in Venezuela. (For details, see “ZOA Appalled: “Antisemitism” House Res. Doesn’t Mention/Condemn Rep. Omar/Tlaib’s Jew-Hatred; Instead Focuses on “Islamophobia” and White Supremacy: Watered-Down, Diluted, Toothless Resolution Is an Insult to American Jews. Shame on Pelosi!” Mar. 8, 2019.)
It is thus deeply disappointing that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and its leader Jonathan Greenblatt publicly “welcomed” and stated that ADL was “pleased” with the woefully inadequate House resolution. It is also extremely troubling that the ADL has failed to join ZOA, SWC, and so many others in calling for Rep. Omar’s removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The ADL/Jonathan Greenblatt statement moreover wrongly claimed that “Through this [House resolution] process, [House] leaders have made clear that what Rep. Ilhan Omar said was anti-Semitic and unacceptable.” In fact, the House resolution made nothing “clear” about Ilhan Omar. The House resolution never even mentioned Ilhan Omar’s name. The House resolution never condemns Ilhan Omar for the fact that Ilhan Omar falsely called Israel “evil”; falsely accused Jews of committing massacres against innocent Arabs, falsely accused Jews of “hypnotizing the world”; falsely accused Jews of dual loyalty; supports boycotting and sanctioning Israel – after lying to voters during the election about her BDS position; accused those who defend Israel against defamation of “attacking American free speech rights,” and attributed Americans’ support for our strong ally Israel to Jewish money.
Like the House resolution, the ADL statement ignores the real issues of Islamist antisemitism and the fact that the dramatic increase in antisemitism in Europe and around the world is largely caused by radical Islamists.
ADL’s stance on the resolution compounds the concerns about ADL’s acceptance and praise of Rep. Omar’s phony apology in January. ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt wrongly said “Hats off to Rep. Omar for her honest apology and her commitment to a more just world.” (See “ZOA Disagrees With ADL’s Greenblatt’s Praise/Acceptance of Phony Apology of Antisemitic Israel-Hater Rep. Omar,” Jan. 28, 2019.)
The Zionist Organization of America strongly urges Jonathan Greenblatt and the Anti-Defamation League to retract their misguided praise of this watered-down House resolution on “antisemitism” – in which antisemitism is inappropriately hidden among all other hate condemnations. Antisemitic acts comprise 60% of all religious hate acts in the U.S., while anti- Muslim hate acts comprise only 15%. Islamist antisemitism is a major problem – including in the U.S. Congress. Accordingly, this resolution should have simply opposed antisemitism, without confusing matters.
ZOA also urges ADL to retract its praise of Rep. Omar’s purported January apology, and ADL’s wrong claim that Omar has a “commitment to a more just world.”
ZOA urges ADL to join ZOA, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Ron Lauder’s World Jewish Congress and others in demanding that Rep. Omar be immediately removed from the influential House Foreign Affairs Committee, a key body which plays an important role in assuring a strong U.S.-Israel alliance.