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Oriel Einhorn

The Razzie Award & the Obama Administration

“The Razzie” or by its official title “The Golden Raspberry Award” is awarded a day or two before the Oscars to the worst movies or stars that played in those movies. If we had to award a Razzie to the most jaw dropping, hilarious and sometimes embarrassing rhetoric that came from the Obama administration this year we would have a hard choice.

President Obama referred to the four Jews murdered in a Paris kosher market as “a bunch of folks” who were “randomly” shot “in a deli”. OK, he’s a definite contestant…

But the real prize should go to his supporting actor Mr. Josh Earnest. Here is the transcript of that press conference:
Q: Well, back to the question Jim was asking about — his description of the shooting at the Kosher deli in Paris as being a bunch of — randomly shoot a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris — I mean, this was not a random shooting of a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris. This was an attack on a Kosher deli. Does the President have any doubt that those terrorists attacked that deli because there would be Jews in that deli?

  1. EARNEST: Well, Jon, it is clear from the terrorists and some of the writings that they put out afterwards what their motivation was. The adverb that the President chose was used to indicate that the individuals who were killed in that terrible, tragic incident were killed not because of who they were but because of where they randomly happened to be.

Q: They weren’t killed because they were in a Jewish deli, though? They were in a Kosher deli!

  1. EARNEST: Jon, these individuals were not targeted by name. This is the point.

Q: Not by name, but by religion — were they not?

  1. EARNEST: Well, Jon, there were people other than just Jews who were in that deli

Q: Does he have any doubt that that deli was attacked because it was a Kosher deli? This is not any random deli. This was a Kosher deli..

  1. EARNEST: No, Jon. No, Jon. I answered the question once. No.”

Definitely a Razzie winner…

But hold on there is more: supporting actress State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki did the unbelievable- she even topped Earnest- by saying the following:

Matt Lee: Well don’t you think that the target, maybe, even if all the victims, even if the victims came from different backgrounds, from different religions, different nationalities, was the target, the store itself was the target. Was it not? I mean. . .

Jen Psaki: But that’s different than the individuals being. I don’t have any more to really..

Matt Lee: All right, well, does the Administration believe this was an anti-Jewish, uh, uh attack on, an attack on the Jewish community in Paris?

Jen Psaki: I don’t think we’re going to speak on behalf of French authorities and what they believe was, uh, the situation at, at play here.

Matt Lee: Yeah, but if a guy goes into a kosher market and starts shooting it up, you know, he’s not looking for Buddhists is he?

Jen Psaki: Well again, Matt, I think it’s relevant that obviously the individuals in there who were shopping and working at the store. . .

Matt Lee: Who does one ex. . ., who does the Administration expect shops at a kosher, I mean I would like but you know, an attacker, going into a store that is clearly identified as being one of you know, as, as identified with one specific faith. I’m not sure I can understand how it is that you can’t say that this was a targeted attack.

Jen  Psaki: I don’t have anything more on this for you Matt, this is a topic for the French government to address

Jen Psaki, is leaving it to the French government to address the topic. Well… they did, and they said it was an anti-Semitic attack on a Jewish deli targeting Jews. All she needed to do was to repeat the words of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls that called it an attack of Radical Islamic terrorists on Jews –  here it is (minute 29:30).

Let’s continue with our award winning show:
Another State Department “Star” spokeswoman Marie Harf blamed ISIL terrorism on the “lack of opportunity for jobs”. She cited this as a fundamental cause of terrorism in the Middle East. FYI – Marie Harf wrote her college honors thesis on “how conservative evangelical support for Israel complicates U.S. foreign policy” (Indiana University records.)
It’s not surprising, an administration that is surrounded by people who think that support for Israel complicates U.S. foreign policy, an administration that cannot mention anti-Semitic attacks and cannot call the phenomena of Islamic terrorism by its name, is fundamentally an administration that cannot understand the nature of the battle against radical Islam.

If these are the thoughts of well-educated and high powered professionals in the Obama administration then there are one of two possibilities:
A/ They are not all that educated on the nature of “Radical Islam”, its motives and  implications on Europe and America, in which case Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should fly out there sooner and speak about those dangers and educate people and expose Radical Islam.

B/ This option is even more troubling – They are aware of the dangers of Radical Islam, but they have a different approach and ideology and therefore they choose to be negotiating with Iran, not mentioning Radical Islam by its name and pushing Israel towards a two state solution. In which case again Netanyahu should speak before Congress, this time for the sake of the Jewish people in Israel.

I personally choose the former: people are not that well educated and informed about radical Islam no matter how high their position is. As a proof I present to you my winner for the Annual Razzie award of 2014 – 2015. The Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives, the highest-ranking female politician in American history  – Mrs. Nancy Pelosi.
During the Protective Edge operation in Gaza, Mrs. Pelosi was interviewed on CNN.
In her interview, she said as follows (Are you sitting down?!?..)  “..Qataris have told me ‘Hamas is a Human Rights Organization'” – Yes we have a winner!

 

 

 

About the Author
Rabbi Oriel Einhorn is an eighth generation Jerusalemite who currently serves as the community of Kfar Shemaryahu. He got his rabbinical degree from the Har Etzion yeshiva, where he learnt for 10 years. He served as community rabbi in Hong Kong, China and Cape Town, South Africa before resettling in Israel and founding Kehillot- an organization which promotes communtiy building between Jews of all stripes. Enjoys gourmet cooking, golfing and extreme adventures.