Could a dull event in Jerusalem, in front of just 1,000 people, spell the end of Glenn Beck?
It must have been pretty rough for Glenn Beck to see this:
The empty seats during Glenn Beck's speech. Just over a thousand people (according to Beck) were in attendance (photo: Ami Kaufman)
After months of preparations, hours of television and radio talk all geared up for the big day, tons of merchandise manufactured, Glenn Beck could just about muster over a thousand people at his “Restoring Courage” last night in Jerusalem.
I can’t help but think that this flop might be a lethal blow for this guy. After getting kicked out of FOX and then his decision to veer even farther to the right by partnering up with the likes of Pastor John Hagee, Beck seems to have lost any chance whatsoever to get back into mainstream America like he was just months ago.
Even the event a few days earlier in Caesarea had more umph in it than this one. In fact, he barely even cried in this one. I think he might have been shedding the real tears back stage. But hey, Herman Cain showed up, right?
The walk through the Old City to get to the Beck rally (photo: Ami Kaufman)
We were holed up in the press kennel for over an hour before we could head down to the seats. Rumors were going around that the Beck people didn’t want reporters talking to any of the tourists.
The "rally" was held below the Al Aqsa Mosque (upper left corner), near the Southern Wall. (Photo: Ami Kaufman)
But while we were waiting, MK Danny Danon – the one who invited Beck to speak at the Knesset not long ago – gave the foreign press some juicy sound bytes. You know, “We are standing here at the core of Judaism” and all that stuff.
First to head to the podium was Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who spoke about the recent archaeological finds in his city that prove it is Jewish. He even brought a small bell from one of the digs. It was so small no one could see it. “You see this bell? This bell, the Wall – all this proves Jerusalem is Jewish.”
Americans trying their best to sing Hatikva, the Israeli national anthem (photo: Ami Kaufman)
After a few more dull speeches, a medal ceremony began. Out of the three medals Beck gave out, I think it’s safe to say he struck out on two of them. One medal of courage was given to the Jewish and Arab owners of the Maxim restaurant in Haifa that was blown up by a suicide bomber during the Al Aqsa intifada. I’m OK with that – especially since I grew up in Haifa.
Another medal was given to the Fogel family of the settlement Itamar, who were murdered in their sleep a few months ago by Palestinians. Sorry, I just find that to be in particularly bad taste.
The third medal was given to Rami Levy, who owns a supermarket chain. Beck gave him the medal for catering to the needs of both Arabs and Jews in his supermarket way across the Green Line in Gush Etzion. This is the same Levy, who in that same branch, fired all his Arab workers one day because one of them was courting a Jewish cashier. (UPDATE: There have been complaints about this article, saying Levy never fired the workers. There have been conflicting reports: some say only one worker was fired, some say all the workers were put on temporary leave. This item, from channel 2, films supermarket workers saying the Arab packers were fired, only to come back the same day the film crew showed up: http://www.mako.co.il/news-channel2/Friday-Newscast/Article-eb99578fef67131004.htm. Either way, there is now segregation between Jews and Arabs who work at the store.)
Rami Levy checking out his Courage medal. The courage to fire your Arab employees and get away with it (Photo: Ami Kaufman)
This also the Rami Levy who has gone to considerable efforts, together with Jerusalem Mayor, to block an attempt by a Palestinian businessman to buy land in Jabel Mukaber in East Jerusalem, just so it wouldn’t fall into Arab hands.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat (left) and Rami Levy (photo: Ami Kaufman)
And finally, it’s back to Glenn Beck who gives a 50 minute speech about courage. Nothing we haven’t heard before from him, no new pearls of wisdom. I knew he was going to say something in Hebrew, but I didn’t know exactly what. This time it was from psalms, “Lo ira!” – “I shall not be afraid!”
It ain't a Beck rally without Jon Voight (Photo: Ami Kaufman)
Even after 50 minutes of explanations it’s hard to know what Beck might be afraid of or not, and if he indeed has the courage to overcome it. If I were him, I wouldn’t compare this fiasco to the Restoring Honor rally last year, which was sooo much more impressive.
In fact, now that Beck has found his Honor and his Courage, I’m hoping he’ll follow the yellow brick road out of Israel and try to find some Brains elsewhere.
I’ve had enough of people coming from thousands of miles away to meddle in my own affairs.
August 25, 2011
7:21 pm
@Mitchell Cohen
” It says the girl is living at home with her parents, so I was ASKING how old she was.”
I’m not sure how familiar you are with life in Israel or among religious Jews, but it is not uncommon for people in their 20′s, even their 30′s, to live with their parents for financial reasons, especially if they are unmarried.
“This isn’t about “interracial lovin’”, although I wonder how many Muslims and Christians, as well as Jews in Israel would REALLY want their children to intermarry. You might be shocked the the percentages from ALL the aforementioned kehilot are not near as high as you might like to think.”
Exactly. And it is this kind of social stigma that prevents partners in inter-racial marriages from keeping in touch with their families and therefore getting help if they are abused.
“This has to do with parents fearing for their daughter’s (minor or not) safety (which I mentioned in my last post and will not repeat here).”
And they are being counter-productive if that is their real goal. It so happens that spousal abuse is not uncommon within any of those communities. For some reason that is never as big a concern for these “worried” families.
“You want to nail Rami Levy, yet the fact is that he employs Arab workers (even workers who are not citizens of Israel). Would he want his kids to intermarry? Probably not, like most Jews and Arabs in Israel would not.”
That’s too bad, but it’s none of his business. They are his employees, not his wards.
If you actually care about the safety and well-being of people in inter-racial marriages, you will do well to fight the actual processes which cause abuse not to be reported or treated, which tears people from their family due to affairs of the heart.
August 25, 2011
9:07 pm
Glenn beck is an unemployed Sara Palin wannabe schmuck.
If the Wailing wall in the back ground wouldn’t work for him he would return to his Nazi outfits of which he owns many.
Hey Glenn: “Lose 50 lbs, get some hair extensions, get the teeth capped and 6 months in a good mental health center and Glenn would be ‘better-then-new!’
TheAZCowBoy
Tombstone, AZ.
August 26, 2011
1:15 am
Great article, Ami; many thanks! Just one small ‘gripe’ though. The Fogel family were not killed by Palestinians, but by a disgruntled Thai worker who had threatened to kill a settler family if he did not get paid the wages due to him (http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/middle-east/2149-israel-manipulates-tragedy-to-advance-its-own-harassment-of-palestinians )
The Israeli police arrested this man, and immediately placed a gagging order on the investigation. Later on more Thai workers were rounded up in Itamar and, I think, elsewhere in Israel. However, the authorities blamed Palestinians right from the outset, despite the fact that Palestinians were barred from Itamar, it was surrounded by an electric fence, and had exceptional security including armed security guards on rooftops, etc. The ‘official’ version of the murder is so absurd it would just make you either laugh or cry, yet it seems to have been ‘bought’ by the mainstream media. Nothing is now known about the arrested Thai man, where he is now or even his name! No journalist has bothered to pursue the matter further!
August 26, 2011
7:22 am
This comment has been deleted
August 26, 2011
7:22 am
Our American nebbeshes have turned out for Glen Beck:
http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/content/module/2011/8/26/main-feature/1/demonizing-glenn-beck
And, of course, the Glickstress:
http://www.carolineglick.com/e/2011/08/glenn-becks-revealing-visit.php?pf=yes
August 26, 2011
8:14 am
What a crazy freak Glen Beck it. Beck must be suffering from some mental illness that gives him the illusion of his thoughts being correct.
His way of approaching issues is in the form of propaganda and only the dimmest of people believe the crap coming out of his mouth.
August 26, 2011
9:31 am
Pretty good turn-out for Glenn Beck considering Jerusalem area was in a state of alert and in the whole South major events, including the Briza festival in Ashkelon and many weddings, have been canceled.
That’s the Middle East for you.
Man proposes and Hamas disposes.
August 26, 2011
5:34 pm
Sylvia, I did not realize that. It is so sad. Because of Hamas (was it really Hamas? who cares), some people were too afraid to come and restore their courage.
August 27, 2011
3:11 am
Adressing your obvious schadenfreude in the title of this page and in front of the sight of the empty seats at the Glenn’s event:
Just to emphasize your point, you can match it with the great success of the rallies and demonstrations against Israel, for example the ones in Iran and Egypt, especially the last one in Cairo, in which beside the regular service of burning the israeli flag, you could see swastikas and signs that call “the gas chambers are ready”. This could be a nice comparison, isn’t it?
August 27, 2011
3:57 am
@Viktor – no. there is no comparison.
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unless of course you yourself are showing obviois schadenfreude to those demos in Cairo, where swastikas are shown. i certainly hope not.
August 27, 2011
4:22 am
To Ami: following the contents and captions on this page, this comparison is merely a continuation of the same motif. I am just trying to help…
August 27, 2011
7:46 pm
I attended a local simulcast of the event. Here is my report:
http://levantium.com/2011/08/27/on-a-hill-far-away/
August 28, 2011
1:46 pm
My wife, daughter, and myself went to the event. The picture here shows the chairs before or after the event. There were at least 4000 people at one of the 3 events. It cost us $5K each,so the number of people that spent that much tells how successful it was. My experience with Beck haters is extensive. 95% have never checked him out personally: the lame stream media spits out falsehoods, and most drones never even notice. Wake up America.
August 28, 2011
2:58 pm
@Bob – Hi!
.
I’ll tell you what I told other people who think I’m lying, for some reason:
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I took this photo during the show. Not at the beginning, and not at the end.
.
During.
August 28, 2011
3:48 pm
I’ll have to admit that I haven’t read all the comments on Beck’s visit to Israel, so maybe this has already been posted, but I just read the shortest, and in my opinion best comment, by Muhammad Barakei from Hadash: “There are enough racists in Israel without importing them from the US”.
August 30, 2011
12:28 pm
I bet you are a leftist who doesn’t seem to seem what is wrong with Israel haters. You try to demonize Glenn Beck,as well as Pastor John Hagee who supports Israel, pouring money to some needy people. Many Christians visiting Israel, real Christians,not just so-called Christians, but heart is Empty. Real Christians really do care for Israel, and all you do, is write anti- Beck and anti-Hagee? Can’t you see if that most of the world, who are constantly bombarded by leftist media, spewing venom against Jewish (Christians and other Infidel as well)? I believe that many of your roots who came from Communist countries (or Marxist)can’t get away from the countries who abuse or enslave them because many still think the same way today. Communism and Islamism are the cancer of peace. If you still love it, I don’t have to wonder why, because it is a part of the lives of those who were enslave by the ideology. I wished that cycle will stop, because I notice that many of you seems can’t get away from Marxism or Communism!
September 1, 2011
1:51 pm
To Pickard-i cant believe how ignorant you are
i would advise you read up on the news before stating “facts”
israel arrested 2 palestinians from a neighboring village that confessed to their crime.They even said they would have killed the other 2 kids in the other room had they known they were there.
September 3, 2011
8:01 am
The real story is the fact that every empty seat was PAID FOR by someone who for whatever reason decided not to attend. Maybe, just MAYBE, it has something to do with the BOGUS message given by the United States Department of State threatening federal employees who attend with a “warning” that attendance would be life-threatening, and that the U.S. Government could not “guarantee the safety of anyone attending”.
My statement to any AMERICAN who had a ticket but did not attend is simple… you are a COWARD ! To the NON-Americans who had a ticket but did not attend because you and your family were threatened, I understand your decision, may you have the courage to stand in the future if given another opportunity to do so.
David Osborne
Tallahassee, Florida