Protest Ahmadinejad and His Supporters in New York on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Thank you. Never have we received as much supportive e-mail as we did last Friday – both for JINSA Report #811 and for Tom Neumann’s letter to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, of which we currently are a unhappy member. The point of both was that disinviting Gov. Palin from an anti-Ahmadinejad rally in front of the UN was an abdication of righteous principle to political machinations. Really political.

Thank you. Never have we received as much supportive e-mail as we did last Friday – both for JINSA Report #811 and for Tom Neumann’s letter to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, of which we currently are a unhappy member. The point of both was that disinviting Gov. Palin from an anti-Ahmadinejad rally in front of the UN was an abdication of righteous principle to political machinations. Really political.

J Street, which claims to be the “pro-Israel, pro-peace” Jewish lobby, trumpeted on its website: “We Won. We collected over 20,000 signatures in 24 hours asking Iran Unity rally organizer Malcolm Hoenlein to take Sarah Palin off the schedule for Monday’s rally… Victories like these don’t come easily – or often. But when they do, we should savor them.” Rumor has it J Street threatened the Conference’s tax status for holding a “partisan political” rally after Sen. Clinton withdrew upon finding out that Gov. Palin was speaking. But it was Sen. Clinton who made the rally partisan refusing to share the platform with a Republican – even in the name of protesting a man who denies the Holocaust and has called for genocide against Israel.

The shonda is that J Street divided the Jewish community when it should have been united in front of the Iranian President.

But keeping the focus where it belongs, JINSA’s New York members have an opportunity to do a good deed. Thursday at 6:00 pm, Ahmadinejad is invited to an Iftar dinner by The American Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Central Committee, Quaker UN Office, Religions for Peace, and World Council of Churches – UN Liaison Office. Planned honored guest is Miguel d’Escoto Brockman, President of the UN General Assembly – a former Sandinista radical, now UN envoy.*

Women International and the Jewish Action Alliance (a coalition of approximately two dozen groups) have obtained a permit to demonstrate and hold a press conference beginning at 5:30 p.m. across the street from the Hyatt Hotel at 109 East 42nd Street. The Catholic League sent a broadside to its membership, saying in part: “Catholics need to stand with their Jewish brothers and sisters in protesting… Ahmadinejad is a menace to freedom-loving people the world over, and the sight of religious groups embracing him is nauseating. The Catholic League is proud to take part in this rally and we encourage people of all religious groups to have a contingent represent them on Thursday evening.”

It’s nice to know that when the Jews come apart at the seams, our Catholic League brothers and sisters can put their finger on the larger issue on our behalf.

Join them, join us and join others Thursday after work to protest not only Ahmadinejad, but also those who would fete him at our expense.

*In an interesting irony, a Washington newspaper headlined today that UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is “tired” of UN-bashing.