Rachel Goldstein
Overview
Rachel Goldstein [Rachel Emma Goldstein] participated in an IfNotNow (INN) protest against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has demonized Israel and defended an anti-Israel agitator alongside leaders from American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).
She has supported violent protesters, has spread an anti-Israel conspiracy theory, opposed the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and participated in events that re-purposed Jewish holidays.
Goldstein has expressed support of INN activists walking off their Birthright Israel trip and re-tweeted a tweet that whitewashed terrorism.
As of August 2019, Goldstein’s LinkedIn page said she was a “Research Associate” with Solar Energies Industries Association (SEIA) since June 2018 and was an SEIA Membership Account Manager from “Jan 2017 - Jun 2018.”
Goldstein’s LinkedIn page also indicated that she was pursuing a master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins) in Energy Policy and Climate Science, slated to graduate in 2020. Her LinkedIn page said Goldstein received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology in 2014, from Washington University in St Louis (WUSTL).
She has supported violent protesters, has spread an anti-Israel conspiracy theory, opposed the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and participated in events that re-purposed Jewish holidays.
Goldstein has expressed support of INN activists walking off their Birthright Israel trip and re-tweeted a tweet that whitewashed terrorism.
As of August 2019, Goldstein’s LinkedIn page said she was a “Research Associate” with Solar Energies Industries Association (SEIA) since June 2018 and was an SEIA Membership Account Manager from “Jan 2017 - Jun 2018.”
Goldstein’s LinkedIn page also indicated that she was pursuing a master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins) in Energy Policy and Climate Science, slated to graduate in 2020. Her LinkedIn page said Goldstein received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology in 2014, from Washington University in St Louis (WUSTL).
Protesting AIPAC
On March 21, 2016, Goldstein attended an INN DC protest outside the Washington, D.C. venue of the AIPAC Conference, calling to “#DumpAIPAC.”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.”
INN organizers claimed on Facebook that AIPAC's invitation to the U.S. President revealed AIPAC was “more invested in the politics of hate than in a vision of a peaceful Middle East.”
On March 26, 2017, Goldstein participated [00:14:52] in an INN protest outside the Washington D.C. venue of the AIPAC Policy Conference. Goldstein stated [00:16:28] in a video interview that she was happy to work with INN to ensure “that we can end American Jewish support for the occupation.”
On March 26, 2017, Goldstein participated [00:14:52] in an INN protest outside the Washington D.C. venue of the AIPAC Policy Conference. Goldstein stated [00:16:28] in a video interview that she was happy to work with INN to ensure “that we can end American Jewish support for the occupation.”
Protestors chained themselves to the entrance of the conference center. Several hundred protesters also marched and chanted for hours outside the venue.
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.”
Also on March 26, 2017, Goldstein posted a photo to Instagram of INN demonstrators protesting outside of the AIPAC conference.
Goldstein added: “Today, we showed that the #JewishResistance to the Occupation will not be silenced, and that we will be the moral leaders that AIPAC refuses to be. Still in awe of all the courage on display today. ......#resistaipac #ifnotnow #ifnotnowdc #freedomanddignityforall.”
Demonizing Israel
On August 11, 2016, Goldstein spoke into a bullhorn at an INN DC protest in support of “the Movement for Black Lives and against the occupation.”
Goldstein also helped hold up a sign that said: “Our Vision a Generation of Jews standing with the movement for Black Lives against the Occupation and Freedom and Dignity for All.”
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) previously issued a statement that strongly “condemned the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views expressed in the platform” of the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) policy platform. The M4BL platform claimed Israel was committing “genocide” and promoted the Boycott Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Goldstein also helped hold up a sign that said: “Our Vision a Generation of Jews standing with the movement for Black Lives against the Occupation and Freedom and Dignity for All.”
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) previously issued a statement that strongly “condemned the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views expressed in the platform” of the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) policy platform. The M4BL platform claimed Israel was committing “genocide” and promoted the Boycott Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Defending an Anti-Israel Agitator
On March 4, 2019, Goldstein tweeted: “Maybe instead of bringing this ridiculous resolution to the floor to use (((us))) as pawns to justify their misogynoir & islamophobia, Congress Dems could do literally anything else. #IStandWithIlhanOmar.” Goldstein added: “@Ilhan has done nothing wrong.”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.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi prepared a Congressional resolution condemning anti-Semitism and indirectly reprimanding Omar. The resolution was criticized [00:02:06] by Natalie Bamdad of INN, at a press conference in defense of Omar, which was held after top Congressional leaders rebuked Omar for her anti-Semitic comments.
Osama Abuirshaid, the AMP National Policy Director and Kareem El-Hosseiny, AMP National Government Relations Coordinator, both attended the press conference.
Other press conference attendees included Jinan Deena, the National Events and Outreach Manager of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and CAIR founder and CEO Nihad Awad, as well as Ramah Kudaimi, the Director of Grassroots Organizing for USCPR.
Osama Abuirshaid, the AMP National Policy Director and Kareem El-Hosseiny, AMP National Government Relations Coordinator, both attended the press conference.
Other press conference attendees included Jinan Deena, the National Events and Outreach Manager of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and CAIR founder and CEO Nihad Awad, as well as Ramah Kudaimi, the Director of Grassroots Organizing for USCPR.
Also present were JVP Deputy Director Alissa Wise, as well as anti-Israel Professor Noura Erakat and anti-Israel agitator Linda Sarsour.
On March 6, 2019, Goldstein tweeted: “Wonderful speech from @NatBamdad, a Jewish woman speaking out against the double standards surrounding this controversy and the importance of not letting white supremacy divide marginalized groups. #StandWithIlhan.”
Goldstein joined participants from the press conference in delivering letters of support to Omar. The group also reportedly delivered a letter to Pelosi's office alleging that accusations against Omar were “unfounded.”
On March 6, 2019, Goldstein tweeted: “Wonderful speech from @NatBamdad, a Jewish woman speaking out against the double standards surrounding this controversy and the importance of not letting white supremacy divide marginalized groups. #StandWithIlhan.”
Goldstein joined participants from the press conference in delivering letters of support to Omar. The group also reportedly delivered a letter to Pelosi's office alleging that accusations against Omar were “unfounded.”
Supporting Violent Protesters
On April 16, 2018, Goldstein tweeted: “Proud of my friends taking action this morning. #WeWillBeTheGeneration.” Goldstein embedded an INN tweet that said: “And five more today. What will it take for Jewish leaders to speak out?”The tweet linked to a 972 article reporting on INN activists who were arrested the day before in cities across the United States, while demonstrating in support of the violent March of Return.
On March 30, 2018, about 30,000 Gazans approached Israel’s border fence to join in “Land Day Protests,” which were also called the “March of Return.” The march was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests to spotlight the “right of return,” a policy discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] the March of Return protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of Israel’s border fence, some by armed Palestinians. One Hamas leader declared [00:00:30]: “We will take down the border [with Israel] and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”
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.
Anti-Israel Conspiracy Theory
On March 14, 2019, Goldstein tweeted that U.S. Democrat Presidential candidates “@BetoORourke! @JoeBiden @KamalaHarris and plenty others are deep in AIPAC’s pockets.”
The implication that AIPAC buys political support for Israel has been described as playing into “anti-Semitic tropes” that led to “centuries of stereotypes about Jews using money to control the world.”
Opposing the Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
On May 14, 2018, Goldstein tweeted: “I love these beautiful people who demonstrated this morning. To the Christian right: we are not here to be pawns in your end-of-days messianic fantasies. #NotInMyName #BibiDoesNotSpeakForMe.”Goldstein’s tweet was about an 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 the decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
On December 20, 2017, Goldstein tweeted: “As Trump stokes violence under guise of philo-semitism, remember that Christian Hegemony loves using Jews as middle agents to uphold systems of oppression. #Jerusalem4All #NotYourPawn.”
On December 20, 2017, Goldstein tweeted: “As Trump stokes violence under guise of philo-semitism, remember that Christian Hegemony loves using Jews as middle agents to uphold systems of oppression. #Jerusalem4All #NotYourPawn.”
On December 8, 2017, Goldstein participated [00:16:18] in an INN DC demonstration in front of the Jewish Federation of North America (JFNA) building in Washington, DC, protesting 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 Facebook event description called the U.S. government’s move “incitement.”
During the protest, Rachel Mandelbaum, an INN organizer, filmed [00:33:37] the demonstration and said [00:14:09] that although this action would not include getting arrested: “sometimes, it’s nice to get arrested to really get your point across.”
Repurposing Jewish Rituals
On October 13, 2016, Goldstein attended an INN-hosted second day of fasting, following the ancient Jewish fast day of Yom Kippur, “to atone for 50 years of occupation.”On April 7, 2018, Goldstein indicated on Facebook that she “went” to INN DC’s “Let My People Know: IfNotNow DC Passover Seder.”
The event description claimed: “On the first night of Passover, 17 unarmed Palestinian protesters were shot and killed by Israeli forces” and called to “gather outside the headquarters of AIPAC” to “mourn the lives lost in Gaza.”
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.
Birthright Walk-Off
Goldstein retweeted a July 18, 2018, NowThis tweet and video of INN activist Elon Glickman taking part in an INN-staged walk-off of a Birthright trip.Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
In the video, Glickman likened [00:00:01] visiting Israel on Birthright to “going the Jim Crow South during segregation.”
INN posted a photo of the activists, including Glickman, on Instagram, and wrote: “Birthright wouldn’t show the reality and complexity of the Occupation, so earlier today 8 young Jews walked off 2 trips to go find the truth for themselves.”
Trivializing Terrorism
Goldstein retweeted a February 13, 2019 tweet that said: “If Palestinians arm themselves to resist an illegal occupation that has been going on longer than I’ve been alive, they are painted as ‘terrorists’ who hate Jews and should find their MLK.”
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).
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
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/rg0lds/
