By H. Applebaum
SAN DIEGO — Anyone interested in Israel and the Jewish community in America, and who realizes the major news outlets often get it wrong, should take a look at Victor Rosenthal’s blog from Israel called “Abu Yehuda.” Victor started out in Fresno, where he was active in the Jewish community, and where he started a blog called FresnoZionism.org. He described that blog as “A pro-Israel voice from California’s Central Valley.” You can still access it with archives that go back to 2007. When he moved to Israel, he renamed his blog, “Abu Yehuda.”
As soon as I came across his writing, I was hooked. He has not just knowledge but wisdom, a quality many American commentators lack when it comes to Israel. It is a wisdom born of understanding the Jewish experience throughout history, which many reporters who cover the Middle-East lack.
He is not interested in pitching any political party or doctrine except Zionism. In his own words:
“Politically, I’ll just say that I’m a fan of Ze’ev Jabotinsky and Menahem Begin. Why do I spend so much time writing and editing this blog, which few people will read? The answer is that I can’t be quiet in the face of the continuous barrage of anti-Israel and antisemitic material in so much of the media.”
His exhaustive range of topics that relate to the Jewish community goes from Academia to Zionism with everything in between. Of course he comments on America’s relationship to Israel and the constant fumbling of “the peace process,” but his inquisitive mind finds small stories too, especially those that point to larger trends.
Victor Rosenthal, a.k.a. “Abu Yehuda,” lived in Fresno for 26 years and advocated for the Jewish community using the power of the pen. In 2014, he wrote an article that exposed a vicious, anti-Semitic curriculum in the Rialto, California schools.
An 18-page assignment for 8th graders asserted that the Holocaust was a hoax to provide a reason for the state of Israel. When the district was alerted about the assignment, their spokeswoman, Sayeda Jafri, defended it by saying she hadn’t gotten any complaints about it. It was only after the assignment was publicized that it was removed with an apology.
Though living in Israel now, Rosenthal still cares about Fresno and keeps in touch with what’s happening in the Jewish community. His most recent report six months ago, was not good. The Jewish Federation organized an Israel Independence Day celebration entitled ”A Free People in Our Land,” but the Reform rabbi in town insisted it be changed to “People in Our Land.” There is a large Muslim cultural center in town, and the rabbi didn’t want to upset his interfaith group. He was afraid of “a huge outcry” and even feared a protest in front of the temple.
Anti-Semitism masquerading as anti-Zionism proliferates in our schools and communities and has even affected the way we think about ourselves.
Why do so many Jews remain silent when they know something is wrong? Why suffer the darkness, trying to ignore it, hoping it will go away? Why weren’t there any complaints about the school assignment? Why didn’t the Fresno Jewish community assert their pride in Israel rather than mute it in fear of the reaction of the Muslim community?
Rosenthal not only curses the darkness, but illuminates it for the rest of us. Abu Yehuda teaches us to be vigilant and pro-active. He is an example for us all.
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Applebaum is a freelance writer based in San Diego.