The unholy alliance of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the rabidly anti-Israel Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) have joined up to attack the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and in particular, one of its Orange County rabbis, Peter Levi, for pointing out the anti-semitic proclivities of CAIR SoCal CEO Hussam Ayloush.
https://www.cair.com/cair_la_and_jewish_voice_for_peace_jvp_la_condemn_local_adl_leader_for_anti_muslim_smear_tactics
First of all, the CAIR announcement failed to state exactly what Rabbi Levi said about Ayloush in front of the OC Human Relations Commission (OCHRC). Good luck trying to find it on the OCHRC web site. They will never utter a harsh word about anything pertaining to Islam let alone its anti-Jewish/anti-Christian teachings. I tried reaching out to their then-CEO, Rusty Kennedy, in 2008 to complain about anti-Semitism at UC Irvine. That got me nowhere.
As for Mr Ayloush, he can deny anti-semitism all day long and proclaim himself to be a human rights activist, but his history of intolerant statements about Jews speaks for itself. I say this based on my own experiences hearing him speak. Here is an example.
Also mentioned in the CAIR announcement is Estee Chandler of JVP. I also had the opportunity of seeing her speak at UC Irvine in 2011 as part of a panel of JVP activists hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine. Her performance was less than impressive. She had to read her remarks from a laptop, kind of unusual for a former (b) actress.
As for Mr Levi and ADL, I have seen him speak at two events, both in 2017. While I commend him for speaking out against Ayloush, I am frankly, rather surprised.
I have often criticized ADL because, first of all, they have been reluctant to speak out about Islamic anti-semitism, usually preferring to concentrate on the KKK types, neo Nazis, white nationalists, and yes, even people who voted for Donald Trump. As for the long-standing campaigns of hate against Israel and Jews at UC Irvine, ADL has been missing in action. That is based on my own personal experiences and observations at UC Irvine. If anyone would like to challenge me on this point, be my guest. I can back it up with specifics. At any rate, I do commend Rabbi Levi in this particular matter.
In concluding, I go back to Ayloush: In 2013, at an annual CAIR conference in Anaheim, he told a questioner on video (before he blew up when the subject turned to Hamas) that CAIR does not "get dragged into" in Middle Eastern affairs, a laughable statement in itself. The aforementioned announcement alone puts the lie to that. The truth is that CAIR is rabidly anti-Israel because it is anti-semitic. The ADL has both good and bad points, but the string of attacks from CAIR-including this latest- are inaccurate and unfair.
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