Israel’s Prime Minister stood on the podium of the House of Representatives, warning a joint session of Congress that “This is not a clash of civilizations. It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization.” Outside the Capitol at Union Station, pro-Hamas protesters proved his point.
Months ago, I commented that you can tell the difference between a Hamas protest and a pro-Israel protest without mentioning politics or the Middle East. Just ask a few simple questions:
Are they thanking police, or fighting police? Are the police there to protect them, or to protect others from them? Are they cleaning up after themselves, or committing vandalism? Are they flying American flags, or burning them? Are they calling for peace, or violence?
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Seeing this play out at Union Station was painful to watch—for all Americans, not just Jews. They tore down and burned the American flag, erecting in its place the flag of the genocidal Holy War Army (rebranded as the flag of “Palestine”). The Freedom Bell, a bicentennial gift from the American Legion, was defaced with the slogan, “Hamas is coming.”
That was a lie. Hamas is already here.
It’s not just Hamas headbands. The keffiyeh that Rashida Tlaib wore in the chamber is not a symbol of the Islamic religion, or even of nationalism. It is the symbol of Arafat’s Jew-hatred and genocidal aims. The keffiyeh is the new swastika, and if America fails to act, the United States could be the next Germany.
This is why the voice of CJV is so critical, speaking with moral clarity not just on Israel, but the entire range of social norms, values that Americans derived from our Bible, that progressives seek to tear down.
We are changing how the Jewish community is seen. The loudest voices combating antisemitism are those of the American leaders regularly pilloried by Jewish leftists—CJV proves to pro-values Americans that they have strong, vocal Jewish allies. Would it not be tragic, for both Jews and America, if CJV were not here?
What happened October 7 rocked the Jewish left, as so many of its idols were torn down. CJV was always here, delivering principled, non-partisan commentary—and now many are realizing that CJV always spoke for them and their interests. Elevating CJV’s voice helps all of us.
In Pirkei Avos, Rabbi Hanina, the Deputy High Priest, said: “Pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear it inspires, every man would swallow his neighbor alive.”
It is crucial that Americans fear those who punish law-breakers, more than they fear the law-breakers.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Yaakov Menken
Photo Credit: Andrew Leyden on X