Benjamin Grossman
Overview
Benjamin Grossman has supported violent protesters, protested against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has participated in repurposing Jewish rituals and promoted anti-Israel agitators.He also took part in a May 2018 INN DC training event featuring Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
Grossman is a member of IfNotNow (INN) in Denver, Colorado (INN CO) and in Washington, D.C. (INN DC).
As of June 2019, Grossman’s LinkedIn profile said he was a Program Instructor at the Close Up Foundation in Washington, DC.
As of the same date, Grossman’s LinkedIn profile said he received a bachelor’s degree in 2016 from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) in International Relations and Affairs.
Supporting Violent Protesters
Grossman indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a May 14, 2018, INN DC demonstration in Washington, D.C. to mourn [01:09:33] the Palestinians killed during the Great March of Return protests on Israel’s border with Gaza.In May 2018, terror group Hamas instigated violent riots on the Israeli-Gaza border. Thousands of rioters attempted to breach Israel’s border fence, declaring their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”
During the demonstration INN protestors chanted [01:32:00] “We are horrified by Israel’s violent response to Palestinian non-violent 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.
The May 14, 2018 event also protested the U.S. government’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
During the protest, Natalie Bernstien, an INN activist, read [00:32:19] out the name of the Palestinians killed during the protest and then INN DC recited the Mourner’s Kaddish for them.
The training event’s Facebook page promised to “continue the theme of the day with an action” that focused on the ways “AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
The INN organizers wrote they were “excited to be joined by” Ramah Kudaimi, the Director of Programs and Operations for U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), a coalition of American-based anti-Israel organizations, which lobbies the U.S. Congress to adopt anti-Israel policies and to end support for Israel.
INN reported that the event was attended by “55 IfNotNow members from Washington D.C, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City.”
They also reported that the training session looked at “messages of Islamophobia” and “focused on the ways the Jewish institutions in which many of us grew-up teach and propagate these messages.”
INN then listened to Herzallah go into “greater detail about various Jewish institutions that perpetuate Islamophobia support the occupation.”
The training event was followed by a protest outside of AIPAC's Conference at the Mt. Vernon Convention Center that evening to focus “on the ways AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
At the protest, INN organizer Jill Raney said that the training earlier that day taught [00:22:10] her how Islamophobia is closely tied to the “American support for the Occupation.”
During the protest, one leader claimed [00:30:18] that AIPAC is “Islamophobic” and “peddles Islamophobia.” Another INN speaker took the bullhorn to explain [00:09:04] that he came out to “make sure that we continue to resist the awful influence that AIPAC has on the Jewish community and our country as a whole.”
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.
Also on February 15, 2019, Grossman appeared in a group photo with INN activists on Twitter, posted by U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. Tlaib’s tweet read: “Dear @IfNotNowOrg: You make me feel seen, heard and loved. Thank you for coming over to our #13thDistrictStrong office today to show your support …”
Rashida Tlaib was elected to the U.S. Congress in November 2018. She has advocated for a one-state solution, endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and called for reduced foreign aid to Israel. In July 2019, Tlaib co-sponsored a pro-BDS bill in the U.S. Congress introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar.
On May 20, 2018, Grossman posed for a group photo posted on Facebook, from an INN DC training event co-led by Taher Herzallah from AMP.
INN’s comment on the Facebook photo described the training as gathering to “learn more about the history of Gaza, Palestinian non-violent resistance and how our community can take action to oppose the Israeli Military's recent actions.”
Protesting AIPAC
Grossman indicated on Facebook that he "went" to an April 5, 2018, INN DC demonstration, outside AIPAC’s headquarters in Washington D.C.: “to protest the killing of Palestinian protestors” during the Great March of Return on Israel’s border with Gaza.During the protest, Natalie Bernstien, an INN activist, read [00:32:19] out the name of the Palestinians killed during the protest and then INN DC recited the Mourner’s Kaddish for them.
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.
On April 30, 2017, Grossman appeared [00:01:11] in a video posted to Facebook by INN CO of a demonstration on the property of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, where “AIPAC hosted its annual Colorado fundraising event.”
During the demonstration, protesters condemned [00:28:49] the American Jewish community’s support of Israeli settlements and Israelis living in Judea and Samaria and referred to all Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria as “illegal.” The protestors portrayed [00:30:18] all Israeli settlement in Judea and Samaria as “occupation” and antithetical to “freedom and dignity for all.”
Grossman indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a March 27, 2017 INN-organized training event in Washington D.C., titled: “ResistAIPAC Anti-Islamophobia Training,” that was “developed and facilitated in coordination” with Taher Herzallah, the Associate Director of Outreach & Grassroots Organizing for AMP.
On April 30, 2017, Grossman appeared [00:01:11] in a video posted to Facebook by INN CO of a demonstration on the property of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, where “AIPAC hosted its annual Colorado fundraising event.”
During the demonstration, protesters condemned [00:28:49] the American Jewish community’s support of Israeli settlements and Israelis living in Judea and Samaria and referred to all Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria as “illegal.” The protestors portrayed [00:30:18] all Israeli settlement in Judea and Samaria as “occupation” and antithetical to “freedom and dignity for all.”
Grossman indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a March 27, 2017 INN-organized training event in Washington D.C., titled: “ResistAIPAC Anti-Islamophobia Training,” that was “developed and facilitated in coordination” with Taher Herzallah, the Associate Director of Outreach & Grassroots Organizing for AMP.
The training event’s Facebook page promised to “continue the theme of the day with an action” that focused on the ways “AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
The INN organizers wrote they were “excited to be joined by” Ramah Kudaimi, the Director of Programs and Operations for U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), a coalition of American-based anti-Israel organizations, which lobbies the U.S. Congress to adopt anti-Israel policies and to end support for Israel.
INN reported that the event was attended by “55 IfNotNow members from Washington D.C, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City.”
They also reported that the training session looked at “messages of Islamophobia” and “focused on the ways the Jewish institutions in which many of us grew-up teach and propagate these messages.”
INN then listened to Herzallah go into “greater detail about various Jewish institutions that perpetuate Islamophobia support the occupation.”
The training event was followed by a protest outside of AIPAC's Conference at the Mt. Vernon Convention Center that evening to focus “on the ways AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
At the protest, INN organizer Jill Raney said that the training earlier that day taught [00:22:10] her how Islamophobia is closely tied to the “American support for the Occupation.”
During the protest, one leader claimed [00:30:18] that AIPAC is “Islamophobic” and “peddles Islamophobia.” Another INN speaker took the bullhorn to explain [00:09:04] that he came out to “make sure that we continue to resist the awful influence that AIPAC has on the Jewish community and our country as a whole.”
Repurposing Jewish Rituals
On April 16, 2017, during the Jewish holiday of Passover, Grossman participated [00:35:20] in a “liberation seder” conducted by INN CO in front of the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Denver, CO.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.
Many of the activists set up tables and used symbols from the Jewish Seder table to represent different aspects of “the occupation.”
Grossman indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an April 7, 2018 INN “liberation seder” event in Washington, D.C. entitled: “Let My People Know.”
That day, INN organizers wrote on Facebook: “Today IfNotNow DC and IfNotNow Twin Cities stopped by Representative Ilhan Omar's DC and Minnesota offices with a gift of Challah for Shabbat. We came to show our solidarity with Omar against the slew of racist and Islamophobic attacks she faced.”
Grossman indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an April 7, 2018 INN “liberation seder” event in Washington, D.C. entitled: “Let My People Know.”
Promoting Anti-Israel Agitators
On February 15, 2019, Grossman appeared in a group photo posted to Facebook by INN DC on Facebook. In the photo, Grossman stood with other INN members who held signs that read: “We Stand with Rep. Ilhan Omar.”That day, INN organizers wrote on Facebook: “Today IfNotNow DC and IfNotNow Twin Cities stopped by Representative Ilhan Omar's DC and Minnesota offices with a gift of Challah for Shabbat. We came to show our solidarity with Omar against the slew of racist and Islamophobic attacks she faced.”
Ilhan Omar was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2018. In February 2019, top Congressional leaders denounced Omar for tweeting anti-Semitic remarks.Omar has demonized Israel and endorsed BDS. In July 2019, Omar introduced a pro-BDS resolution in the U.S. Congress, which she described as “an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support…the BDS movement.”
Also on February 15, 2019, Grossman appeared in a group photo with INN activists on Twitter, posted by U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. Tlaib’s tweet read: “Dear @IfNotNowOrg: You make me feel seen, heard and loved. Thank you for coming over to our #13thDistrictStrong office today to show your support …”
Rashida Tlaib was elected to the U.S. Congress in November 2018. She has advocated for a one-state solution, endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and called for reduced foreign aid to Israel. In July 2019, Tlaib co-sponsored a pro-BDS bill in the U.S. Congress introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar.
INN Activity
On November 28, 2018, Grossman posted to Facebook a fundraiser for INN and wrote: “Help me raise money for the movement I have had the privilege to be a part of and is making the world a better place.”On May 20, 2018, Grossman posed for a group photo posted on Facebook, from an INN DC training event co-led by Taher Herzallah from AMP.
INN’s comment on the Facebook photo described the training as gathering to “learn more about the history of Gaza, Palestinian non-violent resistance and how our community can take action to oppose the Israeli Military's recent actions.”
On March 5, 2018, Grossman appeared in a group Facebook photo of INN orientation training session attendees in Washington, D.C.
On January 17, 2018, Grossman appeared and was tagged in a photo on Facebook about an INN training session. Grossman is holding a sign in the photo that says: “First ever college training!” Another sign in the photo said: “#studentsINNnyc.”
The Facebook post featuring the photo said the training was attended by college students from various college campuses to learn “how to mobilize Jewish students to fight for freedom and dignity for all.”
The post continued to say: “mainstream Jewish institutions (including Hillel, Birthright, the Jewish Federations of America, and more) which uphold the occupation are outdated and the narrative needs to change.”
Grossman indicated on Facebook that on March 10, 2017, he “went” to INN CO’s “JewishResistance at AIPAC Denver Community Action Meeting.” According to the event description, the meeting was organized to inform participants of INN activities and to plan INN resistance at AIPAC’s policy conference in March 2017.
On February 20, 2017, Grossman appeared in a group photo of INN activists attending a President’s weekend training event hosted by INN CO.
The event description said: “The two day training will present the unified vision of IfNotNow: our shared strategy, story and structure. We'll leave the training with a series of actions planned and a structure with which we'll easily be able to incorporate other people.”
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).
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-grossman-0a9358a6/
On January 17, 2018, Grossman appeared and was tagged in a photo on Facebook about an INN training session. Grossman is holding a sign in the photo that says: “First ever college training!” Another sign in the photo said: “#studentsINNnyc.”
The Facebook post featuring the photo said the training was attended by college students from various college campuses to learn “how to mobilize Jewish students to fight for freedom and dignity for all.”
The post continued to say: “mainstream Jewish institutions (including Hillel, Birthright, the Jewish Federations of America, and more) which uphold the occupation are outdated and the narrative needs to change.”
Grossman indicated on Facebook that on March 10, 2017, he “went” to INN CO’s “JewishResistance at AIPAC Denver Community Action Meeting.” According to the event description, the meeting was organized to inform participants of INN activities and to plan INN resistance at AIPAC’s policy conference in March 2017.
On February 20, 2017, Grossman appeared in a group photo of INN activists attending a President’s weekend training event hosted by INN CO.
The event description said: “The two day training will present the unified vision of IfNotNow: our shared strategy, story and structure. We'll leave the training with a series of actions planned and a structure with which we'll easily be able to incorporate other people.”
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).
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/652404461LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-grossman-0a9358a6/
- Status:
- Professional
- University:
- Colorado-Boulder
- Organizations:
- INN
- Related Profiles:
- Last Modified:
- 05/04/2026
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