Jacob Perez

Overview

Jacob Perez [Jacob Matthew Perez] has expressed hatred of Zionists, defended terrorists, spread hatred of Israel and engaged in anti-Israel activism. 

Perez was affiliated with General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS) at San Francisco State University (SFSU). GUPS is a branch of the anti-Israel campus group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Perez graduated from SFSU with a bachelor’s degree in History in 2017. At SFSU, he was mentored by anti-Israel professor Rabab Abdulhadi, GUPS faculty advisor and head of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies (AMED) program.

Perez is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Perez graduated from the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) with a master’s degree in Theological Studies (MTS) in 2021.

As of October 2022, Perez was listed as a Conference Manager and a non-voting board member for the American Academy of Religion, Western Region (AARWR), acting as the Northern California Student Representative, since March 2020. He was also listed as the co-chair of AARWR’s “Latinx Religions & Spiritualities Unit.”

Also as of October 2022, Perez served as the Youth Education Partner at the First Christian Church (FCC) in Concord, CA, reportedly since 2020. He has also been a guest preacher “at churches from San Jose to Sacramento.”

As of the same date, Perez’s LinkedIn page said he was the Marketing Director for Mary’s Pizza Shack, a family-owned pizza chain in Northern California.

As of October 2022, Perez operated his own branding and marketing consultancy.  

As of the same date, Perez used the handle “@postpentecostal” on Twitter and indicated he was located in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Hatred of Zionists

On February 14, 2019, Perez tweeted: “...zionists suck, let’s wish them the worst.”

On May 15, 2018, Perez tweeted: “Israel is anti-Semitic so you played yourself, dumba**.” 

Perez’s tweet was in response to a tweet that said: “I am a rabbi. 
I love Israel…You can challenge the Israeli government’s policies without being anti-Semitic.”

Defending Terrorists

During an Israeli operation against Gazan terrorists, Perez retweeted a November 13, 2019 tweet that said: “In the last 24 hours, 24 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Rest in peace to our martyrs.” The tweet showed multiple terrorists belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a designated foreign terror organization.

In November 2019, Israel launched Operation Black Belt to stop rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. From November 12 to November 14, 2019, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group sent hundreds of rockets into Israel, targeting major civilian population centers.

During the 2018 violent riots in Gaza known as the “Great March of Return,” Perez retweeted a May 30, 2018 tweet that said: “When we talk about Hamas & rockets- we should note that it did not respond to Israel's provocative & lethal attacks against unarmed protestors for over 6 weeks during the #GreatReturnMarch. The failure to note its restraint- is deliberate, dishonest, and dangerous.#GAZA.”

Hatred of Israel

On December 23, 2017, Perez tweeted: “... ZIONISMISANTI-SEMITISM.”

Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.

On May 15, 2018, Perez tweeted: “I think we also have to acknowledge that the European monarchies were one thing, their expansion into territory and the creation of the modern nation-state through colonialism (racism) is a separate thing altogether. Israel belongs to the latter.”

Perez retweeted a May 15, 2018 tweet that said: “Yesterday was turning point for the criminal regime in Israel. The nature of that state was revealed even to the super-propagandized US public. Now it's time to step up BDS movement.”

The tweet referred to the United States moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which had occurred the previous day.

Perez retweeted a May 16, 2018 tweet that said: “Just a reminder that Israel was murdering civilians, stealing land, displacing natives, destroying homes, imprisoning children, and implementing apartheid before ‘Hamas’ was even an idea.”

Perez retweeted a July 20, 2018 tweet by anti-Israel activist Steven Salaita that said: “Affirming Israel's ‘right to exist’ as it destroys communities and slaughters civilians is simply an affirmation of Palestinian nonexistence.”

Perez retweeted a September 19, 2018 tweet that said: “...Beto [then-US Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke] joins the list of politicians that claim to be ‘progressive’ while uplifting the genocidal apartheid state of Israel. #ProgressiveExceptPalestine.”

On September 20, 2018, Perez tweeted: “Make Israel Palestine Again.”

On October 5, 2018, Perez tweeted: “Standing in solidarity with the #GreatReturnMarch involves reminding allies it is still ongoing. Don’t forget occupation forces are still murdering Palestinians..”



On December 30, 2018, Perez tweeted: “Leave Zionism in 2018.”

Perez retweeted a December 10, 2019 tweet that said: “Equating support for Israel with support for Jews is anti-Semitic.”

Perez retweeted a February 14, 2019 tweet that said: “We in JAz [Jews Against zionism] recognize this ‘holiday’ [Israel Independence Day] as an insult to Palestinians and others who have been effected by zionism. We stand in solidarity with SFSU GUPS, @AbdulhadiRabab , Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims who are oppressed everyday by the forces of zionism. #FreePalestine #NakbaDay.”

The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.

Anti-Israel Activism

As of October 2022, Perez had reportedly “led small group discussions at his church…particularly around issues of police violence in the United States and the interconnected issue of Palestinian right of return.”

The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Perez retweeted a January 30, 2019 tweet by the Twitter account of “The International Campaign to Defend Dr. Abdulhadi” that said: “...Please donate to our cause, we need your support! Your contribution makes an impact and is tax-deductible (through Al-Awda)...” 

The tweet shared a link that urged people to donate to the anti-Israel organization Al-Awda, the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition.

During Israel’s Operation Black Belt, Perez retweeted a November 16, 2019 tweet by anti-Israel agitator Lubna Morrar that said: “Free Palestine! Come out in #SanFrancisco #GazaUnderAttack.” 

The tweet shared a poster of a protest organized by the Palestine Action Network (PAN) titled: “Hands off Gaza!” 

Perez retweeted a November 27, 2019 tweet by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) that said: “Why should you donate to the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM)? Hear from our very own members what PYM means, the work we do, and how donating whatever you can will support grassroots Palestinian youth organizing!...#FreePalestine  .”

Supporting GUPS

Perez retweeted an October 25, 2019 tweet by GUPS that said: “Join us for the 12th Annual Anniversary of the Edward Said Mural.” Edward Said was a former professor and anti-Israel activist.

On April 23, 2018, Perez tweeted: “@Falastnya @givemechnafa - GUPS game night, or nah?.”

On April 21, 2018, Perez tweeted: “Hanging with @GUPS_SFSU...”

On December 15, 2017, Perez tweeted: “... I owe AMED and GUPS so much.”

On October 21, 2017, Perez tweeted: “Nov. 2 GUPS @ SFSU hosting the 10th Edward Said Mural Event. Allies come thru!...”

GUPS SFSU - Overview  

GUPS SFSU has promoted terrorists, participated in anti-Israel rallies, demonized Israel and Zionism, and campaigned for the BDS Movement as part of its anti-Israel activism.

GUPS SFSU - Glorifying Terrorists 2019-2020  

On November 15, 2019, during Israel’s Operation Black Belt against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group, GUPS SFSU tweeted: “Rest in peace to our martyrs.” The tweet included a November 13, 2019 tweet from the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) mourning the death of “24 Palestinians…killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.” 

Most of the reported dead were identifed as PIJ members killed in an Israeli operation in Gaza.

GUPS SFSU - Supporting a Terrorist 2015-2016  

On March 8, 2016, GUPS SFSU posted to Instagram a graphic that portrayed Leila Khaled as a “fierce woman resisting colonial powers and repression.”  

GUPS SFSU - Anti-Israel Rally 2019-2020  

On November 15, 2019, GUPS SFSU promoted on Instagram an “emergency protest” titled “Hands Off Gaza!” organized by the Palestine Action Network (PAN) to take place at the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco the following day.

GUPS SFSU - Rally in Support of Anti-Israel Violence 2018-2019  

On March 27, 2019, GUPS SFSU promoted on Instagram a March 30, 2019 rally, hosted by the Palestine Action Network (PAN), celebrating the first anniversary of Gaza’s “Great March of Return.” The post featured a flier urging people to “defend” the BDS Movement, “support Palestinian self-determination and the right of return” and “stop all U.S. aid to Israel.”

GUPS SFSU - Demonizing Israel 2018-2019

On February 12, 2019, GUPS SFSU promoted on Instagram an “emergency rally” in response to SFSU’s recognizing Israel Independence Day on its list of “Religious Observances.” The post said: “Zionism is NOT allowed on our campus!” 

Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.  

The post was accompanied by a statement signed by the “General Union of Palestine Students” labeling Israel a “settler colonial state” and accusing Israel of “the ongoing murder and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”

GUPS SFSU - Demonizing Zionism 2018-2019  

On April 16, 2019, GUPS SFSU posted to Instagram accusing Zionism of being “a white supremacist settler colonial ideology.” The post also claimed: “Zionism is not separate from massacre, from ethnic cleansing but that these are inherently Zionist.” The post ended by urging: “Don’t Normalize Zionism!”

GUPS SFSU - Demonizing Zionism 2017-2018

On February 23, 2018, GUPS SFSU wrote on the Medium platform that “Zionism is the violent ideology responsible for the genocide and displacement of indigenous Palestinians and the destruction of Palestinian land," as well as a “form of hate” that is not welcome “in the Bay Area, let alone SFSU.”

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobperez-design  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sfjacobperez

Twitter: https://twitter.com/postpentecostal

Curriculum Vitae: https://psr.academia.edu/JacobPerez/CurriculumVitae 

Medium: https://medium.com/@jacob_perez