A REBUTTAL TO PAXTON'S ANNUNCIATION HOUSE HUMAN SMUGGLING AND TRAFFICKING ALLEGATIONS

I've volunteered at Annunciation House. The Texas attorney general is plain wrong

 

by Pauline Hovey

 

National Catholic Reporter

Feb 28, 2024

 

Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House, speaks at a press conference about Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit against the shelter network.

 

My introduction to Annunciation House and its executive director, Ruben Garcia, happened in 2013 on a one-week border awareness trip that turned into a transformational faith journey. One that eventually ended in the unplanned uprooting of my life in Virginia and relocating to the southern border in 2016. 

That's why the lawsuit by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accusing Catholic-based Annunciation House of being involved in human smuggling and trafficking is beyond outrageous. To me, it's personal.

In 2013, I was still relatively new to widowhood. With a son away at college and a quiet home in the rural Shenandoah Valley, I wondered what purpose my life could have now. During that week in El Paso, Texas, packed with presentations by immigration lawyers, U.S. Border Patrol officials, local educators and historians, it was Ruben's impassioned, inspiring words that undeniably spoke to my heart. 

He shared how in the 1970s he and his young Catholic friends were meeting in this rundown building owned by the El Paso Diocese, studying the Bible and searching for greater meaning and purpose in their lives. They soon realized that God identifies first and foremost with the poor and the marginalized. 

They turned their lives over to serving the most marginalized population — the immigrant and refugee. Eventually, the diocese gave them the building, and, in February 1978, Annunciation House officially opened. 

I listened to his stories of death squads, torture and human rights abuses, and of the incredible faith and generosity of the destitute who passed through this house.

Then, with tears in my eyes, I heard Ruben say, "Don't let your life go by without hearing what God is asking of you. If you're able to discover and act on that, there can be nothing greater. And you will know, because it will fill you with a sense of purpose and of the Holy Spirit."

Back home, I felt an unmistakable, illogical pull to return to volunteer. I had no knowledge of Spanish, no idea what I'd be doing, and I was supporting my son in college and a dog at home. But I trusted that inner call. 

Everything fell into place and I returned for a few months in early 2014. It was the beginning of my love for this ministry and the people of El Paso.

In the summer of 2014, the nature of migration changed from mostly single Mexican men seeking work, to Central American families arriving in the Rio Grande Valley seeking asylum. Unprepared to deal with this new demographic, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began flying planeloads to El Paso for processing. Unlike other communities, El Pasoans wanted to welcome them. 

Ruben was at the helm of creating a network of temporary shelters to accompany these families. Every single shelter that opened was inundated with donations of supplies and volunteers. Thus began a communitywide effort that continues today under the umbrella of Annunciation House. 

Unable to ignore what was happening at the border, I returned to El Paso later that year and volunteered at the shelter known as Loretto Nazareth.

By then, Ruben and ICE had established a relationship of cooperation. Once the asylum seekers had been vetted and given documents to travel to their sponsor, ICE delivered them by bus directly to our shelter. 

We gave them hot meals, showers, a change of clothes, and contacted their relatives or sponsors to request they purchase airplane or bus tickets within 24-48 hours. Time and again, I witnessed El Pasoans showing up with needed supplies, preparing meals, volunteering to drive and wash laundry. 

I marveled at the horrific journeys and the deep faith of the people ICE brought to us. We all treated them with kindness, and often they told us we'd given them back their dignity.

We operated with the natural ebb and flow of migration until violence, poverty, drought, extortion and other flee factors increased exponentially, causing a wave of global migration that peaked in 2018 and still shows no sign of receding. 

In the summer of 2018, when the Trump administration's family separation policy ended after a nationwide outcry, Annunciation House was one of four nonprofits selected to receive the families that were being reunited. 

Ruben designated Loretto Nazareth as the reunification site, and suddenly national news media descended upon us. The publicity brought volunteers from all over the country to Annunciation House, as many Americans wanted to do something positive to help. 

By then, I'd long ago sold my Virginia home and moved to El Paso. The Holy Spirit had powerfully renewed my sense of purpose.

Over these 10 years, I've witnessed Border Patrol and ICE agents not only admire the structure of our operation, but even bring us donations. Despite the growing and seemingly overwhelming demands, I've witnessed Ruben's calm and grounded presence as he responds to the needs at hand, always putting first the dignity of the human being in front of him. He continues to send daily texts to shelter coordinators and volunteers informing them of the number of people ICE is releasing and how many will be sent to each shelter. 

It's ironic that Paxton called Annunciation House a "stash house" when it ministers precisely to those victims of kidnapping, smuggling, rape and torture that ICE processes after they've escaped their abductors. Paxton clearly doesn't know the meaning of the term. Or worse, he simply chooses to spread venomous lies to promote his agenda.

Ruben and the El Paso community have shown me what it means to live the Gospel, what's possible when you trust in the abundance and love of God rather than in the message of scarcity and fear. Ruben is as selfless and saintly a person as I've ever met. I doubt he's ever taken a day off from serving others.

Living the Gospel has never been easy. But now it's being demonized and condemned. Our freedom to practice the corporal works of mercy, to care for the poor and marginalized who show up at our gate, is being threatened in a way we've never seen before. 

Those who serve immigrants and refugees are being intimidated and threatened. Anyone endeavoring to follow Christ should and must take this lawsuit as a wake-up call.

IRAN'S PROXY CONTINUES ITS ATTACKS ON RED SEA SHIPPING

US warship and aircraft shoot down FIVE Houthi drones in the Red Sea less than one week after rebels destroyed $30 million American Reaper

News of the destroyed Houthi drones comes after the rebels released footage last week of a $30 million US drone they shot down above Yemen

 

By Sophie Mann  

 

Daily Mail

Feb 28, 2024

 

The news of the destroyed Houthi drones comes after last week the rebels released footage of what they claimed was a $30 million US drone they shot down above Yemen

 

On Tuesday night, US Central Command announced that the US military had shot down five Houthi unmanned attack drones sent from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.

The one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by a warship and aircraft above the Red Sea, where tensions between Iranian-backed Houthis and the US military presence continue to simmer.

Central Command wrote that US forces determined the drones 'presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the US Navy and coalition ships in the region.'

"These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels,' concluded the message.

The news out of the region comes after last week Houthi rebels released footage of what they claimed was a $30 million US drone they shot down above Yemen.

The drone was the second they've destroyed in a number of months. 

Last week, the Houthis released video of a surface-to-air missile bringing down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone off the coast of Hodeida, a Yemeni port city occupied by the militant group on the Red Sea. 

The footage included a video of men dragging pieces of debris from the water onto a beach.

Images of the debris, which included pieces that had writing in English and what seemed to be electrical equipment, appeared to correspond to known pieces of the Reaper drone, usually used in attack missions and surveillance flights.

The Pentagon later confirmed the Iran-backed terror regime had shot down the $30 million US aircraft.

Last November, the Pentagon also acknowledged the loss of an MQ-9 Reaper drone, which was shot down by the rebels over the Red Sea.

Since the Houthis seized Yemen's northern territory and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the US military has lost at least four drones to attacks by the rebel group. Drones were lost in 2017, 2019, 2023, and now, this year.

In addition to the drone loss, the Houthis claimed an attack on the Sea Champion, a Greek-flagged, U.S.-owned bulk carrier full of grain bound for Aden, Yemen, carrying grain from Argentina.

 

A US fighter jet is catapulted off the flight deck of a US aircraft carrier in the Southern Red Sea

 

Last week, the Houthis also acknowledged the targeted attack of the bulk carrier ship Rubymar, which flies Belize flags, with two ballistic missiles. One struck the vessel.

The US and UK have, in recent weeks, carried out joint airstrikes against the rebels in order to quiet the attacks on commercial ships carrying, among other things, humanitarian aid for the people of Yemen.

As a result of the ongoing threat in the Red Sea, the price of global shipping containers has jumped by more than 300 percent since November of last year.

The geopolitical chaos is therefore contributing directly to the rising costs of goods in Western nations.

ROCKETS FIRED AT ISRAEL FROM LEBANON, AIR STRIKES AT LEBANON FROM ISRAEL FOLLOW

Hamas fires missile barrage at Kiryat Shmona area from Lebanon

While the terror group claimed to have launched 40 rockets at IDF bases near the city, only 10 crossed the border, and several were intercepted. 

 

By Joshua Marks

 

JNS

Feb 28, 2024 

 

A Lebanese army vehicle block a road leading to a destroyed warehouse, background, which was attacked by Israeli airstrikes, on the outskirts of the Hezbollah stronghold village of Buday, near Baalbek town, east Lebanon, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024.

 

Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, the “military wing” of Hamas, fired 40 Grad rockets in two barrages at army bases near Kiryat Shmona on Wednesday morning.

Only 10 crossed the border and several were intercepted, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

A building in Kiryat Shmona was hit, causing damage but no injuries according to police.

Police said they were dealing with rocket debris at several sites in the Kiryat Shmona area.

“Property was damaged and there are no reports of casualties at this stage,” they said.

In response, the IDF said that it was striking the sources of the launches.

While Hezbollah controls Southern Lebanon, Palestinian terror factions, including Hamas, are active in the region. Israel holds the Lebanese government responsible for all hostilities directed against it from Lebanese territory. Hezbollah joined the war in support of Hamas a day after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack and has been conducting daily cross-border attacks since then.

Additionally, the military announced that early on Wednesday, fighter jets struck a Hezbollah weapons storage facility and military structures in the area of Ramyeh in Southen Lebanon.

A Hezbollah weapons manufacturing site in the area of Khirbet Selm was also hit overnight Tuesday, according to the IDF.

The Iranian proxy fired dozens of rockets at the Upper Galilee on Tuesday in the second round of retaliatory attacks claimed by the terror group following IAF strikes in the Beqaa Valley on Monday.

According to Hezbollah, the barrage targeted the Israeli Air Force’s air control base on Mount Meron, which has been attacked several times since Hezbollah joined the war.

The IDF later in the morning confirmed that 35 launches were identified targeting the Mount Meron area, causing no injuries or damage to the Meron base.

The rockets set off air-raid sirens in Upper Galilee communities.

Following the rocket attack, IAF fighter jets struck several areas in Southern Lebanon, including the areas of Hanniyeh, Jibchit, Baisariyeh and Mansouri, according to the military. IDF artillery also hit targets in the Yaroun area “in order to remove a threat.”

Hezbollah continued to fire rockets and anti-tank missiles towards northern Israel throughout the day on Tuesday, bringing the total number of launches since Monday to 100.

In addition, air-raid alarms on Tuesday afternoon warned of a “suspicious aerial target” that penetrated the skies above the Upper Galilee. An enemy drone was subsequently intercepted by the Israeli military, Ynet reported.

On Monday evening, Hezbollah fired a volley of 60 rockets at the Golan Heights.

On Monday night, the IDF said that fighter jets struck the source of the fire, hitting a launch site in the area of the village of Kawkaba in Southern Lebanon. The IDF also reported that fighter jets struck Hezbollah military compounds in the area of Ayta ash Shab. Earlier in the day, an IDF tank struck an additional Hezbollah military compound in Kfarkela.

Also earlier on Monday, fighter jets struck sites used by Hezbollah’s air defense array in the Beqaa Valley “in response to the launch of surface-to-air missiles towards an unmanned aerial vehicle of the Hermes 450 type, that fell earlier today,” according to the IDF spokesperson.

Hezbollah said that two of its members were killed in the Israeli strike.

The strikes were the deepest attack carried out by the IDF in Lebanese territory since the beginning of the war.

According to the military, the David’s Sling medium-range air defense system intercepted a surface-to-air missile fired at the drone, which triggered air-raid sirens in the area of Alon Tavor in the Jezreel Valley region of northern Israel. However, a second enemy missile was then launched at the drone, downing it.

Separately, the IDF on Monday killed a senior Hezbollah commander in a strike on a car in the town of Mjadel in Southern Lebanon.

The IDF identified the terror operative targeted in the strike as Hassan Hossein Salami, the head of Hezbollah’s eastern command.

“Salami belongs to the Nasr unit of the Hezbollah terrorist organization and commanded recent terrorist activities against IDF forces and civilian and military targets in the north of the country,” tweeted IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

WHILE BIDEN TALKS ABOUT A SIX-WEEK CEASEFIRE, HAMAS LEADER CALLS FOR ATTACKS ON ISRAEL DURING RAMADAN

Hamas’s Haniyeh calls for terror attacks during Ramadan

The terror leader called on Palestinians to storm the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on the first day of the Muslim holy month. 

 

JNS

Feb 28, 2024

 

 Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Palestinian group Hamas' top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran in 2023

 

Ismail Haniyeh, the Doha-based leader of Hamas’s “political” wing, on Wednesday urged the Iran-led “Axis of Resistance” to step up attacks on Israel during Ramadan, calling for a “broad and international movement to break the siege on Al-Aqsa mosque” in Jerusalem.

“Any flexibility in negotiations, out of concern for the blood of our people, is matched by a readiness to defend it,” Haniyeh said in a speech, referring to ongoing talks for a ceasefire deal with Israel.

The “Axis of Resistance” includes Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, the Houthis and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the Middle East.

In his speech, the terror leader also called on Palestinians in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria to storm the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount on the first day of Ramadan, which falls around March 10 this year.

Haniyeh’s comments came a day after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that terrorist groups are plotting to increase their violent attacks on the Jewish state under the guise of Ramadan.

“The main goal of Hamas is to take Ramadan, with an emphasis on the Temple Mount and Jerusalem, and turn it into the second phase of their plan that began on October 7. This is the main goal of Hamas, and it is being amplified by Iran and Hezbollah,” Gallant said following an assessment at the headquarters in Jerusalem’s Neve Ya’akov neighborhood of the IDF Central Command, which is responsible for Judea and Samaria.

“We must not give Hamas what it failed to achieve during the beginning of the war and [let it achieve] ‘unity of the battlefields,'” he added, in reference to the terrorist group’s attempts to spark a multi-front war.

Judea and Samaria saw a dramatic rise in terrorist attacks in 2023 compared to the previous year, with shootings reaching their highest level since the Second Intifada of 2000-05, IDF data shows. The violence has continued to escalate in the months since Hamas started a war with its murderous rampage across the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7.

In his speech on Wednesday, Haniyeh charged that “the occupation [i.e. Israel] and its partner, the United States,” are attempting “to achieve through political machinations what they did not achieve in combat.”

Israel’s War Cabinet on Saturday approved the travel to Qatar in the coming days of a delegation to continue ceasefire-for-hostages talks, after “significant progress” was reported in Paris over the weekend.

The Friday and Saturday meetings built on last month’s initial gathering in the French capital as well as intermittent talks in Cairo aimed at realizing a proposal to free the remaining 134 Israelis being held by Hamas in exchange for an extended pause in the war.

The parties reportedly want to close the deal in the next two weeks, ahead of the start of Ramadan.

However, Army Radio on Wednesday reported that Hamas derided the proposed outline as “a Zionist document” and objected to the fact that it did not call for a permanent end to the IDF operation in Gaza, among other demands made by the terrorist group.

The U.S.-drafted proposal reportedly provides for a six-week pause in fighting, during which Hamas would free some 40 hostages in exchange for approximately 400 Palestinian terrorists jailed in Israel.

WELCOME TO REBORN NAZI GERMANY ..... BERKELEY'S TEACHERS INCITE HATRED AGAINST JEWISH PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS

Jewish, Israeli students afraid to go to Berkeley schools, federal complaint alleges

“The eruption of antisemitism in Berkeley’s elementary and high schools is like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” said Kenneth Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center. 

 

JNS

Feb 28, 2024

 

   Ruth Acty Elementary School in Berkeley, California

 

Enduring “Kill the Jews” statements from peers. Being asked what their number is, “referring to numbers tattooed on Jews during the Holocaust.” Teacher-prompted walk-outs in support of Hamas terrorists. A teacher directing second-graders to write, “Stop bombing babies” on sticky notes displayed around the school.

These are some of the allegations against the Berkeley Unified School District in a Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Anti-Defamation League complaint filed on Wednesday with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

The complaint further alleges that “peer-on-peer antisemitic bullying has escalated, as students are emboldened to emulate their teachers and perpetuate the hostility against their Jewish classmates.” The situation “is so bad that Jewish and Israeli students are often afraid to go to school,” the complaint adds.

“The eruption of antisemitism in Berkeley’s elementary and high schools is like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” said Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center.

The California school district, which traces its history back 145 years, serves 9,400 students in 11 public elementary schools, three middle schools and a comprehensive and an alternative high school, per its website. It also operates three preschools and an adult school.

The district states that taking pride in its diversity and treating one another respectfully and acting with integrity are among its values.

The school district is accused of doing the opposite.

“It is dangerous enough to see faculty fanning the flames of antisemitism on college campuses, but to see teachers inciting hate in the youngest of grades while Berkeley administrators sit idly by as it continues to escalate by the day is reprehensible,” Marcus said. “Where is the accountability? Where are the people who are supposed to protect and educate students?”

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the ADL, said that there is “no more solemn or basic obligation than protecting our children from the moment when they walk into the doors of their schools.

“To fail so monumentally that children feel forced to hide their Jewish identity for fear of reprisal is downright shocking,” he added. “We must demand more from our educational leaders.”

POLICE CHIEF MUSICAL CHAIRS

By Bob Walsh

San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen (top) was let go on Tuesday. The city quickly named Los Altos Police Chief Angela Averiett as interim chief

 

Abdul Pridgen was the Chief of Police of San Leandro last week.  This week he isn't.

Pridgen was placed on paid leave six months ago while unspecified administrative charges against him were investigated.  The city has declined to say whether Pridgen resigned or was sacked.  So far the city has been successful in keeping the cause of action under wraps.  

Los Altos police chief Angela Averiett has agreed to step in as the interim chief effective in April.  Current interim chief Kevin Hart will continue on until then.

Pridgen has been the chief for a bit over 2 years.  Prior to that he was the chief in Seaside and prior to that the assistant chief in Fort Worth.  He was considered for the top gig in Oakland, next door to San Leandro, but didn't make the cut.

I lived in San Leandro for about 20 years, until about 1975.  It was at the time a very, very nice place to live.  It is largely a bedroom community with some light industry and significant commercial activity. 

GIVING THE PHRASE GETTING WACKED A NEW MEANING

By Bob Walsh

 

 

Possession of a "billy club" has been illegal in California for over 100 years except for cops and licensed security guards.  Over a year ago federal judge Benitez (who is a very solid 2A guy) ruled that this track record made the ban constitutional.  He revisited his ruling this week in the wake of the Bruen decision and reversed himself, ruling that this blanket prohibition is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. 

The state has already announced it intends to appeal.

VERITAS IS TRUTH

By Bob Walsh

It is also the name of a huge landlord  in San Francisco.  They are preparing to sell of 23 buildings holding a total of 762 RENT CONTROLLED units.  Some of these buildings are 100 years old and are kind of funky-cool.  A real estate investment bank, Eastdil Secured, is planning on facilitating the sale.

This sale would represent about 1/3 of Vertias' holdings. The company began defaulting on loans more than 12 months ago. 

SCOTUS TO HEAR BUMP-STOCK CASE TODAY

By Bob Walsh

The Supreme Court of the United States is scheduled to hear the Garland v. Cargill case today.  The basic question is whether or not BATFE can regulate the bump stock itself as a fully-automatic firearm, which it demonstrably is NOT.  A bump stock is a mechanical device that uses the recoil of the firearm to cycle the trigger very quickly.  The gun still only fires one shot pull trigger pull (the operational description of a semi-automatic firearm) but allows that to happen really, really fast.  This became an issue after the mass shooting in Vegas wherein about 60 people were killed and hundreds were injured, by a nutter in a high-rise hotel room with an AR fitted with a bump stock, shooting into a large crowd.  

Most people who believe the law means what it actually says rather than what people WANT it to say believe that this was a clear overreach by BATFE.  Just because something may (or may not) be sound public policy that does not give every regulatory agency in the country to enact that policy absent clear law permitting them to do so.

The questioning by the judges will give court watchers a pretty good idea of what direction the case is probably headed for.

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: As a pro-gunner I do not see where bump stocks are protected by the Second Amendment. If someone wants a machine gun, or has to have one, let them apply for a license to own one.

MACY'S FLEEING SAN FRANCISCO

By Bob Walsh

 

The Maacy's is shutting down it's flagship store on Union Square and selling the real estate.  How much of this is part of a general shrinking of Macy's and how much of it is the generally "difficult" environment to do any sort of business in San Francisco is not real clear.  Macy's is shutting down about 150 stores nationwide, about 1/3 of their total.  They are also going to be opening a number of smaller, more focused stores that will not be major anchors to large malls.  

I confess I do very little business with Macy's but I do do some.  I hope they manage to hang in there.  I bought my last fedora from them, and also a set of California King sheets, which many of the other retailers no longer carry.

IS JOE SWEATING AFTER MICHIGAN ?

By Bob Walsh

 

 

 

If he isn't, he should be.  The protest vote got right around 14%.  These were mostly Arab, Muslim and Jihadi goatfuckers and their sympathizers who want Joe to throw Israel under the bus.  They are not going to vote for Trump, but if they don't vote for Joe he could easily lose Michigan in November.  Right now any loss of a battleground state could be a huge big deal.  

What you gonna do Joe?  Do you even know what you are going to do?  Maybe the real question is, What are you handlers going to make you do?

MINISTER OF JEW-HATRED LOUIS FARRAKHAN

Louis Farrakhan: America’s Foremost Antisemite

The best known and most virulent full-time antisemite in the US is Louis Farrakhan, the long-time leader of the Nation of Islam. He attacks the Jewish religion and people as well as the State of Israel, using a broad array of classic antisemitic motifs, and refers to Jews as “termites.” Though Farrakhan has spent decades inciting antisemitism, he is legitimized by his many interactions with prominent Americans.  

 

By Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld 

 

BESA

December 12, 2018

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: In response to the Feb 24 BGB post "Instead of Fighting Antisemitism, the ADL Now .....," Unknown commented "Minister Farrakhan speaks truth without mincing words." Farrakhan is the worst Jew-hater in this country. He is the Minister of Jew-hatred. If Unknown believes Farrakhan speaks the truth about Jews, then Unknown is himself antisemitic too.

 

For centuries, the Jew was often portrayed as the killer of God, the anti-Christ, and Satan. Consider, for example, the one individual who most fervently and tenaciously spreads antisemitism in the US.

That individual is Louis Farrakhan, minister and leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI), an African-American political and religious movement. NOI was formed in 1930, and its current membership is estimated at 20,000-50,000. Farrakhan qualifies for the title of foremost full-time American antisemite because of his use of a wide variety of antisemitic motifs.

Farrakhan has called Judaism a “gutter religion” and “a religion of Satan.” He spews hate against the Jews as a people and against the State of Israel. His incitement has persevered over the course of decades. In March of 1984, Farrakhan praised Adolf Hitler, calling him a “very great man.” Farrakhan is also a homophobe and an anti-white racist.

The Jewish Virtual Library has divided a selection of Farrakhan’s antisemitic statements into several categories.

A prominent one is conspiracy theories. Farrakhan asserts that Israeli and Zionist Jews played key roles in the 9/11 attacks, and claims that Jews received text messages warning them not to come to work on September 11.

In line with the “Jews are pure evil” motif, Farrakhan speaks about “satanic Jews.” In a 2018 sermon, he said that “satanic Jews” had infected the modern world with poison and deceit. The Jew as poisoner is another classic antisemitic motif.  In the 14^th century, during the Black Death plague, Jews were accused of poisoning streams and wells. Many were murdered because of these false accusations.

Farrakhan has also used the word “termites” to describe Jews, which echoes the language of the Nazis. By “biologizing” language, the Nazis turned Jews into “bacteria,” “vermin,” “parasites,” and other forms of subhuman. In doing so, they laid the groundwork for genocide. Farrakhan’s choice of the word “termites” for Jews fits into this dehumanizing category.

In addition to his regular use of antisemitic tropes characterizing Jews as evil, as poisoners, and as subhuman, Farrakhan also frequently states that “Jewish power is gigantic.” In the 1990s, he said that Jews are “a very small number of people, but they are the most powerful in the world.”  He also said: “When you want something in this world, the Jew holds the door.” Farrakhan has claimed that Jews control the world, are the secret power behind global finance, and exert “a tremendous amount of influence on the affairs of government.” He claims that Israel and the Jews control both the Senate and House of Representatives, and refers to white people in important positions in Mexico as “Mexican Jews.” Farrakhan even blames the Jews for helping the Third Reich take power.

Farrakhan sometimes interweaves two antisemitic motifs. For example, he has said: “You [the Jews] have wrapped your tentacles around the US government.” This combines the hate motifs of gigantic Jewish power and Jews’ subhuman nature.

Dual loyalty, the most pervasive antisemitic motif in the world, is of course also in Farrakhan’s rotation. He compiled a list of Jews who have worked closely with US presidents and said, “Every Jewish person that is around the president is a dual citizen of Israel and the United States of America.”

In his November 2018 visit to Tehran, Farrakhan addressed law students at Tehran University. At the end of his talk, Farrakhan and the students joined together to chant “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” Farrakhan also took the opportunity to declare the establishment of the State of Israel an “outlaw act” and accused the Jewish state of “thievery, lying, and deceit.”

One would have expected that within his movement, voices of protest would have been heard over the years against their leader’s extreme antisemitism. This has not occurred. The Nation of Islam is thus a tainted movement.

 

Barack Obama with Farrakhan (right) in 2005

 

Alan Dershowitz has pointed out that while mainstream American figures generally keep their distance from notorious antisemites – none of them would sit down, for example, with white supremacist and antisemite David Duke, a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan – many of them are perfectly willing to meet Farrakhan. A photo recently emerged of Barack Obama smiling beside Farrakhan at a 2005 meeting that had been arranged by the Black Caucus. Also, at the funeral of singer Aretha Franklin in August 2018, Farrakhan enjoyed celebrity-like status, sitting only two seats away from former president Bill Clinton.

Linda Sarsour, the Palestinian-American National co-Chair of the Women’s March, former executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, and advocate of BDS, has been a strong supporter of Farrakhan for years.

In February 2018, another National co-Chair of the Women’s March, Tamika D. Mallory, attended the Nation of Islam’s annual Saviours’ Day event in Chicago. There, Farrakhan delivered an inflammatory keynote speech that included statements about “powerful Jews” whom he considers his enemies. While Mallory and Sarsour have condemned antisemitism, homophobia, and other forms of hatred, they have not renounced Farrakhan, prompting calls for them to resign.

The Republican Jewish Coalition has similarly called on seven Democratic law makers who sat down with Farrakhan for personal meetings while in office to resign: Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Al Green (D-Tex.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee.  Ellison has since been elected attorney general of Minnesota. There have also been condemnations of these meetings by other Democratic representatives. After the criticism, some of those seven politicians explicitly condemned Farrakhan. By meeting with him, they and other high-profile figures legitimized America’s leading antisemite.

NO JEWS OR DOGS ALLOWED

Terrifying moment huge mob bangs on doors of University of California-Berkeley theater after IDF soldier was invited to speak there, forcing Jewish attendees to evacuate

The event, ' Israel at War: Combat the Lies,' was intended to be hosted by IDF soldier Ran Bar-Yoshafat

 

By Noa Halff  

 

Daily Mail

Feb 27, 2024

 

Video footage captured the moment a huge mob is seen banging on the glass doors of University of California-Berkeley theater after an IDF soldier was invited to speak

 

Video footage has captured the moment a huge mob started banging on the glass doors of a University of California-Berkeley theater after an IDF soldier was invited to speak. 

Jewish attendees were forced to evacuate and head to an undisclosed location after hundreds of rioters stormed the event Monday evening, as one student says he was spat on by someone shouting: 'You Jew.'

The event, 'Israel at War: Combat the Lies,' was intended to be hosted by IDF soldier Ran Bar-Yoshafat, who served in Gaza but was interrupted by protesters before it could begin. 

The footage shows students violently banging on the glass doors, chanting 'intifada, intifada' and accusing Bar-Yoshafat of 'genocide.' School security then ordered the attendees to evacuate immediately out of a back door.

The rioters were members of UC Berkeley's 'Bears for Palestine,' a group that has previously expressed their support for Hamas' actions and 'denounced the framing of Israel as a victim' hours after the terrorist organization's attack. 

'Berkeley is on the wrong side of history and it's not a safe place for Jews anymore,' Bar-Yoshafat told the The Daily Wire. 

 

The event, ' Israel at War: Combat the Lies,' was intended to be hosted by IDF soldier Ran Bar-Yoshafat

Jewish attendees were forced to evacuate and head to an undisclosed location after hundreds of rioters stormed the event Monday evening

 

Bar-Yoshafat, who was asked to enter the school wearing a hat to hide his identity, said this was a matter of protecting freedom of speech - regardless of politics or religion. 

'I don't think this about the IDF, Jews or even Israel, this is them lacking Western values like freedom of speech,' Bar-Yoshafat told The Daily Wire. 'For them I am guilty until proven innocent.'

Prior to his arrival, Bar-Yoshafat said he was assured that security would allow him to speak, despite those protesting the event - which has been rescheduled multiple times for security concerns.

But hundreds of violent protestors, many who are members of 'Bears for Palestine,' forced the event to shut down. One said he was spat on while being called 'Jew'. 

Despite the chaos, Bar-Yoshafat, told the Daily Wire he intended to continue to event - but school officials told attendees to evacuate. 

'Instead of giving more security to us, they gave a prize to those who were violent,' he said. 'They basically said those banging on doors and spitting on Jews are allowed to continue but I had to leave even though I was just peacefully speaking.'

 

The footage shows students violently banging on the glass doors, chanting 'intifada, intifada' and accusing Bar-Yoshafat of 'genocide'

 School security then ordered the attendees to evacuate immediately out of a back door

The University of California at Berkeley's 'Bears for Palestine' group expressed their support for Hamas ' actions on Saturday

 

'I just felt really bad for these kids because they were scared,' Bar-Yoshafat said to the outlet. 'Girls were crying from being attacked and I think the kid that was spat on was just so shocked. 

'I don't think the students anticipated so many people being violent, they thought they would just chant outside.'

'Bears for Palestine,' an anti-Israel group on campus announced its plan to shut down the event on their Instagram on Sunday.

'Shut it down: Genocidal murderers out of Berkeley,' the graphic read, along with a photo of Bar-Yoshafat with photoshopped red eyes.

'In October of 2023, Ran Bar-Yoshafat was serving in the IOF partaking in the obliteration of Gaza and extermination of Palestinians,' the caption read, referring to the IDF as the Israeli Occupation Forces. 'This individual is dangerous.'

'Ran Bar-Yoshafat has Palestinian blood on his hands,' it continued. 'He has committed crimes against humanity, is a genocide denier, and we will not allow for this event to go on.'

In October, UC Berkeley's 'Bears for Palestine' group expressed their support for Hamas' actions and 'denounced the framing of Israel as a victim' hours after the terrorist organization's attack left more than 1,400 dead, including 25 Americans.

The group was founded by Hatem Bazian, a controversial lecturer in Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies who has repeatedly justified terror attacks against Israel and Intifada (uprising) in the US. 

The group then hosted a vigil for 'martyrs in Palestine', promoting Student for Justice in Palestine (SJP) calls for a 'Day of Resistance.'

Bears for Palestine, named after the school's mascot, issued the statement saying it 'unequivocally denounces the occupation and its military rule' and supports 'the resistance, the liberation movement, and indisputably supports the Uprising.'

 

The group will host a vigil for 'martyrs in Palestine' and have promoted SJP's calls for a 'Day of Resistance' across college campuses in support of the Hamas attacks

Bears for Palestine , named after the school's mascot, issued the statement 

Organizations from other schools in the state that also signed the letter include various groups at UCLA

The statement was signed by several other groups in the notoriously leftist campus, including Koreans for Decolonization and Central Americans for Empowerment

 

'We invariably reject Israel's framing as a victim. Whereas to demonize and condemn indigenous resistance is to overshadow the decades of oppression, ethnic cleaning, and destruction of the Palestinian people,' their letter, signed by 50 other groups, read.

'We echo the call to action for all Arabs and Palestinians in the diaspora to rise up to support the liberation of our occupied people. From the River to the Sea, we will continue to support resistance until we are able to return home to a unified Palestine. Glory to Palestine, glory to the resistance, and glory to our martyrs.'

The statement was signed by 51 students organizations in total, from colleges across the country, including several other groups in the notoriously leftist campus, like Koreans for Decolonization, Jewish Students for Palestine, the Iraqi Student Union and Central Americans for Empowerment.

Organizations from other schools in the state that also signed the letter include various groups at UCLA, such as the Arab Student Union and the Asian Pacific Coalition.

Various SJP chapters from other schools in California and other states also supported the statement. Students for Justice in Palestine was founded at UC Berkeley in 2001 and counts over 200 chapters across the United States, Canada and New Zealand.

THE FIGHTING IN GAZA CITY AND CENTRAL GAZA CONTINUES

IDF presses on in Gaza ahead of Rafah operation

Israeli forces continue to clear Hamas out of the Zeitoun neighborhood in preparation for a pilot program to empower local leaders to replace the terror group.

 

Israel Today

Feb 27, 2024

 

Israeli forces operating in the Gaza Strip on Feb. 26, 2024.

 

The Israeli Air Force struck the source of rocket launches carried out from the central Gaza Strip at Israeli communities on Monday, the military reported on Tuesday.

An operational center that directed several of the launches was hit as well as a launcher used to fire several rockets. An additional operational center from which terrorists fired on Israeli forces was also destroyed.

Also in central Gaza over the past 24 hours, several terrorists were killed and dozens of weapons were located. In addition, IDF engineering forces demolished dozens of “strategic sites” belonging to Hamas.

Targeted strikes continue in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, both from the ground and the air. IDF forces found a weapons manufacturing facility, rocket launchers and combat systems. Troops also destroyed a tunnel shaft and eliminated the terrorists inside.

Israeli forces are clearing Hamas terrorists out of the Zeitoun neighborhood in a weeks-long operation ahead of a pilot program in the district to empower local leaders to replace Hamas in governing the Gaza Strip and to end anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incitement in the education system.

Additionally, IDF troops are continuing their offensive in western Khan Yunis before the fighting moves to the southernmost city of Rafah along the Egyptian border, where four of Hamas’s remaining six battalions are concentrated.

Israel has destroyed 18 of the terror group’s 24 battalions so far.

Once the IDF launches the Rafah operation, it will be “weeks away from total victory,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS News on Sunday.

The military on Sunday evening presented to the War Cabinet a plan to evacuate the city’s civilian population. The IDF also introduced its operational plan for the pending offensive in what Netanyahu has called “the last Hamas bastion.”

Speaking to Fox News on Monday, the premier addressed US concerns about the need for a plan to protect noncombatants.

“We do have a combined plan of evacuating civilians out of harm’s way and destroying those Hamas battalions,” said Netanyahu.

“I can tell you that Hamas will do everything in their power to make sure that we don’t evacuate those civilians. They try to stop them at gunpoint and often at gunfire, but that’s not going to stop us. We won’t give them immunity. We will get the population out. We will continue the job to achieve total victory,” he continued.

IF YOU ARE JEWISH AND YOU VOTE DEMOCRAT, YOU'RE INSANE

Shabbat at CPAC: The Jewish conservatives who want to ‘Make America Great Again’

Despite media reports of “Nazis” at the conference, JNS found a very conspicuous and proud Jewish presence. 

 

By Andrew Bernard

 

JBS

Feb 27, 2024

 

 

Former President Donald Trump delivers the keynote speech at CPAC in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 24, 2024.

  

 

Two Jewish men meet in a buffet line and start arguing about whether Jews should move from New York City to Oklahoma.

“What’s the weather like?” one asks. “Better than New York!” says the other.

Others join in. Is it even possible to get a good bagel in Oklahoma, one wonders. “That’s why we need a community!” says the architect of the Oklahoma exodus.

This isn’t the setup of a joke. It’s Shabbat dinner conversation at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the annual gathering of mostly American right-wingers that has been a fixture on the political calendar of the Republican Party for decades.

Repeat attendees said that this year’s CPAC, held in National Harbor, Md. just a few miles south of Washington, D.C., seemed to have fewer attendees and less star power than previous years. (CPAC denied that there was any drop in attendance.)

Former president Donald Trump’s keynote address on Saturday was the only one of the events at the three-day conference that JNS attended where the main hall was fully packed to its capacity of about 5,000 people. This year, just 12 members of Congress and one governor spoke, compared with 32 who spoke at the 2012 election-year CPAC, prior to the Trump presidency.

None of the numbers seemed to dampen the enthusiasm of the 150 or so Jews who attended Shabbat dinner on Friday or others who spoke with JNS after Trump’s speech.

“It was phenomenal and revitalizing,” said David Shalom, of Los Angeles, after Trump’s Saturday keynote. “I’m super excited for next January when ‘America first’ is back on the national agenda.”

Attendees at CPAC’s Reagan dinner heard from former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Joseph Strickland, a former Catholic bishop who was forcibly removed from office by Pope Francis. Elsewhere, CPAC’s Shabbat observers heard stories from Richard Grenell, U.S. ambassador to Germany during the Trump administration, and a call to arms from TV and radio host Mark Levin.

“The other side wakes up every single day trying to figure out how to destroy our country,” Levin said. “We need to wake up like they do, but for the opposite reason. These people need to be crushed. These people need to be destroyed.”

“If you’re Jewish and you vote Democrat, you’re insane,” Levin added, to the loudest applause of the evening.

‘Nazis’ at CPAC

NBC News reported on Saturday that a small group of self-described “national socialists” attended a CPAC happy hour on Friday, shortly before the Shabbat dinner across the street.

“The Nazis introduced themselves to me at a mixer and said they were national socialists, started talking about skull measurements and pushing the conspiracy theory that all races were being controlled by Jewish people,” NBC reporter Ben Goggin wrote Sunday.

Matt Schlapp, CPAC chairman, called the claim that there were Nazis at the event “false, misleading and grossly manipulative—especially coming from a writer who has carried the water for Hamas in much of his reporting on the Israel-Gaza war.”

“CPAC has made it absolutely clear that we stand with Israel and the Jewish people,” Schlapp stated. “Our board and international partners unanimously passed a resolution this week reiterating that strong, clear and unequivocal position. We hosted a special event at CPAC in celebration of and solidarity with Israel, and we are leading an ongoing initiative as an organization supporting Israel.”

 

Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, left, and his wife, Mercedes Schlapp, speak during CPAC on Feb. 22, 2024.

 

“When we come across someone at CPAC peddling any kind of antisemitism, we deal with them immediately,” Schlapp added. “Knowing this, NBC weaved together lies and fabrications to create a false perception, and we won’t stand by idly while NBC engages in willful misinformation.”

JNS spotted five of the apparent neo-Nazis in the hotel lobby of the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, where CPAC was being held over the course of three days. Most CPAC attendees wore “Make America Great Again” t-shirts or apolitical street clothes, but three of the five had long coats. Another wore lederhosen, and one of those named in the NBC article wore a lapel pin with a sonnenrad, a swastika-like symbol used by the SS that neo-Nazis have embraced.

NBC reported that the men “didn’t meet any perceptible resistance at the conference,” but one person, who was talking with the five, was removed from the media section of the main hall during Trump’s speech on Saturday for unknown reasons.

The conference included a panel on antisemitism on college campuses and a session with the father of an Israeli hostage whom Hamas terrorists kidnapped on Oct. 7.

A link at the top of the CPAC website notes that “CPAC stands with Israel,” and the website advertised the Shabbat dinner, though the independent Young Jewish Conservatives group organized it.

On Thursday, CPAC hosted a breakout session featuring Simcha Rothman, a Knesset member who is part of the Religious Zionist Party, billed as “a guide to fighting contemporary Jew-hatred.”

JNS did not observe any Nazis among the 40 or so attendees of that breakout session.

Trump speaks

 

 

“The attack on Israel would have never happened” had he been president, Donald J. Trump said at a CPAC speech on Saturday.

 

Trump took the stage on Saturday almost exactly one hour later than scheduled. His entrance was preceded by the song “Justice for All,” which combines Trump reciting the pledge of allegiance with a rendition of the National Anthem sung by a choir of 20 men jailed for their actions on Jan. 6, who recorded their part through a prison telephone.

In his roughly hour-and-a-half address, Trump mixed jokes, complaints about his legal cases, stories from his presidency, criticism of the media and calls to “make America great again” in the familiar style of his campaign rallies.

Trump also warned of the consequences if U.S. President Joe Biden is re-elected.

“Ruthless gangs will explode even more into the suburbs,” Trump claimed. “Hamas and Antifa will terrorize our streets while their brutal ideology—and it is brutal indeed, it is brutal and horrible like nobody’s ever seen before—takes over our schools.”

“Our country is being destroyed, and the only thing standing between you and its obliteration is me,” he said.

Trump also speculated on how world affairs might be different if he was president.

“The attack on Israel would have never happened,” he said. “Remember Iran was broke. They were broke. Ukraine would have never happened. I talked to Putin a lot. I got along with him well. Although he did announce the other day that he’d much rather see Biden as president.”

Iran also featured prominently in Trump’s remarks, with Trump comparing the billions of dollars that the Biden administration has allowed to go to Iran with the maximum pressure campaign of the Trump administration.

“Iran was broke and they had no money for Hamas and they had no money for Hezbollah,” Trump said. “There were stories that all these terror groups were angry at Iran because they weren’t paying them.”

Israel

CPAC attendees with whom JNS spoke after Trump’s speech gave it good reviews.

“It was fantastic,” said Mark Ivanyo, of Houston. “I think he’s on point and he’s always advancing the ‘America first’ agenda.”

CPAC’s board adopted a resolution on Wednesday that staunchly supports Israel and Jews, but several attendees were skeptical of the Biden administration providing U.S. military aid to the Jewish state.

“The current administration doesn’t have much of a goal other than to just send money to every country,” Ivanyo said. “Now there’s a new war in Israel, they’re gonna send billions of dollars over there.” (Ivanyo clarified that he does ultimately support funding Israel in particular.)

May Hardiman, of Manassas, Va., told JNS she is for a “fair” position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. An Iraqi-American and a Christian, Hardiman showed JNS her “release the hostages” wristband, adding that what Hamas did was “crazy.” 

Hardiman opposes U.S. aid money because she thinks it should stay in the United States. “You want to give money to war? No,” she said. “It should be here in America to help American people that are poor, homeless, barely living paycheck to paycheck.”

CEASEFIRES ONLY SERVE TO LET HAMAS SURVIVE

No more ceasefires

Hamas must release all hostages and surrender. 

 

By Farley Weiss and Leonard Grunstein 

 

JNS

Feb 26, 2024

 

 

Palestinians wave Hamas flags in the West Bank city of Nablus as they celebrate the release of Palestinian security prisoners. as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas for the return of Israeli hostages, November 24, 2023. 

 

At the moment, 26 out of the 27 E.U. member states support an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas without requiring Hamas to unconditionally release all its hostages and surrender. At the same time, Hamas is demanding that Israel release 5,000 terrorists in exchange for the remaining hostages and exit Gaza, which would leave Hamas with a significant terrorist force intact.

The sheer arrogance of such demands appears irrational, given the crushing military defeat Hamas is suffering and its likely destruction once Israel fully enters Rafah. But Hamas and its allies’ propaganda war has given the terrorists hope, as they see support for Israel’s war waning somewhat, even in the United States.   

The previous “humanitarian pause” in the fighting, which began on Nov. 24, 2023, is instructive. The pause was brief because, after receiving wildly disproportionate releases of terrorist prisoners, Hamas simply broke the truce and resumed its attacks. It also reneged on its agreement to provide the Red Cross access to the remaining hostages and to deliver medication to them. Israel now reports that numerous hostages have died in captivity and many of those released show signs of starvation, torture and sexual abuse.  

Immediately following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke of Hamas as sheer and unadulterated evil. He said the U.S. fully supports Israel’s war to eradicate Hamas. He committed to providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, but said, “Let me be clear, if Hamas diverts or steals the assistance, they will have demonstrated once again that they have no concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people and it will end.” 

Biden did not follow through on this pledge. Reports indicate that the majority of humanitarian aid to Gaza has been stolen by Hamas. Instead of halting the aid, the Biden administration has been admonishing Israel to provide even more.

Hamas’s strategy is no secret: It is trying to maximize civilian casualties in a stunningly evil attempt effort to bring international pressure on Israel in order to force a ceasefire and save itself. As patently obvious as this is, Hamas and its cohorts have marshalled pro-terrorist allies at the U.N., as well as in Europe and the U.S. who are pushing it with everything they have.

Many world leaders, including some who backed Israel initially, now support an immediate unconditional ceasefire. As Hamas leaders have demonstrated in word and deed, such capitulation will only result in more stolen aid, more terrorism, more war and more death.

With Israel poised to conquer Hamas’s last stronghold in Rafah, now is the time for the international community to put an end to its culture of surrender. Instead, it should redouble its support for Israel. Moreover, this would not only be support for Israel. Veteran U.S. diplomat Dennis Ross and Executive Vice President Emeritus of the Conference of Presidents Malcolm Hoenlein have said that Arab leaders tell them not to listen to what they say publicly. They too support destroying Hamas.  

Biden is also mistaken in his attempt to curry favor with antisemitic Hamas supporters in Michigan by criticizing Israel. Polls show that the overwhelming majority of both Michigan voters and Americans in general support Israel in this war.

But the White House’s mixed messages do not go unnoticed. Hamas, its allies and its Western fifth column are watching. This is the only explanation for its delusional demand that Israel release thousands of murderers—many with American blood on their hands—and unconditionally end the war. If Hamas really cared about Gaza’s civilians, it could end their suffering today by immediate and unconditional surrender.

The Biden administration’s hints that it may recognize a Palestinian state are equally disastrous. It would violate the Oslo Accords and long-standing U.S. policy, which hold that this is an issue for negotiation between Israel and the Palestinians. Recognition will only reward Hamas for its crimes; not to mention the U.S.-supported Palestinian Authority’s crimes. It is a time to hold both of them accountable. Thankfully, the Israeli government has resoundingly rejected recognition. The war cabinet’s rejection was unanimous, crossing partisan and ideological lines. It is encouraging that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew has reassured Israel that the U.S. has no plans to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state.

The U.S. should send a powerful message to Hamas and the P.A. that terrorism will no longer be tolerated. The U.S. veto of an Algeria-proposed U.N. resolution calling for a ceasefire was a good start, but more is needed. All aid that goes directly or indirectly to Hamas, including UNRWA funding, must be ended until all the hostages are released and Hamas surrenders. The Biden administration should also denounce P.A. chief Mahmoud Abbas’s plan to reward Oct. 7 terrorists with “pay-to-slay” pensions and suspend all direct or indirect funding to the P.A. until “pay-to-slay” is ended.

Most importantly, the U.S. must unequivocally support Israel’s plan to enter Rafah in force, thus destroying Hamas and ending the war. No more ceasefires.

A STANDING OVATION FOR A NAZI WAR CRIMINAL INSTEAD OF PROSECUTING HIM ..... CANADA BECAME A 'PRIMARY DUMPING GROUND FOR NAZIS'

No statute of limitations on mass murder, experts say of Canada’s reluctance to pursue accused Nazis

The Canadian government recently released a document about the country’s embrace of former Nazis after World War II. 

 

By Dave Gordon

 

JNS

Feb 26, 2024

 

  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau join a standing ovation for Yaroslav Hunka, who was in attendance in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Ontario, on Friday, September 22, 2023.

 

Nazi veteran Yaroslav Hunka acknowledges a standing ovation in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Ontario on Friday, September 22, 2023. 

 

A photograph of Yaroslav Hunka, front row center, taken between 1943 and 1945, when he served in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS 

 

Canadian Jewish leaders appeared to be indifferent to, or at least complacent about, Nazis living in the country post-World War II, adding insult to the Canadian government waving Nazis in after the war and failing to prosecute them, a Nazi hunter and a former president of a Jewish organization told JNS.

Steven Rambam, a noted Nazi hunter, and Moshe Ronen, former head of the Canadian Jewish Congress, spoke to JNS after the Canadian government earlier this month declassified 15 pages of the “Rodal Report,” which relates to Nazis settling in Canada after the war.

Canada has “waited until every single mass murderer of Jews residing in Canada was literally or functionally beyond Canadian justice before releasing redacted documents,” Rambam told JNS.

Ronen, who led the Canadian Jewish Congress from 1998 to 2001, told JNS that Canadian Jewish leaders resisted the idea in the 1980s, when he was a student activist, to pressure Parliament to take action against former Nazis.

“There was a “sha-shtil kind of environment” in Canada, he said, using the Yiddish for “Sh. Quiet!”

“They thought ‘Never again’ was fine, but it was time to move forward, to maintain good relations with our government,” he said. He was told resources were better directed to advocating for Israel and combating antisemitism. “Of course, the standard argument was that, ‘We’re talking about an elderly population, and who’s going to prosecute these 80-year-old people?’” he said.

‘We were played’

When he was a Jewish communal leader, Ronen, motivated by his past activism and by his father having survived Auschwitz, discussed Nazis in Canada with then-Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Lawrence MacAulay, a parliamentarian who was solicitor general.

The government agreed to review “a number of cases” at the time, Ronen told JNS. “But it was a real struggle in Canada. I think Canada stood out as protecting Nazi war criminals—definitely foot-dragging on this.”

He thinks accused Nazis received political and legal support from “certain communities,” some with Eastern European connections.

“It wasn’t a failed system or a poorly managed system but a complicit system, in which Canadian authorities simply chose not to pursue and not to correct errors. It’s clear we were played,” Ronen said. “I think if the evidence is compelling, Nazis still must be pursued. I think it’s a terrible stain on Canada. There is no statute of limitations on murder, especially on mass murder.”

Ronen also thinks that Canada risks repeating the same mistake, as its government discusses accepting Gazan refugees, which could also include war criminals.

“If we don’t learn our lessons, we’re not going to apply them to any challenges of immigration,” he said. “There are radical elements, in my view. Now it’s an actual danger.”

‘Ample opportunity’

Last September, Ottawa had an about-face after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office invited a former Nazi soldier, Yaroslav Hunka, 98, to attend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech in Parliament. The House speaker hailed Hunka as a “Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero” and thanked him for his service.

The government has vowed to redouble its vetting system in the wake of the scandal.

The newly released papers from the Rodal Report, which was assembled in 1985 and made public in a significantly censored version in 1987, also contain embarrassing material about the Canadian government.

A Ukrainian native and daughter of Holocaust survivors, the historian Alti Roda researched and compiled the documents, which were a key part of the wider initiative, of the country’s Deschênes Commission on war criminals. The report was the first to reveal the scope of Canadian acceptance of former Nazis during the Cold War era.

War criminals and Nazi collaborators had “ample opportunity” to enter Canada in the 1940s and 1950s, per the report.

“The Rodal Report—known officially as Nazi War Criminals in Canada: The Historical and Policy Setting from the 1940s to the Present, by Alti Rodal—provides information on the historical policies and circumstances that led to the presence of Nazi war criminals in Canada,” the Canadian government announced on Feb. 1.

“While additional information that is no longer sensitive due to the passage of time can now be released, some information still remains protected in accordance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act,” it added.

‘Good character’

In 1967, Pierre Trudeau, then the justice minister and father of Canada’s current prime minister, opted not to strip a Latvian man, known as “Subject F,” of citizenship, though he received a death sentence in the Soviet Union for murdering 5,128 Jews.

The elder Trudeau, the newly opened files reveal, saved Subject F from deportation and subsequent execution by ruling that he was not required to reveal his past before entry into Canada. “The applicant’s obligation is to satisfy the court that he is of good character,” wrote Trudeau, who would become prime minister the next year.

“He is not required to satisfy the court that he, at no time in his past, committed an opprobrious act,” Trudeau added.

The Canadian Jewish Congress sought in vain to have Subject F expelled. The man died in Toronto in 1983, per the report.

Justin Trudeau, the current prime minister, was asked at a press conference why the government didn’t unseal the records previously.

“I think people understand that this is both an important part of the historical record, but also one that has implications around privacy, around community cohesion, around the kind of country we are,” he said. “These decisions are ones that are taken responsibly and never lightly.”

Rambam told JNS that it was “the worst-kept secret” that thousands of war criminals came into Canada with Jewish blood on their hands. In the 1990s, when he interviewed many of those people, they shamelessly admitted to having killed Jews, he told JNS.

“Not only did Canada know who these mass murderers were, but they actually kept track of them for a period of time,” Rambam told JNS. He added that the Canadian Jewish Congress, which no longer exists, also knew about the war criminals but didn’t act on the information.

Rambam told JNS that he shared information with the Jewish group after conducting his first undercover interview, in 1997, with the war criminal Antanas Kenstavicius, accused of murdering 5,000 Jews. When he turned the information over to the Canadian Jewish Congress, the latter handed him a 1947 letter revealing where Kenstavicius lived and worked and details of his alleged crimes, Rambam said. 

“One of the most demotivating, depressing moments of the entire experience for me was when I saw that the Jewish community representatives, the Jewish community leaders, had this letter in their files for 50 years and did nothing,” he said.

Kenstavicius was “one of a very few put on trial in Canada,” Rambam said. “He died on the way to court.”

“The fact of the matter is, if you’re a war criminal and you went to Canada, you made the right choice. You escaped justice. You’ve died in your own bed, unlike your million or so victims,” Rambam said. 

If the Canadian government decides to “develop the political will” to prosecute the few living Nazis, “even the stupidest, most incompetent, most newly-minted attorney could stall that legal procedure until the war criminal on trial had been dead and buried for 10 years,” he added.

‘Primary dumping ground for Nazis’

John Loftus, 74, who was part of the special investigations office of the U.S. Justice Department in the late 1970s, was part of the prosecution and deportation of Nazi war criminals in the United States.

Loftus testified before the Deschênes Commission but “every word was censored,” he told JNS. Canada was the “primary dumping ground for Nazis.”

He thinks that 100,000 Nazis, who arrived in the Americas, were never brought to justice. To Canada’s embarrassment, the country didn’t know until the 1980s that Soviets had infiltrated the service it used to screen for Nazis entering Canada. 

“It was a hideous screw-up,” Loftus told JNS.