Adam Hirsch
Overview
Adam Hirsch was arrested at an IfNotNow (INN) protest for blocking U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office. He also participated [00:02:46] in an INN event supporting violent protesters, along with American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and MPower Change.Hirsch also opposed the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, participated in an INN event repurposing Jewish rituals and protested against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
As of June 2019, Hirsch’s Facebook page said he was a recording engineer at Tiny Telephone Recording and that he graduated from Oberlin College (Oberlin) in 2014. In 2016 he was reportedly due to graduate from Mills College's MFA program in electronic music.
Arrest
On April 13, 2018, Hirsch was one of nine INN activists arrested during a protest in San Francisco over violence in Gaza. Activists blocked the doors of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office for over two hours, forcing the building to close during that time.Hirsch announced [00:15:46] that the activists would recite [00:16:25] the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer for Palestinians killed during the Great March of Return riots on Israel’s border with Gaza.
The Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish is a prayer customarily reserved for close relatives or Jews murdered for being Jews.
That same day, INN released a statement on the arrest titled: “9 Young Jews Arrested After Shutting Down Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Office For Over Two Hours to Protest Violence on Gaza.”
The statement said: “The demonstrators called on her [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.”
At the protest, Muhammad Abu Amro was eulogized [00:36:40]. Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, reportedly identified Abu Amro as one of their “martyrs” and posted a photo of him armed and in uniform on their website and on Twitter.
Most of the Gazans who died between March 30 and April 6, 2018, were identified as terror operatives who were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks, rioting against IDF forces or attempting to breach the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
At the protest, 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 their website and on Twitter.
Also at the protest, INN Bay Area member Amitai Ben-Abba eulogized [00:34:32] Yasser Murtaja.
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 founderHatem Baziansaid [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.”
The Facebook event description said “our hearts were broken upon witnessing the Israeli military firing live ammunition at Palestinians taking a stand for their basic human rights.” Activists recited [00:13:35] the Jewish mourners’ Kaddish prayer for Palestinians who had been killed in the Gaza border protests.
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.
Hirsch indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a December 8, 2017 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.”
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 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.”
The statement said: “The demonstrators called on her [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.”
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 was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests to spotlight the Palestinian demand to “return” to Israel. The “right of return” has since been discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
At the protest, Muhammad Abu Amro was eulogized [00:36:40]. Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, reportedly identified Abu Amro as one of their “martyrs” and posted a photo of him armed and in uniform on their website and on Twitter.
Most of the Gazans who died between March 30 and April 6, 2018, were identified as terror operatives who were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks, rioting against IDF forces or attempting to breach the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
At the protest, 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 their website and on Twitter.
Also at the protest, INN Bay Area member Amitai Ben-Abba eulogized [00:34:32] Yasser Murtaja.
Yasser Murtaja, a photojournalist, was reportedly a Hamas spy who used drones to film Israeli military positions. Murtaja was shot and killed on April 6, 2018, as he filmed the 2018 Hamas-led “March of Return” protest in Gaza.
Supporting Violent Protesters
On May 24, 2018, Hirsch participated [00:02:46] 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 founderHatem Baziansaid [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.”
The Facebook event description said “our hearts were broken upon witnessing the Israeli military firing live ammunition at Palestinians taking a stand for their basic human rights.” Activists recited [00:13:35] the Jewish mourners’ Kaddish prayer for Palestinians who had been killed in the Gaza border protests.
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.
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 June 4, 2017, Hirsch was one of a number of INN activists who protested at an event by Christians United for Israel (CUFI) celebrating the “‘reunification and liberation’ of Jerusalem.” Hirsch and other activists unfurled protest signs during a speech at the event and were removed from the church where the event was held.Hirsch indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a December 8, 2017 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.”
Repurposing Jewish Rituals
On April 7, 2018, Hirsch participated in INN Bay Area’s “wandering Seder” in which activists used different items from the Seder plate to tell the story of Passover and “mourn the lives lost in Gaza.” INN Bay Area member Amitai Ben-Abba read the names of Palestinians who had been killed and said “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
Hirsch indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a March 26, 2017 INN protest outside the Washington D.C. venue of the AIPAC Policy Conference. Protestors chained themselves to the entrance of the conference center. Several hundred protesters also marched and chanted for hours outside the venue.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.”
Four INN activists purchased tickets to the conference as AIPAC delegates, in order to gain access to the building. Once inside, the INN activists, dropped [00:00:37] banners from the center’s third floor, stating that they “reject AIPAC and the occupation,” before being removed by security.
Hirsch also indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an INN event on March 19, 2017, titled: “Jewish Resistance at AIPAC - L.A.”
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.’”
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.”
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).
Hirsch also indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an INN event on March 19, 2017, titled: “Jewish Resistance at AIPAC - L.A.”
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.’”
INN Activity
Hirsch indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a June 11, 2017 INN Bay area protest titled: “No Celebration For Occupation,” against a Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF) event.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.”
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).
