Activists from the far-left organization IfNotNow picketed a Chabad Jewish Student Center in Texas this past Shabbos morning because an ex-IDF soldier, Leibel Mangel, was scheduled to speak at an event being held there.

According to head of the Austin Chabad center Rabbi Zev Johnson, the protesters handed a flyer to his young children and invited the children to join their protest songs, and also videoed the attendees of the event.

IfNotNow accused Mangel of “using the Holocaust to justify the occupation” on its Facebook page, and said that “our historical trauma should not be exploited to justify the oppression of Palestinian people,” and so turned out to protest against the event. (See statementthe group posted on Twitter in extended article)

The following is by Rabbi Zev Johnson, Director of Chabad @ the University of Texas:

“What are those people doing outside?” my 4-year-old daughter asked me innocently. “They just asked me to leave Chabad and come sing with them Daddy.”

“Why are these people doing this to us in the middle of Shabbat morning services?” asked my 7-year-old daughter and my 10-year-old son as they gave me a flyer that was just handed to them through the gate.

Our UT Jewish community was gathered in synagogue, praying the Shabbat morning services.

A small group of students and young adults affiliated with “If Not Now” decided it was a good time to protest a guest speaker, who was going to speak at our center later in the day: A sweet and soft-spoken IDF soldier.

Shockingly, these protesters spoke to my young children and gave them flyers. They also videotaped and photographed us on Chabad property, something which is traditionally prohibited on Shabbat for religious reasons. All of this didn’t happen during any speech, but during Shabbat morning prayers.

I’m not against protests, even if I disagree with the cause. But on Shabbat — during prayer services — really? There’s a time and place for protests. It would have been nice to see them show some respect while claiming to advocate dialogue, because there is none without the other.

It reminded me of a fringe religious group, who were very active a few years ago, and would find the most inappropriate times to demonstrate. They didn’t make any friends, but cruelly garnered a lot of media attention.

This was a first for us at Chabad at UT. We’re a student center, a Chabad House, a place of Jewish engagement and joy for all Jewish students. Students come to us from all backgrounds and political spectrums. We are not a political organization. We are here for Jews and Judaism, period.

As it happens, for security measure we had an off-duty police officer at the Chabad house. She is an African-American police officer who we later found out is a detective and an ordained minister. She joined us and the discussion at the Shabbat meal later in the afternoon. She seemed to be perplexed by the protest in the morning.

Our guest, who served in the IDF, spoke without any agenda, sharing his life experiences about ethics in combat, challenges that the police officer seemed to be able to relate to. She told us about her husband who was in the U.S. military and faced similar challenges. She would be on the phone with him hearing bombs exploding overhead and he would tell her that everything was ok. It was a thoughtful and meaningful conversation, again with no politics but plenty of love and mutual respect and thoughts to ponder.

Our guest’s message was very simple:

1. He shared a story about his grandfather, who faced death or a lifetime of being paralyzed by the infamous Nazi murderer and torturer in the Holocaust, Josef Mengele. He stood up to him and was miraculously saved. Courage!
2. He visited Auschwitz together with his grandfather, with a beautiful message of hope, which seem to resonate with many students.
3. He was one of the soldiers who found the bodies of the innocent Israeli boys who were murdered by Hamas terrorists. He shared the impact it had on him.
4. He also led an interactive discussion about ethics in combat, with the core point being his personal struggle with saving both innocent life, both Jewish and Arab. It was something that left you thinking. No agenda, no politics.

I also spoke, about how in this week’s Torah portion the half shekel was used for the census to count the Israelites in the wilderness, before they entered into the land of Israel more than 3,000 years ago. Teaching us the idea that we are all halves of a whole, and only when we unite can we have completion and peace.

The If Not Now group, lied about the what was discussed, and exploited our Jewish community for cheap photos on social media.

It’s absolutely unacceptable and unethical that these protesters targeted my children. I, as an adult, truly enjoy good conversation with mutual respect, but for protestors to engage young children is plain wrong.

The saddest part to me is that the protest was organized by fellow Jews, who should have understood the value and sensitivities around Shabbat observance, prayer and community. They showed up in the middle of morning Shacharit/Mussaf prayers, and very insensitively took pictures and videos of my kids on Shabbat. They failed to show the most basic respect and sensitivity.

It was in certain ways a very sad day. I am hopeful that one day it will be good for all of mankind, both Jew and non-Jew, as we work together to repair the world via our holy Torah. With mutual respect and dialogue, with our combined effort and actions of bringing world peace, redemption, we will reveal G-d in this world. We will make it a fitting dwelling place for him, as it is stated in the Midrash, with the coming of Moshiach, may this be speedily in our days!

P.S. A big thank you to the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Dallas (JCRC) and Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas for making this beautiful and overall inspiring Shabbat happen and a big thank you to the wonderful students of UT, many of whom are proud Jews and are like family to us. AM YISRAEL CHAI!

The speaker has been known to use to his grandma's experience in the Holocaust as justification for his and the IDF's actions. This is painful to see, especially for those of us who also have ancestors who survived (and didn't): our historical trauma does not justify occupation.

— IfNotNow Austin (@IfNotNowATX) February 24, 2019

We wanted Chabad and the talk’s attendees to know that military occupation is NOT moral, and that the IDF’s actions speak louder than words. Would the “most moral army” slaughter civilians? Children? Would they trap people in open-air prisons (Gaza and the West Bank)?

— IfNotNow Austin (@IfNotNowATX) February 24, 2019

Make no mistake, though: this is also a textbook response from Israel-at-all-costs partisans. Since they know they can’t win the argument on the merits, they must resort to misinformation.

— IfNotNow Austin (@IfNotNowATX) February 24, 2019

If those attacking us were truly concerned with morality, they would stand against the occupation and in support of freedom and dignity for all Israelis AND Palestinians.

— IfNotNow Austin (@IfNotNowATX) February 24, 2019

This should say grandfather. We regret the error, which does not change any of the substance of our statement.

— IfNotNow Austin (@IfNotNowATX) February 24, 2019