Saturday, October 13, 2018

CAROLINE GLICK, WE DON'T NEED TO TALK

One can almost always read a Caroline Glick column on any subject and discover a false premise leading her right down an Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole. She may have outdone herself this time -- in Column One: Jewish Federations, we need to talk -- you really must read it for yourself. https://m.jpost.com/Opinion/Column-One-Jewish-Federations-we-need-to-talk-568714

Here is all you need to know -- Ms. Glick, so far to the right  that she's almost left -- premised her screed on the following:
"At the end of the month, the Jewish Federations of North America will hold their annual General Assembly in Israel. And while the Federations’ decision to hold their annual conference in Israel rather than America seems at face value to be a statement of solidarity with Israel, in this case, it isn’t."
"Five months after US President Donald Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in an extraordinary act of friendship, the Jewish Federations of North America chose to hold their annual General Assembly in... Tel Aviv." (emphasis added)
Totally wrong. Does the Jerusalem Post lack a fact checker?

To make her point Glick has assumed that JFNA chose Tel Aviv as the venue for the GA because President Trump chose to declare Jerusalem Israel's capital and to move the U.S Embassy there. But, Glick once again builds her "case" on her totally false premise.

As a fairly constant critic of JFNA, I am a believer in fair criticism, but JFNA deserves no criticism for its choice of Tel Aviv as the venue for GA 2018. You see, the GA location choices are made years in advance, not weeks or days. Tel Aviv was selected as the site for this year's GA at least five years ago, maybe more.

Undeterred by these facts, Glick built her column without regard for them. For example, Ms. Glick's misplaced anger:


"Why did the Federations choose to insult Israelis by holding their conference in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem five months after the US government finally moved the US embassy to Israel’s capital? And why are the Federations demanding that Israeli Jews give them an accounting for the longstanding disparities in the outlooks of the two communities?"
 The only possible response to this screed seems to be -- huh? What the hell is she talking about? 

And, it only gets worse. For from there, Glick spun off into a diatribe about opposition to the Kavanaugh nomination, which, apparently, she blames on the same American Jews who (she believes) moved the GA to Tel Aviv. They are also known as "Democrats." She also spins her web to include American Jews opposition to Donald Trump.

Caroline Glick returned again and again to her false premise -- that the federations chose Tel Aviv because of the Embassy relocation. Nothing could be further from the truth.

But the truth is of no matter to Caroline Glick.

And a few days ago, JFNA Board Chair, Richard Sandler, sent the Board and others, a copy of Gil Troy's fine article, also in The Jerusalem Post (!) responding to Glick from the perspective of an Israeli presenting at the upcoming GA and enthusiastically embracing the GA theme. https://www.jpost.com/printarticle.aspx?id=569006

I  assume that Richard's transmittal of Troy's piece has to stand as JFNA's response to Caroline Glick. As usual, JFNA doesn't have much to say for itself. "Let's talk," indeed.

Rwexler

3 comments:

  1. As you wrote, "the truth is of no matter to Caroline Glick."

    Never was; will never be.

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  2. At least Caroline had the courage and strength to make aliyah unlike most of those who complain about her.
    And yes, 'we' need to talk... It was not too many years ago that over 2/3rds of the funds raised by the Federations were allocated for overseas... now, less than 1/3rd.

    If American Jewry would spend as much energy raising funds for Progressive Israeli institutions and organizations as they do criticizing Israel things might be a whole lot better.

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  3. Glick always begins with the same thesis -- American Jews are progressive and, therefore, they are bad except when they support her right-wing views. For she is always right.

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