(1) Sanders declares war on Anti-Semitism, on behalf of his people - Gilad Atzmon(2) How to Fight Antisemitism, by Bernie Sanders(3) Sanders panders to Lobby - Jewish Forward(4) Sanders: We Will Go to War Against White Nationalism and Racism(5) Michael Bloomberg: good for Israel - but good for the United States?(1) Sanders declares war on Anti-Semitism, on behalf of his people - Gilad Atzmonhttp://www.unz.com/gatzmon/the-jewish-progressive-agenda-according-to-bernie-sanders/The Jewish Progressive Agenda According to Bernie SandersGILAD ATZMONNOVEMBER 14In the 2016 Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders presented himself as an American who happened to be Jewish. Now, in a radical shift, Sanders identifies as "a proud Jewish American." The progressive politician went from speaking in a universalist voice to defining himself as a 3rd category Jew, i.e., a person who identifies politically as a Jew (as opposed to identifying religiously:1st category, or ancestrally: 2nd category). In his new capacity as a proud Jew, Sanders has declared all out war on Anti-Semitism on behalf of his people and in the name of what he describes as ‘multicultural progressive values’.In his recent extended article titled How to Fight Antisemitism, published by the purportedly ‘Left’ Jewish Currents, Sanders takes up the same line you’d expect from an ADL spokesman, ticking every Hasbara box from the Jewish right of ‘self determination ‘to the primacy of Jewish suffering.It is hard to miss the echo of Zionist propaganda in Sanders’ drivel. Understandably, Sanders doesn’t like Anti-Semitism. In that he isn’t alone. I would venture that no one, including antisemites, likes anti-Semitism. However, fighting anti Semitism is pretty simple. All it takes is self-reflection. This is exactly what early Zionists did and it was pretty effective. Early Zionism promised to introduce a new Hebrew: civilized, proletarian, universalist and ethical. Some of the worst anti-Semites were impressed with the idea, for a while even Hitler supported that Jewish nationalist project. At the time, Zionists were so popular that they were largely forgiven their 1948 racist ethnic cleansing crimes. Their introspective project was perceived as genuine.Now, Sanders informs us, "antisemitism is rising in this country. According to the FBI, hate crimes against Jews rose by more than a third in 2017 and accounted for 58% of all religion-based hate crimes in America." Does the ‘progressive’ presidential wannabe bother to ask himself why an ethnic group that comprises only 2% of the American population is subject to the vast majority of religion based hate crimes?Sanders doesn’t advocate that Jews reflect on whether there is something they do that provokes such crimes, he prefers to blame everyone else and White identitarians in particular. He argues that antisemites such as the Pittsburgh Synagogue murderer "acted on a twisted belief that Jews were part of a nefarious plot to undermine white America. This wave of violence is the result of a dangerous political ideology that targets Jews and anyone who does not fit a narrow vision of a whites-only America."Although I am a harsh critic all forms of identitarianism, Sanders seems to want it both ways, he identifies himself as a "proud Jewish American" and yet he is hostile to those who identify as White and to their political and identitarian agenda. In reading Sanders’ piece, one can’t miss the fact that the so-called ‘progressive’ seems to support all forms of identitarianism except the White one. "This wave of violence" he writes, "is the result of a dangerous political ideology that targets Jews and anyone who does not fit a narrow vision of a whites-only America."Politicians who explore ideas in a manner that is ignorant, uneducated and clumsy are now a universal Western symptom. However, Sanders manages to form a category of his own. "The antisemites who marched in Charlottesville don’t just hate Jews. They hate the idea of multiracial democracy."What is multiracial democracy? Are we supposed to know or should we guess? Are there any voices that should be excluded from this type of diverse democracy?"They [presumably, the White Identitarians] hate the idea of political equality."Is this true? Perhaps ‘they,’ rightly or wrongly, just see themselves as among the oppressed and want their plight addressed?"They hate immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ people, women, and anyone else who stands in the way of a whites-only America."Does Sanders understand that ‘hating people’ (women, migrants, people of color, LGBTQ etc,) is not the same as opposing the identity politics that divides nations into a manifold of discrete identities?Sanders accuses the anti-Semites of being conspiratorial. "this is the conspiracy theory that drove the Pittsburgh murderer—that Jews are conspiring to bring immigrants into the country to "replace" Americans."I feel obliged to remind Mr. Sanders it is hardly conspiratorial to acknowledge the fact that Jewish politics in the West and in America in particular, is pro-immigration. It is well documented and is actually rational. As opposed to the Jewish State that performs some of the most brutal anti immigration policies, Diaspora Jews tend to prefer to live in a society that is made of an amalgam of many groups and ethnicities. Sanders who identifies himself as a ‘proud Jew’ should ask himself why he supports ‘multicultural democracy’ and what he means by that. Sanders ought to look into the work of HIAS and decide for himself how well it reflects his own political sentiments.Bernie Sanders sees anti-Semitism as "a conspiracy theory that a secretly powerful (Jewish) minority exercises control over society."Someone should ask Sanders to explain the peculiar phenomenon at work when Israeli PM Netanyahu received 29 standing ovations during his hard line speech in Congress. Mr. Sanders, who believes that pointing at Jewish power arises from ‘conspiratorial’ inclinations may want to ask himself what drove him to declare war against anti Semitism instead of joining battle against all racism. Does Sanders plan to speak at AIPAC or J-Street as part of his presidential campaign or does he intend to deny himself the support of the most influential political lobbies in Washington?Sanders writes that "like other forms of bigotry—racism, sexism, homophobia—antisemitism is used by the right to divide people from one another and prevent us from fighting together for a shared future of equality, peace, prosperity, and environmental justice." But if Sanders is genuine here and his objective is ‘unity,’ why does he single out White identitarians? Shouldn’t he invite the Whites to join his phantasmic identitarian ‘unity’ as equal partners? And more to the point, if "like other forms of bigotry—racism, sexism, homophobia—antisemitism is used by the right to divide people" why not simply oppose all racism and bigotry in a universal manner?According to the "proud Jewish American" who wants to be the next president, "opposing antisemitism is a core value of progressivism." Is it? I would have thought that progressivism is about opposing all forms of racism in the largest and least discriminatory manner.To illustrate his alliance with what is currently the most racist state on the planet, Sanders delves into nostalgic memories of his Zionist youth. "I have a connection to Israel going back many years. In 1963, I lived on a kibbutz near Haifa. It was there that I saw and experienced for myself many of the progressive values upon which Israel was founded."Mr Sanders forgets to mention that Sha’ar Haamakim, the Kibbutz he briefly dwelled in, was founded on the land of a Palestinian village; Al Zubaidat that had been the home of 60 Palestinian families. In 1925 a Zionist organisation purchased the village land from a rich Beiruty family and beginning in 1931, the Jewish Agency struggled to evict the Palestinians of El Zubeidat. A few years later, in 1935, Kibbutz Sha’ar HaAmakim was founded by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. In short, the place Sanders describes as embodying ‘progressive values’ was in fact, part of the vile racially driven, Zionist ethnic cleansing project.The intellectually compromised Sanders goes on to describe a criminal state with a very odd use of the term ‘progressive.’ "I think it is very important for everyone, but particularly for progressives, to acknowledge the enormous achievement of establishing a democratic homeland for the Jewish people after centuries of displacement and persecution." I find this confusing. Unless the words ‘progressive’ and ‘Jewish’ have morphed into synonyms, I do not understand what is ‘progressive’ about the process of violent racist ethnic cleansing.I guess even Sanders must realise that his pro-Israeli screed is easily ridiculed. "We must also be honest about this: The founding of Israel is understood by another people in the land of Palestine as the cause of their painful displacement."According to Sanders the Palestinian plight is simply a matter of a subjective perception, that it was merely ‘understood’ by the Palestinians that the founding of Israel resulted in their own painful displacement. Sanders dismisses reality, ignoring the chain of massacres of Palestinians in 1948, and the clear agenda of the Israeli military to cleanse the indigenous people of Palestine from their land. I can’t think of anything more disgusting and duplicitous than Sanders’ fake humanism.Sanders finds that "some criticism of Israel can cross the line into antisemitism, especially when it denies the right of self-determination to Jews…" I allow myself to assert that no one out there denies Jews or anyone else’s right of self-determination but self determination becomes a serious problem when executed at the expense of others, whether this takes place in Palestine, in North America or anywhere else.Bernie Sanders, a declared non-universalist ‘progressive,’ uses a Jewish outlet to vow to his people "I will direct the Justice Department to prioritize the fight against white nationalist violence. I will not wait two years to appoint a Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, as Trump did; I will appoint one immediately."If America intends, as it should, to fight racism and to heal its wounds it could be that Bernie Sanders is the worst possible candidate as he clearly expresses that what he cares about is the hatred of the one group that happens to be his own. Maybe president of the ADL is the more fitting post for the pretentious self confessed "proud Jewish American." Leading the American people and the world should be left to a proper universalist and a genuine ethical character assuming that such a person is available and willing to commit.(2) How to Fight Antisemitism, by Bernie Sandershttps://jewishcurrents.org/how-to-fight-antisemitism/How to Fight AntisemitismNovember 11, 2019Posted by Bernie SandersON OCTOBER 27TH, we marked one year since the worst antisemitic attack in our country’s history, when a white nationalist walked into the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and murdered 11 people and injured six others. The murderer acted on a twisted belief that Jews were part of a nefarious plot to undermine white America—a plot to assist in the "invasion" of the United States by a caravan of migrants from Latin America. This vicious lie about an "invasion" had been repeated endlessly in right-wing media, on Fox News, across the internet, and, most disgracefully, by the president of the United States.Yes, President Donald Trump’s own words helped inspire the worst act of antisemitic violence in American history.The threat of antisemitism is not some abstract idea to me. It is very personal. It destroyed a large part of my family. I am not someone who spends a lot of time talking about my personal background because I believe political leaders should focus their attention on a vision and agenda for others, rather than themselves. But I also appreciate that it’s important to talk about how our backgrounds have informed our ideas, our principles, and our values.I am a proud Jewish American. My father emigrated from Poland to the United States in 1921 at the age of 17 to escape the poverty and widespread antisemitism of his home country. Those in his family who remained in Poland after Hitler came to power were murdered by the Nazis. I know very well where white supremacist politics leads, and what can happen when people do not speak up against it.Antisemitism is rising in this country. According to the FBI, hate crimes against Jews rose by more than a third in 2017 and accounted for 58% of all religion-based hate crimes in America. A total of 938 hate crimes were committed against Jews in 2017, up from 684 in 2016. The New York Police Department reported in September that antisemitic hate crimes in New York City have risen by more than 63% in 2019 and make up more than half of all reported hate crimes. Just last week, on November 4th, we learned that federal authorities had arrested a man in Colorado they believe was involved in a plot to bomb one of the state’s oldest synagogues.This wave of violence is the result of a dangerous political ideology that targets Jews and anyone who does not fit a narrow vision of a whites-only America. We have to be clear that while antisemitism is a threat to Jews everywhere, it is also a threat to democratic governance itself. The antisemites who marched in Charlottesville don’t just hate Jews. They hate the idea of multiracial democracy. They hate the idea of political equality. They hate immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ people, women, and anyone else who stands in the way of a whites-only America. They accuse Jews of coordinating a massive attack on white people worldwide, using people of color and other marginalized groups to do their dirty work.This is the conspiracy theory that drove the Pittsburgh murderer—that Jews are conspiring to bring immigrants into the country to "replace" Americans. And it is important to understand that that is what antisemitism is: a conspiracy theory that a secretly powerful minority exercises control over society. Like other forms of bigotry—racism, sexism, homophobia—antisemitism is used by the right to divide people from one another and prevent us from fighting together for a shared future of equality, peace, prosperity, and environmental justice. So I want to say as clearly as I possibly can: We will confront this hatred, do exactly the opposite of what Trump is doing and embrace our differences to bring people together.Opposing antisemitism is a core value of progressivism. So it’s very troubling to me that we are also seeing accusations of antisemitism used as a cynical political weapon against progressives. One of the most dangerous things Trump has done is to divide Americans by using false allegations of antisemitism, mostly regarding the US–Israel relationship. We should be very clear that it is not antisemitic to criticize the policies of the Israeli government.I have a connection to Israel going back many years. In 1963, I lived on a kibbutz near Haifa. It was there that I saw and experienced for myself many of the progressive values upon which Israel was founded. I think it is very important for everyone, but particularly for progressives, to acknowledge the enormous achievement of establishing a democratic homeland for the Jewish people after centuries of displacement and persecution.We must also be honest about this: The founding of Israel is understood by another people in the land of Palestine as the cause of their painful displacement. And just as Palestinians should recognize the just claims of Israeli Jews, supporters of Israel must understand why Palestinians view Israel’s creation as they do. Acknowledging these realities does not "delegitimize" Israel any more than acknowledging the sober facts of America’s own founding delegitimizes the United States. It is a necessary step of truth and reconciliation in order to address the inequalities that continue to exist in our respective societies.It is true that some criticism of Israel can cross the line into antisemitism, especially when it denies the right of self-determination to Jews, or when it plays into conspiracy theories about outsized Jewish power. I will always call out antisemitism when I see it. My ancestors would expect no less of me. As president, I will strengthen both domestic and international efforts to combat this hatred. I will direct the Justice Department to prioritize the fight against white nationalist violence. I will not wait two years to appoint a Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, as Trump did; I will appoint one immediately. I will also rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council, which Trump withdrew from. The United States should not be sitting on the sidelines on these important issues at the UN; we should be at the table helping to shape an international human rights agenda that combats all forms of bigotry and discrimination.When I look at the Middle East, I see Israel as having the capacity to contribute to peace and prosperity for the entire region, yet unable to achieve this in part because of its unresolved conflict with the Palestinians. And I see a Palestinian people yearning to make their contribution—and with so much to offer—yet crushed underneath a military occupation now over a half-century old, creating a daily reality of pain, humiliation, and resentment.Ending that occupation and enabling the Palestinians to have self-determination in an independent, democratic, economically viable state of their own is in the best interests of the United States, Israel, the Palestinians, and the region. My pride and admiration for Israel lives alongside my support for Palestinian freedom and independence. I reject the notion that there is any contradiction there. The forces fomenting antisemitism are the forces arrayed against oppressed people around the world, including Palestinians; the struggle against antisemitism is also the struggle for Palestinian freedom. I stand in solidarity with my friends in Israel, in Palestine, and around the world who are trying to resolve conflict, diminish hatred, and promote dialogue, cooperation, and understanding.We need this solidarity desperately now. All over the world—in Russia, in India, in Brazil, in Hungary, in Israel, and elsewhere—we see the rise of a divisive and destructive form of politics. We see intolerant, authoritarian political leaders attacking the very foundations of democratic societies. These leaders exploit people’s fears by amplifying resentments, stoking intolerance and inciting hatred against ethnic and religious minorities, fanning hostility toward democratic norms and a free press, and promoting constant paranoia about foreign plots. We see this very clearly in our own country. It is coming from the highest level of our government. It is coming from Donald Trump’s tweets, and from his own mouth.As a people who have experienced oppression and persecution for hundreds of years, we understand the danger. But we also have a tradition that points the way forward. I am a proud member of the tradition of Jewish social justice. And I am so inspired when I see so many Jewish people picking up this banner, especially the younger generation of Jews, who are helping to lead a revival of progressive values in our country. They see the fight against antisemitism and for Jewish liberation as connected to the fight for the liberation of oppressed people around the world. They are part of a broad coalition of activists from many different backgrounds who believe very deeply, as I always have, that we are all in this together.Bernie Sanders is a United States senator from Vermont and a candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.(3) Sanders panders to Lobby - Jewish Forwardhttps://forward.com/fast-forward/434601/bernie-sanders-judaism-israel-antisemitism/Bernie Sanders Goes Into Most Detail Yet About Judaism, Israel, Anti-SemitismNovember 11, 2019By Aiden PinkDemocratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders went into more detail than ever before about his ties to Judaism and Israel in an op-ed for Jewish Currents published Monday. Here are the key takeaways:He warned of the danger of white supremacy:Sanders described how his father’s relatives were killed in the Holocaust, and detailed the rise in anti-Semitism in the United States. He described hatred of Jews as "a threat to democratic governance itself" because white nationalists also hate the ideas of equality and multiracial democracy. Sanders pledged to combat white nationalism and "do exactly the opposite of what Trump is doing."He detailed how he thinks about anti-Semitism on the left:Sanders stressed that criticizing Israeli government policies is not anti-Semitic, but added that some critiques do stray into anti-Semitism, such as conspiracy theories about Jewish power or denying the Jews’ right to self-determination. "I think it is very important for everyone, but particularly for progressives, to acknowledge the enormous achievement of establishing a democratic homeland for the Jewish people after centuries of displacement and persecution," he explained.But he also said that he was concerned that the Trump administration was using accusations of anti-Semitism "as a cynical political weapon against progressives."He called for two states and "reconciliation" between Israelis and Palestinians:Sanders stressed the importance of Israel ending its occupation of Palestinian-claimed lands, and called on the two sides to recognize the legitimacy of each other’s historical grievances: "The forces fomenting anti-Semitism are the forces arrayed against oppressed people around the world, including Palestinians; the struggle against anti-Semitism is also the struggle for Palestinian freedom."Why is this coming out now?Polls and donation data have repeatedly shown that Sanders, the leading Jewish contender in the race and the most successful Jewish presidential candidate in American history, is less popular among American Jews than he is among the general population.Sanders has been criticized by some Jews for not talking enough about his Jewish heritage and background. Sanders has done much more of that in this cycle.Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor of the Forward. Contact him at pink@forward.com or follow him on Twitter @aidenpink(4) Sanders: We Will Go to War Against White Nationalism and Racismhttps://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-says-we-will-go-war-against-white-nationalism-racism-1454892Bernie Sanders Says 'We Will Go to War Against White Nationalism and Racism'By Scott McDonald On 8/17/19 at 8:26 PM EDTVermont Sen. Bernie Sanders told a group of people Saturday that if elected president in 2020, he will "go to war" with white nationalism and racism. Sanders said he would use every tool at his disposal, including executive orders.Speaking to a crowd of mostly African Americans at the Young Leaders Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, Sanders described his family background as being Jewish and from Poland."My father's whole family was wiped out by Hitler and his white nationalism," said Sanders, who is one of many Democratic presidential hopefuls in 2020. "Too many people have fought over the years, too many people have died against racism to let it resurface and flourish in America."Then he made his declaration."We will go to war against white nationalism and racism in every aspect of our lives," he said.     We will go to war with White Nationalism. pic.twitter.com/HVtDI0eweQ     — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 17, 2019Sanders told the crowd that whenever someone hurts or kills someone because of their skin color, that's it's "not just a hate crime," but that it is also "domestic terrorism."He said that if such attacks are carried out in America, then "we're gonna throw the full force of the law against those people."Then the senator said things would move forward by actions and not just words. He said he would have a government, administration and cabinet "that looks like America.""And when we combat white nationalism and when we combat racism, we are gonna use all the laws in our power, including executive orders in every area to make certain that we end the discrimination which now exists in heatlh care, where black women are dying three times the rate of white women when they give birth," Sanders said.Sanders added he will end "redlining" in housing discrimination and "end the absurdity of black kids leaving school much more deeply in debt than white kids."Meanwhile, as Sanders was making his speech on Saturday, a protest on the other side of the country took place in Portland, Oregon, with a counterprotest staged by an Antifa group. >Fox News contributor Dan Bongino said Antifa was "a domestic terrororganization committed to attacking civil liberties and free speech." Bongino's tweet accompanied a video from another tweet that show the Portland protests in what looks like Antifa members attempting to pull people from a bus while swinging fists at them.     Antifa attacks people on a bus. They try to pull them out and hit them with a hammer. #PortlandProtests pic.twitter.com/JSkCE1Vrcy     — Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) August 17, 2019Sanders did not mention whether or not groups like Antifa, a leftist group, would be targeted as domestic terrorists, despite Bongino's remarks and then President Donald Trump this week calling Antifa a terrorist organization.Sanders was not the only 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to appear at the Young Leaders Conference in Atlanta, which draws about 5,000 delegates — mostly African American, according to WXIA.There were forums with Corey Booker, Pete Buttiegieg and Julian castro on Friday. Elizabeth Warren was among the speakers on Saturday.Sticking with the white nationalism theme, castro said Friday that, "The first thing that we need to do is get the white nationalist that is currently in the Oval Office out of the Oval Office," which brought cheers from the crowd.(5) Michael Bloomberg: good for Israel - but good for the United States?https://israelpalestinenews.org/michael-bloomberg-israel-connection-runs-deep/Michael Bloomberg’s Israel connection runs deepby Alison Weir{photo} Then-Mayor Bloomberg kissing the Western Wall in Jerusalem on a visit to Israel in 2003 (GETTY IMAGES)The Democratic Party’s newest candidate, Michael Bloomberg, has strong ties to Israel and apparently no time for justice for Palestinians; his media empire has also pushed a pro-Israel agenda. by Kathryn ShihadahThe pool of democratic candidates for president just expanded again with the addition of billionaire and three-term mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg. If Americans Knew has published multiple reports on the candidates’ positions regarding Israel/Palestine (including an in-depth analysis of Joe Biden and a comparison of Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders); it’s only fair to have a look at Bloomberg as well.The newest candidate has close ties to the Jewish state and asserts a commitment to what he calls "Jewish values." The New York Times quoted Bloomberg:The values I learned from my parents are probably the same values that, I hope, Christians and Muslims and Hindus and Buddhists learned from their parents. They’re all centered around God put us on Earth and said we should take care of each other. We have an obligation not to just talk about it but to actually do it. [Those values are] freedom, justice, service, ambition, innovation.Michael Bloomberg’s record indicates that, when it comes to Palestinians, his close affiliation with Israel has hampered his ability to act on his values of freedom and justice.Israel tiesBloomberg has made many trips to Israel and donated millions to charitable causes in Jerusalem, including in 2003 a Mother and Child Center at the Hadassah University Medical Center dedicated to his mother, and in 2007 a blood bank and massive ambulance station named after his father.During his time as NYC mayor, Bloomberg initiated a $2 billion high-tech research campus in Manhattan, a joint venture between Cornell University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Haifa, Israel). He personally donated $100 million to the effort.In 2014, he talked about his closeness to the Jewish state:My parents saw in our lives just why Israel had to exist, and why it must always exist, and those lessons were passed on to us. We are as one with this city [Jerusalem], and this country and this people as you can be.[Jewish history] gives us a special obligation to build a brighter future for everyone, and to always believe that tomorrow can be better than today. For them and for so many Jews who witnessed the horrors of World War II, the creation of Israel embodied that obligation and validated that belief. It was a dream fulfilled. After all, if the dream of Israel can be realized, what dream can’t be?Bloomberg’s words betray a total disregard for the Palestinian experience: the birth of the state of Israel came at the cost of the indigenous Palestinians’ loss of a homeland. 750,000 became refugees, thousands were massacred, and hundreds of villages were bulldozed – so that Jewish immigrants (and a small number of indigenous Jews) could have a nearly Arab-free state. [...]Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the US, said of Bloomberg that he is a "friend" who would be "very good" for Israel.The question is whether Michael Bloomberg would be very good for the United States.