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Alan Newman

THE PALM BEACH POST GOES Der Stürmer LOW

Image from Wikipedia
Image from Wikipedia

In the January 26 Sunday edition of the Palm Beach Post, the readers were presented a cartoon reminiscent of the most heinous antisemitic images of the Nazi era publication Der Stürmer. This Palm Beach County rag has made clear its vicious bias against Jews and Israel, and its readership should cancel all subscriptions.

 For all the readers who walked to their curb to retrieve the paper or who found it online, when they turned to page 9D, they were presented with a cartoon titled innocuously, “Some Israeli Hostages Are Home After Over a Year of Merciless War.” The sketch included three people, two Israeli soldiers in olive drab uniforms helping a bedraggled released Jewish hostage trudge home across the reddish, crushed, Guernica-like corpses of what was highlighted, so nobody was confused, as “Over 40 Thousand Palestinians Killed.” The artist had the Israeli soldier advising the rescued girl to “Watch your step.”

The cartoonist and the editorial staff that approved this gross misrepresentation of the post-October 7 Gaza War events sought to recreate Der Stürmer’s obscene, graphic blood libel caricatures of Germany’s Jews. Isn’t the image of the trampling of the Gazans a throwback to the savage characterization by Der Stürmer of Jews poisoning Christians and taking the blood of innocent children? The portrayal of callous Israelis walking atop the myriad dead is beyond provocative.

With the sizable and growing Jewish population of Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach Post must have an agenda that parallels its Nazi counterpart. Why else would it portray this terrible and complex Middle East story in such an offensive manner? How could the newspaper skip over the reality of the October 7 Arab-committed atrocities, the Hamas use of human shields, the complicity of UNRWA, the multi-front war waged against Israel, and the effort of the IDF to limit civilian damage?

Readers look for the headline, the soundbite, and the catchy phrase. It offers cheap and tawdry messaging by a publisher. The Palm Beach Post placed this hateful “storyline” back in Section D not having the gumption to take on the subject in the front section, with prominent placement above the fold. It is no coincidence that the Nazis used exaggerations and creepy drawing to stir their readers. The Chief editor of Der Stürmer was Julius Streicher. He was tried after the end of the war, found guilty of being an accessory to crimes against humanity, and he was hanged in 1946.

In a time when pro-Hamas riots have soiled our streets and roiled campuses, and with antisemitism on the rise, the Palm Beach Post has acted very recklessly. It owes the Palm Beach County Jewish community and all decent people an apology…on Page One.

About the Author
Alan Newman is a life-long supporter of the Jewish community and Israel. His commitment is evident with his hands-on approach and leadership positions at AIPAC, StandWithUs, Ben-Gurion University, Ethiopian National Project and Federation’s JCRC. He has traveled to Israel almost two dozen times and is an enthusiastic supporter of pro-Israel Christians including critical organizations like CUFI, ICEJ, USIEA and Genesis 123 Foundation. Alan’s compelling novel, GOOD HEART, published by Gefen Publishing House, is a multi-generational story about a Christian and Jewish family. He was a senior executive at Citigroup and holds two US Patents. He lives with his wife in West Palm Beach and enjoys time with his two sons and their families.
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