(C) Common Dreams This story was originally published by Common Dreams and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Statement from American Jewish Leaders: Smotrich Should Not Be Given a Platform in Our Community [1] ['Israel Policy Forum'] Date: 2023-03-03 As American Jews committed to Israel’s future as a secure, Jewish, and democratic state; to a robust U.S.-Israel relationship; and to Jewish peoplehood that fully encompasses Israeli and Diaspora Jewish communities, we are opposed to Bezalel Smotrich visiting the United States later this month in his capacity as Israel’s finance minister, and we call on all pro-Israel Americans to understand that welcoming Smotrich here will harm, rather than help, support for Israel. Smotrich has long expressed views that are abhorrent to the vast majority of American Jews, from anti-Arab racism, to virulent homophobia, to a full-throated embrace of Jewish supremacy. To this list, we can now add his endorsement of violence against innocents based on their ethnic heritage. We reject the notion that someone must be accorded respect simply by dint of serving in the Israeli government. His presence in the U.S. to address primarily Jewish audiences would be an affront to American Jewish values, and he should not be given a platform in our community, all the more so in light of his most recent comments about Huwara. List of signatories with selective past/current affiliations for information purposes only: Marie Abrams, former chair, Jewish Council for Public Affairs Karen Adler, former chair, Jewish Communal Fund Harold Akselrad, former co-president and general counsel, HBO Rabbi Aaron Alexander, Adas Israel Congregation Peter Alter, board member, Jewish Democratic Council of America Talia Benamy, executive committee member, J Street NYC Jeremy Ben-Ami, President, J Street Lawrence Bender, Oscar-winning movie producer Jack Bendheim, former chair, Israel Policy Forum Lawrence B. Benenson, former Chairman of the Board of the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy Amanda Berman, Founder and Executive Director, Zioness Rabbi Jonathan Blake, Senior Rabbi, Westchester Reform Temple Laurie Blitzer, board member, Moishe House, Birthright Israel Foundation; Past Vice Chair Hillel International Stuart Blaugrund, president-elect, AJC Dallas Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, CEO, The Rabbinical Assembly Joel Breitkopf, board member, Jewish Democratic Council of America Joel Breslau, former president of Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, DC Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder and senior rabbi, IKAR Jennifer Brodkey Kaufman, chair of URJ North American Board of Trustees Stuart Brown, Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation Nick Bunzl, former president, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, former executive director of Israel Policy Forum David J. Butler, former president, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington Victoria S. Cook, founder, Torah Trumps Hate Lester Crown, Crown Family Philanthropies Thomas A. Dine, former executive director, AIPAC Alisa R. Doctoroff, former chair, UJA-Federation of New York; past chair, Jim Joseph Foundation Rabbi David Ellenson, former president of Hebrew Union College Dede Feinberg, former president of Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, DC; past chair of the executive committee of Jewish Federations of North America Irwin S. Field, former president, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles Jay K. Footlik, former White House Jewish liaison Abraham H. Foxman, former national director, ADL Lois Frank, former chair, Jewish Council for Public Affairs Peter Frey, Vice-Chair and Chair-Elect, J Street Barbara Friedman, former board chair, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion Marc Gary, former Executive Vice Chancellor of Jewish Theological Seminary Michael Gelman, past chair, Jewish Federations of North America executive committee; past president of Jewish Federation of Greater Washington Susie Gelman, chair, Israel Policy Forum Dana Gershon, President, National Council of Jewish Women Secretary Dan Glickman, former US Secretary of Agriculture Barbara Goldberg Goldman, Vice Chair, Jewish Democratic Council of America Jill Goldenberg, board member, Jewish Democratic Council of America; former President, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston Norman Goldstein, former president, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, DC Abner D. Goldstine, member, Israel Policy Forum Advisory Council Robert Goodkind, former president, American Jewish Committee; board Israel Policy Forum Sally Gottesman, chair, Encounter Lawrence C. Gottlieb, board, Israel Policy Forum, former executive committee of UJA-Federation of New York Stewart Gross Steve Grossman, former chair, AIPAC Rabbi Steve Gutow, former president and CEO, Jewish Council for Public Affairs David A. Halperin, CEO, Israel Policy Forum Michael M. Hamilton Andrew Hauptman, member, Israel Policy Forum Advisory Council Marcie Hermelin Orley, Past president of women’s philanthropy, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit Mark Hetfield, CEO, HIAS Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann, founder, Mishkan (Chicago) Sara Yael Hirschhorn, historian and author, research fellow, ADL Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, senior rabbi, Adas Israel Congregation Michael Horowitz, former president and CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Ada Horwich, board, JDCA; former board, AIPAC Ambassador Martin Indyk, former U.S. ambassador to Israel Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president, Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Oren Jacobson, executive director, Project Shema Rachel Jacoby Rosenfield, Executive Vice President, Shalom Hartman Institute of North America Peter A. Joseph, former chair, Israel Policy Forum, former chair, JCC Manhattan Rabbi Doug Kahn, ​​Executive Director Emeritus of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Relations Council Jonathan Kamel, chair, IPF Atid Joe Kanfer, former chair, Jewish Federations of North America; Honeymoon Israel Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Chief Relationship Officer, Faith Commons Sheila Katz, CEO, National Council of Jewish Women Nancy K. Kaufman, chair, New York Jewish Jewish Agendal former CEO National Council of Jewish Women; former executive director, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston Evelyn Kenvin, former chair, Commission on Jewish People, UJA-Federation of New York Priscilla Kersten, President, Square One Foundation, appointed by President Obama to U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council Steven Kersten, CEO, Water Saver Faucet Co., member, Israel Policy Forum Advisory Council Beth Kieffer Leonard, former president and Campaign Chair, Minneapolis Jewish Federation Eric Kingsley, past board chair, ADL Los Angeles Hon. Ronald Klein, chair, Jewish Democratic Council of America Harold Kravitz, President, The Rabbinical Assembly Stuart Kurlander, former president, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, DC Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer, former US Ambassador to Israel and Egypt Yehuda Kurtzer, President, Shalom Hartman Institute of North America Sheila Lambert, former president, JCC Manhattan Sam Lauter, board member, Democratic Majority for Israel, A Wider Bridge Marvin Lender, former chair, Israel Policy Forum; former chair, United Jewish Communities (UJC) Alisa Levin, chair, Honeymoon Israel; executive committee member, Israel Policy Forum Hon. Mel Levine, former Chair of House Foreign Affairs Committee Rabbi Joy Levitt, former executive director, JCC in Manhattan Mark Levitt, immediate past president of Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, DC Dana Linden, executive committee member, Israel Policy Forum Jonathan Lopatin, past president, Mechon Hadar; board, Encounter Daniel Lubetzky, Founder, PeaceWorks Foundation & Lubetzky Family Foundation Brian Lurie, former executive director of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco Donald Meltzer, Chair, Shalom Hartman Institute of North America Daryl Messinger, Chair, ARZA, board member, Israel Policy Forum Ruth W. Messinger, former President, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Sharon S. Nazarian, President, Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation Matt Nosanchuk, president, New York Jewish Agenda; former White House Jewish liaison Geri Palast, founder and former co-executive director of the Israel Action Network Debra Pell, former National Chair, UJA Young Leadership Cabinet; Current Board Member Encounter Lois Perelson-Gross, Co-Chair of OneVoice and the PeaceWorks Foundation Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Adena Philips, executive committee member, Israel Policy Forum; co-founder, IPF Atid; former global chair, AJC Access Aaron Potek, Senior Rabbi of Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC Martin Raffel, former Senior Vice President, Jewish Council for Public Affairs Joseph Ravitch, Co-Founder and Partner of The Raine Group Hon. Richard Ravitch, former Lt. Gov. of New York, former president, JCRC-New York Seymour D. Reich, former Chairman, Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations; former president, Israel Policy Forum Rabbi Benjamin J. Resnick, The Pelham Jewish Center Marcia Riklis, chair, Jewish Funders Network Stephen K. Robert, Source of Hope Foundation Richard Robin, board member, Israel Policy Forum Elaine Rosen Hamilton, board JDCA; board JCC-Silicon Valley Michele Rosen, former president, Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle Rick Rosen, executive committee member, Israel Policy Forum, head of Television at Endeavor Hannah Rosenthal, former Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Michael Rosenzweig, Vice Chair, Jewish Democratic Council of America, former president and CEO of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem; former president and CEO of the National Museum of American Jewish History Rabbi David Saperstein, former U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Andrea Schneider, director of the Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution, Cardozo School of Law, and former chair of Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Jewish Community Foundation Rabbi David A. Schuck, Beth El Synagogue Center Barry Schwartz, Emeritus Vice Chairman of MacAndrews and Forbes Incorporated John M. Shapiro, former president, American Jewish Committee, former president., UJA-Federation of New York Steve Sheffey, president, Steven Richard Sheffey Consulting LLC Yona Shem-Tov, CEO, Encounter Arden Shenker, former chair, Jewish Council for Public Affairs David Sherman, former chair, JUF-Chicago; former chair, Israel Action Network; executive committee member, Israel Policy Forum Marc Slutsky, board member, Israel Policy Forum, founder Anshe Chesed Chicago Karen Spar Kasner, former Chair, Government Relations, UJA-Federation of New York Halie Soifer, CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America Alan Solow, Vice Chair, Israel Policy Forum; former chairman, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Daniel Solomon, Vice President, Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation Jeffrey A. Solomon, Bronfman Philanthropies; formerly UJA-Federation of NY Amb. Alan Solomont, Chair, J Street Carol Smokler, board member, Jewish Democratic Council of America former board, Jewish Agency and HIllel International Debra Stein, board member, Jewish Democratic Council of America Jeffrey M. Stern, former Treasurer, UJA-Federation of New York Susie K. Stern, former chair, UJA-Federation of New York Rabbi Michael Strassfeld, author and educator Michael Tarnoff, former Executive Vice President and CFO, JUF-Chicago Susan D. Wagner, board member, Jewish Democratic Council of America Rabbi Josh Weinberg, Vice President of the URJ for Israel and Reform Zionism and is the Executive Director of ARZA Modi Wiczyk, Co-Chairman and co-founder, MRC Studios Lawrence A. Wolfe, past president, Detroit Jewish Federation; past Chair, Israel Bonds Campaign in Detroit Robert Zahler, former president, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington Hon. Dov S. Zakheim, former Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Defense Michael Zaransky, former chair, JUF-Chicago Harold S. Zlot, former President, Jewish Federation of San Francisco [END] --- [1] Url: https://israelpolicyforum.org/2023/03/03/statement-from-american-jewish-leaders-on-bezalel-smotrich/ Published and (C) by Common Dreams Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0.. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/commondreams/