J Street U Picks Muslim Leader, Jews Freak Out

The new president of the campus arm of the liberal Zionist organization J Street was elected last week at the J Street U summer leadership conference.

After taking a class at the University of Maryland, where she is a senior, she “fell in love with Zionism,” noting that Zionism is about taking ownership over the story of one’s people.” She also spent a semester at Hebrew University in Jerusalem to get a better idea of what Israel was all about.

Could there be anything more wonderful for a grown-up supporter of Israel to hear? Well that depends on just how much you hate Muslims.

As it happens, the new president of J Street U is a Muslim of Pakistani descent. She grew up in a fairly pro-Palestinian family. So it should come as no surprise that the right wing of the Jewish / pro-Israel world is freaking out.

Prof. Steven M. Cohen, everyone’s go-to-guy for a quick analysis of anything Jewish, said this in Haaretz:

“Pro-Israel conservatives, Jewish and not, will see confirmation of their suspicion that J Street specifically and the pro-Israel left generally is actually disloyal and subversive, lacking true commitment to Israel’s security.”

Here’s Daniel Greenfield writing at Frontpagemag.com:

The whole point of setting up a J Street U was to have a Jewashed SJP [Students for Justice in Palestine]. An anti-Israel student group with a Jewish front that would also claim to be pro-Israel. Its leftist activists could yell at Jewish leaders that they’re alienating the “youth”.

Turning it into a vocal “Smash the Occupation” group with a Muslim leader just makes it SJP. But when your organization pretends to represent Jewish youth, when it’s really a puppet of a senile Nazi collaborating billionaire, why not go ahead and jump the shark.

If you look at the picture of Amna in front of the Israeli flag, you can definitely get a sense of just how much she hates Israel. The “senile Nazi collaborating billionaire,” by the way, is George Soros.

Meanwhile over at breitbart.com:

It is an entirely appropriate choice, given that Farooqi’s views are hostile to the Israeli government, like those of J Street itself.

…It confirms that J Street is not, in fact, a pro-Israel organization.

Because opposition to the Israeli government is definitely an indication that you are not so pro-Israel. Can breitbart even spell the word democracy?

So far Pamela Geller hasn’t weighed in, but that’s just a matter of time.

The comments sections at Jewish and Israeli sites are quite revealing. Here’s some thoughtful introspection by readers at timesofisrael.com:

Good, J Street is finally coming out of the closet and showing its true anti-Israel agenda for what it is. But Soros and Ben-Ami are probably sh–ing in their pants that these kids have blown their cover on their propaganda operation of pretending to be pro-Israel while doing all they can to annihilate it.

And this:

“J Street” has never been a Jewish organization, of course, and certainly not a “pro-Israel/pro-peace”. This lobbying group has been an anti-Israel and anti-peace organization and the proxy forces of the Obama cult to attack Israel – the People, the Land, the State and the Teachings – from “within”, thus undermining Israel’s most vital national and security interests.

And here are some lovely gems from commenters at israelnationalnews.com (affiliated with Arutz 7, an Orthodox Zionist Israeli radio station):

The members of J Street, have shown their true colors. They are the dissidents of Judaism, and will end their day’s, as Korach and his 250 followers, ended theres.

Open your Bibles to Numbers 16 to read all about how merciful and loving Yahweh opened up the earth to swallow up Korach, his followers and all their wives, children and livestock when they dared to challenge Moses.

And just in case Yahweh doesn’t take care of these modern-day Korach-ian traitors, this commenter offers an alternative:

I Hope and pray that the White power Neo-Nazis will hurry and teach you an unforgettable lesson.

What a special way to demonstrate your love of your fellow Jews! Am Yisrael Chai!

In the interest of fairness I will point out that this young woman has also been excoriated by many Muslims. But that’s not surprising. We already know that many, many people in the Muslim world hate Israel.

It’s for this very reason that the Jewish world should be thrilled to have a young Muslim woman speaking out so passionately about her support for the Jewish state. We should laud her as a shining example of the power of the Jewish story of self-liberation to continue to inspire others.

But the inspiring kind of Zionism is slowly dying an agonizing death.

So while I’m really happy for J Street U and gratified by their choice of Ms. Farooqi, I continue to be pessimistic about the future of a liberal democratic Israel. If these reactions are any sign of things to come, it is doomed. And I’ll go on record right now in saying that I am not interested in an undemocratic Israel. And I am not alone.

Meanwhile, Hillel president Eric Fingerhut also showed up at J Street U to apologize for blowing them off at their big conference last spring. Good for him.