The Bernie Sanders presidential campaign certainly has had its head-scratching moments during the 2016 election cycle, but few can compare with his pick for Jewish Outreach Coordinator.
Sanders, who is of Jewish descent, has hired Simone Zimmerman for that role. And, according to the Jerusalem Post, she has quite the track record when it comes to reaching out to the Jewish community:
“During the 2014 Gaza war, Zimmerman was one of the leaders of a group of young Jews that held regular protest vigils outside the offices of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, reading the names of Palestinians and Israelis killed in the conflict.
“She opposes Israel’s occupation, wants Hillel to allow participation by groups that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, is against Jewish federation funding for Israeli projects in the West Bank and wrote favorably of the efforts of Jewish Voice for Peace, a pro-BDS group, to get ‘international corporations to stop profiting off human rights abuses.'”
And, apparently, she’s not afraid to share her true thoughts about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Washington Free Beacon obtained copies of expletive-laced social media outbursts in which she ripped into “Bibi,” calling him a “arrogant, deceptive, cynical, manipulative [expletive].”
“[Expletive], Bibi, for daring to insist that you legitimately represent even a fraction of the Jews in this world … you sanctioned the murder of over 2,000 people this summer.”
Both posts were later edited to remove the expletives, but the overall sentiments remained intact. Sanders has been careful not to declare war crimes against Israel as a result of the Gaza War, but has been highly critical of Israel for a “disproportionate response” to Islamic attacks.
