A reading of terror-inciting children’s book “P is for Palestine” has eventually gone ahead after generating much controversy, causing its postponement. And I am sure it is a coincidence the reading was scheduled right before a Jewish holiday
Thankfully, it was an utter flop, as was the protest in support of it.
The controversial “P is for Palestine” book reading went on as planned Sunday at the Highland Park Public Library, after being rescheduled from May.
About four adults and three children attended the event. Those inside, which included borough resident Lisa Ben-Haim, were members of the local Jewish community, Ben-Haim said.
“It started at 2 and she rambled until almost 3 o’clock, and then she started reading from the book,” Ben-Haim said. “All of us had planned to walk out in protest when she got to ‘I is for Intifada,’ but it was so painful sitting there listening to her, we walked out at E.”
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Protesters of the reading appeared outside the venue. With about 125 of all ages, the group was on hand to “let their voices be heard,” Ben-Haim said. She added that the protesters had posters and were present to mark that they felt the event was “inappropriate.”
“We are not against the author,” Ben-Haim said. “We are against the reading as it promotes antisemitism and the BDS movement. That is the main reason we are protesting. We feel enough is enough.”
“I am so proud of our Highland Park community for showing up, in the rain, to make sure our voices were heard,” Ben-Haim added after the event. “Bashi and JVP (Jewish Voices for Peace) came into Highland Park to spread their hate and antisemitism, and we weren’t going to let this happen quietly. We need to stand up to anti-Semitism. We also wanted the board of trustees of the library, especially Bruce Tucker, to hear that what they allowed, the reading and the scheduling of this reading on the eve of a Jewish holiday, is not only unacceptable but also disgusting.”
There were a handful of supporters on the opposite side of the street, said borough resident Josh Pruzansky. The road was closed, and 10 police officers ensured the safety and security of both groups.
This is a peaceful protest, Pruzansky said, but the author, Golbarg Bashi, “supports the BDS movement.”
“We don’t want her speaking to our children in a community library,” he said. “She is a person who sponsors hate, sponsors violence. BDS was called antisemitism by the United Nations, by the U.S. Congress, by the Parliament of Germany. It was called antisemitism by the state of New Jersey. Why are we bringing an anti-Semite to our library to speak to our children on a Jewish holiday?”
Ben-Haim added that the library scheduling the event was “insensitive” given the nature of the material presented in the children’s book. The event re-scheduling was also ill-timed, Pruzansky said.
“The library had no remorse scheduling this author on a Jewish holiday,” he said. “It’s akin to having David Duke come here to speak about a Confederacy alphabet book on Easter Sunday. It is wrong.”
Note also the elderly woman’s vile words about “the Zionists.”
Yes, some of her best (self-hating) friends might be Jewish but she is not fooling the rest of us.
