Pamela Geller Prevented from Speaking at Great Neck Synagogue; CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager Spreads Lies About Israel at His New Canaan Church

Pamela Geller, founder of the Atlas Shrugs blog and known for her advocacy on behalf of Israel, has been prevented from speaking today at a Great Neck, Long Island synagogue. As explained by Jerusalem Post Columnist Caroline Glick (http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Column-One-Moral-relativism-and-jihad-309549):

"Last month, after learning of her talk, a consortium of Islamic and leftist activists in Nassau County led by Habeed Ahmed from the Islamic Center of Long Island launched a pressure campaign to coerce the synagogue into cancelling her speech. Members of the group telephoned the synagogue and castigated Geller as a bigot, and likened her to the Nazis in the 1930s.

In short order liberal rabbis Michael White and Jerome Davidson took over the opposition to Geller and launched a media campaign attacking her as a bigot and demanding that the Great Neck Synagogue cancel her speech.

Rejecting the distinction Geller makes between jihadists and their victims – Muslim and non-Muslim alike, White and Davidson claimed that she opposes all Muslims and so her speech must be canceled. By hosting her, they intoned, the Great Neck Synagogue would be guilty of propagating hate speech. Liberal Christian and Jewish activists and their Muslim associates threatened to protest the speech.

On Wednesday the synagogue caved in to their massive pressure. Citing 'security concerns' the synagogue board released a statement saying that while 'these important issues must be discussed, the synagogue is unable to bear the burden' of the pressure campaign surrounding Geller’s planned speech. Her event was canceled."

Rabbi Jerome Davidson's claim that Geller is given to hate speech and should not be allowed to speak at the Great Neck Synagogue? Listen to David Wood demolish Davidson's contentions.

Meanwhile, Jeff Fager, chairman of CBS News, last week was busy spreading lies about Israel's security barrier at his New Canaan, Connecticut church. As reported by Dexter Van Zile (http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2013/4/9/cbs-news-needs-to-come-clean-about-60-minutes-palestinian-christians-segment):

"Invited to speak at the church by his pastor Rev. Peter Walsh, Fager showed an audience of more than 200 of his fellow parishioners a segment about Palestinian Christians that aired on the CBS '60 Minutes' program in April 2012.

During the segment, correspondent Bob Simon stated that the security fence 'completely surrounds Bethlehem, turning the ‘little town' where Christ was born into what its residents call ‘an open air prison.’'

The fence does not completely surround Bethlehem, as Simon reported. The security fence is located to the north and west of Bethlehem and leaves the rest of the city’s perimeter open to the West Bank.

. . . .

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), pointed out the '60 Minutes' error in an article on its website soon after the segment aired and in a half-page ad that appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Aug. 14, 2012.

Nevertheless, the CBS show has not issued a correction to this day.

After showing his fellow parishioners the '60 Minutes' segment, Fager complained about the angry response the show elicited. In particular, he condemned the Wall Street Journal’s decision to run CAMERA’s ad, which he said was intended to create havoc on the CBS show’s reporting.

Fager then told his audience that CAMERA got it wrong about the security fence in its ad and that 'Bethlehem is surrounded by a wall.'

. . . .

During the question and answer period, I raised my hand, stated I worked for CAMERA, the organization responsible for the ad in question, and then issued a simple and direct challenge: If Jeff Fager could prove that the security fence completely surrounds Bethlehem like he said a few moments before, I would donate $5,000 to a charity of his choosing.

His response was a simple 'Okay.'

After the event concluded and the people in attendance started to leave for the church’s Sunday services, I gave him my business card. So far, no response."

As can be seen on any map, the Israeli security barrier does not surround Bethlehem (see, for example: http://www.btselem.org/download/separation_barrier_map_eng.pdf). But why should that prevent Fager from disseminating lies at his church of all places?

Welcome to our Brave New World in which American synagogues are unable to provide a forum for pro-Israel advocates, but honchos and pundits from the media - Fager joins Fareed Zakaria and Thomas Friedman in recent weeks - can spread lies about Israel with impunity anywhere they please (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.co.il/2013/04/fred-hiatt-editorial-page-editor-of.html and http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.co.il/2012/12/second-open-letter-to-margaret-sullivan.html).

But why should we be surprised, given that most leading Jewish organizations were too fearful to express opposition to Obama's appointment of Chuck Hagel, an anti-Semite, as secretary of defense?

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me?" . . .