New Jersey’s Imani Oakley, a Democrat running for congress in Newark, scheduled a fundraiser with “Rabbi Linda Goldstein” – an apparent parody account on Twitter that claims to be the Chief Rabbi of Gaza and the “Jewish issues advisor” to senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh – the New York Post reported Saturday.
The Twitter account for the fictional Rabbi Linda Goldstein, which has been active since May 2021 and has over 3,000 followers, often posts shocking satirical tweets and mocks anti-Israeli sentiments in jest.
Had a wonderful coffee chat with Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of the Social Justice group #Hezbollah. He’s a lovely man and he shared with wonderful vision for #Lebanon ❤️
— Rabbi Linda Goldstein (@RabbiLindaGold1) November 10, 2021
Don’t forget. Jesus was a Palestinian.
— Rabbi Linda Goldstein (@RabbiLindaGold1) November 8, 2021
Honored to represent #Palestine in the #MissUniverse2021 pageant this year , but unfortunately, I will be declining because it’s hosted in #Israel.
— Rabbi Linda Goldstein (@RabbiLindaGold1) November 25, 2021
Does anyone know any good Jewish anti-circumcision organizations?
— Rabbi Linda Goldstein (@RabbiLindaGold1) November 15, 2021
“Rabbi Goldstein” reached out to Oakley’s campaign via email and the two agreed to hold a virtual fundraiser in Gaza, with proposed topics such as “The morality of intifada,” “Occupied Tel-Aviv” and “Zionism and other white supremacy movements.”
The rabbi/parody account originally reached out to Oakley’s campaign in late November, according to the New York Post. “I would be grateful if you could provide dates/times for this week or next to connect and discuss further,” Maita Lockhart, Oakley’s campaign manager, said in a Nov 23 introductory email.
Imani Oakley has positioned herself as a progressive alternative to Rep. Donald Payne Jr, who has represented New Jersey’s 10th District for nearly ten years. Oakley’s social media is active in regards to popular American social issues and she has previously referred to Israel as committing “genocide” and “apartheid.”
Rabbi Goldstein replied shortly after, saying “I think it would be terrific if Ms. Oakley would in-person or virtually (over Zoom) attend a house party/fundraiser in Gaza. I can’t think of a better way to show off her #FreePalestine bona fides.”
“We are so pleased that you would like to host a virtual fundraiser,” Lockhard replied. “I would be grateful if you could provide dates/times for us to speak further this week or next so that we can solidify next steps.”
The account is the work of a New York City-based attorney named Michael, who did not disclose his last name. “I am making fun of the five percent of Jews that hate Israel,” he told the Post. “I created this personality that shows how reductive and absurd these people are.”
“Jews cannot live in Gaza. So the fact that people think she is the chief rabbi in Gaza or has a temple in Gaza just shows how uneducated people are about the conflict,” Michael concluded.
Oakley issued a defiant tweet in response, saying “no political attacks will stop me from defending the humanity and dignity of the Palestinian people, fighting against human rights abuses by the Israeli government, and demanding an end to apartheid.”
I’m disappointed that unregulated platforms like @Twitter are doing more to suppress the fight against injustice than they are to fighting white supremacy.But anyway here’s the emails and the corresponding thread explaining why this is happening to my campaign: https://t.co/MjUpy2hZkw pic.twitter.com/0nnM1zueSA
— Imani Oakley for Congress (@ImaniOakleyNJ10) December 4, 2021
Lockhart confirmed to the NY Post she was unaware the contact was not sincere. “We weren’t going to host anything in Gaza that was obviously out of the question,” Lockhart said. “I endeavored to respond and go through the process, but at no point did we commit to doing something.”