Emma Saltzberg
Overview
Emma Saltzberg is a co-founder of IfNotNow (INN) who was arrested at an INN event that repurposed Jewish rituals to demonize Israel. She has also spread hatred of Israel on the radio and defended anti-Israel agitators.Saltzberg has demonized the Birthright Jewish heritage trip and opposed recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
As a co-founder of INN, Saltzberg either made the decision or was complicit in INN’s decision to partner with the anti-Semitic American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).
Saltzberg has also protested against American Jewish organizations such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and defended the Boycott, Divestment Sanctions (BDS) Movement.
In 2014, Saltzberg was affiliated with Momentum.
As of August 2019, Saltzberg’s LinkedIn page said she was a Strategic Research Analyst at Change to Win Federation from “Oct 2016 - Aug 2018.”
As of the same date, Slatezberg’s LinkedIn page also said she was a “Counselor” at Ramah Day Camp from “Jun 2010 — Aug 2010.”
Also as of August 2019, Saltzberg’s LinkedIn page said she was a “Graduate Student in Politics at the New School for Social Research,” slated to graduate in 2020 and that she graduated from Amherst College in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government.
Arrest
On April 20, 2016, Saltzberg was one of 17 INN activists who were arrested for holding a “liberation seder”in the lobby [00:05:44] of the Manhattan building housing the offices of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).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 repurposed symbols from the Jewish Seder table to demonize Israel.
The activists occupied the lobby, demanding that the ADL and American Jewish leaders publicly oppose Israeli “occupation.”
INN uploaded resources for public use to their website and claimed that approximately 500 people participated in their liberation seders across the country.
The following day, INN announced on their website that they rejected an invitation to a meeting with the ADL.
Supporting Violent Protesters
On May 16, 2018, during the March of Return protests on Israel’s border with Gaza, Saltzberg tweeted: “It’s me on Radio Dispatch, talking @IfNotNowOrg and #JewishResistance to the violence in Gaza...”Saltzberg’s tweet was in response to a tweet by Radio Dispatch, that read:“Today's show features two guests to talk about Israel's violence at the Gaza border: @maysoonzayid, a comedian whose family is from Palestine, and @EmmaSaltzberg of @IfNotNowOrg”
The tweet linked to Radio Dispatches interview with Saltzberg “on Israel’s Violence in 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.”
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.
On April 6, 2018, Saltzberg tweeted: “If you think Chuck Schumer should condemn the IDF’s (ongoing) killing of protesters in Gaza, sign this from @IfNotNowOrg https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/chuck-schumer-condemn-the-killing-of-palestinian-protesters-in-gaza …”
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.
Saltzberg’s tweet linked to an INN petition that called on U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer to “condemn the violence against unarmed Palestinians protestors.”
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.
Opposing Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
On December 6, 2017 Saltzberg tweeted: “Show up with the #JewishResistance against Trump's embassy move & follow @IfNotNowOrg for more anti-occupation Jewish organizing!”On May 16, 2018 Saltzberg tweeted: “It’s me on Radio Dispatch, talking @IfNotNowOrg and...Trump’s embassy move!” Saltzberg demonized [00:20:34]the move in her interview.
Defending Anti-Israel Agitators
Saltzberg retweeted a March 4, 2019 tweet from INN defending Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and protesting a resolution which was reportedly being formulated by House Democrats, in response to anti-Semitic comments made by Omar.The INN petition said: “Take action, and sign our petition demanding that @SpeakerPelosi and the House Democratic Leadership withdraw the resolution, and condemn white nationalism, not @IlhanMN.”
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.”
Saltzberg retweeted a November 30, 2018 tweet that included an article defending Marc Lamont Hill.
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.
Saltzberg retweeted a November 30, 2018 INN tweet that linked to a statement from INN Philadelphia defending Marc Lamont Hill, with the caption: “Check out this amazing statement about Philadelphia-native Marc Lamont Hill @IfNotNowPhilly.”
On December 20, 2017, Saltzberg tweeted: “#FreeAhed,” referring to anti-Israel agitator Ahed Tamimi.
On the same day, Saltzberg tweeted: “Must-read on Ahed Tamimi, the teenage girl arrested by the IDF last week. Why was she trying to get IDF soldiers out of her family's courtyard? Because she and her family have suffered the most brutal effects of the occupation.”
On March 22, 2016, Saltzberg was featured in a photo posted on Facebook by fellow INN activist, Mil Dranoff, with protesters standing outside the “TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL AND TOWER,” demonstrating against AIPAC.
On July 28, 2014, during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in Gaza, Saltzberg participated with other INN activists, eight of whom were subsequently arrested, at a “Kaddish Action” outside the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (COP).
Those arrested had refused to listen to directives [00:00:11] to stop blocking the sidewalk outside of the COP offices.
At the demonstration, INN marked the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av by reciting the Jewish Mourner’s Kaddish prayer for Palestinians and Israelis killed during OPE.
Tisha B’Av, regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, is a day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.
The Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish is a prayer customarily reserved for close relatives or Jews murdered for being Jews.
On June 29, 2018, Saltzberg tweeted: “I never went on @birthright but I’m so proud of the 5 women who walked off a #Birthright trip this week to see the #occupation in #Hebron with @BtSIsrael.”
On June 27, 2018, INN released their #NotJustAFreeTrip campaign. INN’s press release about the campaign, posted on its website, claimed Birthright’s donors “are invested in the perpetuation of the 51-year-old occupation.”
Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
Saltzberg retweeted a December 23, 2018 tweet which included a screenshot of a press release from INN that claimed: “This morning, #Birthright kicked participants off for asking questions about the border wall, enforcing their new Code of Conduct for the first time. Read and RT our full statement. #NotJustAFreeTrip
For further comment: press@ifnotnowmovement.org.”
Birthright officials later clarified in a December 24, 2018 Jerusalem Post interview that the participants who were removed were IfNotNow activists who had “aggressively disrupt[ed] the experience of the other participants” and that Birthright would not tolerate “any coordinated plans” to disrupt its trips.
None of the participants removed from the trip admitted to being INN leaders or to knowing each other prior to the trip, however, two of the activists, Ben Doernberg and Shira Tiffany, were among the eight INN activists who were arrested together while blockading Boston’s AIPAC office, after also blockading Boston’s Israeli Consulate, in April2018.
Saltzberg retweeted a December 20, 2018 INN tweet linking to a video from another INN leader and Birthright walk-off, Harry Weissman, which said: “BREAKING: More Birthright participants are rejecting Birthright's bribe from Sheldon Adelson and walking off of Birthright. They're going to see what Birthright refuses to show them — the realities of the Occupation. #NotJustAFreeTrip.”
The event’s Facebook description said they would “talk about how we can hold our Jewish institutions to withdrawing their support for the occupation.”
Saltzman commented on the event and said: “Hi Mammoths! Emma Saltzberg, Amherst ‘13, Amherst Hillel VP 2010-2011, and co-founder of IfNotNow here...Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re considering it and have questions or want encouragement!”
After the March 4th training, INN posted on Facebook that they “sent an email to Aaron Fine, Director of Umass Amherst Hillel, asking him to host an anti-Occupation seder on Passover.” The post also asked people who agreed “that UMass Hillel should host an anti-Occupation seder…..sign our petition” and linked to the petition.
On December 6, 2017, the day the U.S. Government announced its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Saltzberg tweeted a “New Prayer for Israel in Palestine,” written by INN-Chicago in English and Hebrew. Saltzberg commented: “re-upping this from @IfNotNowOrg in Chicago: A New Prayer for Israel and Palestine #Jerusalem4All.”
The prayer included: “May the state of Israel recognize the humanity of those it oppresses and end the Occupation swiftly in our days.”
On April 9, 2015, Saltzberg participated with INN activists in an INN-organized: “Freedom for All: #IfNotNow Seder in the Streets.”
The description on the Facebook photo album for the event, said the INN activists “went to the central office of the Jewish Federations of North America” to “renew our commitment to wrestling with our community” over its alleged “support for Israeli military rule over the Palestinian people.”
In May 2017, the Forward published an article discussing an interview with Al Jazeera where Senator Bernie Sanders went on the record about not supporting the BDS movement.
On December 27, 2017, Saltzberg tweeted: “BDS isn't the problem; support for occupation is the problem. @IfNotNowOrg is fighting for an American Jewish community that refuses to be used to justify the occupation of Palestine.”
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).
Twitter:https://twitter.com/EmmaSaltzberg
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-saltzberg-7523b676/ [Deleted]
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/passthesaltzberg [Private]
On December 20, 2017, Saltzberg tweeted: “#FreeAhed,” referring to anti-Israel agitator Ahed Tamimi.
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 the same day, Saltzberg tweeted: “Must-read on Ahed Tamimi, the teenage girl arrested by the IDF last week. Why was she trying to get IDF soldiers out of her family's courtyard? Because she and her family have suffered the most brutal effects of the occupation.”
The village of Nabi Saleh is a Tamimi family stronghold. It is notorious as a place where photographers gather nearly every Friday to document scenes of Palestinian residents and international activists clashing with Israeli soldiers. Much of this is instigated by the Nabi Saleh Tamimi clan.
Protesting Against American Jewish Organizations
On January 2, 2018, Saltzberg tweeted: “Minimize our organizing all you want, @AJCGlobal --@IfNotNowOrg is building a powerful movement, grounded in our sense of responsibility for our Jewish community. #WeWillBeTheGeneration to end American Jewish support for the occupation.”
On March 22, 2016, Saltzberg was featured in a photo posted on Facebook by fellow INN activist, Mil Dranoff, with protesters standing outside the “TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL AND TOWER,” demonstrating against AIPAC.
On July 28, 2014, during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in Gaza, Saltzberg participated with other INN activists, eight of whom were subsequently arrested, at a “Kaddish Action” outside the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (COP).
Israel commenced Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
Those arrested had refused to listen to directives [00:00:11] to stop blocking the sidewalk outside of the COP offices.
At the demonstration, INN marked the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av by reciting the Jewish Mourner’s Kaddish prayer for Palestinians and Israelis killed during OPE.
Tisha B’Av, regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, is a day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.
The Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish is a prayer customarily reserved for close relatives or Jews murdered for being Jews.
Demonizing Birthright
Saltzberg has spread INN materials opposing Birthright Israel Jewish Heritage trips and promoting INN’s #NotJustAFreeTrip campaign on Twitter.On June 29, 2018, Saltzberg tweeted: “I never went on @birthright but I’m so proud of the 5 women who walked off a #Birthright trip this week to see the #occupation in #Hebron with @BtSIsrael.”
On June 27, 2018, INN released their #NotJustAFreeTrip campaign. INN’s press release about the campaign, posted on its website, claimed Birthright’s donors “are invested in the perpetuation of the 51-year-old occupation.”
Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
Saltzberg retweeted a December 23, 2018 tweet which included a screenshot of a press release from INN that claimed: “This morning, #Birthright kicked participants off for asking questions about the border wall, enforcing their new Code of Conduct for the first time. Read and RT our full statement. #NotJustAFreeTrip
For further comment: press@ifnotnowmovement.org.”
Birthright officials later clarified in a December 24, 2018 Jerusalem Post interview that the participants who were removed were IfNotNow activists who had “aggressively disrupt[ed] the experience of the other participants” and that Birthright would not tolerate “any coordinated plans” to disrupt its trips.
None of the participants removed from the trip admitted to being INN leaders or to knowing each other prior to the trip, however, two of the activists, Ben Doernberg and Shira Tiffany, were among the eight INN activists who were arrested together while blockading Boston’s AIPAC office, after also blockading Boston’s Israeli Consulate, in April2018.
Saltzberg retweeted a December 20, 2018 INN tweet linking to a video from another INN leader and Birthright walk-off, Harry Weissman, which said: “BREAKING: More Birthright participants are rejecting Birthright's bribe from Sheldon Adelson and walking off of Birthright. They're going to see what Birthright refuses to show them — the realities of the Occupation. #NotJustAFreeTrip.”
INN Anti-Israel Activity
Saltzberg was the contact person listed on a February 22, 2018 Jewish Identity Collective Facebook post, advertising an INN event at Hampshire College called: “IfNotNow 5 College Training: March 4th.”The event’s Facebook description said they would “talk about how we can hold our Jewish institutions to withdrawing their support for the occupation.”
Saltzman commented on the event and said: “Hi Mammoths! Emma Saltzberg, Amherst ‘13, Amherst Hillel VP 2010-2011, and co-founder of IfNotNow here...Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re considering it and have questions or want encouragement!”
After the March 4th training, INN posted on Facebook that they “sent an email to Aaron Fine, Director of Umass Amherst Hillel, asking him to host an anti-Occupation seder on Passover.” The post also asked people who agreed “that UMass Hillel should host an anti-Occupation seder…..sign our petition” and linked to the petition.
On December 6, 2017, the day the U.S. Government announced its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Saltzberg tweeted a “New Prayer for Israel in Palestine,” written by INN-Chicago in English and Hebrew. Saltzberg commented: “re-upping this from @IfNotNowOrg in Chicago: A New Prayer for Israel and Palestine #Jerusalem4All.”
The prayer included: “May the state of Israel recognize the humanity of those it oppresses and end the Occupation swiftly in our days.”
On April 9, 2015, Saltzberg participated with INN activists in an INN-organized: “Freedom for All: #IfNotNow Seder in the Streets.”
The description on the Facebook photo album for the event, said the INN activists “went to the central office of the Jewish Federations of North America” to “renew our commitment to wrestling with our community” over its alleged “support for Israeli military rule over the Palestinian people.”
Defending BDS
On August 31, 2017, Saltzberg tweeted: “Hey @bungarsargon this article is from May - I disagree w/Bernie on BDS but I'm curious why you're recircing now without noting that.”In May 2017, the Forward published an article discussing an interview with Al Jazeera where Senator Bernie Sanders went on the record about not supporting the BDS movement.
On December 27, 2017, Saltzberg tweeted: “BDS isn't the problem; support for occupation is the problem. @IfNotNowOrg is fighting for an American Jewish community that refuses to be used to justify the occupation of Palestine.”
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).
BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.
One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”
Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”
In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.
BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.
The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.
Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.
BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook:www.facebook.com/1458150127Twitter:https://twitter.com/EmmaSaltzberg
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-saltzberg-7523b676/ [Deleted]
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/passthesaltzberg [Private]
