{"id":2169910,"date":"2024-02-07T05:29:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T10:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/they-endorsed-hamas-terrorism-then-they-hosted-a-big-ticket-fundraiser-for-jamaal-bowman-and-cori-bush\/"},"modified":"2024-02-07T05:34:30","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T10:34:30","slug":"they-endorsed-hamas-terrorism-then-they-hosted-a-big-ticket-fundraiser-for-jamaal-bowman-and-cori-bush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/they-endorsed-hamas-terrorism-then-they-hosted-a-big-ticket-fundraiser-for-jamaal-bowman-and-cori-bush\/","title":{"rendered":"They supported Hamas terrorism, then organized a high-profile fundraiser for Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthey-endorsed-hamas-terrorism-then-they-hosted-a-big-ticket-fundraiser-for-jamaal-bowman-and-cori-bush%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2169910&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>&#8216;Resistance must not be\u2062 condemned,&#8217; fundraiser host Melina Abdullah&#8217;s group said on Oct. 9<\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<p>      \u2064    Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman (Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>As Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) and \u2064Cori Bush (D., Mo.) face difficult\u2064 primary challenges, \u200bthe progressive lawmakers are teaming up\u2014by \u2063holding a swanky joint fundraiser alongside anti-Israel activists who have endorsed Hamas terrorism and defended \u2062notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan.<\/p>\n<p>Bowman and Bush <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dlippman\/status\/1754477532215149001?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">attended<\/a> \u200bthe Saturday fundraiser at the Los Angeles\u200b home of Sylvia Aroth and Dante\u200c Cacace, with attendees paying as much as $13,200 to attend. The fundraiser&#8217;s \u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C2QAzZ5RhxA\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">host committee<\/a> included a slew of anti-Israel activists who \u200chave defended Hamas\u2064 in\u2064 the wake\u200d of the terror group&#8217;s Oct. 7 attack on \u2064the Jewish state.<\/p>\n<p>Melina Abdullah, for example, serves as executive director of BLM Grassroots, which said\u200d that\u200d &#8220;resistance must not be condemned&#8221; \u2064and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/blmgrassroots\/status\/1711556684190278094?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">praised \u2063the attack<\/a> as &#8220;a \u200bdesperate act of self-defense.&#8221; Another host, Jodie Evans, serves as cofounder of Code Pink, a left-wing \u200dgroup that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/ConservativeMemes\/comments\/172yg5g\/code_pink_endorses_hamas_attacks_on_israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">argued<\/a> on Oct. 7 that Hamas had &#8220;every \u200bright to resist&#8221; Israel&#8217;s &#8220;apartheid regime.&#8221; Estee \u200dChandler also \u2064served as a fundraiser host\u2014Chandler, who\u200d leads Jewish Voice for Peace&#8217;s Los Angeles chapter, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2023-10-28\/for-l-a-jews-weeks-of-war-have-changed-everything\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blamed Israel<\/a> for provoking Hamas&#8217;s attack, citing the Jewish state&#8217;s &#8220;constant ethnic cleansing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The fundraiser\u200c comes as \u200dboth Bowman and Bush\u2064 face serious primary challenges driven in large part by their anti-Israel views. The \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/right-wing-coalition-forms-new-govt-in-italy\/\" title=\"Right-wing coalition forms new govt. in Italy\">left-wing lawmakers<\/a> have emerged \u200bas Israel&#8217;s top \u2063opponents in the wake of \u2063Oct.\u200d 7, with both accusing the Jewish state of &#8220;genocide&#8221; \u200band\u2063 &#8220;ethnic cleansing.&#8221;\u2063 Those remarks prompted condemnation from\u2064 Jewish \u200bleaders \u2062in Bowman&#8217;s and Bush&#8217;s districts.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty-six rabbis in \u200dBowman&#8217;s New York City district\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/scarsdale10583.com\/section-table\/98-on-the-market\/10496-26-rabbis-urge-latimer-to-challenge-bowman-for-congress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote a letter<\/a> \u2063 in\u200c October denouncing Bowman&#8217;s\u2063 &#8220;anti-Israel \u2062policy positions\u200d and messaging.&#8221; In Bush&#8217;s St. Louis\u2062 district,\u200b a coalition of\u200d Jewish organizations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.docdroid.net\/lz65DBW\/statement-from-the-jewish-community-of-st-louis-11123-1-pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">accused the \u2063congresswoman<\/a> of &#8220;fanning the flames of antisemitism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Representative \u200bBush has shown little outrage against the horrendous attacks by an organization whose very charter calls for the killing\u2063 of all Jewish people,&#8221; the coalition said in a \u200dNovember letter.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To the contrary, in private discussions she has stated repeatedly that she supports the Jewish community,\u200b is listening to our \u200dfears and \u200dconcerns, \u200dand stands against antisemitism,&#8221; the coalition continued. &#8220;She then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ptas-solution-for-top-official-saying-let-them-die-in-anti-crt-rant-more-sensitivity-training\/\" title=\"PTA\u2019s Solution For Top Official Saying \u2018Let Them Die\u2019 In Anti-CRT Rant: More \u2018Sensitivity\u2019 Training\">issues public statements<\/a> that directly contradict what she told us \u2062in private.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>That criticism helped drive a pair of pro-Israel \u200cDemocrats \u2064to challenge Bowman\u2063 and Bush. Westchester County executive George Latimer launched his campaign against \u2063Bowman\u2064 in December and has since <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/12\/06\/news\/george-latimer-takes-aim-at-jamaal-bowman-in-primary-challenge-launch-ad-making-news-for-all-the-wrong-reason\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criticized the congressman<\/a> \u2064for voting against a resolution that condemned Hamas. \u200cSt. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell,\u2063 meanwhile, \u2063is challenging Bush, a run that has seen him \u200bcondemn those who accuse Israel \u200dof genocide.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is offensive\u200c to me \u2062that you would say \u2063that Israel defending itself is genocide,&#8221; Bell told\u200b a self-described &#8220;anti-Zionist&#8221; attendee during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.riverfronttimes.com\/news\/wesley-bell-explains-his-position-on-israels-actions-in-gaza-41296861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November campaign event<\/a>. &#8220;Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization, who\u2062 in their charter says that the destruction of Israel is their goal. They \u200cstated after this attack that they were going to do it again and again.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Both challengers have outraised their\u2063 incumbent opponents in recent months. Latimer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc27.com\/hill-politics\/embattled-squad-members-bowman-bush-face-growing-primary-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">raised<\/a> $1.4 million \u2064in the last \u2062quarter of 2023, while Bowman raised just $724,000. Bell during\u2063 that\u2062 period <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stltoday.com\/news\/local\/column\/joe-holleman\/cori-bush-campaign-erases-debt-but-raises-less-than-wesley-bell-in-late-2023\/article_0f2c65c8-c121-11ee-aa3b-d73472e879b6.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">raised<\/a> $490,000 and holds most \u200bof that cash\u2014$409,000\u2014on hand. Bush raised $487,000 in \u2063the last quarter of 2023 and holds just $216,000 on hand.<\/p>\n<p>While Bowman and Bush&#8217;s Los \u200cAngeles fundraiser may help them\u200c close \u2064that money gap, \u200bit is also prompting \u2062pushback. In addition to BLM Grassroots&#8217; embrace of Hamas, Abdullah defended Nation of Islam leader Farrakhan after \u2063he was banned from Instagram \u200band Facebook. Farrakhan, an unabashed anti-Semite, has called Jews\u200c &#8220;termites&#8221; and\u2064 praised Adolf Hitler as a \u2063&#8221;very great man.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We should all be outraged by \u2062the banning of Minister @LouisFarrakhan from Instagram \u2063and Facebook,&#8221; Abdullah <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DocMellyMel\/status\/1124698369018826754?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote<\/a> in 2019. &#8220;In a country built on our backs\u200d there can \u2064be \u2063no &#8216;Black supremacy.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean \u2064of the Simon \u200dWiesenthal Center, &#8220;no one should be surprised&#8221; \u2063by Bowman and Bush&#8217;s decision to\u200b hobnob with \u2064Hamas-sympathizing activists.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Members of the &#8216;Squad&#8217; and \u2062these organizations \u2062are a cover to \u200dexcuse any and all atrocities inflicted on the people of Israel,&#8221; Cooper told the <em>Washington\u2062 Free Beacon<\/em>. &#8220;They are\u200b looking \u200bto drive \u2064a wedge between the Jewish community and it&#8217;s not working because a\u2064 crime against humanity was \u2062committed on Oct.\u200c 7.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Bowman and Bush, neither of whom returned \u200crequests for comment, are also <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/we-didnt-think-the-squad-could-disgrace-themselves-any-further-they-proved-us-wrong\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">under fire<\/a> \u200bfor reasons unrelated to \u200cIsrael. Bowman was <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/latest-news\/jamaal-bowman-penned-poem-promoting-9-11-conspiracy-theories\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">forced\u2064 to apologize<\/a> last week after the <em>Daily Beast<\/em> unearthed a poem he published online that suggested the Sept. 11, 2001, terror\u2063 attacks were a \u200bfalse-flag \u2063operation used by the U.S. government\u2063 to wage war in the Middle East. One\u200d day later, Bush <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/cori-bush-under-criminal-investigation-for-misusing-federal-funds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">confirmed she is under criminal\u200d investigation<\/a> for misusing federal and campaign funds to pay for private security.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Published under:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/anti-semitism\/\" title=\"View all posts in Anti-Semitism\">Anti-Semitism<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/cori-bush\/\" title=\"View all posts in Cori Bush\">Cori Bush<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/democratic-donors\/\" title=\"View all posts in Democratic Donors\">Democratic Donors<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/democratic-primary\/\" title=\"View all posts in Democratic Primary\">Democratic Primary<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/fundraiser\/\" title=\"View all posts in Fundraiser\">Fundraiser<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/hamas\/\" title=\"View all posts in Hamas\">Hamas<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/israel\/\" title=\"View all posts in Israel\">Israel<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/jamaal-bowman\/\" title=\"View all posts in Jamaal Bowman\">Jamaal Bowman<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/louis-farrakhan\/\" title=\"View all posts in Louis Farrakhan\">Louis Farrakhan<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/missouri\/\" title=\"View all posts in Missouri\">Missouri<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/new-york\/\" title=\"View all posts in New York\">New York<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/the-squad\/\" title=\"View all posts in The Squad\">The\u200b Squad<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What controversies have arisen surrounding \u200dthe joint\u2064 fundraiser held by Reps. Jamaal Bowman\u2064 and Cori Bush?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2063Resistance must\u2064 not be condemned,&#8217; fundraiser host Melina\u200c Abdullah&#8217;s group said on Oct.\u2062 9<\/p>\n<p>Progressive lawmakers Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D., \u200dN.Y.) and Cori Bush (D., Mo.) recently faced difficult primary \u200cchallenges. In response, the two\u200d legislators decided to hold\u2064 a joint fundraiser.\u2063 However, \u2062their choice of co-hosts and attendees has \u200draised concerns and controversy.<\/p>\n<p>The fundraiser took place \u2062at the \u2063home \u2062of Sylvia Aroth \u2064and Dante Cacace in Los \u200bAngeles. The event commanded\u2063 high\u2063 ticket prices, with attendees paying\u200c as much as \u200d$13,200 to attend. The host committee included\u2064 several anti-Israel activists who \u200bhave endorsed Hamas terrorism and defended notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan.<\/p>\n<p>One of the hosts, Melina Abdullah, serves as the executive director of BLM Grassroots. The group\u200c stated \u2064that &#8220;resistance\u2064 must not\u2064 be condemned&#8221; and even\u2063 praised Hamas&#8217;s attack as &#8220;a desperate act of self-defense.&#8221; Jodie Evans, another\u200c host, is the co-founder of Code Pink, a left-wing organization that argued in favor of Hamas&#8217;s right to resist Israel&#8217;s &#8220;apartheid \u2064regime.&#8221; Estee Chandler, who leads Jewish Voice for\u200c Peace&#8217;s Los Angeles\u200b chapter,\u200d blamed Israel for provoking Hamas&#8217;s attack, claiming that the \u200bJewish state is engaged in &#8220;constant ethnic cleansing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This fundraiser comes at a time when both Bowman and Bush\u200b face serious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-warns-parents-about-fentanyl-laced-pills-while-supporting-open-borders\/\" title=\"Kamala cautions parents on fentanyl pills, backs open borders.\">primary \u2063challenges<\/a>,\u2063 largely driven by \u200dtheir anti-Israel views. The lawmakers have emerged as prominent opponents of \u200dIsrael, accusing the country of &#8220;genocide&#8221; and &#8220;ethnic cleansing.&#8221; These remarks have drawn condemnation from Jewish leaders in \u200dtheir respective districts.<\/p>\n<p>In \u2063Bowman&#8217;s\u2063 New York City district, twenty-six\u200b rabbis wrote a letter in October\u2062 denouncing his anti-Israel policy positions and messaging. Meanwhile, in Bush&#8217;s \u2062St. Louis district, a coalition of Jewish\u200b organizations\u2064 accused her of &#8220;fanning the flames \u2064of \u200dantisemitism.&#8221; The coalition expressed disappointment in Bush&#8217;s\u200d lack of outrage against an organization that \u2064calls for the killing of all \u2064Jewish people.<\/p>\n<p>This criticism has\u200b led to two pro-Israel Democrats challenging Bowman and Bush. George \u2062Latimer,\u200b the Westchester County executive, launched\u200d his campaign against Bowman in December \u200dand has criticized the congressman for voting against a resolution condemning Hamas. Wesley Bell, the St.\u200c Louis County prosecutor, is challenging Bush and has condemned accusations of genocide against Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Both challengers \u2063have been successful \u200cin fundraising, surpassing their\u200b incumbent opponents in recent months. Latimer raised $1.4 million in the\u200d last quarter of 2023, \u200bwhile Bell raised $490,000 during the same period. Bowman \u200draised just \u2063$724,000, while Bush raised \u2063$487,000.<\/p>\n<p>While the Los Angeles fundraiser may help\u200d Bowman and Bush close the money gap, it has faced \u2064pushback due to the involvement of anti-Israel activists. Melina Abdullah&#8217;s defense of Nation of\u2062 Islam leader Louis\u200d Farrakhan, a notorious anti-Semite, has raised concerns. Farrakhan has \u2064made anti-Semitic comments, calling Jews &#8220;termites&#8221; \u200cand praising Adolf Hitler as a &#8220;very great man.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Rabbi Abraham Cooper, \u200dassociate dean of the\u200b Simon Wiesenthal Center, expressed \u2063little surprise at Bowman and Bush&#8217;s choice of co-hosts and attendees. He believes\u200c that members of\u200c the &#8216;Squad&#8217; and these organizations\u200c use Israel as\u200b an excuse to justify atrocities against the Jewish people. Cooper also emphasized that\u2062 attempts to drive a wedge between the Jewish community have not been successful, especially\u200c considering \u200bthe recent attack on\u2063 Israel.<\/p>\n<p>While Bowman and Bush did not \u200crespond to requests for comment, they also face \u2063criticism unrelated to \u2064Israel. Bowman \u200cwas forced to apologize last week after penning a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jamaal-bowman-penned-poem-promoting-9-11-conspiracy-theories\/\" title=\"Jamaal Bowman Penned Poem Promoting 9\/11 Conspiracy Theories\">poem promoting 9\/11 conspiracy theories<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the \u2063joint fundraiser held by Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush has raised\u200d concerns due \u2064to the involvement of anti-Israel activists and their controversial views. Both lawmakers\u200c are facing \u200cprimary\u2063 challenges and have been criticized for their positions on Israel. As the campaign progresses,\u200b it remains to be seen how these controversies will impact their political careers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Progressive lawmakers, Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush, are facing tough primary challenges. They are joining forces for a fundraiser, which has drawn criticism due to its association with anti-Israel activists endorsing Hamas terrorism. However, the group hosting the event argues that resistance should not be condemned<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2088,"featured_media":2169911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/reps-ilhan-omar-and-barbara-lee-discuss-bill-to-cancel-rent-and-mortga-scaled-e1707261416642.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2169910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/reps-ilhan-omar-and-barbara-lee-discuss-bill-to-cancel-rent-and-mortga-scaled-e1707261416642.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2169910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2088"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2169910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2169910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2169911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2169910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2169910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2169910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}