As President Trump and First Lady, Melania, visited Pittsburgh to comfort the Jewish community in the wake of the horrific synagogue shooting, major media ran articles with headlines claiming that “Jewish leaders” objected to his visit.
Those articles were, quite simply, fake news perpetrated by the left-wing media, stating precisely the opposite of the expressed opinions of the Jewish leaders of the affected community.
NPR, CNN, and Washington Post published articles saying that “Jewish leaders” objected to the President’s visit. The objections raised by “Jewish leaders” were, in fact, an open letter to the president issued by group called Bend the Arc (BTA), a left-wing political organization with an anti-Israel agenda.
“For the past three years your words and your policies have emboldened a growing white nationalist movement,” the letter read under the title ‘Letter to President Trump from Pittsburgh Jewish Leaders.”
“You yourself called the murderer evil, but yesterday’s violence is the direct culmination of your influence,” the letter continued, going on to blame the president for targeting the Jewish community.
“Our Jewish community is not the only group you have targeted,’ the letter states. The accusatory missive does not detail the president’s attacks against Jews and is perplexing given Trump’s pro-Israel achievements.
“You have also deliberately undermined the safety of people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Yesterday’s massacre is not the first act of terror you incited against a minority group in our country.”
Again, the letter does not go into detail or explain this accusation of acts of terror that can be attributed to the president.
The letter is signed simply “Bend the Arc: Pittsburgh Steering Committee” without listing names. It is unclear who they are or who they lead. BTA is a national organization, enigmatically listing their headquarters as the “United States of America”. It is unclear if the letter has any connection to anyone from the Pittsburgh Jewish community.
BTA was formed from the 2011 merger of Jewish Funds for Justice (JFJ) and the West Coast-based Progressive Jewish Alliance. JFJ was funded by the Open Society Foundations (OSF). Alexander Soros, the son of billionaire George Soros sits on the board of directors of the OSF.
In sharp contrast to BTA’s politicizing the tragedy to promulgate hate and divisiveness, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who was leading the prayers when the attack began, welcomed Trump’s visit. In an interview on Sunday, Myers said he would be “honored” to meet the president.
“The community would welcome his presence here because he is our president,” Myers told Hadashot Television. Myers later told CNN that he and others who had made statements welcoming the president received hate mail, criticizing them.
“It is just continuous in this vicious cycle. Hate promulgating more hate promulgating more hate,” Myers told CNN Tuesday. “We need to be better than this, we can be better than this.”
Undaunted, the Trumps, accompanied by Jared Kushner and Ivanka, lit candles in the Tree of Life synagogue on Tuesday night. They also visited the gravesides of the victims, placing stones on the graves as per Jewish custom. The solemn ceremony honoring the dead was marred by yells from left-wing protesters.
