LAST NIGHT AT THE AIPAC DINNER

As was to be expected when AIPAC brings their traveling dog and pony show to San Francisco, both the pro-Israel and the anti-Israel camps showed up to demonstrate.

The displays of anger from both sides were impressive, the displays of sanity and rational behaviour far less so.


I had several conversations with members of the other side. Some were better than others.

Oddly, the good conversations were with people who identified themselves as Jewish, though they came in solidarity with the 'destroy-Israel' crowd.
A number of them voiced valid concerns.

My conversations with Arabs were far-less salutary - I listened to several of them working themselves into fits of rage, almost always culminating with 'destroy Israel', or similar sentiments. I doubt that any of them will ever acknowledge Israel's right to exist within secure borders, and a cessation of rockets, bombs, assaults. They are capable of homicidal fury, and several of them apparently do not believe we are human (which they expressed quite bluntly, with absolutely no possibility of doubt).
But a number of them did voice valid concerns.


There were chants conveying that Israel would be destroyed, wiped off the map, "liberated", expunged, punished, enslaved.
Not surprising.


Some of the slogans chanted by the other side reflected a depravity to which I had heretofore not been exposed - in particular, "Israel supporters watch your back, we will throw you down a shaft".


This refers to one of our core-members who was found dead last week at the bottom of an elevator shaft. I do not take the chant as an admission of guilt. But I do take it as a very clear expression of threat, demonstrating that there are indeed potential murderers (and undoubtedly some who have already realized that potential) among the Bay Area Arab population.

In consequence, I shall cease shopping at Arab stores, and only take cabs chauffeured by Sikhs. While I like many Arabs, I cannot trust them. There is far too much hatred and bigotry in their ranks.
[Bear in mind, I have also heard unsanitary remarks about black people from Arabs - to quote an Arab food seller in SF recently: "You really think they'll let that nigger be president? Back in Gaza we say if you buy a slave, first buy the whip. Bush already has the whip".
What that same individual said about Chinese people several years ago was just as appalling. And his friends all agreed with him at that time. Such people are no credit to their kind.]


I am both baffled and outraged that Jewish Voice for Peace, Bay Area Women in Black, and others of the attending collaborationists did not protest at the quoted chant, nor disagree with the hateful anti-Semitism in that as well as other chants. Their "resolute" presence supported those messages of hate. What part of murderous inclinations do they not get?


And, speaking of people who are not a credit to their kind, I will freely admit that a number of our people should have been shot with tranquilizer darts.
I shall have to suggest an 'International Zionist Conspiracy' budget allocation to that end. We might also want to invest in some straightjackets, for those of our supporters who just cannot grasp what we are trying to do, or why.


Kudos to the SFPD for putting up with some very odd behaviour last night.
I promise you guys there will be more of the same at some point.

DAN KLIMAN

If you haven't already done so, please read Zombie's post about Dan Kliman. It is an excellent source for updated information on the case.
Zombie knew certain aspects of Dan better than almost anybody else possibly could - both had received death-threats for making photos and recordings of the hatred and extremism evident at protests in the Bay Area.
[Zombie is, according to reliable reports, on an extremist hit-list. This is the Bay Area, and we have more unbalanced people here than many other places.]


Zombie's post:
http://www.zombietime.com/zomblog/?p=110
Click: R.I.P. Dan Kliman.


Zombie's main page:
http://www.zombietime.com/
Click: zombietime.
[A great resource about public displays of insanity in the Bay Area - see mention of photos and recordings above.]


OyBay also posted about it:
http://oybay.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/the-unfolding-story-of-the-death-of-dan-kliman-zl/
Click: Unfolding story.



At this point the investigation continues. The SFPD have homicide investigators on the case, but still incline towards calling it an accident. Results will not be known for a while, and almost no information is being made public - that is standard procedure, by the way.

This may lead some to indulge in paranoid conspiracy theories - 'He was murdered for being a gay vegetarian rightwing leftwing purple-striped pro-Israel cat-lover from Mars!' - and others to worry about a cover-up. Both approaches are somewhat unnecessary.

And I note, pursuant thereto, that a previous post ( was Dan Kliman murdered? ) seems to have attracted some remarkable commenters. I am not entirely sure that absolutely all of them are sane. A few of them are probably dangerous.
Feel free to demonstrate where in the spectrum you belong.

===========================================

3:54 PM 12/05/08 update:

This article in the TimesUnion (Albany, NY) is informative.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=747007&category=REGION
There are a few details in that piece that I have not seen elsewhere.


Cinnamon Stillwell has also posted about Dan Kliman.

Here:
http://cinnamonstillwell.blogspot.com/2008/12/rip-dan-kliman.html
It is probably worth your while to bookmark Cinnamon Stillwell's blog, as there is often something interesting there.
http://cinnamonstillwell.blogspot.com/


Of course, if you are one of the anti-Israel trolls, you will not like what you find there. Oh well. Life is tough, isn't it?

TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF DAN KLIMAN

Ways that you can help pay tribute to Dan Kliman's memory
Guest post by SF Voice for Israel
------------------------------------

To all members of our local Bay Area Zionist community, and to those around the world connected with us by e-mail:

On behalf of StandWithUs/San Francisco Voice for Israel, I want to thank so many of you who have sent your own expressions of grief and sympathy over Dan Kliman's untimely death. Many of you have asked about plans for a memorial service, since his funeral will be back in Schenectady NY. We are still awaiting word from his synagogue as to whether they are planning anything; if not, then we will organize something ourselves in the very near future and we will announce it on these same lists. We will also shortly post an online location where you can leave expressions of sympathy and remembrance that will be forwarded to his family.


In the meantime, the task that Dan was so devoted to--standing up in public for Israel in the Bay Area-- needs to continue. There are still too many occasions when those who wish to see Israel destroyed take their message to the public, when a pro-Israel presence is needed. So for those of you who have asked "what can I do to help", there are two things you can do.


The first is to donate to Stand With Us; as many of you know, San Francisco Voice for Israel serves as the Bay Area chapter of Stand With Us. You can do this online at http://www.standwithus.org/DONATE/, or you can send a check to StandWithUs P.O. Box 341069 Los Angeles, CA 90034-1069. Contributions are tax deductible. There is a place on the website donations page to note that this contribution is in Dan's memory.


The second is to join us this Sunday in Berkeley. Bay Area Women in Black (BAWIB) is a local anti-Israel group that was always a high priority for Dan to counter on the streets; it was so important to him that he, as an observant Jew, gave up attending most Shabbat morning services for the last several years to stand in counterprotest to them at the farmer's market by the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. They will be holding a vigil this Sunday from 1 to 2 PM at the Ashby BART station, where there is also a farmer's market at that time.


Why was BAWIB so important to Dan? Because it especially rankled him that many of them are Jewish, and claimed to be protesting Israel in the name of Judaism. Because they claimed to be protesting for peace, when they condemned every action Israel has taken to defend itself against rocket attacks and terrorism. Because they routinely demonize Israel and apply double standards against the world’s only Jewish State while excusing any Arab crimes against humanity. Because they support the so-called "right" of return of millions of 4th generation descendants of 1948 refugees while they refer to ALL of Israel as "occupied territory". Because they stand together with anti-Semitic organizations. Not only that, but the one time that Dan was the victim of an assault by someone driving by a counterprotest, it was members of BAWIB who attempted (unsucessfully) to physically prevent the police from arresting the perpetrator.


This is an opportunity to stand in Dan's shoes, to be there because he can't. We will do what we usually do-- we will be there with Israeli and American flags and with pro-Israel signs, and pass out flyers to explain to passersby why we are there and what we stand for. BAWIB absolutely hates the fact that we are there, and nothing would have pleased Dan more than to see several hundred Bay Area Zionists show up to peacefully confront them. As counterdemonstrations go, this is pretty low-key-- they stand in silence, so they are not confronting us or yelling anything at us. (However, please also remember that while Dan devoted his activism to countering people such as this, they also were not responsible for his death, so we should not let our grief lead us to do anything beyond a peaceful counterdemonstration.)


This is not taking the place of a memorial service; we will not be making speeches about Dan or doing anything specific other than the grassroots Israel activism that gave such meaning to his life. Please join us. Look for the Israeli flags.


As always, feel free to make your own signs but please no signs or graphics offensive to any racial or ethnic group including but not limited to Arabs, Islam, or Palestinians. Signs in violation of our policies are not welcome.

WAS ZIONIST ACTIVIST DAN KLIMAN MURDERED?

Not according the SF Police.

Quote:
"But as San Francisco police combed over the evidence Tuesday, investigators said this is what appears to have happened: Dr. Daniel J. Kliman, an Alameda physician and one of the Bay Area's foremost pro-Israel activists, stepped into an open elevator shaft by accident last week and died."

[SOURCE: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/03/MNVE14GCD6.DTL&hw=Dan+Kliman&sn=001&sc=1000]


However building management's statements cast doubt on that theory.

Quote:
"the building's manager insists the door must have been secured.
The elevator in that shaft was out of order at the time, building manager Brad Bernheim said. By design, doors to a malfunctioning elevator are clamped shut and can be opened only by a mechanic, said Erika Monterroza, spokeswoman for Cal/OSHA."
[SOURCE: same as above.]


There are suspicions that it was an opportunistic hate crime, though Police Inspector Matt Krimsky wishes to dismiss that possibility.

QUOTE:
"There is no indication of any foul play at this point, even though I've been getting calls from conspiracy theorists from everywhere, even someone who said they had information from a séance"
[SOURCE: same as above.]


He is supported in his 'doubts' by Penny Rosenwasser, a national board member of Jewish Voice for Peace who asserts: "I can't imagine anyone I know doing something like that".
[SOURCE: same as above.]



I CAN IMAGINE SOMEONE YOU KNOW DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT!

Penny, in several years of being on the pro-Israel side in the Bay Area, we have been threatened, punched, pushed, kicked, and spat on. ALL of us in SF Voice for Israel have experienced such things. Many of us have been followed. All of us have been photographed and insulted.
The amount of hatred which is evident at many anti-Israel events is outrageous. I can very well imagine someone you know, Penny, doing anything like that. I can think of several people on the other side who would jump at the opportunity.

The atmosphere created in the Bay Area by the anti-Israel side is such that it is very easy to imagine an opportunistic attack. Those who in a sense of misguided "fairness" vociferate for the Palestinians, support and nourish extremists. Never more so than when, in "solidarity" with their Palestinian brothers and sisters, they stand alongside protestors yelling 'death to the Jews' in Arabic, or promising at the top of their bull-horned lungs to wipe Israel off the map.

Don't lie, Penny. Your type have indeed stood there. You did not object. You did not say anything more balanced and rational to counterweigh the rabid anti-Semitism of your comrades. Nor did you stop them yelling their homicidal hatred. You were proud to stand with Al Awda, International Answer, and supporters of Hamas and Hezbollah.

Jewish Voice For Peace, Bay Area Women In Black, and similar patsy organizations, are the enablers of anti-Semitism in this part of the world. Students for Justice in Palestine, Al Awda, and International Answer thrive on the encouragement they receive from such groups.
If Dan was murdered, you are all guilty of that murder.



NOTORIOUS ZIONIST FOUND DEAD UNDER SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

There are excellent reasons for doubting that Dan Kliman's death was entirely accidental.

As follows:
*Dan was very well-known to the other side, his picture was posted on several sites identifying him as a Zionist "conspirator" and one of the lead-activists in the Bay Area.
*He had received several death-threats over the years - he was known by name and address.
*The pro-Palestinian side has often either used violence or threatened to do so - Dan was assaulted several times.
*The building where he was found was where he was taking Arabic classes; there were NO classes that week.
*Several members of the other side also take Arabic classes - that is one of the few schools in the area where Arabic is taught, and there is a constantly changing roster of Israel-haters studying Arabic there.
*The defective elevator had been secured so no one could enter it.


I am not going to jump to any conclusions just yet. But I am almighty curious.

And until the police PROVE that it was an accident, I have to suspect that Dan was jumped by pro-Palestinian opportunists, who knew who he was, that the building was nearly empty, and that they would not soon have so excellent a chance to "get that Zionist".

Dan was hated. And he was alone in a place frequented by many of his enemies.

BORUCH DAYAN HA EMES

Daniel J. Kliman was found dead yesterday at the bottom of an elevator shaft in the building where he was taking Arabic classes. He is believed to have fallen down the elevator shaft on Tuesday evening 11/25/08.
There were no classes last week. There were very few people in the building at the time. The defective elevator was "secure".
It is still unclear how this happened.

Dan was supposed to fly to Israel last Thursday.


DANIEL J. KLIMAN, 38 YEARS OLD.

Dan was a founding member of San Francisco Voice for Israel, who tirelessly worked to promote a fair and balanced image for Israel in the Bay Area, regularly facing the threats and insults of anti-Semites and anti-Israel activists for several years.

Dan was a friend, a leader, and an inspiration. And Dan was a colleague, companion, and comrade in so many protests on behalf of Israel.
We, his friends and community, are going to miss him. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him.