Unite Against Hate

Attached a link http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/uproar-after-jewish-american-newspaper-publisher-suggests-israel-assassinate-barack-obama-1.408429 to an article titled " Uproar after Jewish American newspaper publisher suggests Israel assassinate Barack Obama" reporting that Andrew B. Adler, owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times, published an article last week, in which he suggested that Israel consider assassinating President Obama!!! Adler, who has since apologized for his article, listed three options for Israel to counter Iran’s nuclear weapons in an article published in his newspaper last Friday. The first is to launch a pre-emptive strike against Hamas and Hezbollah, the second is to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and the third is to “give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice president to take his place and forcefully dictate that the United States’ policy includes its helping the Jewish state obliterate its enemies.”Adler goes on to write: “Yes, you read “three correctly.” Order a hit on a president in order to preserve Israel’s existence. Think about it. If have thought of this Tom-Clancy-type scenario, don’t you think that this almost unfathomable idea has been discussed in Israel’s most inner circles?” Adler apologized for the article, saying “I very much regret it; I wish I hadn’t made reference to it at all,” Adler told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. And in an interview with Gawker.com, Adler denied that he was advocating an assassination of Obama. The American Jewish Committee in Atlanta last night issued a harsh condemnation of Adler’s article, saying that his proposals are “shocking beyond belief.” "While we acknowledge Mr. Adler's apology, we are flabbergasted that he could ever say such a thing in the first place. How could he even conceive of such a twisted idea?" said Dov Wilker, director of AJC Atlanta. "Mr. Adler surely owes immediate apologies to President Obama, as well as to the State of Israel and his readership, the Atlanta Jewish community." Andrew Adler smeared not only the image of the Jewish community in the U.S. but has pleased anti-Zionists and delighted anti-Semites by giving them the kind of “proof” they relish for accusing American supporters of Israel not of “double loyalty” but of one-sided treachery, plain and simple. Furthermore, he also tarnished the image of Israel, a close U.S. ally by claiming that it may consider assassinating the U.S. President! Unfortunately, this event had to happen and the putrid stew of falsehoods, hatred and bigotry boiled over! Adler’s crazy and criminal suggestions are not the ranting of some loony-tune individual and were not taken out of thin air - but are the inevitable result of the inordinate volume of repugnant venom that some of Obama’s political rivals, Jews and non-Jews included, have been spewing for the last three years. In my opinion certain extremist groups within the Jewish community are responsible for this propaganda campaign alleging that President Obama is an enemy of Israel. Words lead to deeds and we should have the courage to speak up and point out those who spread this nonsense. Vile resentments need to be replaced by civil discourse. We can disagree with each other but should maintain civility. Andrew Adler's action should remind us that we have to double our efforts to return to a dialogue based on facts and accepted norms of behavior. Yours Bernd