Tara Siegel
Overview
Tara Siegel has supported violent protesters, protested against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and defended anti-Israel agitators. She has also spread hatred of Israel, demonized the Birthright Jewish heritage tour and opposed the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.Siegel is an activist with IfNotNow (INN) and attended an INN DC training event co-led by Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).
As of June 2019, Siegel’s LinkedIn page said that she was a “Consultant” with World Bank Groupsince February 2016 and a “Federal Policy Advisor (Consultant)” at California Health Policy Strategies since February 2018.
Siegel’s LinkedIn also said she received a master’s degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University (Georgetown) and a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Wellesley College (Wellesley) in 2011.
Supporting Violent Protesters
On May 14, 2018, Siegel promoted an INN DC demonstration in Washington, D.C. to mourn [01:09:33] Palestinians killed during the Great March of Return protests on Israel’s border with Gaza.
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.
On that same day, Siegel tweeted: “The #Jewish future demands #Palestinian freedom. ~100 gather in DC in opposition to the opening of the US #embassy in #Jerusalem & in solidarity with Gazans facing illegal fire. .@ifnotnow #WeWillBeTheGeneration.”
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.
On that same day, Siegel tweeted: “The #Jewish future demands #Palestinian freedom. ~100 gather in DC in opposition to the opening of the US #embassy in #Jerusalem & in solidarity with Gazans facing illegal fire. .@ifnotnow #WeWillBeTheGeneration.”
On the same day, Siegel tweeted: “#EmbassyofOccupation in #Jerusalem or #EmbassyOfFreedom with .@IfNotNowOrg & the next generation of American Jews--take your pick, .@ADL_National .@AIPAC .@HillelIntl etc etc etc #WeWillBeTheGeneration.”
Protesting AIPAC
On March 26, 2017, Siegel participated [00:06:13] in an INN protest outside the Washington, D.C. venue of the AIPAC policy conference, where some chained themselves to the entrance of the conference center.
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 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.”
On March 26, 2017, Siegel tweeted a video of the disruption and added: “AIPAC does not speak for all Jews. #JewishResistance at #AIPAC2017.”
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 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.”
Defending Anti-Israel Agitators
On February 16, 2018, Siegel participated in an INN DC delegation to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s Washington office “to demonstrate that #westandwithilhan against the recent racist and Islamophobic attacks she has had to face.”
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 16, 2018, Siegel and INN DC visited Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s office “to thank her.”
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.
Spreading Hatred of Israel
Siegel retweeted a March 30, 2018 tweet that said: “I'd say Happy Passover, but our snipers and tanks are currently sitting behind super-secure border fences, using live fire to cut down unarmed demonstrators trying to walk out of bondage. #Gaza #GreatReturnMarch.”
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.
Siegel retweeted a tweet from the same day that said: “On the eve of Passover, a festival of liberation, the Jewish state is killing Palestinians for demanding freedom. Tonight at our seders, we must ask: What can we do to end the Occupation?”
Siegel retweeted a May 14, 2018 tweet that said: “History will record that the United States government celebrated with Israel in Jerusalem as it massacred scores of Palestinians in Gaza.”
Siegel also retweeted a tweet from that same day that said: “Celebrating the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, on #Nakba Day, as 38 Palestinians are massacred, is disgusting. There's no other word for it.”
Demonizing Jewish Heritage Tour
On December 23, 2018, Siegel tweeted that Birthright Israel “paints non-Jewish Arabs as exclusively violent. Solidarity doesn't work like that. #NotJustAFreeTrip.”
Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
In her tweet, Siegel embedded another tweet by INN organizer, Ben Doernberg, about Birthright that claimed that “*Literally* every single time an Arab or Palestinian was mentioned in a story, it was to talk about someone who was a crazy terrorist murderer who likes killing Jews for fun. Every. Single. Time.”
Doernberg led an INN disruption of a Birthright trip in December 2018 and was removed from the tour.
INN Activity
On May 19, 2018, Siegel posed for a group photo posted on Facebook, from an INN DC training event co-led by Taher Herzallah, the Associate Director of Outreach & Grassroots Organizing of 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 April 7, 2018, Siegel indicated on Facebook that she “went” to INN DC’s “Let My People Know: IfNotNow DC Passover Seder.”
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.
On March 24, 2017, Siegel indicated on Facebook that she “went” to “IfNotNow Community Shabbat: ResistAIPAC Mobilization.”
On March 26, 2017, INN held a 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.
On March 26, 2017, INN held a 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.
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.
Opposing the Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
On December 8, 2017, Siegel indicated on Facebook that she would be attending 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.”
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/2104376LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarasiegel/
Videos
5 videos
Photos & Screenshots
59 images
Infamous Quotes
“AIPAC upholds Israel’s military occupation & supports anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.”
