Show me the money!

Post-election rage, the International Clown Court, and the failures of Jewish legacy orgs

Let me begin by saying this: I am so proud of every Jew who didn’t pander to the noise and didn’t decide to put their life and their survival at risk for the sake of appeasing our neighbors. In no reality can Jewish people appease political leaders who refuse to recognize antisemitic attacks and boycotting and who repeatedly empower and embolden Israel’s enemies; both financially and by not taking a clear stance against their ideology. If I’m dead, I can’t advocate for anyone’s anything. If that doesn’t make sense to you, then you’re not a friend of mine. You’re in a cult.

There has been a majestic display of moronic behavior over the last fortnight, but for me one idiot took the biscuit this week: Ellen DeGeneres. The industry’s worst kept secret for a billion years was that Ellen was not a very nice person. A bully, in fact. This week, DeGeneres and her retired actress wife Portia De Rossi declared that they were on a plane to the Cotswolds (where they already have property) and are permanently leaving the United States in protest. I fail to understand how exactly Trump’s election was going to impact two multi-millionaire lesbian celebrities who lived in California. Anyway, Babylon Bee outdid herself this week:

Sidenote: The P Diddy trial can’t come fast enough. Just how many of the patronizing celebrities endorsing Harris and declaring themselves ‘good people’ in the last few months are going to find themselves without political immunity or any place to hide as that trainwreck starts unfolding all over the media? Watch this space, I guess.

Enough of the dysfunctional family that is America. Let’s turn our attention to the ICC, the International Court For Criminals. I mean, the International Criminal Court. Sorry. It’s confusing. The ICC is supposed to try crime, but seems more often to be the incriminator, especially when it comes to Israel. This Thursday, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, and curiously Mohammed Deif, who was eliminated by the IDF on July 13 in Khan Yunis. Apparently the ICC don’t have sufficient evidence of Deif’s death to skip over his arrest. Cool. But they do have sufficient evidence that Netanyahu and Gallant are committing war crimes? According to whom?

Here is Representative Mike Waltz, incoming US National Security Advisor, on the warrants:

The ICC has no credibility and these allegations have been refuted by the U.S. government. Israel has lawfully defended its people & borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January.

And somewhat more succinctly, here’s what Senator John Fetterman had to say about the ICC warrants:

“Fuck that.”

Israel has a stellar record for investigating and prosecuting military conduct where needed. It’s a process that was in existence far before the International Criminal Court had any form of jurisdiction (it was founded in 2002). So what is the real motivation for these arrests? Is it political? Is it more than political? Is it just what it really feels like; an attempt to drive Jews out of the West?

The brilliant Amja Tahad wrote it the best:

The ICC’s decision is not about Israel or Netanyahu; it is an attack on Jews and the right to protect oneself from being kidnapped or raped. A court that does nothing while babies and women are held hostage in Gaza, and Gazans suffer under Hamas, has no right to preach justice. When it comes to real monsters, the ICC suddenly loses its voice. Iran’s Islamic regime supreme leader, with the blood of millions on his hands, walks free. North Korea’s dictator, who kills people like he’s clocking in for a day job? Not a single warrant. And the cherry on top? The ICC refers to North Korea as the "Democratic People’s Republic of Korea." This court is not about justice – it is about cowardice. It has ignored genocides by the Iranian regime in Iran, Syria, and Yemen. It is blind to Hezbollah’s terrorism across Israel, Lebanon, and Iraq. And now, as we post this, Sudan’s Muslim Brotherhood-led army, which has murdered 80,000 and displaced 12 million in seven months? Not even a footnote. Meanwhile, Arab Muslim and Christian families are torn apart by Palestinian terrorists like the Abu Nidal Organization, which has slaughtered over 6,000 people. And the ICC does what? Twiddles its thumbs. The ICC? More like the "Inconsistent Clown Court." They pick cases like kids pick candy – whatever looks easy, while ignoring the real messes. Maybe they should rename themselves the "Irrelevant Collection of Cowards" because justice clearly is not on the menu.

As of yesterday then, the Israeli prime minister and his former war cabinet colleague can be arrested in any country which observes the jurisdiction of the ICC. Thankfully America doesn’t subscribe. But France does. The UK does. Germany does. Imagine that. Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of the world’s sole Jewish state goes to Berlin, and is arrested?

Over in the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has decided to adhere to the ICC and Khan’s ruling. To every Jew who voted for a Labour government again in a post-Corbyn world: what were you thinking? Here is the indominitable British barrister and expert on international law Natasha Hausdorff, someone I am honored to call a friend. I feel almost embarrassed showing off about Natasha now, but after years of social ostracisation I have earned the joy I get from showing off about my friends:

In the interim, in Sudan there is genocide of Yezidis. 500,000 slaughtered by ISIS. The ICC hasn’t said a word. Neither has the ICJ. Oh and let’s not forget the women of Afghanistan who have been left in the hands of the Taliban with no intervention from the ICC or ICJ. Odd, no?

Maybe the ICC should spend more time bringing the hammerof justice down on real criminals:

In three days’ time it will be International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women. As far as I’m concerned, I am a Jewish woman first and a Jewish woman last. Without international recognition of my right and my sisters’ rights to live and survive, we have no civil liberties whatsoever. A dead Jewish woman cannot fight for the rights of anyone else, let alone ourselves. The real war against women on a global scale is one in which every single global citizen who is concerned with civil rights stands up to the powers that be, including UN Women who have abandoned our girls - and says LET OUR SISTERS GO. For Naama. For Romi. For Liri. For Emily. For Ofra. For Karina. For Doron. For Daniella. For Arbel. For Judy. For Agam. For Inbar. For Shiri. For my 13 sisters.

Over in Australia this week, we have proof of institutionalized antisemitism in the government who refused a visa to Ayelet Shaked. Australia granted a visa to Shaked almost two years ago, ie, before the war. Shaked is a former Justice Minister in the most centrist and diverse (ie, Israeli, Arabs and Christians) Israeli government ever. Visas in their thousands have been granted to Palestinians who have celebrated October 7 in the streets of Melbourne and Sydney but a visa has not been granted to a former government minister of a democratic nation.

Do you see a pattern here? I do. Borders open to Mulsim migrants from every third world country overrun by terror organizations, but borders inexplicably shut to Jews whose only nation is a democracy. Let’s see how it works out for them all.

Finally, from the international scene, this week the United Nations attempted to pass a resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, but they made not a single mention of the hostages. You read that right. Not one mention of 101 Israelis held by an internationally renowned terror group. The US vetoed the resolution.

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Today, British journalist Siam Goorwich wrote a column in the Jewish Chronicle about the lack of funding being sent to support independent voices in the fight against antisemitism, and she mentioned me in her piece twice. Thank you, Siam.

The thought first occurred to me a few years ago when many of the Jewish social media activists I follow started talking about the financial strain they were under. These selfless, mostly young people are on the front line every single day, fighting against an unceasing torrent of misinformation and hatred and they do it with pride, eloquence and often great humour. Many – such as Eve Barlow, formerly an acclaimed music journalist – have sacrificed their careers to fight on our behalf. Yet they receive absolutely no formal or financial support. Instead, as many point out, communal money continues to be pumped into cumbersome, legacy organisations that are no longer fit for purpose.

I have a lot to say about this. And I’m going to provide food for thought, because there is a greater depth of investigation to undertake. It’s not a secret what’s going on here. In fact all of the information is public realm. You can see where money goes and how it is spent – or rather not spent.

Two things. One: every time there is an antisemitic event in America or in the wider diaspora, it provides an opportunity to call for fundraising by Jewish legacy organizations. Think back to after the shootings at Tree of Life, after Poway, after Monsey, after October 7, etc. The Jewish people open their hearts and their pockets. And yet, where is our money going?

Two: while antisemitism is at a level unseen in our lifetimes, we also have a smorgasbord of proof of lack of effectiveness across multiple touchstone points. Holocaust education has failed among Gen Z. We know from recent polls that over 60% of millennials and Gen Z’s don’t know that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. How has that happened? How has there been no widespread effective protocol to deal with rampant insitutionalized antisemitism on American campuses? How is there not a method of protecting Jewish students who are experiencing torment and exclusion across the United States simply for going to school? How has our public safety been so compromised over the last ten years in America? How are the public so deferential to a mainstream media that constantly bates the question of whether or not Israel – the only Jewish nation – has a right to exist? Pardon my French but what the flying fuck have our legacy organizations been spending their money on?

The reality is that tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars are donated to these organizations annually with the belief that such funds will be used to defend, advance and advocate for the Jewish people. However, it seems clear to me that there is no way that over the last ten years any of these organizations can point to a success or an advancement of Jewish interests around the world. I know because I’m here in the space, surrounded by the most frustrating terrain, providing essential support to Jews all over the diaspora and in Israel, and crucially giving my voice to the fight against a disinformation Goliath with my tiny little sling. And it goes unnoticed by legacy organizations who can’t be doing their jobs right if so many of you are flocking to me instead…

Antisemitism has never been more prescient. The problems on college campuses were in existence two decades before October 7. Our enemies have been much smarter about where they put their money. And yet the budgets for Jewish organizations have never been higher, and the problems for us Jews are only getting worse. Reader, the math ain’t mathing.

I’m going to highlight two organizations you all are aware of, but truly you can look for yourselves at the public records of any of these scores of organizations. How about AJC, eh? American Jewish Commitee. In their 990 from 2022, they had nearly $100,000,000 in total assets. In salaries alone $38,589,000 was paid out. However, only $3,564,000 was set aside to do anything for contemporary Jewish life. Where did the rest of it go?

Want to feel more insane? Let’s look at my favorite: the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The ADL in their June 30, 2023 statement had approximately $213,000,000 in assets. Their salaries totaled $34,750,899. They retained $125,851,027 in investments. The entirety of the professional fees and project support line was only $11,500,436. As we have no breakdown on that number, even if we are to say that every dollar was for these expenses, salaries alone were three times the entire programming line item. Again, where is the money? And where is it going? Show us. Show me the money.

In one of the most famous scenes in ‘90s movies, Cuba Gooding Jr as Rod Tidwell is looking to fire his bigshot agent Jerry Maguire played by Tom Cruise. Tidwell is Cruise’s last client, while he is in the middle of being fired from his big sports agency after a come-to-Jesus moment that is met with complete rejection by his company. Jerry Maguire can’t afford to lose Tidwell, and Tidwell, who is unhappy with Maguire’s performance knows this. So as Maguire is trying not to lose Tidwell, Tidwell makes him say four magic words: ‘Show me the money!’ Tidwell is all heart, an underdog, who is hellbent on making the world realize what his worth is. He wants to know how much people are willing to pay for his talents. He wants evidence that he was worth paying for. That his suffering and his sacrifice is worth support.

Shouldn’t we be Rod Tidwell? Isn’t our Jewish life worth valuing? Aren’t we worth investing in? Isn’t our survival worth paying for? What on earth are these organizations doing with the money that is being so graciously donated in the millions to protect us?

I want to know where the money is, and I want to know why if it’s not achieving the goal of protecting our people, why it isn’t being redistributed to those who have a proven track record at moving the needle and who frankly have better ideas.

These legacy organizations aren’t just behind the times. It’s more than being behind the times. They are like this last Democrat election campaign: obsolete. They’re like the New York Times: obsolete. If you’re still reading the New York Times or watching MSNBC for your news, you might as well be listening to the latest Billie Eilish single on a compact disc, and I may as well be writing this on a typewriter (although the romantic in me wishes I was!).

With all this said, I’m going to have to raise my tariff here soon, because I charge half of what most Substackers charge, and I provide all my content outside the paywall, so that the message can go as far as possible, and far it is going. There are almost 400,000 views here per month, and increasing.

And please know this: something in all of these years that I am incredibly grateful for is the freedom I have earned to express myself. I have earned that over seasons of being a writer of integrity and a messenger of truth. Through Taylor Swift to Hollywood patriarchy, from Hamas and Islamism to true liberalism, I know what it cost to speak the truth. It has never stopped costing. The fact I can continue to do it, and I continue to amass thousands of followers who trust my leadership is so empowering. In order to write you have to have readers, and you have given me back that freedom to say exactly what I need to say, by being so utterly willing to receive it and spread it as far as it can go.

While I continue to receive torrential abuse over the election, I will not relent from my platforms. This is the moment when the tides turn. The ship has set sail on a new course. Everything changes now. And either you’re on board, or you’re overboard.