A familiar phenomenon in the bizarre world of social media is the parody Twitter account, where someone creates a fake persona who tweets absurdities. These accounts are usually thinly disguised, but every once in while they can trip somebody up. Take, for instance, an account purporting to belong to the “chief rabbi of Gaza,” created to mock the pro-Palestinian sympathies of some far-left Jews, and its recent interactions with the campaign to make a progressive activist named Imani Oakley the next congresswoman from Newark. Jon Levine writes:
Rabbi Linda Goldstein warns Hamas fighters to practice social distancing in its terror tunnels, posts photos of herself posing with a menorah made of Qassam rockets, and bills herself as the “Jewish-issues advisor” to the Hamas boss Ismail Haniyeh. . . . None of Goldstein’s anti-Israel public messages appeared to pose any red flags for Maita Lockhart, Oakley’s campaign manager, who responded enthusiastically when the faux rabbi reached out in November with an offer to organize a fundraiser in Gaza.
“I would be grateful if you could provide dates/times for this week or next to connect and discuss further,” Lockhart said in a November 23 introductory email.
“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,” Rabbi Goldstein responded on Thanksgiving day. “There are several influential Jewish-Americans in Gaza who can provide plenty of help back in her district, including contributions and media placement.”
Oakley is far from the only far-left progressive who has unwittingly embraced the Hamas-loving rabbi. Thelma Walker, a former Labor member of the British parliament, has also offered Rabbi Linda her “respect and solidarity” in private messages.
Of course, Gaza has no chief rabbi, and its only Jewish resident is a mentally ill hostage who has been held by Hamas since 2014.
Read more on New York Post: https://nypost.com/2021/12/04/woke-new-jersey-dem-fooled-by-fake-rabbis-parody-twitter-account/