By RON JAGER—
While visiting New York over the past two weeks, spending one Shabbat in Oceanside, and another Shabbat in Hillcrest, meeting with a wide spectrum of supporters of Israel, I depart and return to Israel with a sense of sorrow and dismay. For many, Israel remains a focal point of their lives enriching their collective sense of responsibility and Jewish identity. For these American Jews their frustration has only been reinforced by Obama’s reelection only to be followed by him turning his back towards those very American Jews aligned with the White House, those Jews who wholeheartedly supported Obama’s reelection yet now find themselves unable to defend his latest betrayal.
Two major supporters of Obama, former NY Mayor Ed Koch, a life long Democrat and Prof Alan Dershowitz have recently come out public and responded to Obama’s intention to nominate former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense in an interview with The Algemeiner.
Former Mayor of New York, Ed Koch, expressed deep disappointment with Obama’s decision; to nominate former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense; “Frankly, I thought that there would come a time when he would renege on what he conveyed on his support of Israel,” said Koch, adding, “it comes a little earlier than I thought it would. “It’s very disappointing, I believe he will ultimately regret it,” Koch said, “and it undoubtedly will reduce support for him in the Jewish community, but I don’t think he (the President) worries about that now that the election is over.”
Koch stated that he believes the appointment will embolden Islamists and will be damaging to the U.S.-Israel relationship. Boker Tov!
Just a reminder, here’s what Koch said in an election endorsement for the Obama campaign in October; ” I am confident that President Obama will continue his unambiguous commitment to the Jewish state in his second term, building on his record of leadership by preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.”
Prof Dershowitz is equally at odds with much of what he said in defense of Obama before the election, “It’s not good,” he said, “but fortunately, Congress; overwhelmingly both Democratic and Republican supports the Jewish state, so I’m sure they will defend it against the defense department when it ruptures the current good relationship which exists.” “No I’m not” said Prof Alan Dershowitz, if he was surprised by Obama’s decision to nominate former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel for the position of Secretary of Defense. “The President seems determined to do it.” “I think it’s a mistake,” he added, “I think it makes it more likely that Iran will persist in its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. This will send a message to the Iranian Mullahs of softness, to nominate a man who is opposed to sanctions and who is opposed to the military option.” “Now, he may be able to change all that when he testifies in front of the Senate,” said Dershowitz optimistically, “but you know, people don’t usually change.”
The problem here is much greater than, “we told you so”, or even admiring Ed Koch for breaking with his own beloved Democratic party on issues of principle, the issue at hand is the manner in which American Jewry has and will continue to vote in masse for the Democratic Party, no matter what. The American Liberal Jewish voter is overly solicitous of everyone else except of his or her own needs and the needs of the greater Jewish community, he or she can simply not help themselves, their voting record is at best Pavlonian in nature, and at worst self-destructive.
Progressive movements throughout America, and grassroots’ networks that are an integral part of the Democratic Party have in recent years consistently betrayed their Jewish constituency by condoning in their ranks anti-Semitic and anti-Zionism as part and parcel of their larger political coalition. These progressive forces find a welcome mat in the Democratic Party expressing a true hatred for the Jewish State and feel at ease with the hatred narrative of Israel and Jews everywhere. This has become the Party of Ed Koch and Alan Dershowitz and this is the greater problem with their continuing association with these haters of Israel and the Jewish community in America.
Lets not forget Obama, who on his way to transforming America, has succeeded in making the Democratic Party, a political party that no longer believes in Israel’s right to self-defense, nor that Israel is still America’s strongest ally in the region, nor that Jerusalem is and will remain the Capital of Israel. This is the party of Ed Koch, of Prof Dershowitz, and this is the party of President Obama. It should seem obvious that when a major political party such as the Democratic Party espouses ideas that are fundamentally negative towards Israel, then we should be prepared, for the worst is yet to come.
The writer, a 25-year veteran of the I.D.F., served as a field mental health officer. Prior to retiring in 2005, served as the Commander of the Central Psychiatric Military Clinic for Reserve Soldiers at Tel-Hashomer. Since retiring from active duty, he provides consultancy services to NGO’s implementing Psycho trauma and Psycho education programs to communities in the North and South of Israel. Today Ron is a strategic advisor to the Shomron Liaison Office. To contact: medconf@netvision.net.il
Thank you for a well presented article.
It has always astounded me that intelligent American Jews could support a party diametrically opposed to their best interests.
What is also amazing is that after four years of anti-Israel activity most US Jewish voters opted for the Obamanation –the man I call “the Kenyan conman.”
My wife and I are journalists and authors and our website, http://www.thefreepressonline.co.uk/ has long been full of articles pointing out that Obama would turn out to be the most evil president in American history. Just key “Obama” into our search engine.
In May 2011 I was speaking at a prophecy conference in Virginia when Obama said he wanted Israel to revert to its 1967 borders. I said – and this was filmed – that America could expect immediate judgement. A few days later tornadoes swept through Joplin and other towns, a pattern of judgement which has been repeated in both America and Britain.
In 2010 I put an article on our website headed: “As nations do to Israel so God does to them.” http://www.thefreepressonline.co.uk/
Here’s a brief taste of it: “I have spent this week researching a presentation on the rise of Israel and the fall of Britain and the West. I unearthed some fascinating facts, especially the amazing decline of Britain following its betrayal of promises made to the Jews in the Balfour Declaration.
“Nations that turn against Israel do so at their peril, which is why America needs to rapidly change its pro-Islamic, anti-Israel policies. In the aftermath of World War One Britain was the number one world power, controlling a quarter of the world’s population and a quarter of the earth’s surface- 13 million square miles.
“It had promised the Jews a homeland of 45,000 square miles. Then in 1922 two thirds of that was given to set up Trans-Jordan – the Arab state that the “Palestinians” keep saying they want. After more whittling the Jews ended up with 12 per cent of the land originally promised them by the British.
“Worse was to come, as the British effectively closed Palestine to Jewish immigration, while ignoring Arab newcomers. Up to and including the last war, desperate refugees from the Nazis were turned away from their historic homeland, the land given to them by God Himself. Other great powers joined in, with the Russians using a submarine to torpedo a boat full of refugees from Hitler as it steamed across the Black Sea. Some 800 Jews died. Of course, the USSR itself disintegrated in 1989.
“America also turned the cold shoulder and closed ports to desperate Jews, who instead were gassed in Hitler’s ovens. America is now on fast forward to utter destruction, financial and possibly physical.
“Between 1945 and 1965, the number of people under British control outside of Britain fell from 700 million to five million- three million of those in Hong Kong, which we also later lost. And despite the frantic efforts to stop it, with British destroyers surrounding and attacking ships crammed with Holocaust refugees, Israel was reborn in a day, just as the prophet Isaiah had predicted.”
It is also notable that Britain now has an Islamic population approaching five per cent. A fast growing mostly young segment of the overall population. As I travel round speaking I come across enormous new mosques being built, in places like Bradford, Yorkshire. Elsewhere, even in small country towns, I see churches being turned into mosques. I speak in The Isle of Wight, off Britain’s coast, in a road called Chapel Street. You guessed it: the chapel is now a mosque!
Britain turned the Jews away so God sent us the Moslems instead to see how we would like it….
Our leaders should know and understand that God is not mocked and His warnings are to be taken seriously.
We had an extended visit in England, Scotland and Holland several years ago. Long before Europe’s churches turned into mosques, they were mostly empty and turned into night clubs and restaurants. I was stunned to see a couple of beautiful historic churches sold to the lowest bidder, who gutted the interiors and replaced the the sanctuary with a pub. It’s not “them,” it is the “us” people who have turned away from God.