ZOA National President Morton Klein, addressing Bay Area zionists in Palo Alto, C.A.
In response to the public outcry from the
ZOA and others, the State Board of Education
acknowledged that “the current draft
model curriculum falls short and needs to be
substantially redesigned.” ZOA will be closely
monitoring the release of the revised curriculum
to ensure that it truly educates California
students about Jews and other ethnic
groups, instead of marginalizing them and
encouraging hatred and misunderstanding.
ZOA National President
Morton Klein Addresses the
Bay Area Community
In August 2019, ZOA West Coast proudly
hosted ZOA National President Morton
Klein for a timely address to a large gathering
at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto,
CA. A VIP reception preceded the program,
where Morton met with ZOA regional board
members and supporters. Generous donor
and ZOA National Board Vice President
Myron Zimmerman and the full staff of the
MZ Foundation, all of the Bay Area board
members, and 30 other guests attended the
VIP reception. A packed audience attended
the main event, some driving more than 2.5
hours from Santa Rosa and Sacramento to be
there.
Morton’s presentation covered current
events, including Israel’s decision to bar
pro-BDS Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib
and Ilhan Omar from entering the country,
and the California Board of Education’s
decision to reject the proposed ethnic studies
curriculum after the ZOA and others highlighted
its anti-Jewish and anti-Israel bias.
Morton also highlighted the growing threat
of anti-Semitism, which was the focus of his
recent testimony before Congress, and the
false propaganda basis of the anti-Israel BDS
campaign.
Morton delivered a clear outline of the
current threats to the Jewish community. He
expressed concern about some of the positions
taken by groups like AIPAC, the AJC and the
ADL, as well as their silence on certain issues.
It truly was an honor to have ZOA’s national
president meet with West Coast members.
This region has been plagued with anti-Israel
activity and hostility. For many Zionists,
ZOA is the only organization that represents
their values in Northern California.
ZOA in the Media
In July, the Bay Area Jewish newspaper, the
JWeekly, published ZOA West Coast Executive
Director David Kadosh’s op-ed exposing
a series of anti-Israel resolutions adopted by
the California Democratic Party at their state
convention. Media outlets reporting on the
convention were quick to focus on the positive
work of pro-Israel Democrats to temper
the language in the resolutions; the message
was near unanimous – “crisis averted.” But
as David’s op-ed revealed, this was from the
truth. The party in fact adopted at least four
resolutions which unfairly target Israel.
In Resolution 19-05.17, California Democrats
shamefully blame the failed Israeli-Palestinian
Arab peace process “in good part,
due to the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s
extremist, right-wing Israeli government coalition.”
This statement is outrageous, belied
by historical realities. Netanyahu has not set
pre-conditions for peace negotiations, beyond
recognition of Israel’s right to exist, whereas
the Palestinian Authority has refused to
negotiate since 2008. The resolution does not
attribute any blame to the decades of Palestinian
Arab terrorism and radicalism.
Resolutions 19-05.17 and 19-05.34
wrongly complain about cuts in U.S. aid to
Palestinian Arab programs — ignoring the
It truly was an
honor to have
ZOA’s national
president meet
with West Coast
members. This
region has been
plagued with
anti-Israel activity
and hostility. For
many Zionists,
ZOA is the only
organization that
represents their
values in Northern
California.
Around the Country: West Coast 75