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| 'Raging antisemite' - Mahmoud Khalil (JTA) |
Just kidding. I knew that this observant judge, Jesse
Furman, was anything but a member of Neturei Karta. (Some of whom ubiquitously
show up at pro-Hamas protests.)
That Jesse Furman is apparently observant is a good thing. I applaud him for that. But his values are typical of the left-wing Conservative Jew who believes that Judaism equals Tikun Olam - which is pretty much what many (if not most) rabbis of his denomination constantly preach as the ultimate expression of Judaism.
In his infinite ignorance, Furman must believe that
exacerbating the lethal hatred of a crowd of pro-Hamas protesters against Jews
(who are euphemistically called Zionists) is protected free speech. And he’s in
good company. The presidents of three elite universities felt the same way. One
of them was Jewish, too.
You know who else took umbrage at this supposed ‘violation’ of free speech? The usual suspects. From JTA:
“[Two] liberal Zionist organizations, J Street and Zioness, have expressed alarm over it… They, along with several other liberal Jewish groups and a wide array of Democratic politicians, say they’re concerned by the legal implications of detaining and trying to deport a lawful resident of the United States based on his protest activity. That tactic, several worried, could come to also be used against Jews, as it has elsewhere.”
“We must defend the U.S. Constitution without defending Khalil’s vile, antisemitic, anti-American ideology,” the statement added. “Rule of law matters most when things are complicated, not when they’re simple. Any extra-legal tools used ‘for us’ can be turned against us. We should assume they will.”
Other groups—including the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the New York Jewish Agenda, New Jewish Narrative, and the Nexus Project—echoed those concerns.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, a pro-Israel Jewish Democrat who has represented parts of Manhattan for more than three decades, said:
“The warrantless arrest of any legal permanent resident seemingly solely over their speech is a chilling, McCarthyesque action in response to the exercise of First Amendment rights to free speech.”
Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, said:
“Deporting legal residents from our country without due process because we disagree with their views is un-American and will make neither Jews nor our democracy more secure.”
At least half of the ten Democrats running for mayor have condemned the arrest. On Monday, state Attorney General Letitia James said she was “extremely concerned about the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, an advocate and legal permanent resident of Palestinian descent.”
A series of Democratic officials, in addition to Nadler, have condemned the arrest.
Oh… and Ann Coulter, a far-right conservative antisemite,
joined the chorus.
Of course, almost all of them prefaced their condemnation of
Khalil’s arrest by dissociating themselves from his antisemitic message. I
particularly like the one by Zioness, who viewed Khalil as a ‘raging
antisemite’ who probably should have been expelled from Columbia. But
expulsion from a school from which he just received a graduate degree is hardly
a punishment.
So, I’ve got two words for Khalil and all of his defenders: Boo
hoo.
Am I worried about how this arrest will affect the Jewish
people in the future? Not in the slightest.
I join the chorus of those who praised his arrest. He
deserves to be deported in my view, despite the fact that he has a green card
that makes him a permanent resident alien.
As far as I’m concerned, anyone who incites lethal violence
against the Jewish people regardless of whether it’s under the guise of
supporting Palestinians - does not deserve the privilege of living here.
The president has said that this arrest is the first of many more to come. I can’t wait to see that happen.
