Israel Matzav

Stop Manhattan JCC from supporting BDS'ers

The JCC in Manhattan seems to have a small problem with supporting the BDS (boycott divest sanction) movement against Israel (Hat Tip: Racquel R).

On Sunday, March 13, at 12:00 noon, on the southwest corner of West 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in NYC, JCCWatch.org is holding a news conference to unveil its website (www.JCCWatch.org) and to urge the JCC in Manhattan’s board of directors to cease partnering with and linking to groups that support the BDS movement against Israel. The JCC in Manhattan is a beneficiary agency of the UJA-Federation.

Speakers at Sunday’s news conference will include: Jeffrey Wiesenfeld; Beth Gilinsky, president of the Jewish Action Alliance; Helen Freedman, executive director of Americans for a Safe Israel; and Allen Schwartz, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Ohab Zedek on the Upper West Side.

JCCWatch.org is a volunteer organization that came into being when it was discovered that the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, chiefly via its Other Israel Film Festival (OIFF) website, actively partners with or links to groups that, in addition to their stated missions, support, fund, or closely work with organizations that advocate the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is an economic campaign that was launched in 2005 by NGOs seeking to demonize, delegitimize, and ultimately destroy Israel by the spread of misinformation, by incitement, and by promoting every conceivable boycott imaginable: cultural, economic, union, religious, political, sports, academic, et al.Among the pro-BDS organizations that the JCC is partnering with or linking to are:

␣ The New Israel Fund, which in 2008 distributed over $20 million to over 300 non- governmental organizations (NGOs) in Israel. Approximately 20% goes to NGOs that engage in political activities related to the Arab-Israeli conflict, including some that reject the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish democratic state, and are active in boycott and similar campaigns.

␣ B’Tselem, whose website includes links to BDS-promoting organizations like Adalah, Association for Civil Rights in Israel, and Arab Association for Human Rights. Most recently, according to the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), a B’Tselem photographer was involved in “staging” a scene in a videotape that purportedly documented misconduct by Israeli soldiers.

␣ Human Rights Watch, whose original founder Robert Bernstein, in a New York Times op-ed, strongly criticized the organization for its current anti-Israel bias.

␣ J Street, whose conferences have been used to host and promote groups affiliated with the BDS movement. (In addition to listing J Street as one of its “partners” on one of its websites, the JCC has made its facilities available for political activities on behalf of J Street.)

JCCWatch.org has requested that the JCC’s board of directors establish public and transparent guidelines regarding BDS, but to no avail.

JCCWatch.org founder Richard Allen doesn’t see the difficulty: “It’s time that the board of directors of the JCC in Manhattan take action. It’s simple: all they have to do is stop supporting groups that partner with, fund, or support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel.”

Hmmm. Be there.

UPDATE THURSDAY 6:07 PM

Just got this email from JCC in Manhattan:

I just want to make you are aware that you are using our logo without permission. You will be hearing from our lawyers shortly. Please remove it from your blog post immediately.

My, my, touchy aren't we? Are they going to come to Israel to sue me?

(I removed the logo because I'm a nice guy. If anyone wants to do a more appropriate one, feel free).

Labels: BDS, Manhattan JCC

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:38 AM