As a high schooler in San Francisco decades ago, Aaron Keyak went downtown one day to check out a protest against the Iraq War.
The slogans criticizing the war, and US President George W. Bush, were there. But he also saw something that surprised him: antisemitic and anti-Israel signs that — to his teenage eyes — seemed out of place.
Now, some 20 years later, during the US-Israeli war with Iran, Keyak is seeing what anyone else with an internet connection can see: voices, across the political spectrum, blaming Israel for dragging the US into another Middle Eastern war.
Read Ben Sales’ full analysis on The Times of Israel:
https://t.co/l1zvYfGBVq
“Whether in the form of rhetoric from leading political figures or through antisemitic attacks, these critics of the current military operations must stop collectively blaming Jews for the war with Iran,” says Aaron Keyak.
https://t.co/RHwygTVzjw
"That Governor Josh Shapiro wrote that he was asked if he was a double agent of the world’s only Jewish state is an antisemitic inquiry," said @akeyak, who served as the Biden administration's Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.
https://t.co/TADRcnfWcn
The revelation that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was asked if he was a “double agent for Israel” during the vetting process for the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nomination has sparked a firestorm of criticism. @AmichaiStein1
https://t.co/OXhtbA4ESL
.@akeyak, the former Deputy Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in the Biden administration, said of PA Gov. Josh Shapiro being asked if he's an Israeli Agent that he had similar experiences.
"I have heard from too many being asked similar questions over many years and I can speak from personal experience. During my vetting process I faced questions in a classified setting that my fellow non-Jewish political appointees did not. These sort of antisemitic questions are anti-American and do not represent the best that the Democratic Party offers. Now and especially during the next Presidential campaign we must demand better.”
תגובה מבכיר בממשל ביידן: @akeyak, לשעבר סגן השליח המיוחד לפיקוח ולמאבק באנטישמיות במחלקת המדינה של ארצות הברית בתקופת ממשל ביידן/האריס: "מה שמושל פנסילבניה ג'וש שפירו כתב — שהוא נשאל אם היה סוכן כפול של המדינה היהודית היחידה בעולם — זו שאלה אנטישמית. למרבה הצער, זו לא הפעם הראשונה שממשלת ארצות הברית או קמפיין נשיאותי מיישמים סטנדרט כפול כלפי יהודים אמריקאים בתהליך הבדיקה (vetting) למגוון רחב של תפקידים רשמיים. במהלך תהליך הבדיקה שלי, נשאלתי שאלות במסגרת מסווגת שלא נשאלו עמיתיי המינויים הפוליטיים הלא-יהודים."
Aaron Keyak, Biden’s former Deputy Special Antisemitism envoy, calls the questions to Shapiro from the Harris vetting “an antisemitic inquiry.”
Also:
“During my vetting process I faced questions in a classified setting that my fellow non-Jewish political appointees did not.”
🚨 @akeyak, former Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism in the U.S. Department of State during the Biden/Harris Administration: "What Governor Josh Shapiro wrote that he was asked if he was a double agent of the world’s only Jewish state is an antisemitic inquiry. Unfortunately, this is not the first time the U.S. government or a presidential campaign has applied a double standard to American Jews during the vetting process for a wide range of officials. During my vetting process I faced questions in a classified setting that my fellow non-Jewish political appointees did not"
Aaron Keyak, the Biden WH deputy antisemitism envoy, out with a new statement on Kamala Harris 2024 vetting process: "That Governor Josh Shapiro wrote that he was asked if he was a double agent of the world’s only Jewish state is an antisemitic inquiry."
Strong words.
🚨 Aaron Keyak, the Biden admin deputy antisemitism envoy and Biden/Harris 2020 Jewish liaison, in a statement: "That Governor Josh Shapiro wrote that he was asked if he was a double agent of the world’s only Jewish state is an antisemitic inquiry."
In a just world, a healthy world, a sane world, Kfir Bibas's kidnapping wouldn't only be a 'symbol of the brutality of Hamas' to Jews; it would be a name on everyone's mouth, a cause of every NGO and children's charity, every government official anywhere who had any influence:
Neglected to post this last week from @nytimes: My reflections on some of what I learned during my time as Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
https://t.co/vKskOMMt4L
On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the 6 million Jews and countless others who perished. As we mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Holocaust this year, we are committed to fighting antisemitism and ensuring such atrocities never happen again.
Thank you Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt.
As @POTUS Biden's Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, you have established a world standard set of best practices to educate, legislate, and combat this age-old poison. Thank you for your decades of tireless work and dedication to the Jewish people, and to the fight against antisemitism.
As you conclude your tenure, I am quite sure we will continue to benefit from your guidance and wise counsel for many years to come.
🐺 NEW: @AndrewBatesNC becomes one of the first of the Biden White House crew to hang out a shingle, launching Wolfpack Strategies — homage to his beloved @NCState
He's offering crisis comms among other services https://t.co/NyRByAd1UJ