Aaron Goldstein
Overview
Aaron Goldstein is an organizer with IfNotNow (INN) who was arrested for blocking United States Senator Diane Feinstein’s office and participated in an INN event supporting violent protesters, along with American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and MPower change.Goldstein also led an INN event opposing the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, participated in events that repurposed Jewish rituals, protested against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and opposed the Birthright Jewish Heritage Tour.
He has expressed support for anti-Israel agitators and has promoted the demonization of Israel.
He was also affiliated with the anti-Israel organization Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) in 2017.
As of June 2019, Goldstein’s LinkedIn page said he was an architectural designer at Gelfand Partners Architects in San Francisco, California. His LinkedIn said he graduated from Cornell University (Cornell) with a bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 2015.
Arrest
On April 13, 2018, Goldstein was one of nine INN activists arrested during an INN protest in San Francisco, in support of the Great March of Return.On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “Great March of Return.” The March was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests along Israel’s border.
Activists blocked the doors of United States Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office for over two hours, forcing the building to close for the duration of the protest.
At the April 13th protest, Goldstein recited [00:16:24] the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer for Palestinian rioters killed during the Great March of Return protests. INN said that “The demonstrators called on [Senator Feinstein] to condemn Israeli violence against Palestinian protesters in Gaza” and referred to “The Great March of Return” as “a protest which has not injured or endangered Israeli soldiers or civilians.”
March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Participants also attempted to breach the border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire. Agitators also threw Molotov cocktails and firebombs, shot firearms and threw rocks.
At the event, Muhammad Abu Amro was eulogized [00:36:40]. Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades identified Abu Amro as one of their “martyrs” and posted a photo of him armed and in uniform on both their website and on Twitter.
INN Bay Area member Amitai Ben-Abba eulogized [00:34:32] photojournalist Yasser Murtaja. Murtaja was reportedly a Hamas spy who useddrones to film Israeli positions. He was shot on April 6, 2018 as he filmed the 2018 March of Return protest in Gaza.
Supporting Violent Protesters
On May 24, 2018, Goldstein participated [00:18:40] in an event “in solidarity with the Palestinian victims of last week's massacre in Gaza,” titled: “Iftar in the Streets for Gaza.”The event was organized by INN together with MPower Change, co-founded by Linda Sarsour, and AMP, which has been accused of providing a platform for anti-Semitism and of connections to Hamas.
At the event, AMP founder Hatem Bazian said [00:00:31]: “MPower, IfNotNow and AMP are coming together to craft a new path for change.” He went on to say [00:07:35]: “we want to celebrate the fact that a new broad coalition is coming together.”
Activists recited [00:13:35] the Mourner's Kaddish prayer for Palestinians who had been killed in the Gaza border protests.
The Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish is a prayer customarily reserved for close relatives or Jews murdered for being Jews.
On May 16, 2018, Goldstein participated [00:00:45] in a protest against former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, that labeled him a war criminal. Goldstein and other activists disrupted the event by shouting chants and were removed [00:01:18] from the event by the police. The event was organized by JVP, the Answer Coalition and the Palestine Action Network (PAN). On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The March of Return was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests along Israel’s border to spotlight the demand of Palestinians to “return” to Israel.
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Participants also attempted to breach the border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire.
Agitators threw Molotov cocktails, firebombs, shot firearms and threw rocks under the cover of smoke from burning tires.
On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during a May 14 protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.
PAN consists of anti-Israel groups, including the General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS) at San Francisco State University (SFSU), the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), Students For Justice In Palestine at UC Berkeley (Cal SJP), AMP, Al Awda San Francisco and JVP Bay Area.
The Facebook event page said the protest was one of a series of PAN events to “uplift and highlight Palestinian resistance and resilience to 70 years of colonial occupation.”
Activists at the protest accused [00:01:21] Israel of massacring civilians and using chemical weapons.
On May 14, 2018, Goldstein participated in an INN event, in support of Palestinians killed during the Great March of Return.
In a May 16, 2018 Facebook post, INN Bay Area said members outside the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation recited the Mourner's Kaddish and read “the names of the Palestinian protesters killed by the IDF.”
INN said the Federation called the police, “rather than join their community in mourning the victims of violence and Occupation.”
On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official, Salah al-Bardawil, stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during the May 14 Gaza border protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.
Opposing the Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
On December 8, 2017, Goldstein led [00:20:40] an INN Bay Area protest against the U.S. government’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.The event’s Facebook description called the recognition “incitement” and said: “We will not wait to see how this plays out before taking a side; we know this is wrong and we take action now.”
At the event, INN Bay Area member [00:21:47] Amitai Ben-Abba said [00:26:06] that “by granting its status as capital, Trump is legitimizing apartheid.”
Goldstein also indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a December 9, 2017 protest called: “All Out for Palestine: Hands off Jerusalem!” The event was hosted by anti-Israel groups including GUPS at San Francisco State University (SFSU), AMP, Al Awda San Francisco, SJP chapters in California, JVP Bay Area and Palestine Legal.
The hashtag “#HandsOffJerusalem” was created to protest the U.S. government’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The event’s Facebook description said that the Bay Area “asserts that Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine” and called for BDS.
INN Bay Area member Amitai Ben-Abba read the names of Palestinians who had been killed and said [00:00:11] “may their names be carved into our Hagaddah.”
A Seder is a Jewish Passover ritual, that involves telling the story of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt and their travels to the Promised Land.
The event’s Facebook description said: “The annual AIPAC policy conference is always a festival of pandering, with American politicians jockeying for who can pay higher lip-service to the U.S.-Israel ‘special relationship.’”
Goldstein also indicated on Facebook that he “went” to the March 26, 2017 INN protest outside the Washington, D.C. venue of the AIPAC policy conference, where some activists chained themselves to the entrance of the conference center.
The stated mission of AIPAC is to “strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.”
Repurposing Jewish Rituals
On April 7, 2018, Goldstein participated in INN Bay Area’s “wandering Seder” in which activists used different items from the Seder plate to tell [00:00:14] the story of Passover and “to condemn the brutality toward Gazans.”INN Bay Area member Amitai Ben-Abba read the names of Palestinians who had been killed and said [00:00:11] “may their names be carved into our Hagaddah.”
A Seder is a Jewish Passover ritual, that involves telling the story of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt and their travels to the Promised Land.
Protesting AIPAC
On March 19, 2017, Goldstein participated in an INN protest against the AIPAC, in Los Angeles. Goldstein was pictured holding a sign that said: “We Will Rise Up.”The event’s Facebook description said: “The annual AIPAC policy conference is always a festival of pandering, with American politicians jockeying for who can pay higher lip-service to the U.S.-Israel ‘special relationship.’”
Goldstein also indicated on Facebook that he “went” to the March 26, 2017 INN protest outside the Washington, D.C. venue of the AIPAC policy conference, where some activists chained themselves to the entrance of the conference center.
The stated mission of AIPAC is to “strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.”
In an INN-produced video filmed during the protest and posted to Facebook, Thomas Corcoran, then-INN Digital Coordinator, said [00:35:37] that AIPAC had “perpetuated Islamophobia” for years.
Cornel West, anti-Israel Professor, spoke [00:43:42] at the rally. West has dismissed Jewish historical connections to Israel, labeled Israel an apartheid state and equated [00:00:23] the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with Hamas.
Four INN activists purchased tickets to the conference, posing as AIPAC delegates, in order to gain access to the building. Once inside, the INN activists dropped banners from the center’s third floor, stating that they “reject AIPAC and the occupation,” before being removed by security.
On March 28, 2017, following the anti-AIPAC rally, INN’s activities were endorsed by Robert Warren Ray, a “Feature Writer” from the Neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer.
Ray wrote on the Daily Stormer: “I am officially endorsing the Jew vs Jew AIPAC protests...You’re doing our work for us. Keep it up.”
Cornel West, anti-Israel Professor, spoke [00:43:42] at the rally. West has dismissed Jewish historical connections to Israel, labeled Israel an apartheid state and equated [00:00:23] the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with Hamas.
Four INN activists purchased tickets to the conference, posing as AIPAC delegates, in order to gain access to the building. Once inside, the INN activists dropped banners from the center’s third floor, stating that they “reject AIPAC and the occupation,” before being removed by security.
On March 28, 2017, following the anti-AIPAC rally, INN’s activities were endorsed by Robert Warren Ray, a “Feature Writer” from the Neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer.
Ray wrote on the Daily Stormer: “I am officially endorsing the Jew vs Jew AIPAC protests...You’re doing our work for us. Keep it up.”
Opposing Jewish Heritage Tour
On January 9, 2018, Goldstein and fellow INN Bay Area and INN LA activists gathered at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where Jewish students were preparing to go on their Taglit-Birthright trip to Israel. Activists set up a table offering free coffee, with a sign that read: "Birthrighters: Ask Us About the Occupation & Have a Great Trip."Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
Supporting Anti-Israel Agitators
On January 23, 2018, Goldstein was tagged in a photo of INN activists who hung up a banner on a bridge, that read: “FREE AHED TAMIMI. END THE OCCUPATION.”Ahed Tamimi has a long history of physically attacking Israeli soldiers. Tamimi is the daughter of Bassem Tamimi, who is known for exploiting young children as political props in staged confrontations with Israeli soldiers.
On November 30, 2018, Goldstein promoted on Facebook an INN petition “demanding that CNN…reinstate Marc Lamont Hill immediately.”
In November 2018, Marc Lamont Hill was fired from his position as a contributor to CNN (Cable News Network) following controversial comments he made during a meeting held at the United Nations for an “International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.”
During the meeting, Hill reportedly whitewashed Palestinian violence and accused Israel of “state violence and ethnic cleansing.” He also called for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea.”
In September 2018, during a U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) conference, Hill insinuated [00:31:01] that Israel poisons Palestinian water and seemingly approved [00:30:34] of violence against Israelis.
INN Activity
On June 11, 2017, Goldstein led [00:09:29] an INN Bay area protest titled: “No Celebration For Occupation,” against a Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF) event.Goldstein accused [00:14:45] Israel of the “violent targeting of civilians.”
The protest’s Facebook description said the event was held “to honor the IDF soldiers who were the first troops to enter the Old City of Jerusalem during the 1967 war,” which INN characterized as “the beginning of 50 years of military Occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.”
The protest’s Facebook description also said: “We will not stand idly by while FIDF and our community commemorates this moment without rejecting the occupation.”
Promoting Demonization of Israel
On May 21, 2018, Goldstein shared an article on Facebook by a fellow INN member Amitai Ben-Abba and described it as “A brilliant and difficult piece by my brilliant friend and comrade.” The article, titled: “Israel’s New Ideology of Genocide,” claimed that “Israel is ideologically prepared to enact a Palestinian Shoah.”“Shoah” is the Hebrew term for the Nazi Holocaust and has been used since the 1940s.
Ben-Abba wrote: “Israeli society is ideologically prepared to enact a genocide on Palestinians right now, and if we do not make the comparison and act accordingly, Israel will march into the decisive stage, up to the 6th million Palestinian and over.”
JVP Activity
On December 17, 2017, Goldstein was listed on a JVP Facebook event page as running a workshop titled: “DiasporAssimilation: Liberation and vibrancy, consumerism and Christendom, in American Hannukah.” The event description also said that funds would be collected for the Palestine Action Network.Goldstein indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a JVP Return the Birthright protest on December 3, 2017. The event’s promotional image read “We #ReturnTheBirthright For Palestinian Right of Return.”
In September 2017, JVP issued its#returnthebirthright campaign manifesto, calling on American Jews to boycott Birthright. The manifesto accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” and said: “we commit to promoting the right to return of Palestinian refugees… Israel is not our Birthright… Return the Birthright.”
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
Goldstein also indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a JVP “Deadly Exchange Teach-In” on May 7, 2018.
In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange (DX)” campaign, which accused American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses. JVP also released a video that blamed [00:04:04] U.S.-based Jewish organizations for violence that occurs against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.
IfNotNow (INN)
IfNotNow (INN) is an anti-Israel organization founded in 2014, in response to Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE) against Hamas.
INN claims to be “young Jews angered by the overwhelmingly hawkish response of American Jewish institutions” to OPE. INN presents three demands on its website: “Stop the War on Gaza, End the Occupation, and Freedom and Dignity for All.”
INN defines “the Occupation as the military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza,” which is land Israel has controlled for nearly 50 years since the 1967 Six-Day War. However, INN leaders have made [00:34:32] the claim [00:13:49] at protests that the occupation is 70 years long, referring to Israel’s founding in 1948.
INN actions have aimed to demonize [00:38:13] Israel, harass [00:05:44] mainstream American Jewish organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and decrease support for Israel among American Jews.
INN has used “public action and imaginative ritual” to achieve its goals, including disruptions where activists were arrested.
One of the high-profile arrests occurred at a May 2018 disruption at a U.S. Senator’s office in Washington, D.C. to protest legislation against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
At the same incident, INN used [00:07:17] the Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer to mourn [00:09:10] protesters who were killed during the Hamas-organized and funded Great March of Return riots on the Israel-Gaza border.
INN activists have also staged and promoted walk-offs from Birthright Israel trips, a heritage trip to Israel for young Jewish adults from across the world.
INN claims to be “young Jews angered by the overwhelmingly hawkish response of American Jewish institutions” to OPE. INN presents three demands on its website: “Stop the War on Gaza, End the Occupation, and Freedom and Dignity for All.”
INN defines “the Occupation as the military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza,” which is land Israel has controlled for nearly 50 years since the 1967 Six-Day War. However, INN leaders have made [00:34:32] the claim [00:13:49] at protests that the occupation is 70 years long, referring to Israel’s founding in 1948.
INN actions have aimed to demonize [00:38:13] Israel, harass [00:05:44] mainstream American Jewish organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and decrease support for Israel among American Jews.
INN has used “public action and imaginative ritual” to achieve its goals, including disruptions where activists were arrested.
One of the high-profile arrests occurred at a May 2018 disruption at a U.S. Senator’s office in Washington, D.C. to protest legislation against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
At the same incident, INN used [00:07:17] the Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer to mourn [00:09:10] protesters who were killed during the Hamas-organized and funded Great March of Return riots on the Israel-Gaza border.
INN activists have also staged and promoted walk-offs from Birthright Israel trips, a heritage trip to Israel for young Jewish adults from across the world.
INN claims to take no position on the BDS movement and that it is “open to any who seek to shift the American Jewish public away from the status quo that upholds the Occupation.” However, INN organizes with pro-BDS, anti-Israel organizations including American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
AMP
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) was founded by UC Berkeley Professor Hatem Bazian as a vehicle to generate mainstream support in the United States for the Palestinian national cause.
On its website, the organization lists Bazian as the chairman of its national board and describes itself as “a national education and grassroots-based organization, dedicated to educating the American public about Palestine and its rich cultural, historical and religious heritage.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has accused AMP of promoting “extreme anti-Israel views and has at times provided a platform for anti-Semitism under the guise of educating Americans” about Palestinians. The ADL further stated that AMP is directly involved in campus-based anti-Israel activity through Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Prior to founding the AMP in 2006, Dr. Bazian created SJP together with fellow UC Berkeley Professor Snehal Shingavi in 2001. The close working relationship between AMP and SJP has been documented several times over the years by several organizations, including NGO Monitor and StandWithUs.
In addition to providing financial, public relations and legal assistance to SJP, AMP has also been accused of having connections to Hamas. The AMP national board includes former members of both the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP) and Holy Land Foundation (HLF), both of which were found liable for aiding and abetting Hamas. The IAP was founded by Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, a senior member of Hamas.
JVP
JVP was founded in Berkeley, California in 1996, as an activist group with an emphasis on the “Jewish tradition” of peace, social justice and human rights. The organization is currently led by Rebecca Vilkomerson and its board members include Israel critics Naomi Klein, Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky and Tony Kushner.
JVP, which generally employs civil disobedience tactics to disrupt pro-Israel speakers and events, consists of American Jews and non-Jewish “allies” highly critical of Israeli policies. A staunch supporter of the BDS movement, JVP claims to aim its campaigns at companies that either support the Israeli military (Hewlett-Packard) or are active in the West Bank (SodaStream).
Although several Jewish groups critical of Israeli policies, like J Street and Partners for a Progressive Israel, make efforts to operate within the mainstream American Jewish community, JVP functions outside. The group is often criticized for serving as a tokenized Jewish voice for the pro-Palestinian camp and is widely regarded as the BDS movement’s “Jewish wing.”
JVP denies the notion of “Jewish peoplehood” and has even gone so far as to refer to its own Ashkenazi (Jews who spent the Diaspora in European countries) leadership as “white supremacy inside of JVP.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has accused JVP of being “the largest and most influential Jewish anti-Zionist group in the United States,” and said the group “exploits Jewish culture and rituals to reassure its own supporters that opposition to Israel not only does not contradict, but is actually consistent with, Jewish values.”
The ADL also claimed that “JVP consistently co-sponsors rallies to oppose Israeli military policy that are marked by signs and slogans comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, demonizing Jews and voicing support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.”
According to the ADL website, JVP “uses its Jewish identity to shield the anti-Israel movement from allegations of anti-Semitism and provide it with a greater degree of legitimacy and credibility.”
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/665320397Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agoldsteen/ [Private]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-goldstein1/ [Deleted]
Website: https://aarongoldstein.us/
