WHO IS THE JCPA?
So what is the mandate of the JCPA, and who does it represent?
In addition to claiming that it is the “representative voice of American Jewry,” the JCPA tells us that it has a tripartite mission: to safeguard the rights of Jews in the U.S. and around the world; to be dedicated to the safety and security of the state of Israel; and to protect, preserve and promote a just, democratic and pluralistic American society.
It’s hard to tell how the JCPA statement saddling Israel with the brutal murder of a young Arab man meets any of those goals. In fact, it doesn’t. It completely contradicts the first two goals, and does nothing to promote the third.
Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a pro-Israel New York businessman and president of the Israel Independence Fund, was sputtering with anger over the JCPA statement.
“How do they know what happened to Mohammed? The police have yet to weigh in,” Wiesenfeld said, describing the statement as “disgraceful” and “feckless.”
There are dozens of member agencies of the JCPA. They include many of the mainstream Jewish American organizations, from “A” to …. well, not “Z,” but it does include all the Jewish Community Relations Councils, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federations of North America, Hadassah, the Orthodox Union, the American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish Congress, as well as nearly a dozen others.
Given the short space of time between the discovery of abu Khaider’s death and the JCPA statement branding Israel as the vengeful killer, it is doubtful many of the member agencies of the JCPA were polled and are represented in the all of the sentiments expressed.
If not, that would mean that the JCPA is not even the representative voice of the JCPA.