An Open Letter to David Sheen and Mondoweiss: Skateboarding Trips Are Not a Crime

Philip Weiss' Mondoweiss (oh, wow, I just got that - clever), via David Sheen (probably no relation) has once again decided to report on Artists 4 Israel (see here). This time, they are taking shots at our Skate The World trip, an official Birthright Israel tour co-sponsored by Young Judea. The article is, basically, an extended version of a previous post by +972 Magazine (see here). Of course, we rudely responded to +972 (see here), probably giving them more credibility than they ever deserved but...hey...we were bored that day.

In the past, Mondoweiss has written about our BOMB SHELTER MUSEUM and about our ARTISTIC MISSION TO ISRAEL (for my take on the "washing" label - see bottom of this post). We wrote about his CHEST HAIR. It is interesting that this time they failed to mention us by name and that Philip hid behind his faceless co-defendant (see pic above for Sheen's greatest photoshop job so far) and aspiring graphic designer to take kitten-paw swipes at us is interesting. Maybe he thought David Sheen with his thesaurus of skateboard jargon and grandfather like knowledge of "hip" would be an equal match for our wit. Well, better luck next time. See below.



Davey and I do have one thing in common: we both enjoy a good mocking of the other side to show just how ridiculous they are. Except, this time, it is not very funny. The posts by +972 and Mr. Sheen are furthering a trend already far too prevalent amongst all the enemies of Israel: a separatist hatred for those with differing tastes, lifestyles, sexual orientations, races and cultures.

Making fun of people planking is worthy of a chuckle (well, would have been 2.5 years ago when it was topical). I will even go so far as to say that Steam Punk fans deserve a good ribbing (well, 1.5 years ago). But, then we get to Jugaloos. Jugaloos is a community that certainly dresses and acts outside the norm but it is a subculture based on total acceptance and community support. Of course, these are just fictional trips, fantastical creations of David's feeble attempts at proving himself "cool" and showing off his Microsoft Paint circa 1996 graphics skills. When it comes to the real trips, Mr. Sheen is viciously un-funny.

Skateboarding is an international subculture that accepts all people, regardless of race, creed or sexuality. It is a society of individuals who are active, explorative, environmentally concerned, dedicated, supportive of each other and global in scale. Why would David have a problem with such a kind, loving group of people? Riders should be very concerned by Mr. Sheen's intolerance of them.




The trend of David and +972's disgust loses all humor when we get to the four actual trips these posts condemn: food-related, technology-related, handicap accessible and LGBT focused. While both +972 and Mondoweiss seemingly support a "Palestinian" state, it is not surprising, in particular, that they have some problem with homosexuality. "Palestine" as well as many other declared enemies of Israel have horrific histories of torturing and murdering LGBT citizens.

Israel has one of, if not the most, positive records on protecting homosexual rights. It is that very same inclusiveness and tolerance which makes it a nation that all should support and that every young Jew should be proud to visit. These young Jews, like all other young people, have multiple hobbies and passions. By Birthright Israel providing them with trips specifically focused on their personal and unique interests, they have an opportunity to increase their enjoyment and to discover an incredibly new and life-changing experience while maintaining a safety net of something they already know and feel comfortable within. I applaud Birthright, Young Judea and Artists 4 Israel for being so aware, considerate and giving towards the passions and beliefs of others. It is only the myopic, provincial haters like Mr. Sheen who are so focused on their burning hatred for Israel and all the people it protects who would seek to limit this experience.

I only wish that, contrary to Mr. Sheen's nearly reporting-less reporting (he admits to not having seen the very itinerary he is railing against), Birthright did offer political trips. There is a thriving skateboard community in Judea and Samaria, two areas that Birthright will not allow tours to visit. Not only should Jewish youth go there but so should all people so they could see for themselves that while outsiders like Philip Weiss and David Sheen throw hatred at homosexuals, handicapped individuals and the communities of the Yesha, the settlements of Judea and Samaria are peaceful and home to a diverse citizenry.

Then, I would welcome the opportunity for David, Philip and anyone else to take one of their Earthright trips. They should start in Iran and then visit Syria, Jordan and Gaza to see where their intolerance and focus on fighting and hate lead. They should go to the Sudan, Mali, Egypt and throughout North Africa to see what the Arab zealots whose ideology they share and promote think of them.

I will buy the tickets.

Thanks, guys. This was fun. See below for some commentary on Philip's overuse of the word "washing"/


Discuss Israel's record on homosexual rights and it is "pinkwashing". Discuss Israel's record on environmental rights and it is "greenwashing". Go to Israel and paint bomb shelters and it is "artwashing". My goal is to write a post on some Israeli super scientific soap invention (c'mon, you know that there is something like that out there considering all else their technology gurus can do) so that they can call it "washingwashing". Hehe. What is the difference between an Israeli advocate and an Israeli maid? The maid doesn't do window washing! Ha! I got a million of these.

An Open Letter to the Jewish Forward and Abe Foxman of the ADL. The BDS is Hate Action.

In response to THIS

The editorial by the Jewish Daily Forward is well-written, intelligent and makes some incredibly insightful and cogent points although it posits a misleading and problematic question.

Abe Foxman's decision to place a large ad in the print edition of the New York Times (at a cost that is a large percentage of Artists 4 Israel's entire annual budget) is misguided, poorly considered and a disservice to the Israeli advocacy community.

Both the decision by Mr. Foxman and the editorial question "Is BDS Hate Speech?" are incorrect at face and miss the greater issue. The BDS is far more than hate speech. The BDS is hate ACTION against artists (artists who are Jewish or not, Israeli or not). Consider their goal - to prevent the spread of cultural and academic items. We can argue whether or not it is hate speech, however, there is no argument that is repression. Worse, it is an insidious and self-replicating form of artistic oppression, self-censorship. Keyser Soze once said: "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." The truth is, the greatest trick he ever pulled was convincing others to be their own devils.

The enemies of Israel continue to prove themselves the enemies of free expression, creation and art. At some point today, if the New York Times does its job of reporting the news effectively (stop laughing), we will read about artists who have been banned from performing in an Arab nation, those who have been killed for expressing viewpoints that go against an Arab despot or any number of musicians, actors, writers, thinkers and creatives who are exiled, living in fear, imprisoned or worse. We will then compare this list of nations to those who attack Israel - militarily, politically or culturally - and we will see many similarities.

To turn the attention of the issue of attacks on the arts towards hate speech against Jews as Mr. Foxman does is a waste of money and energy. At best, it is a failed enterprise that serves no end. At worst, it benefits those it attempts to thwart. As we have editorialized about the failed attempts by Alan Dershowitz in this regard
HERE and HERE, all these actions serve to do are promote the BDS and its agenda. The Forward's editorial says it best: "turning it into a cause celebre for outside individuals and groups just feeds the media beasts and heightens [BDS'] exposure."

As such, the only proper response would be the creation of more art, the promotion of free expression and, as Artists 4 Israel does so well, the empowerment of creative individuals to support the proud nation of Israel through their unique talents. We agree with the editorial where it writes: "A better model is the reaction to a BDS conference held at the University of Pennsylvania last year - with quiet, affirmative programming by the campus Hillel..."

It is no surprise that the University of Pennsylvania was responsible for bringing Artists 4 Israel to its campus last year for one of our college programs. It was there that a number of New York's infamous graffiti artists painted a mural that read "I Support Israel." Students were given the opportunity to help us paint and sign their name to the same mural. When given the choice between hate speech and positive art, art wins every time.

We encourage Abe Foxman and Alan Dershowitz to consult with us before worsening these situations and we ask that Mr. Foxman re-invest the money with which his many donors entrusted him into positive programming like Artists 4 Israel.

PRESS and an Open Letter to +972Mag and Mairav Zonszein

In response to whatever THIS IS

Is this a negative story? Does the writer (whoa, that is being generous. Lets just say "blogger") attempt to use the device of rhetorical questions to insinuate something nefarious about our program but fail miserably because there is nothing bad here to report on? +972 resulted from "a merger of a number of popular English-language blogs..." - does this really mean that they were failed blogs which, unable to survive on their own, banded together in the hope that pooling their resources would keep them afloat?" Is it raining? Why do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? When does the term "blogger" stop you from having any journalistic standards like, oh, I don't know, contacting the two main subjects of your story for information on the story? How many more rhetorical questions do I need to ask until it becomes obvious that I am making fun of the story's lack of story.

It seems that the only actual reporting the blogger did was to research and expose that Birthright also has niche trips catering to the "LGBT community, food enthusiasts and wheelchair-bound Jews". Still not quite sure the blogger's intention of mentioning this in the story (if only she had used a random facetious question here to help clarify) so, I will offer an interpretation of its relevance. Birthright is awesome! It is so awesome that it concerns itself with all types of people, regardless of their lifestyle, sexuality, hobbies, interests, physical conditions or differing capabilities. Could one imagine an LGBT trip to Hamas controlled Gaza?

Other blogger posed questions insinuate that there is a shortage of Birthright Israel trip participants (there is not), that there is no demand for skater trips (obviously, there is) and questions why these trips are being offered (um...for fun). This blogger asks that blogger: You know what fun is, right? It is that thing you are allowed to have in Israel even if you are LGBT, a foodie or wheel-chair bound.

When not asking questions, the blogger forgets a closing quotation mark and misrepresents our mission statement.

All the above would be forgivable if not for the following. Near the end of her blog post, the blogger offers her own much-needed insight: "If you ask me (we hadn't), there flyers are committing some cultural crime". The blogger's profile lists that she has volunteers for "Palestinian" communities. You would imagine that while volunteering for this group, she would have become aware of that community's penchant for launching rockets into Israel, using their own people as human shields, encouraging or blackmailing women and kids into blowing themselves up while attempting to kill innocent Israeli children, bad reporting, oppressing artists and homosexuals and needless blogging - way worse crimes than creating flyers about skateboarding.

Blogger - I hope this answered your questions. Now, pick up a board and join us.

Official Birthright Israel Trips

An Invitation to DJ Khaled from Craig Dershowitz

Dear DJ Khaled,

My name is Craig Dershowitz and I am the Executive Director of Artists 4 Israel. Among our many programs, we seek to educate artists about the freedoms that Israel protects, allowing them to create their work undisturbed, without censorship or oppression. Unfortunately, that is not the same around the world. In fact, right next door to Israel stands the residents of Gaza who have a long history of repressing their citizens and, as an extension of that, the creatives within their community. When women, blacks, latinos, non-Muslims, homosexuals and political opponents are not allowed to live freely, fearful of being arrested, tortured or murdered, artists are equally in danger.

As such, it is distressing that recently you, a well respected artist with a large following, have been expressing political sentiments that seem to support Gaza. Hamas, the terrorist rulers of this area, are no fans of your label mates, friends or fellow artists. I believe that your support for Gaza is misguided and ask that you might consider joining Artists 4 Israel on a tour of this geographic location.

We will leave political discussions behind and, simply, allow you to tour Israel and Gaza (mind you, no Israelis are allowed into Gaza under the threat of death by Hamas, but we will arrange for your safety) and learn for yourself the reality of life in this area. We will respect whatever opinions you form and welcome the opportunity to help you share them with the world. We believe that once you have toured the area, seen with your own eyes that the lies said about Israel are indeed lies, met the beautiful people there, seen the mansions in which the corrupt, treacherous Hamas rulers live and the way they oppress their own people alongside artists and Israelis, you will join us in our support of Israel and struggle to protect the rights of creatives who are in danger in Gaza.

Please let me know how I may make this happen.

Sincerely,
Craig Dershowitz
Executive Director
Artists 4 Israel

Chill, Brooklyn College, we got this

Dear Brooklyn College Hillel and Nadya Drukker,

As per THIS, you have asked that "well-meaning pro-Israel advocates (from outside the school) refrain from coming to our campus that day [of the BDS Conference]. We have the utmost faith in our students and our capacity to appropriately respond to the event." In shorthand, you claim to have it under control. Well...um...no, you don't.

Included among your appropriate responses are: "op-eds in the student paper" or a "thoughtful handout". I wonder if the former will include a 15% off coupon for frozen yogurt and if the latter will also be released as a limited edition Hallmark card - when you care enough to do the very least. If you had it under control, the BDS conference wouldn't be happening. You are a small campus nestled deep in between a religious, Jewish community and a socio-economically downtrodden area as in the middle of nowhere as anything in Brooklyn can be. You have a campus with a large, educated Jewish population. You have smart, worldly students. So, by the very nature of the event happening there of all places is the first evidence enough that no, you do not have it under control. The second evidence that no, you do not have it under control is your described methods of response. The third and definitive proof that no, you do not have it under control is that the one "well-meaning pro-Israel advocate" who has passed your verbal ban is someone who has already done a better job of helping promote the BDS than of dismissing it. So, I repeat: no, you do not have this under control.

Don't worry, Hillel, I went to Midwood High School. I know the lay of the land. I am part of an arts group, I know what boycott really means (it means self-censorship). I know your hands are tied. Mine are not. Artists 4 Israel is contemplating our response now. You can thank us after.

This is no small nor easy decision on our part. We have worked closely with Hillel in the past and I fear that us refusing to abide by your request might hurt that relationship. But, it is because of that relationship that we are motivated to act. Hillel and the Jewish Community are being beat by the lies and hate of the BDS and our own ineffective leadership. Our way might not be right but your way has been proven wrong. So, don't worry, Brooklyn College Hillel, we got this.

Dershowitz vs. Dershowitz

On behalf of Craig Dershowitz

Alan Dershowitz is quickly becoming a liability in the Israeli advocacy community.

I first noticed this trend HERE, during the Goldstone Report debacle. Then, Alan had begun his habit of entering into debates with an increasingly imbecilic group of individuals, ideas and, in the worst case, inanimate objects (Note: I am not certain to which which category Noam Chomky belongs). Each time, he provided legitimacy to and increased press attention for the very things he was hoping to discredit.

It is wished that were a competing set of thoughts made public, discussed fairly and equally considered, the right opinion would be dominant and the wrong one would fade into obscurity. Perhaps that is true in the halls of premiere academia where Alan spends much of his time. Perhaps that is true in the courtrooms and lavish dinner parties where he spends the rest of his time. But, it is not true in almost any other context or setting.

It is even less the case in regards to the BDS and its appearance at Brooklyn College. Like discussed HERE, in the case of the revolving doors, the BDS and its scissor sister PACBI are much more small than we exaggerate them to be. How woefully unworthy are they of the attention of Professor Dershowitz. How grandiose they appear when our greatest thinkers consider them worthy of opposition. How incredibly well-known they become when our greatest thinkers, political figures and "leaders" (who more and more frequently do not lead anyone) place their silly little meetings on the cover of the newspapers. Seriously, we are up in arms over the BDS "national conference"? Sounds prestigious, no? No. What sort of "national" anything consists of one or two speeches by repetitive hacks like Judy and Omar B? Only when placed beside the efforts of such formerly heroic Israeli advocates does such a worthless event amount to anything at all.

Artists 4 Israel knows the mindset of New York, of the BDS and of the college student. It would be best were we allowed to lead in this regard and not the upper echelon of thinkers who are no longer capable as doers.

Time and again I am asked asked if Alan and I are related. The answer, I believe, is yes although I also believe it to be of little consequence. Alan is a far more distinguished, accomplished and educated man than am I. But, perhaps for those reasons, a far less skilled advocate. He is a proud, unwavering hero who has stood before death threats, intimidation and hatred without bowing. Now, though, he should consider bowing out. Alan Dershowitz has reached the pinnacle of intellect and righteous understanding of Israel. Let him stay there and leave the work to those who have not yet peaked.