opinion
City’s Palestinian Event an Affront
to Area Jews
By Steve Feldman
A s any coach, athlete or sports enthusiast knows,
if one is not even on the playing field, there is no
chance of winning. Even if one’s opponent falls flat on
their faces, the best one can hope for is a tie if you are
not at least present.

Philadelphia’s government hosted an event and
issued a proclamation on Nov. 29 that places the
city as a participant in an international obser-
vance created to delegitimize Israel and Jewish
rights. Philadelphia also endorsed Arab violence
against Jews via a promotional poster that featured
three clenched fists and three Palestine Liberation
Organization flags.

The event, proclamation, remarks by a City
Council member at the event and the bellicose
poster serve as reminders that the Jewish commu-
nity and supporters of Israel need to challenge our
enemies and their enablers — to be on the meta-
phorical playing field — although it is no game.

Today for Jews in America. physical and emo-
tional well-being are jeopardized; the ability to
freely observe our religion is at stake in some
cases, as is our right to freedom of speech/expres-
sion such as in support of Israel and Zionism.

Rampant attacks against Jews and Jewish institu-
tions, and the incessant incitement of hatred and
resentment against Jews have gotten us to this
juncture. Our future here rests on what the Jewish
People and our friends and allies do in response to
the attacks and intimidation, as well as proactively.

Jewish persons today in America who wear garb
or a symbol that easily identifies that person as
Jewish are being violently attacked; many are afraid
to hold an Israeli flag or wear an “I support Israel”
shirt or hat — Jewish or not — for fear of attack;
synagogues, other Jewish institutions and Jewish
events require unprecedented security. Those who
are determined to harm Jews have been embold-
ened. They are emboldened by celebrities who sow
resentment and hatred of us.

They are emboldened by elected and appointed
officials, politicians and political operatives.

They are emboldened by news media in its var-
ious forms.

They are emboldened by religious leaders.

They are emboldened by social media “influenc-
ers” and prominent podcasters.

They are emboldened even by some within the
very Jewish community that is under attack who
aid and collaborate with those harming us.

In proclaiming
“International Day of
Solidarity With the
Palestinian People,”
in Philadelphia, Mayor
Jim Kenney and other
city officials committed
an atrocity against
the Jewish people.

And they are emboldened by our community’s
weakness, indifference, apathy and fear.

It is true that to stop the attacks and incitement
we need more, and more-diverse tools than there
are in a typical Swiss Army knife, and each of these
tools must be utilized — both the quiet, behind-
the-scenes tools and the public tools activists have
employed for generations.

In proclaiming “International Day of Solidarity
With the Palestinian People,” in Philadelphia, Mayor
Jim Kenney and other city officials committed an
atrocity against the Jewish people by echoing a
dastardly United Nations-led expression of regret
that Israel was re-established and that Jews finally
again had self-determination in our homeland.

The city claimed it was not political. But the
violence-themed posters and Yasser Arafat’s blood-
drenched PLO flags contradicted officials. As one
communal leader from another organization put it:
“It looks like Philadelphia is calling for jihad.” The
poster included the imprimaturs of Kenney’s office
of the city representative and his department of
immigrant affairs.

Officials claimed the purpose of the event was
“to celebrate the rich and significant contributions
Palestinian community has made to our beautiful
city” — but they could have done that on any date.

Nov. 29 is significant. It is a date that Jews have
celebrated since 1947 thanks to the United Nations
partition plan vote paving the way for a Jewish
state on land where Jews are the indigenous peo-
ple. Arabs and Muslims see that date from a different
perspective: Many refuse to accept an independent
Jewish state in the Middle East and reject Jewish
self-determination. On the 30th anniversary, Nov.

29, 1977, the United Nations voted to in essence
reject the Jewish state and Jewish indigenousness.

Thus: The date and the poster and the presence of
PLO flags are indeed political.

The city had a public ceremony outside of the
city’s Municipal Services Building across from City
Hall on Nov. 29.

For the second consecutive year.

Last year, Israel’s consul general pleaded with
Kenney to cancel the event or at minimum not
to speak at the event. Kenney ignored him. Local
Jewish communal leaders including those from
the Zionist Organization of America’s Greater
Philadelphia Chapter reached out to Kenney and
his staff to express concern about a second event.

Concerns and pleas to cancel it were again ignored.

Greater Philadelphia ZOA took an additional
different path: We showed up at the event at noon
on Nov. 29, and we stood tall, proudly waving our
American and Israeli flags, and some of those who
participated in our protest vigil also displayed signs
in support of Israel and our people’s rights.

Greater Philadelphia ZOA and our activists, and
others who joined us went onto the playing field.

We showed up; we showed that the Jewish peo-
ple will always be there in support of the Jewish
state of Israel, our right to self-determination and
in defense of our heritage and history. If the city
opts to do this again, we will be there again — and
we invite all of the Jewish community, all of the
pro-Israel community and all decent people to be
there with us.

Meanwhile: Philadelphia has not had an event to
celebrate its Jewish immigrants, nor has it had an
event to specifically honor its Israeli immigrants. JE
Steve Feldman is the executive director of the Greater
Philadelphia Chapter of the Zionist Organization of
America. Letters should be related to articles that have run
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