The 2023 campaign Against antisemitism

 May 24, 2023: Concluding Address at the Crystal Ball Benefit

MY NAME IS LEORA SHEMESH – I AM THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THIS INCREDIBLE ORGANIZATION. 

TONIGHT – I FEEL UPLIFTED AND GRATEFUL TO BE APART OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS TAKEN GREAT INITIATIVE AND GREAT FORTITUDE IN STANDING UP AGAINST ALL FORMS OF HATE – AND FOR SPREADING MESSAGES OF LOVE AND PEACE AND FOR FOCUSING ON DIALOGUE AND EDUCATION IN OUR SCHOOLS, OUR GOVERNMENTS, OUR UNIVERSITIES AND OUR BOARD ROOMS. 

WE ARE HERE TONIGHT TO CELEBRATE OUR SUCCESSES, OUR FUTURE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND TO THANK EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND DETERMINATION IN MAKING THIS ORGANIZATION SO SUCCESSFUL. 

WHEN I WAS THINKING OF SOMETHING INSPIRATIONAL TO SAY TO THANK THE FORMER AMBASSADOR DAVID FRIEDMAN – 

TO SHOWER HIM WITH THE LOVE AND ATTENTION HE DESERVES – I READ AN ARTICLE IN WHICH HE HAD QUOTED A STATE DEPARTMENT AIDE TELLING HIM NOT TO BE SO JEWISH AND THAT HE REPRESENTS THE UNITED STATES AND THUS, HE NEED NOT BE SO JEWISH.  David Friedman you are an inspirational jew and you embody what is the best of humanity. Thank you. 

IN ALL MY YOUNGER YEARS - I NEVER FELT THAT MY IDENTITY STUNTED ME FROM ANYTHING AND I CERTAINLY NEVER HAD ANYONE TELL ME NOT TO BE “SO JEWISH”. 

I NEVER FELT THAT BEING JEWISH CAUSED ME TO BE A TARGET OR A BUTT OF A JOKE – 

UNTIL RECENTLY. 

I WENT TO A PRIVATE JEWISH DAY SCHOOL A HIGH SCHOOL THAT WAS PREDOMINANTLY JEWISH AND I WENT TO YORK UNIVERSITY AT A TIME WHEN IT WAS STILL ACCEPTABLE TO ATTEND AS A JEWISH GIRL. 

INDEED, THERE WAS A CLEAR WELCOME MAT FOR ALL OF US JEWS BACK THEN AND WE ALL FELT IT.  

I WENT TO OSGOOD WHERE THERE WAS A LARGE SEGMENT OF JEWS AND I SURROUNDED MYSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO ALTHOUGH NOT JEWISH – RESPECTED MY CULTURE AND IDENTITY.

I TRULY NEVER FELT ANTI SEMITISM 

UNTIL VERY RECENTLY 

RECENTLY, I HAVE BECOME A TARGET OF HATE FROM A WOMAN WHO HAD SOUGHT TO BOMBARD MY GOOGLE ACCOUNT WITH VILE RACIST AND ANTISEMITIC LITERATURE. 

I NEVER MET HER 

SHE WAS NEVER A CLIENT 

BUT SHE FELT EMPOWERED TO SPREAD THESE MESSAGES OF HATE AT HER KEYBOARD WHERE SHE HAD THE ABILITY TO USE FAKE ACCOUNTS AND WAS EMBOLDENED BECAUSE SHE COULD HIDE BEHIND HER COMPUTER. 

AS SOON AS GOOGLE WOULD TAKE THE MESSAGES DOWN,  SHE WOULD IMMEDIATELY PUT THEM BACK UP. 

PICTURES OF AUSCHWITZ FLOODED MY GOOGLE ACCOUNT WITH HER NAMING MY CHILDREN AND TELLING ME TO GO BACK TO AUSCHWITZ WITH THEM. 

DAVID FRIEDMAN ONCE SAID WHEN TRUMP RECEIVED KANYE WEST AND WHITE SUPREMACIST NICK FUENTES AT MAR-A-LAGO IN NOVEMBER 2022, HE TWEETED: EVEN A SOCIAL VISIT FROM AN ANTISEMITE LIKE KANYE WEST AND HUMAN SCUM LIKE NICK FUENTES IS UNACCEPTABLE.  I URGE YOU TO THROW THOSE BUMS OUT, DISAVOW THEM AND RELEGATE THEM TO THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY WHERE THEY BELONG". 

BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT WE NEED TO IMPRESS UPON THE WORLD HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO IDENTIFY THESE PEOPLE, CALL THEM OUT, MAGNIFY THEIR IDENTITY AND HATE AND PLACE THEM IN THE DUSTBIN WHILE WE SEEK TO CHANE THE DIALOGUE WITH LOVE AND PATIENCE AND DETERMINATION. 

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT WITHOUT YOU AND WITHOUT THIS ORGANIZATION AND MANY OTHERS WHO STAND FIRM IN A COMMITMENT OF CALLING PEOPLE OUT – AND ENSURING THAT MESSAGES OF HATE AND INTOLERANCE ARE STOMPED ON AND REPLACED WITH ACCEPTANCE AND TOLERANCE –

WE DO NOTHING – 

ROGER WATERS PERFORMED LAST NIGHT IN GERMANY OF ALL PLACES IN AN SS UNIFORM AND THE SCREEN BEHIND HIM IN GERMAN SAID THE FOLLOWING 

ON A MATTER OF PUBLIC INTEREST – A COURT IN FRANKFURT HAS RULED THAT I AM NOT AN ANTISEMITE. 

HE APPEARED ON STAGE IN AN SS UNIFORM AS AN INFLATABLE PIG WITH VARIOUS WORDS AND SYMBOLS AND GLOWING EYES FLOATED OVER THE CROWD AND BANNERS IN THE STYLE OF THIRD REICH BUT WITH CROSSED HAMMERS INSTEAD OF SWASTIKAS HUNG FROM THE CIELINGS

HE THEN DISPLAYED THE WORDS “FUCK THE OCCUPATION” WHILE SINGING LAY DOWN JERUSALEM. 

CROWDS CHEERED, 

THEY CLAPPED AND EGGED HIM ON IN ALL HIS GLORY – SHOWERING HIM WITH ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE FOR ALL HIS HATEFUL AND VILE MESSAGES. 

THEY PAID MONEY TO SEE HIM AND ENRICHED HIM FINANCIALLY AND IN WAYS THAT ONLY A MANIAC CAN BE ENRICHED. 

YOUNG PEOPLE SUBSCRIBE TO HIS IDEOLOGY AND THINKING AND CELEBRATE AN UNHINGED MAN WHO HAS MADE IT HIS MISSION TO TARGET JEWS AND ISRAEL 

OUR ORGANIZATION EXISTS BECAUSE ROGER WATERS, BELLA HADID, KANYE WEST, FARRAKHAN, ILHAN OMAR AND AND SO MANY OTHERS EXIST – WITH LARGE PLATFORMS – RHYMING, SINGING AND SPEAKING HATEFUL MESSAGES THAT FLOOD OUR AIRWAVES, OUR MEDIA AND OUR MEDIUM. 

THEY HAVE NORMALIZED HATE AND WE ARE HERE TO CORRECT THE WRONGS - 

TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT AND TO FIGHT FOR EVERY INCH OF PEACE AND TOLERANCE. 

THIS ORGANIZATION PROVIDES A POWERFUL VOICE – A VERY EDUCATED, REFINED AND FORMAL VOICE OF LOGIC, REASON AND A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF HISTORY AND EDUCATION. 

WE STRIVE TO MAKE LIFE THAT MUCH EASIER FOR THOSE WHO ARE FINDING THEMSELVES THE SUBJECT OF HATEFUL MESSAGES AND TARGETED RACISM AND ANTI SEMITISM 

THIS ORGANIZATION IS EVERYWHERE. 

WE STAND UP FOR OTHERS – 

WE RISE TO THE CALLING WHEN HATE REARS ITS UGLY HEAD FOR ANY AND ALL CULTURE AND RACE. 

WE STAND AT ATTENTION WHEN CHILDREN WANT TO BE EDUCATED AND LEARN ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST AND HATE 

WE LISTEN AND LEARN AND GIVE SPECIAL HEED TO THOSE WHO SEND MESSAGES OF ACCEPTANCE AND TOLERANCE. 

AND WE SHOW UP WHEN WE NEED TO PUT ON OUR ARMOUR AND FIGHT TO END RACISM AND ANTI SEMITISM WHETHER IT BE MEETING WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OR ATTENDING THE UN OR MEETING WITH POLITICIANS. 

WE ARE EVERYWHERE – 

SPREADING OUR TENTACLES AND WE CAN ONLY DO THAT WITH YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT, YOUR ACCEPTANCE AND YOUR DETERMINATION TO HELP US GROW AND GAIN STRENGTH. 

TO OUR DONORS – ALL OF THIS IS SIMPLY NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU. 

ADDING YOUR NAME TO A SCREEN, PLACING YOUR NAME ON A BROCHURE OR A SIGN DOES NOT ADDRESS THE ENORMITY OF OUR THANKS TO YOU. 

WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR DEVOTION AND YOUR SUPPORT – AND WITHOUT YOU - NONE OF THIS IS POSSIBLE. 

TO FORMER AMBASSADOR DAVID FRIEDMAN WE ALL SAY WE LOVE YOU – 

WE THANK YOU AND WE HOPE YOUR FIGHTING SPIRIT AND COURAGEOUS MESSAGES CONTINUE TO BE SHARED WITH THE WORLD.

WE WISH YOU STRENGTH, GREAT HEALTH AND WE HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO COUNT ON YOU FOR YOUR WISDOM AND YOUR ADVOCACY. 

FINALLY TO OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS WE SAY – TODA RABA – FOR ALWAYS TAKING THE TIME OUT OF BUSY SCHEDULES TO MEET, TO DISCUSS, TO BE AVAILABLE, TO LEARN AND TO HELP.  

WE SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR VOICE, YOUR IDENTITY, YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR LOVE.

OUR LIVES ARE ALL BUSY – 

AND WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRECIOUS TIME YOU DEVOTE TO US – TO HELP US WITH OUR IMPORTANT MISSION. 

WE TAKE YOU WITH US WHEREVER WE GO – HOPING TO MAKE YOU ALL PROUD TO BE A MEMBER OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT SAYS 

HINENI – 

I AM HERE – 

WE ARE HERE TO HELP, TO GUIDE, TO SPREAD LIGHT AND LOVE TO AN OFTEN INCREDIBLY DARK AND COLD WORLD. 

WE HOPE TO CONTINUE TO MAKE ALL OF YOU PROUD TO BE APART OF THIS INCREDIBLE 

ORGANIZATION. 

THANK YOU.