Rendell Dissociates From Firm That Called Peaceful Protests Terrorism
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell terminated a contract with an Israeli-American agency that tracked peaceful protests and reported them as potential terrorist threats.
Rendell said Tuesday that he was ?deeply embarrassed? by revelations of a $125,000 contract with the Philadelphia-based Institute of Terrorism Research and Response.
The state?s Office of Homeland Security contracted the institute to track threats, and then relayed its reports to a large number of law enforcement and private groups.
Its ?alerts? included an animal rights protest, a natural gas drilling protest, a gay and lesbian festival and a rally to support a Rendell-backed campaign for boosted education funding.
?Good Lord, and to think that we spent $125,000 on this at a time when every penny is dire for us is a further embarrassment,? Rendell said.
The institute, which claims to have a Jerusalem office, is run by directors who among other claims list experience in Israel?s security services. It also runs training programs in Israel.
"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
