Washington — A breach of protocol by the administration’s new envoy on antisemitism came with a heavy price: an implicit rebuke from her superiors at the State Department and a sharp retort from her former colleagues in the organized Jewish community.
In a step widely seen as off limits for government officials, Hannah Rosenthal, the newly appointed envoy, criticized in a newspaper interview the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, for his characterization of J Street as a “unique problem.”
The affair, which stirred emotions within the Jewish community, also highlighted the rift between the Israeli diplomatic mission in the United States and the up-and-coming dovish lobby. More broadly, it underscored Oren’s difficulty in fulfilling his promise, upon assuming his post last May, to reach out to the progressive wing of the Jewish community.
The Rosenthal controversy erupted after an interview she gave to the Israeli daily Haaretz, in which she was asked about Oren’s accusation that J Street was “fooling around with the lives of 7 million people” in Israel, in remarks first reported by the Forward. Rosenthal said that Oren’s comments were “most unfortunate,” adding that the ambassador could have benefited from attending the group’s inaugural Washington conference.
Not only did Rosenthal touch a raw nerve with her remarks on Oren’s strained relations with J Street, but she also broke an unwritten rule that restrains government officials from expressing their views on issues beyond their areas of responsibility, especially when these views involve foreign envoys.
But what could have been a minor slip of a novice official who is new to the ways of government quickly turned into a major debate, with the American administration and the Jewish community rushing to criticize Rosenthal.
Shortly after the interview appeared, Oren spoke, according to an Israeli diplomatic source, with officials in the administrations who “assured him this was not the State Department’s policy.” Later, in an unusual move, the administration put out a statement attributed to Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, seeking to reverse the impression created by Rosenthal’s remarks. “The Department of State values its close relationship with Ambassador Michael Oren and his staff at the Embassy of Israel in Washington,” Feltman’s statement read.
Jewish communal leaders also jumped to express disagreement with Rosenthal’s remarks on Oren. Rosenthal, a graduate of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and former executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, is a well-known and highly appreciated figure in the Jewish organizational world. Still, her past credentials did little to stop the wave of criticism coming from within the community. Rosenthal’s outspoken support of the Jewish community’s left wing made things even worse.
“When Hannah Rosenthal was appointed,” wrote Nathan Diament, director of public policy for the Orthodox Union, “we noted the concerns of those who raised questions about her background and connections to J Street, but we reserved judgment.” He concluded that after her remarks about Oren, “the concerns seem to have been warranted.”
Alan Solow, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued a statement praising Oren and criticizing Rosenthal: “As an official of the United States government, it is inappropriate for the anti-Semitism envoy to be expressing her personal views on the positions Ambassador Oren has taken as well as on the subject of who needs to be heard from in the Jewish community.”
Solow later told the Forward that his criticism had nothing to do with Rosenthal’s views on J Street. “Even if she’d say the opposite, it would still be inappropriate; she’s not in the business of criticizing the ambassador,” Solow said.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee endorsed Solow’s statement. And Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, added, “She was not appointed to be the critic of Israel or of domestic Jewish politics.”
While criticism from the mainstream Jewish community was to be expected, Rosenthal also got no backing from the left, which chose not to fight this battle.
J Street, the group at the heart of the dispute, declined to comment on the events and on attacks against Rosenthal, who is a former member of J Street’s advisory council. Americans for Peace Now, an organization where Rosenthal used to serve as a board member, also refrained from comment.
Explaining the paucity of public support for Rosenthal, Rabbi Steve Gutow said that on the one hand, “Hannah is a very fine, very smart person who will do an excellent job” as antisemitism envoy, but on the other hand, Jewish groups feel that there is “no place to second-guess Ambassador Oren’s and Israel’s decisions.”
Gutow, who replaced Rosenthal as executive director of the JCPA, expressed his hope that the issue will soon blow over, since it is no more than “one statement at the beginning of a job.”
Other Jewish officials seem to share this sentiment. “If she learned the lesson, she can move on. If not, she will loose her ability to function. It’s up to her,” Foxman said. Solow made clear that Rosenthal is not expected to take any specific action, and he said he believes that she will be able to work successfully with the Jewish community.
But as Jewish groups prepared to let the episode go, the lingering effect of this commotion could actually reflect more on Oren than on Rosenthal. The latest flap and recent remarks by the Israeli ambassador made clear that Oren’s stated goal upon entering the post, of broadening Israel’s outreach to progressive elements in the Jewish community, is far from being reached. Two dovish organizations that are members of the Presidents Conference — Americans for Peace Now and Ameinu — have recently issued statements criticizing Oren’s attacks on J Street. This, too, is a first in the history of relations between Israeli diplomats and American Jewish groups.
Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com
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Rosenthal Has every right to her opinions as a PRIVATE citizen, but as an official in the US government she needs to keep these opinions to herself.
It is clear that Rosenthal is an anti-semite for daring to criticize the Israeli ambassador and she should resign or simply be fired.
No Antoine not an antisemite, just incompetent.
Your irony is misplaced, here.
Rosenthal spoke for a lot of Jews, except she was too understated.
I would quote Gideon Levy: "America, stop sucking up to Israel."
It's too bad J Street is so intimidated. Now is the time for the rest of us to stand up.
Norman "Rosenthal spoke for a lot of Jews, except she was too understated."
What does a lot mean, here? A few thousands out of millions?
"I would quote Gideon Levy: "America, stop sucking up to Israel.""
The thug Norman would quote the thug Gideon Levy.
"It's too bad J Street is so intimidated."
J Street recognized that Rosenthal was wrong.
"Now is the time for the rest of us to stand up."
Go ahead "stand up" Norman, all four and a half feet of you.
Yes, I am so moral that I will not stand by without protest while 3-year-old children are being murdered. If you had learned the lesson of the Holocaust, you would protest too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfT4QrqOnYM
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/docs/UNFFMGC_Report.pdf
770. In the late morning of 7 January 2009, Israeli tanks moved onto the small piece of agricultural land in front of the house. Shortly after 12.30 p.m., the inhabitants of that part of Izbat Abd Rabbo heard megaphone messages telling all residents to leave. According to one witness’s recollection, there had also been a radio message broadcast by the Israeli armed forces around 12.30 announcing that there would be a temporary cessation of shooting between 1 and 4 p.m. that day, during which time residents of the area were asked to walk to central Jabaliyah.
771. At about 12.50 p.m., Khalid Abd Rabbo, his wife Kawthar, their three daughters, Souad (aged 9), Samar (aged 5) and Amal (aged 3), and his mother, Hajja Souad Abd Rabbo, stepped out of the house, all of them carrying white flags. Less than 10 metres from the door was a tank, turned towards their house. Two soldiers were sitting on top of it having a snack (one was eating chips, the other chocolate, according to one of the witnesses). The family stood still, waiting for orders from the soldiers as to what they should do, but none was given. Without warning, a third soldier emerged from inside the tank and started shooting at the three girls and then also at their grandmother. Several bullets hit Souad in the chest, Amal in the stomach and Samar in the back. Hajja Souad was hit in the lower back and in the left arm.
Three cheers for Rosenthal--truth is seldom popular.
Government officials of one country, especially those in the diplomatic corps (State Dept.), should limit their comments to diplomatic channels. IOW, she should have kept your opinion about Michael Oren and the J Street disagreement to herself.
Her "punishment" seems appropriate. If she's able to keep her "nose clean" for the rest of the Obama term (assuming she lasts that long), she should come out of it unscathed. If not, I hope she's a goner. I expect communal professionals to be discret, _especially_ someone who worked (lead) a community relations organization. She really should have known better.
And so what else is new in the Obamanation? You think they're NOT going to continually appoint ultra left-wing, anti-Israel, Jew haters (even when they're Jewish)? Sure Rosenthal would say what she did --- she can't help herself, diplomat or not -- why not just make her a czarina and then she can say anything she wants with no consequences!!!
She had the moxie to stand up to the thuggery and foot-dragging of Oren's government. Now, if her government and more spine........
Cathy-- you're joking, yes? Obama has appointed "ultra left-wing anti-Israel Jew-haters????" I must have missed these appointments, since by most accounts, the vast majority of Obama's appointments have been quite moderate, and he has even appointed several conservatives. Could you please leave your reflexive right-wing hatred of the president at the door at look at what he has REALLY done? Even your friends at Fox News have had to admit there are few differences between Bush's policies and Obama's regarding Israel.
That said, I think this is much ado about nothing. J Street has a right to exist. So does AIPAC. And offering various approaches to peace in the middle east is a good thing. Sorry you think J Street hates Israel-- I have no evidence of that. They just don't subscribe to a totally militaristic solution to the middle east politics. I'm as pro-Israel as anyone on this site, but I too think that military might alone won't solve the problem. So, in your book, I guess I'm a "left wing anti-Israel Jew hater" too... sigh...
Oren calls himself "pro-peace," but you cannot be pro-peace and be against Israel giving up Arab East Jerusalem, which must be the capital of the new Palestinian state if there is to be peace. I am pro-Israel, Jewish, and a Zionist, but I know that Israel cannot thumb its nose at the entire world and say we will keep all of Jerusalem no matter what the world thinks. Besides, why does Israel need to inherit the hundreds of thousands of Arabs who live in East Jerusalem? Oren, and the Likud government that just approved 700 more units for Israeli housing in East Jerusalem without agreements with the Palestinians on Jerusalem, is undermining prospects for peace.
rOSENTHAL SHOULD BE PRAISED FOR HER GUTS, EXPOSING oREN FOR WHT HE IS: A RIGHT WING FUNTIONARY.
So Marc Paige you support ethnic cleansing as long as it's Jews being cleansed...Hate to break it to you but J the Jewish presence in the old city of Jerusalem and the Gush Etzion block were driven out by force by the Arabs in 1948. Would not that make the return of the Jews to eastern Jerusalem a liberation of conquered territory...
The problem here is Oren. He intrudes into domestic American politics by criticizing J Street, then reacts to Rosenthal's rather tame "most unfortunate" by claiming she had no right to intrude between Israel and other Jews, a quote not included in the above article. That Oran assumes American Jews to be Zionist Jews first and Americans a distant second is disturbing enough; that few comment on this arrogant and intrusive assumption is disturbing as well.
Notice the most militant Zionists on this list, like Rosen, haven't made Aliyah themselves.
Norman:If the alleged killing of these Palestinian children was as described by you,the IDF has the capability and the will to bring these perpetrators to justice.There is always the "but." In this instance,CAMERA has another take:The alleged witnesses,Kawthar and Khaled Abed Rabbo gave more than a dozen different versions of what happened to them on Jan.7,2009.These multiple conflicting accounts appeared in the mainstream media and in a number of NGOs. British Army Colonel Richard Kemp,who served as British army commander in Afghanistan, held that the IDF took "extraordinary measures" to warn Palestinians to evacuate areas occupied by terrorists before being attacked.Kemp noted that the IDF made more than 100,000 telephone calls and dropped 2 million leaflets in advance of IDF offensives.He also hels that the IDF was "the most moral army in the history of warfare." Kemp also held that despite these warnings innocent victims were killed;wars are chaotic and mistakes are made.Such are not war crimes.He further pointed out that British,American and NATO forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have made many such mistakes,but they are not war crimes.
It's not that important if she learned her lesson, we need to move on to the bigger fish to fry.
AIPAC was the bigest player in Israel lobbying in Washington. And now it looks like J Street is moving up no longer looking like the dwarf. They have counterbalance the very strong group AIPAC.
We have laws now in all countries that are holding people accountable. U.S. must realize they are at war, as well as Israel. And the eyes of the world are on them as well. They will be judge, by the countries. What I see and I do not know that much, but nevertheless; it makes my hairs stand up when I read..... The U.N. single out Israel for 170 resolutions over the last five years, and gave Sudan only five resolutions.??????? U.S. open your eyes....the U.N. are not clean.....remember when! It makes me think, why and why are they judging them diffrent that the rest of the world??? U.S. have they ever given back the money you gave them???
Power....is not good in the wrong hands. We need new and a diffrent voice to be heard...G-D"S. couldnot leave Him out of all this...why do you?
About six Jews and seven opinions; before just isolating J Street as some sort of "liberal loony thing" look at these Hasidim: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100101/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians
Marc Paige "Oren calls himself "pro-peace," but you cannot be pro-peace and be against Israel giving up Arab East Jerusalem, which must be the capital of the new Palestinian state if there is to be peace."
Says who, Marc?
How do you know that? Are you an Arab negotiator?
The Arabs can do their own negotiating without your helpe, thank you.
I mistrust "Jewish pro Israel peaceniks" who take what they consider to be the point of view of their enemies.
DE Teodoru "About six Jews and seven opinions; before just isolating J Street as some sort of "liberal loony thing" look at these Hasidim"
Well, naturei karta are hardly typical of Hasidism.
Still, I am not surprised they love Hamas, both are utra orthodox religious zealots who hate modernity and any country or people who embraces modernity. They also both keep their women from the public sphere and refuse to educate girls.
Naturei Karta, like Norman, are the natual allies of the Islamic Jihadists and should be treated as such.
“no place to second-guess Ambassador Oren’s and Israel’s decisions.”
Excuse me - it is time someone "second-guess's" bad decisions and murderous policies. GO HANNAH!
I am Jewish and I am fed up with right wing Israeli supporters dictating who and who should not be in our government. It is past time that these right wing Jews who undoubtedly put Israel's wants above the needs of their own country should register as agents of a foreign power for that is indeed what they are.
Organized Jews have long dictated U.S. policy toward Israel going back to the days of Harry Truman. For those who were not around at the time or doubt this please read this rather lengthy oral history by one of the people who worked with Truman.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/oralhist/wright.htm#top
David Nitai "Michael Oren’s credibility problem"
Nonsense he has a credibility problem because he attacked J Street?
This is redundant reasoning, Nitai. Besides, the problem isn't Oren it's Rosenthal big mouth.
Good g-d, this all seems so petty and childish. And not for nothing, but do we really need an envoy on antisemitism?
Thank you, Dave, finally a voice of reason. How is she going to fight anti-semitism? By making empty speeches and attending high-profile dinners? Seems to me like this is another of the government-fabricated positions that is of no use to anyone but its holder. Another example of my tax money being wasted... And others are spewing saliva trying to undermine Amb. Oren. In my eyes his position at least carries responsibility and requires skills.
Michael Oren, has written a book on the history of the U.S.and Israel. J Street wonders why Michael Oren won't meet with them, in public they say it's mystifying.... I do not think so.
Remember the other ambassador was pelted with eggs in one synagogue and hooted and harassed.
May be he is thinking......"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
I enjoy all this argument among Jews, who are rumored to be smart, but stumbling over the basic fact that every 4 year old in the Middle East knows. You must choose isreal or peace. You cannot have both
Why is there even something called "The Office to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism" in the State Dept. anyway? It rather points to disproportionate Jewish influence in the American government.
I have to apologize for having questioned the need to combat anti-semitism using gov't offices. Raed Kami and James Stafford reminded me why! I forgot my own conviction that it is ALWAYS THE OTHERS who define who we are, who is our enemy, and what we are fighting against.
Again, dear Jews, stop splitting hair over non-issues when there are real threats to face together, as a unified front. And it wouldn't hurt for the Forward to support the unification idea instead of perpetuating and promoting the internal divide.
Allie,
Your first response was correct. We do not need to waste tax payers money on this position and I say that as a social democrat who believes in federal powers - to a point. Nothing can be gained with this position. The irrational hatred of Jews (see various posts on this site) will always exist, even if we do not. Such a position in the federal government will not change that. I would also argue that there is hardly a level of antisemitism in our country that would warrant such a job.
Dave
Dave, I disagree strongly with your last statement. There is an immense antisemitism in US. It is just as suppressed as other biases. Remove the thin layer of political correctness and the ugly truth will come out.
We live in a country like no other country...may I remind you that we want to emcompasses the respect of thought----in freedem to speak ones mind. And recognizing our individual differences. It is in our environment, the air we breath. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebratong the dimensions of fiversity contained within the gift our G-D given right the gift of individual---free-will.
And have you Dave my friend, noticed anything about the gender of her major detractors? All men....Hoenllein, Klein, Goldbery, Rosner, Solow. See any thing else there to note?
Does, she speak her mind...good....at least she speaks the and we know her thinking....most, you never know....until it is to late. Think about that!
Does Hannah Resenthal have too much pro-Israel testosterone, for those who speak against her? I hate this anti- israel --tagging of people, something so easly said today, and most times are not true. I have sons that I love more than anything I have, and yet their has been times in their lives, I have not liked them. Many people in U.S. and in Israel feel the same way I think and should not be tagged. Did you for get how Germany taged?
G-D tells us how to act in living in a country that is not Israel.
It is written...Jeremiah 29...And SEEK THE PEACE of the CITY(the city is in the country you find your in, remember Job, nothing happens under the sun that G-D hand is not in) .... where I have caused you to be carried away captives, and PRAY unto the LORD for it: for in the PEACE thereof shall ---YE HAVE PEACE.
So she had the temerity to call Oren's refusal "UNFORTUNATE" why make it a hangin offense?
END IT! For such statements have nothing to do with her responsibilties and all these comments could trreaten to limit her effectiveness in the area for which she is actually responsible for.
There are others, loopking to use the the problem to help in what they want to come about....it's war up their.
Andrew Sullivan, Philip Weiss, and Stephen Walt...what is on their minds....well...think!
I have known Hannah for a long time and I know she meant well with her comment on Micheal Oren. I also am a great fan of Michael and realize that these two young people have parallel opportunities and responsibilities for the welfare of world Jewery. They both deserve the support and good wishes of the entire community.
Is there not enough anti-Semitism out there - in Europe, in the UN, in the Islamic world - to keep her busy that Rosenthal has to fill in her time by spouting off about Oren dissing her buddies in J Street? Rosenthal's mandate in the State Department is quite specific, and it has nothing to do with the Israeli ambassador or J Street.
Why make a mountain out of a molehill. Ms. Rosenthal misspoke and was subsequently reprimanded. Her own background speaks for itself. Now it's time to move on and tackle the real issues.