DV Journal

What began as two acts of antisemitic vandalism led to a supportive community gathering at Temple Beth Hillel/Beth El in Wynnewood Monday evening.

About 1,000 people, some carrying Israeli flags or “United against Antisemitism” signs, packed the sanctuary and overflowed into a nearby room.

“We are not worried that bad things are going to happen,” said Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky. “Our biggest concern is that bad things are going to happen and that no one else will care. As we look around at this room, we know that is not the case.”

Christian and Muslim clergy came to support the Jewish congregation, as well as elected officials.

“We truly live our motto of ‘Our house, your home,’” said TBHBE President Josh Kohn. Since he got a phone call telling him about the swastika painted on their sign, he’s had dozens of phone calls. “We’ve all experienced a wide range of emotions. Many of us are angry. Many of us are sad. Many are confused and frustrated at the kind of world we live in…Many of us are scared, as well, worried that minor physical damage could lead to much more.”

On a recent visit to Israel, he discovered that the Israelis he talked to were optimistic. One survivor of the brutal Hamas Oct. 7 attack told him, “We will dance again.”

The synagogue hosted the Overbrook Presbyterian Church in the wake of a fire and the pastor, the Rev. Adam Hearlson, spoke.

“We are here as neighbors, as people bound by the common commandment to love your neighbor…We stand with you in this time,” he said.  “We have a common cause of peace and love and joy, to sing together, to live together.”

Witkovsky said the swastika was meant to “make us afraid.”

“The swastika may have been painted on our property, but it hurts the entire community. It hurts to see the symbol, which, for many of us, has existed only on old photos from a horrible time…We worry, maybe those times are upon us again,” said Witkovsky.  There is a feeling “in the pit of our stomachs” that “something is happening to the Jewish people in our country.”

“Antisemitic acts have been increasing across our country for years. We worry we’re no longer welcome in this land,” he said. But after two generations “of the most peace and prosperity our people have known anywhere, we worry that this swastika, sprayed on a banner, means we’re doomed to go back to a world of swastikas again.”

“We can’t allow the terrible thing this stands for back into our world,” said Witkovsky. But the world is now different from that of “those grainy photographs.” Jews no longer fear the government, and “non-Jews around us have reached out,” he said.

He urged the audience to “fight hatred in all of its forms wherever it’s found.”

“Know you have an ally in us, and we’re thankful to have an ally in you,” he said.

“To the Jews who are here in the room, what is different from past eras of antisemitism? Today, ultimately, each person here, by dint of being alive in this time and this place, each of you has more power and agency in your lives than the rabbis of the past ever imagined was possible,” said Witkovsky. “Each of us has a phenomenal ability to stand up for ourselves, thank God. And we bear the responsibility of that power, to stand up when someone says something, when someone paints something, when someone does something.”

“There is antisemitism around us, to be sure, and it seems to be getting worse or bolder,” he said. “But it is up to us to use the resources we have to stand up for ourselves and each other.”

Ranita Thomas, a TBHBE vice president, told DVJournal she believes there has always been antisemitism, but Oct. 7 and the ensuing war against Hamas have allowed “people to be overt.”

“People are using Oct. 7 as permission to be more antisemitic,” she said. “A lot  of people who have jumped on the Free Palestine bandwagon are truly antisemitic. They feel it’s justified to say what they’re saying now.”

Vandalized sign at Temple Beth Hillel/Beth El.

Adam Ehrlich, also a TBHBE vice president, told DVJournal, “I think it feels more visceral. It feels like large parts of the world are against us. If something like this (terror attack) happened anywhere else, the world would be rallying around a lot more.”

Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia President Michael Balaban attended the gathering at TBHBE.

The federation “strongly condemns the disturbing antisemitic vandalism that occurred at Temple Beth Hillel – Beth El (Sunday). As antisemitism continues to rise nationally and locally, we must work together as a community to make it clear that hate has no place here. We stand with Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El as they address this vandalism while continuing their critical work to unify the Wynnewood Jewish community through prayer, inclusion, and love.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro on X: This is the second message I’ve written like this in as many days. It’s two too many. Antisemitism and the vandalism of a house of worship of any kind have no place in this Commonwealth. I’ve spoken to Rabbi Witkovsky and told him we stand with his wonderful congregation and against hate. PSP is coordinating with our law enforcement partners to apprehend the person(s) responsible. These acts of hate will never change the fact that no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, or who you do and don’t pray to, you belong here in Pennsylvania.”

Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) said on X: “Sickened to see this hateful desecration of a synagogue — and on Easter no less. Antisemitism has no place in Montco or this country. No one should be using nazi symbols in 2024. We must find the people responsible and hold them accountable for this dangerous display of hate.”

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Imagine you’re a Jewish student at a small, exclusive college on the Main Line, where other students are hosting a seminar blaming Israel for allegedly using COVID “as a tool for settler colonialism in Palestine.”

That’s what’s happening at Haverford College this week, part of the school’s “Israel Apartheid Month.”

The Jewish Federation is among those decrying the meeting, which is espousing antisemitic tropes that harken back to Medieval times when “blood libel” was a common antisemitic myth and used to justify pogroms (attacks) against Jews.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia called on Haverford College officials to condemn the student-organized campus event entitled “COVID in Times of Genocide: How Israel uses COVID as a Tool for Settler Colonialism in Palestine.”

“The event’s title dangerously and inaccurately implies that Israel spread coronavirus to advance its global control, repackaging a centuries-old antisemitic trope that Jews take advantage of global crises as a means for their own gain and advancement. In this case, the event’s narrative takes on a new form of the antisemitic blood libel trope, accusing Jews of committing ritual murder and perpetuating the harmful stereotype of Jews as evil and conniving,” the federation said.

“Higher education institutions have a responsibility to establish college campuses as a space for free speech and critical thinking. However, it must be rooted in academic integrity rather than disinformation.

“Haverford College and institutions of all sizes have a responsibility first and foremost to protect the safety of their students. This event and the tension on campus that has led to Jewish students and faculty being vulnerable and victimized constitutes a failure of leadership.

“There should be no tolerance for student events that permit dangerous antisemitic tropes and threaten the safety of Jewish students and faculty, particularly when antisemitism is at an all-time high on college campuses following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel,” the nonprofit said.

“We urge Haverford College to take immediate action to show its Jewish students and community members that there is zero tolerance for the spread of misinformation and hate on its campus.”

College officials justified allowing students to hold their event.

“At a time of wide-ranging responses to current global matters, our campus is navigating the complexities of learning in community, articulating political and social points of view, and strengthening the relational bonds that allow learning and expression to happen in a safe environment,” said Chris Mills, a Haverford spokesman.

“Haverford supports its community members’ rights to expressive freedom, including around political matters. The ability to challenge ideas and understand conflicting views is foundational to our academic mission. We also expect that even the most well-intentioned individuals will make mistakes in these arenas, and even–and especially–in those moments, we aim to provide learning opportunities that will lead to greater empathy, mutual understanding, and constructive citizenship in a world that is struggling to reach peaceful solutions to conflict,” said Mills.

Jason Holtzman, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, told DVJournal, “At a semi-prestigious university you would think that students would be smarter than this. But going into conspiratorial, libelous rhetoric is very dangerous and disturbing.”

The students “should have more critical thinking skills than to buy into conspiratorial claims like this. It’s really dangerous.”

Rav Shai Cherry, senior rabbi at Congregation Adath Jeshurun in Elkins Park, said, “Can’t we expect more from our elite college students than to traffic in a regurgitated blood libel? Is there no commitment to honesty or accuracy in political protests in the age of TikTok?”

“It’s pure insanity,” Holtzman added. “I can’t believe the college would allow this event to go on when antisemitism is at an all-time high on college campuses.”

Haverford is not the only area campus where some students apparently are embracing antisemitism in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel. The president of the University of Pennsylvania resigned after trying to defend that institution’s policies before Congress.

Haverford College, founded in 1833 by Quakers, has about 1,400 undergraduate students.

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When the Jewish owners of Nana’s Kitchen in Narberth found their building had been hit with graffiti reading “Free Gaza,” it was angering and disturbing. But the reaction from the community since then?

“It was amazing,” said Lee Senderowitsch.

“I think it was the silver lining of the whole really terrible situation. Seeing graffiti on a Jewish-owned restaurant, I think, triggers many, if not all, Jewish people and human beings in general. And yet, the response to the hate was a lot of outpouring of support and love that made us feel really good,” she said.

“We are backed up and that we’re part of a really strong and powerful and beautiful Jewish community.”

Around 300 people came and stood outside the restaurant on Sunday to demonstrate against antisemitism and offer the owners their support.

“We saw different people from Orthodox, Conservative and Reform or secular and non-Jewish people — all standing together against hate,” said Senderowitsch. “And that was very powerful.”

Eitan Horn

After her mother saw the graffiti on Thursday and reported it to the police, she could not scrub it off. The borough’s public works department came out to help, and the Narberth police are investigating.

Unfortunately, a camera did not show the culprit or culprits, said Senderowitsch, one of Gladys Fink Senderowitsch’s four daughters. They help with the family-run business. Their father, Maxi Senderowitsch, died seven years ago, she said.

The family lived in Argentina, immigrated to Israel, then came to the U.S. about 20 years ago.

The graffiti hit Senderowitsch’s family even harder because their adopted relatives, Brothers Iair Horn, 44, and Eitan Horn, 37,  are among the hostages kidnapped and held by Hamas in Gaza after the Oct. 7 terror attack.

“They are very dear to us,” said Senderowitsch.

Iair Horn

There are about 100 hostages, including five Americans, currently being held by Hamas.

The Senderowitsch family learned the brothers were still alive in November when some of the other hostages who were held with them were released. But since then, there has been no word.

“We really do want to use the spotlight to speak about them,” said Sendrowitsch. “If we feel the way we feel from this vandalism, it puts it in perspective as to how our people in Israel are feeling with the hostages and the families of those who perished.”

Nana’s is a kosher vegetarian restaurant, she said.

“Our goal is to be inclusive,” she said. They provide food to various Jewish schools in the area, and one of their kitchens at a school serves meat. They serve a combination of “homey” Israeli and Argentinian food.

The Jewish Federation of Philadelphia has been working with the family and local legislators to raise awareness for the hostages, the organization said on its Facebook page. “Please patronize Nana’s Kitchen in Narberth or visit to support this family and fight back against this vile act of antisemitism.”

Senderowitsch said, “Our hearts are very full, and at the same time, we feel so very sad and heartbroken.”

Anyone with information about the vandals is asked to contact Sgt. Michael Vernacchio at [email protected].

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Emotions ran high at Tuesday’s Central Bucks School Board meeting as students spoke in defense of Spanish teacher Youssef “Mr. A” Abdelwahab, and Jewish parents expressed concerns about student indoctrination into antisemitism.

Abdelwahab sponsors the Central Bucks West Muslim Student Association (MSA). He is also a businessman with an online dew-rag and Arab head scarf business. The parents are concerned with the postings on his Instagram account, which many students follow, and Facebook and business webpage, which include messages like “Zionism = Nazism.”

While teachers and students are “entitled to their beliefs…by having the teacher’s social media handle available in the classroom on the whiteboard, which there is photographic evidence of, this drifts into a problem,” said Mara Witsen. “As well as posting pictures of the students on a business Instagram page held by that person, this goes beyond the scope of a club teacher sponsor.”

Witsen told the board she was speaking for herself and other parents who were afraid to attend the meeting.

“If a Jewish teacher directed students to his pro-Israel Instagram page, I would have the same concerns,” Witsen said. “The posts that students are directed to when they visit that Instagram page that was written on the whiteboard in the classroom is a page that publicly states that Zionism is equal to Nazism. Upwards of 90 percent of the world’s Jews are Zionists. It is disheartening to know that a teacher in our district sees 90 percent of his Jewish students as Nazis. And it is an untenable situation for many students. Should any students request to be removed from the class, I highly suggest you grant that request.”

Another parent, Fania Karlitsky, said Abdelwahab “violated school rules and policies in several ways,” including promoting the suicide of Aaron Bushnell, a mentally ill man who immolated himself outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on his Instagram account. Students follow that account and are very impressionable, she said.

He “not only shared content on suicide but also implied that acts of violence toward others are justified in the name of resistance,” she said.

“On Oct. 10, 2023, only three days after the tragedy in Israel, he posted content stating, ‘resistance is justified when people are occupied.’

“In this case, the resistance he was talking about was the rape, murder, torture, and other unthinkable acts perpetrated against Israel’s most vulnerable citizens, including the children, the elderly, women and even babies. He shared photographs of others using guns. At a time when high schools nationwide are on edge waiting to see who will be the next school shooter, this is more than irresponsible. It is reprehensible, and it must stop,”  said Karlitsky.

Numerous students defended “Mr. A.”

Senior Mary Ayata, the MSA co-president and founder, noted that Abdelwahab is the only Muslim teacher in the district and claimed accusations against him are rooted in “Islamophobia and racism.”

“Allegations suggesting that a teacher is manipulating the thoughts of myself and my peers are unfounded. As someone from the Middle East, I am fully capable of forming my own opinions on matters pertaining to my region of origin, particularly those in life-threatening conditions.”

“As a representative of MSA, I would like to make it clear we feel targeted and persecuted in this community,” she added.

Lamees Shaat, a sophomore whose parents are Palestinian, claimed that 150 of her family members have died in the Gaza war.

“I should not have to deal with people saying I’m a terrorist when I say I’m Palestinian,” she said. “I should not be uncomfortable around certain teachers when they ask me tone-deaf questions about my country.”

“Dealing with the weight of the deaths of 150 family members has been nearly impossible. The C.B. West MSA and Mr. A have provided me a community to lean on during these traumatic times. That is why these false accusations made against Mr. A are so upsetting. Mr. A has been one of my sources of comfort at school. While I am feeling sad or distressed about everything that’s happening, I can talk to him and the MSA about everything I’m feeling…Mr. A is a beacon of light in the darkness,” Shaat said.

Asiyah Jones of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) spoke and offered her organization’s services to train teachers and staff. However, her organization has a troubled reputation regarding links to terrorism and a record of defending Islamist violence.

Shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack killing 1,200 Israeli civilians,  CAIR leader Nihad Awad said he was “happy” about the attack and that Israel did not have the right to defend itself, drawing condemnation from the White House.

Acting Superintendent Jim Scanlon told DVJournal district officials investigated Abdelwahab when the allegations were brought to his attention and concluded he had not violated any policies. As for the teacher’s social media handle written on his classroom whiteboard, that was done by students and taken down, said Scanlon. He noted that the Jewish Student Union and the MSA have been meeting to understand each other and plan a joint event “to promote peace.”

And while the MSA wrote letters to protest the state treasurer buying Israeli bonds, the JSU wrote letters in support of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), he said.

Abdelwahab did not respond to requests for comment.

Chanting, waving signs and Palestinian flags, about 30 people protested U.S. military support for Israel at the Lockheed Martin plant in King of Prussia late Friday afternoon.

Numerous Upper Merion police officers guarded the gates of the defense contractor. Pro-Palestinian groups have been protesting at defense contractors since the war began after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The U.S. division of the Israeli company Elbit Systems has been a frequent target, including vandalism and property damage.

One protester, Asher Garza of Ambler, leader of the group “Montco for Liberation,” said its members agree with Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery), who announced she supports a bilateral ceasefire after a recent trip to Israel.

“The vast majority of Americans, on a bipartisan basis, are demanding a ceasefire,” said Garza. “And part of that is reflected in our Congresswoman Madeleine Dean’s call for a ceasefire to be initiated, which we have been lobbying for.”

Carmen Guerrero

Dean’s position is at odds with the views of her fellow Pennsylvania Democrat, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman.

“At any point, Hamas could have ended this burgeoning tragedy to surrender and release every hostage,” Fetterman posted on social media Sunday.

“Now, they’re unwilling to provide a list of any surviving hostages. Hamas is anathema to peace in Gaza. Hamas instigated and owns this humanitarian catastrophe.”

Garza also mentioned a voting campaign in Michigan where 100,000 Democratic primary voters, including members of the state’s Arab-American community, voted “uncommitted” instead of for  President Joe Biden.

“It was clearly a referendum on Biden’s policies and lack of meaningful action to stop the slaughter,” said Garza.

However, a new Harvard Harris poll reported 82 percent of Americans support Israel in its war against Hamas.

Also on Friday, Biden said a ceasefire may be possible by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on March 10.

Philadelphia resident Timour Kamran said he attended the protest as part of a vigil for U.S. Airman Aaron Bushnell, who lit himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., on February 25. Several other people told DVJournal they came to the protest because of Bushnell.

Kamran wanted to “honor (Bushnell’s) sacrifice for the cause of freeing Palestine.”

“We’re outside the Lockheed Martin campus because we believe the oppression of Palestine is part of a global system of empire. Companies like Lockheed Martin profit at the expense of people’s lives.”

The company provided this statement: “Lockheed Martin’s core values are to do what’s right, respect others, and perform with excellence. These values provide clear, unambiguous, and uncompromising standards for how we treat each other with understanding and compassion. We respect the right to peaceful protest and we are honored to partner with the U.S. military and our international partners to deliver strategic deterrence and security solutions.”

David, who declined to give his last name because of ongoing death threats from pro-Palestine protesters, came from Lancaster to counter-protest.

“It really comes down to the defeat of Hamas,” said David, who held a large Israeli flag on a tall pole. “I don’t hear anyone calling for the release of hostages. I just hear ‘ceasefire’ and a lot of antisemitism.”

Chants included, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which David said is antisemitic and means, “They want Israel and the Jewish people wiped off the map.”

David

“It’s tragic what’s happening,” he said. “There are innocent civilians being killed every day. I think the numbers are inflated. We’re relying on UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) and Hamas agencies to report those supposed facts. I’m going to trust Israel.”

“I hope Hamas will stop using innocent civilians as human shields,” David added.

Using a megaphone, Garza called on Lockheed Martin employees to resign.

“Break free of your comfortable bondage,” Garza said. “It’s not a hefty price to pay. I call all of good conscience to walk out. Seek just and righteous employment.” Mentioning F-16 fighter jets, he exhorted Lockheed employees, who were not likely to hear his entreaties, to not “create the machines of death.”

Then he led the chant, “Not another nickel, not another dime. No more money for Lockheed crimes.”

“Free, free, free Palestine,” the crowd chanted. And “resistance is justified if the people are occupied.”

King of Prussia resident Christina Nassir also came for the Bushnell vigil.

She said she is half-Iraqi and half-Irish. She attends a Lebanese Christian church and is concerned that Israel may bomb Lebanon next.

Carmen Guerrero, also of King of Prussia, put together a shrine for Bushnell on a blanket surrounded by flowers and candles. She said she was a member of the Mayan tribe and a native American who supports the Palestinians.

A woman who came to the protest with her toddler in a stroller, said she felt compelled to leave her King of Prussia home to support the Palestinians.

“No more money for Israel’s war,” she chanted with the others.

Members of other left-wing and pro-Palestinian groups, including Philly Palestine Coalition, Lancaster Palestine Coalition, the Philadelphia Chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, CAIR Philadelphia, BuxMont DSA, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, NEPA for Palestine, and the Abandon Biden Campaign also participated.

The protest was one of several those groups have held in the Delaware Valley since the war began. There’s also been an upsurge of antisemitism at schools and universities.

Garza said a ceasefire is the only way the Israeli hostages will be released. Although, the Israeli Defense Forces have rescued some in raids on Hamas’ terror tunnels.

“Ceasefire is the only reasonable way to preserve life on both sides, if you will,” Garza said.

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On September 23, 14 days before the Hamas terror attacks on Israel, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, announced more funding for the United Nations Human Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). The funding goes to Gaza and the West Bank. 

“I am proud to announce the United States is providing more than $73 million in additional funding to support UNRWA’s core and emergency services,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

After Hamas terrorists slaughtered more than 1,000 innocent Israelis, including 14 Israeli-Americans, on Oct. 7, the Israeli Defense Forces entered Gaza to save 200 hostages. Hamas held the hostages in underground tunnels. During the hostage recovery mission, IDF and Israeli intelligence found evidence that UNRWA personnel assisted Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks.

In late January, Thomas-Greenfield announced the suspension of U.S. funds to UNRWA. She called for “fundamental change” in UNRWA. Change might include assurances by U.N. officials that UNRWA would discontinue using U.S. funds to massacre Israeli and American civilians.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, withheld U.S. funding from UNRWA until Palestinians began peace negotiations with Israel. The negotiations did not happen. In his 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden promised to restore funding for UNRWA.

Based on UNRWA’s website, Biden has given more than $1 billion to the agency. Al Jazeera reported that the United States gave more than $400 million in 2023. Hamas used the money to buy military weapons, build secret tunnels, and plot with UNRWA officials to attack Israel, murder Israelis and Americans, undermine peace and security in the region, and interfere with U.S. foreign policy.

Biden and his administration say they were unaware of the UNRWA-Hamas terror connection. Now they know. Now America and the world know.

While the IDF seeks Israeli and American hostages in Gaza, it could find more evidence about UNRWA’s support for Hamas and, possibly, other terrorist groups. It is worthwhile that the IDF continue its mission in Gaza. It might find Hamas/UNRWA plans for future terror attacks. The IDF’s mission could help prevent more terror attacks and save innocent lives.

The role of UNRWA in the Oct. 7 terror attacks has caused some to question the U.S. role in the United Nations. Thomas-Greenfield is right that “fundamental change” is needed at UNRWA and the United Nations. U.N. personnel should be subject to thorough background investigations to determine if they have a connection with international terror groups. Congress should insist that Thomas-Greenfield take responsibility for the actions of all U.S. personnel found to be involved with terrorist organizations. Diplomats should not have immunity from prosecution for their involvement with terrorist groups.

It is a positive first step for Biden to cease U.S. funding for UNRWA. Some at the United Nations call this “immoral” due to the immense hardship on the Palestinians. It would be immoral for the Palestinians to continue suffering under the control of Hamas. It would be immoral for the United States to continue funding Hamas.

Biden should suspend all U.S. funding to UNRWA until Hamas releases all hostages, surrenders to the IDF, and Palestinians begin peace negotiations with Israel.

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On Tuesday, a $17.6 billion bill to help fund Israeli security failed in the U.S. House. Israel has been at war since the savage Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 took the lives of some 1,200 people. Terrorists kidnapped another 240 people, including Americans, and are holding them hostage in Gaza.

Delaware Valley’s three congressional Democrats, Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, Madeleine Dean, and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Philadelphia/Delaware/Montgomery) voted against the bill. Local Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick voted for it.

The GOP-proposed legislation was a “clean” bill, not attached to any other issues like border security or aid to Ukraine.

In a Feb. 3 letter, House Speaker Michael Johnson (R-La.) said, “Given the Senate’s failure to move appropriate legislation in a timely fashion and the perilous circumstances currently facing Israel, the House will continue to lead. Next week, we will take up and pass a clean, standalone Israel supplemental package. During debate the House and the original House bill was with its offsets. The Senate will no longer have excuses, however misguided, against swift passage of this critical support for our ally.”

Although the vote was 250 to 180, two-thirds approval was needed for passage.

The Senate had formulated a bill that would have included $60 million for Ukraine and $20 million for the U.S. border, although not for items Republicans believe are needed, such as a border wall. Both Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman joined the majority of their fellow Democrats and backed the $118 billion package, but it failed a procedural vote (49-50)  on Wednesday.

President Biden had said he would have vetoed the House bill but would have signed the Senate bill had they reached his desk.

Delaware Valley Democrats who helped kill the aid to Israel bill went to great lengths to explain their votes.

“I have always supported Israel’s right to defend itself and will continue to vote accordingly,” said Houlahan. “But I cannot support a politically motivated piece of legislation that falls short on a host of related national security issues, including the needs of Ukraine, Taiwan, innocent Palestinians, and our southern border.”

Houlahan added, “Of course, this vote was not easy. I know Israel needs further support as they seek to root out Hamas’ entrenched control in Gaza. That’s why I’m hopeful that cooler, more bipartisan heads will prevail, and I will soon be able to vote on a supplemental package that supports our ally, Israel, as well as Ukraine, Taiwan, and the many community groups and law enforcement agencies along our southern border.”

Dean explained her no vote: “On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israeli civilians that killed more than 1,400 men, women, and children. In the wake of that horrifying attack, I have been unwavering in my belief that Israel has a right to exist, every hostage must be returned, and Hamas must be dislodged — without destroying innocent life.

“I have also repeatedly expressed my deep concern — for the men, women, and children in harm’s way, through no fault of their own, without adequate food, water, shelter, or medical supplies. This legislation contains no humanitarian aid for Gazans or Israelis.

“These grave circumstances demand serious action — but this bill, hastily introduced by House Republican leadership, is, unfortunately, not that. Instead of considering a bipartisan package addressing our border and immigration systems — in addition to our commitments to long-term peace in the Middle East — House Republicans are once again using Israel as a political cudgel,” Dean said.

Scanlon called the GOP bill “a cynical political maneuver.”

“Since the horrific Oct. 7 attack, I have stood with President Biden and House Democrats to strongly support Israel and secure the return of the hostages. Our commitment to Israel’s security and existence has not wavered, and we remain ready to support serious, bipartisan efforts that honor the special relationship between the United States and Israel. H.R. 7217 is neither serious nor bipartisan, having been crafted solely to sow political division and to block the bipartisan security supplemental negotiated by the Senate and the White House.

“America’s national security interests, and those of our close allies, should not be subject to partisan political games. H.R. 7217 is designed to politicize support for Israel while denying military aid to Ukraine and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Gaza. It would undermine the longstanding, bipartisan support for Israel in Congress while harming both America’s and Israel’s national security. Congress must act now to support Israel, surge humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, support Ukraine against Russian aggression, tackle the challenges at the southern border, and strengthen our democratic allies in the Indo-Pacific,” Scanlon said.

Residents took to Facebook to react to this vote.

“These three need to be turned out and replaced by real American First candidates,” wrote Denise Myers.

And Vince Gambone said, “As usual, they’re following orders given by the DNC. Can’t remember any of them ever thinking for themselves.”

On the other hand, Rich Heiland said, “I am fine with her vote. The Republicans have sabotaged aid to Israel, Ukraine, and the border because of their obedience to Trump. Why should Chrissy play along with their politics? We should fund all those areas, as well as assist Palestinian victims in Gaza. We also should fund the border. But, as long as Trump is calling the shots, we won’t. As for the homeless in the U.S., Republicans won’t help them, either.”

And Teri Selleck Majewski added, “I think we need to worry about our homeless first before sending anything to other countries. Are any of them sending anything to us besides their citizens sneaking in?”

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i vis pacem, para vellum (If you want peace, prepare for war). 

America is not prepared for war. The U.S. military faces many enemies, including China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. Still, our foes also include any number of non-state actors, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. 

Agents of these enemies are illegally entering America from our southern and northern boundaries.

The United States faces threats seemingly everywhere. At the end of 2023, the Financial Times reported 183 military clashes, and the Geneva Academy was monitoring more than 110 armed conflicts worldwide. 

Despite global disorder and manifold dangers, some Americans hide behind collective programs and social justice nonsense, and others find excuses by spewing sadly sickening echoes of the “America First” gangs of the 1930s to justify America’s retreats.

The foreign threats to Western democracy have mutated and increased in the sheer destructive potential of weapons. Yet, our military budget has shrunk as a percentage of gross domestic product to about 3.4 percent from a high of 9.5 percent in the 1960s.

The military faces many problems in preparing for war. Enlistments have come up short of 2023 needs. The Army was 18 percent below its requirements. The Navy came up short by 6,000 recruits, and the Air Force was 10,000 enlistments shy of its targets. The Coast Guard can’t crew 10 cutters and 29 stations because of recruitment deficiencies. More disturbingly, 77 percent of young Americans don’t qualify for military service.

The U.S. military not only lacks people, but our capacity to produce modern weapons is frighteningly limited. According to a recent Center for Strategic and International Studies report, assuming recent depletion rates, the United States is using 155mm ammunition at a rate that will take a long period to rebuild inventories to pre-Ukraine levels, given current production capacity. 

The United States produces only 93,000 155mm shells annually and has transferred more than 10 years of regular production (five years at a “surge rate”) to Ukraine since September 2022.  

The 155mm ammunition is not alone in America’s penury of weapons. Javelin missiles will take more than five years to replenish inventories, and HIMARS inventory replacement will take more than 2.5 years. Stingers will take 6.5 years to replace inventories, and Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System replacement times are unknown. Perhaps we are slow-walking supplies to Ukraine because we can’t walk fast.

The military has cut the number of weapons it has available. For example, the Air Force flew 600 bombers at the end of the Cold War, but it flies 141 today. Not only that but the workhorse of the bomber fleet, the B52, dates to the 1940s. 

Likewise, the Navy has up to 40 percent of its submarine fleet under repair. Even if that number is cut in half, the numbers are troubling. Compounding the maintenance problems is that the United States is producing about 1.2 attack subs annually, 2.8 boats short of the number needed to meet our commitments.

These acquisition problems are simple to identify. America can’t produce the “stuff” of war anymore in the quantities needed. The number of prime military contractors has shrunk to six from 50 plus at the end of the last century. 

Two more examples are sufficient to demonstrate America’s lack of weapons production capacity. Today, we have three companies supplying fixed-wing aircraft and another three supplying tactical missiles (down from eight and 13, respectively) at the turn of the century.

Other problems exist with our approach to warfighting — there has been little integration between highly advanced civilian systems and military applications (with the notable exceptions of Starlink and cloud computing). Not to mention the foolish idea of using the military as part of the war on climate change.

Likewise, the military primarily deals with heavy equipment instead of small cheap arms such as drones.  There has been some progress in these areas, but entry into military contracting is difficult. Anduril, a 2017 startup, is struggling, and SpaceX and Palantir had to sue to bid on military contracts.

We can’t turn to Europe for help since the high-spending Brits have 150 tanks, and France has an inventory of heavy artillery pieces that Russia loses a month in Ukraine (90). Germany has enough ammunition for two days of fighting and Denmark has effectively disarmed.  Since Europe is entangled in other problems, these facts are not likely to change soon.

The military is aware of these problems. The 2022 National Defense Strategy states, “Our current system is too slow and too focused on acquiring systems not designed to address the most critical challenges we now face.” 

Given a divided, dysfunctional Congress and country, the question remains how we will address these deficiencies.

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Chants of “Free, free Palestine” and similar slogans rang out in Newtown Wednesday evening as about 35 pro-Hamas protesters rallied and then marched with Palestinian flags waving.

More than 100 Jewish counter-protesters also turned out, with Israeli and American flags. They chanted, “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

Since the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists, pro-Palestinian demonstrators have marched in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and other U.S. cities. The Jewish community has also rallied in support of Israel.

Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people, including women, the elderly, and children. They also took some 240 hostages. As of Jan. 13, Hamas was holding 132 hostages in its network of tunnels beneath Gaza. Six of them are U.S. citizens.

On Wednesday, both groups rallied at opposite ends of the Newtown Shopping Center and began walking through Newtown. There was a heavy police presence, and some streets shut down temporarily as marchers passed through.

Montgomery County resident Aisha Chughtai came to the Palestinian protest and said she’s been active with the Liberation Center in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.

“It’s important for us to go to every county, every street, and every locale,” said Chughtai when asked why the group had come to Newtown. “We’re based in Philadelphia and have been organizing many protests (in the area). They’re popping up regularly.”

The fact that people came out despite the cold weather “shows how much they’re affected,” said Chughtai. However, she said some of the protesters she expected did not show up because they went to Newtown Square in Delaware County instead of Newtown in Bucks County.

Philadelphian Timon Kamran led chants and gave a speech.

Pro-Hamas Palestinian protesters in Newtown.

He accused Israelis of “genocide” and the Biden administration of being complacent and sending taxpayers’ money to Israel. He blamed the U.S. government for the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King and claimed that Jesus was Palestinian. Despite his anti-Israeli rhetoric, he contended that he and the protesters were not antisemitic.

Bucks County resident Luba Gutman took part in the counter-protest and said she was surprised to see the pro-Hamas protesters in Newtown.

“It’s very shocking and very disappointing,” Gutman said. Her family emigrated from Ukraine when she was a child, and she never expected to “see such hate” in America. She speculated that the protesters came to Newtown because it has a large Jewish population and supports three synagogues.

A man said he came to show his support for Israel and the hostages.

Jewish counter-protesters.

Jewish counter-protesters also demonstrated outside the Lubavitch Center on State Street as the pro-Hamas protesters walked by. Lubavitch Center Rabbi Aryeh Weinstein told DVJournal the center did not request those counter-protesters presence, but they were part of a “grassroots counter-protest.”

There was no violence; “only voices were used,” he said. “Peaceful chanting.”

“There were no incidents. We were happy about that. We were concerned.”

He added that many protesters came from out of the area and out of state to “spread propaganda.”

“I hope it becomes clear to them that whatever happens in Newtown will be met by double or triple the response,” Weinstein said.

Asked to comment, Michael Balaban, the president & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, said, “The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia upholds and respects free speech and the right to peacefully protest. However, as we have seen with other pro-Palestine protests in the Philadelphia area, these protests can often spread dangerous misinformation about Israel and utilize harmful language that can incite hatred against Jews and Jewish-owned businesses. As we have said many times before, any attempts to scapegoat or isolate Jews are unacceptable and need to be denounced immediately.”

Newtown Police Chief John Hearn posted on Facebook that his department worked to ensure a “peaceful resolution.”

“The protest and march, which was organized privately by a local resident and shared via social media, aimed to raise awareness and express community concerns regarding the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza,” said Hearn. “The police department, after receiving notification through other means, deployed a comprehensive strategy to identify the organizer and facilitate a peaceful gathering, ensuring the protection of First Amendment rights while maintaining public safety in Newtown.”

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The International Court of Justice is now hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of “grave violence and genocidal acts.”  Those charges are both achingly obvious and irrelevant to the legal definition of genocide.

As long as there is no intent to commit genocide, then Israeli military actions taken to disable Hamas from committing further atrocities, as their leadership promised to do, is justified even though the same acts, with intent, would be genocidal.

Notwithstanding the calls and leaflets from the Israel Defense Forces to provide some measure of direction for the hapless population, the real question of intent can only be determined if Hamas were to release the 133 hostages and surrender.  If Israel continued its military campaign once the threat of Hamas were eliminated, that would be genocidal.  Until then, Israel’s Defense Minister makes the reasonable claim that without military pressure Hamas will not release those hostages.

Israel has a political obligation to its citizens and a moral obligation to humanity to not allow Hamas’ illegal and immoral exploitation of international laws to deprive Israel of her ability to defend herself.  Israel targets hospitals, schools, and mosques because Hamas camouflages its military infrastructure with Gazan civilian infrastructure.  Those who argue that Hamas’ terrorist tactics do not justify the mass murder of Palestinian civilians are naïve children of light (Luke 16:8) who enjoy the luxury of selectively loving their neighbors from a safe distance.

Once we agree that Israel has a moral duty to eliminate the threat that Hamas poses to its existence, there are no redlines.  If it’s between “damned if we do and dead if we don’t,” that’s not a choice.

It’s not a choice for any country.  October 7 was proportionately more deadly than 10 9/11s.  Furthermore, under the guise of championing Palestinian rights, Hamas’s prurient predators defiled Israeli women with a depravity that will stain Islam forever.  The barrages of missiles from both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which have intermittently overwhelmed Israel’s missile defense systems, continue daily. And then there are the Shi’ite militias, backed by Iran, who are probing Israel’s borders for weaknesses.  Thirty years ago, Professor Samuel Huntington wrote that “Islam has bloody borders.”  Given Israel’s borders with fundamentalist Islamists, a baby aspirin is contraindicated.

Most Israelis had been hopeful that Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 would result in a peace even warmer than that which Israel had previously achieved with Egypt and Jordan.  Hamas, however, dedicated to the destruction of Israel, has proven an implacable neighbor.

Alas, the devastation of October 7 and its aftermath are crushing for all involved.  Many are ashamed by the reports of the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners and, worse, vigilante justice in the West Bank.  Many are aghast at the wholesale destruction of large swaths of Gaza.  Many seek the downfall of the current government on whose watch this calamity befell.  But nothing about how Israel prosecutes this war, or which international bodies pressure Israel, will change the necessity of neutralizing Hamas.

Jews know what genocide is.  Those in the Warsaw Ghetto couldn’t have surrendered to save their lives because what the Nazis were perpetrating was genocide.  Hamas, however, has the power to stop, immediately, the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza and remove all barriers to desperately needed aid to the Gazans.  But the fact that Hamas, even now, especially now, remains unwilling to release the hostages is yet another signal that they are dedicated to the elimination of Israel rather than the wellbeing of the Palestinians. No international forum should interfere with the necessary self-defense of a state.  Such a precedent invites future exploitation.

Hamas’s Charter is explicit about their intention to destroy Israel.  Their pogrom on October 7 joined act to intent.  Israel is waging a war of survival against a genocidal, Islamist regime.  The war is both devastating and asymmetric, but Israel’s intention is self-defense and deterrence, not genocide.  To apply pressure on Israel for a cease-fire rather than on Hamas to release its hostages and surrender corroborates Israel’s raison d’être:  Jews can depend only on themselves to survive.

Israel has made peace with Egypt, Jordan, and most recently the countries participating in the Abraham Accords.  Peace is possible when both parties want their own people to live more than they want their enemies to die. Israel awaits a Palestinian partner for peace.

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