Hosted an event in my shul for Counter-Extremism Project

I am on the board of an Orthodox synagogue in the US, in a groundswell of support, hosted an event for Counter-Extremism Project featuring Robert Spencer. I write this as a stark contrast to the wave of anti-Semitism from within the Reform and Conservative movements across the country. Robert was a great speaker and I think it is a refreshing change to see people who aren’t Jewish take the initiative to support Israel.<br><br>The energy in the room is great, we have this huge wall of maps of Europe and I roll it up and replace it with a map of the Middle East and this energy in the room shifts.<br><br>Robert brought out his Quran and had some ground breaking observations. He asks why is it that the left sells out the women and the gay community when it comes to Islam, and there is no good answer.<br><br>The head of CEP is a well known philanthropist who gives to many different causes, but basically said I’ve been doing this for 40 years and no matter what I give to, the only thing that matters is Israel and that is the only thing I will give to going forward.<br><br>In addition to the very well spoken Director of CEP who ran the event, they had a Counter-Extremism Fellow speak who is also a professor at a university and an expert in Islamic terrorism, who basically said that we need to stop being so polite with our speech and be more forceful about what we believe in.<br><br>The room was electric, with about 50 people, mostly from the local Jewish community, including some from other communities and a few Christians.<br><br>I think the best part is that they aren’t Jewish and they see how important this is. It filled me with hope and maybe this whole thing will help shift the narrative in some way.