Representative Keith Ellison is trying really hard to convince American Jews that he is not a threat to Israel. The Minnesota Congressman — the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives — who is vying to become the next head of the Democratic National Committee has made harsh comments against Israel in the past and has been a fan of Louis Farrakhan.
And now none other than Alan Dershowitz has come out against him. The Alan Dershowitz! Yes that one! Our self-proclaimed protector of the Jewish people, more specifically, the American Jewish community. Well you know what they say: once you’ve lost Dershowitz…
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Allan Dershowitz told Fox News that he will quit the Democratic Party after 50 years if Ellison becomes its Chair. He said in an interview, “I’m going to tell you right here on this show and this is news, if they appoint Keith Ellison to be chairman of the Democratic Party, I will resign my membership to the Democratic Party after 50 years of being a loyal Democrat.”
Wow! That showed em’, didn’t it!
The famous civil liberties attorney also criticized those who imply that only conservative/Republican Jews were appalled by John Kerry’s speech on Wednesday saying, “Hey, I’m a left-wing liberal Jew, [U.S. Senator from New York] Schumer is a liberal Jew – you know, they just make up the news.”
— Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) December 8, 2016
And now Secretary of Labor Tom Perez is proving to be a formidable opponent in the race for DNC Chair. Perez is seen as a viable alternative to Ellison and has the support of President Obama.
And poor Keith Ellison not only needs to find a way to defend his own past statements, but needs to deal with the fall out from John Kerry’s speech too?
So what is he to do? Well last week Ellison sent an open letter to the Rabbinical Assembly of America, the rabbinical union for the country’s Conservative rabbis. Why just the Conservative Movement (The Jewish movement should not be confused with conservative politics)? Who knows?
The Congressman quoted one of the most famous segments of the Talmud titled “Ethics of the Fathers” which is a collection of wisdom literature. He wrote, “The one who learns, learns from everyone.”
Keith Ellison tried to explain why he was once a supporter of Farrakhan’s.
“At the time, I did not grasp [Louis] Farrakhan’s Antisemitism, ” wrote Ellison. “It was difficult for me to see that the struggle for equality for African-Americans could be subverted into hatred of others, specifically Antisemitism. I focused on Farrakhan speaking to concerns of Black men. When I became aware that he made hateful statements about other groups, including the Jewish community with whom I was so close, I knew that I must reject his teachings. And I rejected them completely.”
Congressman Ellison also cited his support for funding for the Iron Dome system which protects Israel against missile attacks out of Lebanon and Gaza. And Keith Ellison said that he opposes the BDS which calls for boycotts of and divestment from Israel.
So will this be enough to help Keith Ellison get to be the Chair of the DNC? Who knows? But if he does win then the DNC will lose Alan Dershowitz. Oh well.
