“Cori has not done her homework about anything to do with Israel and Palestine and it’s very sad,” says rabbi of Missouri Democrat.
By World Israel News Staff
A progressive Democrat lawmaker, who is a member of the so-called “Squad” which includes Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, said she would consider partnering with a figure who dubbed herself the “Chief Rabbi of Gaza.”
The “Rabbi Linda Goldstein” parody Twitter account, which is run by a Jewish attorney identified only by his first name, Michael, has made headlines for its engagement with political figures who did not grasp that the profile is obviously satirical.
The account recently reached out to Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO)’s team to gauge her interest in a bogus “joint fundraiser.”
“I’ve been bouncing around different cities since my congregation was displaced from Gaza after Israel’s invasion on October 7,” Goldstein wrote to Ronika Moody, Bush’s finance and engagement director, according to exchanges seen by the New York Post.
That message should have raised red flags for Bush’s team, as Gaza has been devoid of any Jews since Israel’s 2005 disengagement from the coastal enclave.
Additionally, the account regularly posts outrageous claims, including that a Gazan congregation built a Hannukah menorah out of missiles, which should have been obvious clues that the profile is a joke.
Instead, Bush’s representative continued dialogue with the parody account.
“Rabbi Goldstein” suggested that Bush “travel to the Gaza border for the fundraiser” because “the optics could be incredible!”
Bush’s team replied that “Cori is interested in hosting in Gaza and it’s something she has been trying to plan. Unfortunately, we have not been successful with that opportunity as of yet.”
“Cori Bush is the perfect example of an ’empty suit’ antisemite – completely clueless about how the Israel-Palestine conflict works, but eager to speak up because it gives her cover to publicly hate Jews,” Michael told the Post.
Rabbi Susan Talve, a reform leader whose congregation is within Bush’s St. Louis district, told the Post that it was clear that the lawmaker was ignorant about basic facts of the conflict.
“Cori has not done her homework about anything to do with Israel and Palestine and it’s very sad,” she said.