Defending America for Knowledge and Action
Encyclopedia
Defending America for Knowledge and Action (DAFKA) is a "a pro-American, pro-Israel activist group on US campuses" devoted to counter-protesting against Palestinian demonstrations. DAFKA was formed because, in its view, mainstream Jewish organizations were insufficiently dedicated to "going after the enemy." DAFKA is active primarily on campuses in the San Francisco Bay Area, although the mainstream Jewish organizations there tend to distance themselves from its work.
Views of DAFKA
- Mainstream Jewish and Israeli groups in the US are too unaware or too politically correctPolitically CorrectPolitically Correct may refer to:*Political correctness, language, ideas, policies, or behaviour seeking to minimize offence to groups of people-See also:*Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, book by James Finn Garner, published in 1994...
to confront Palestinian propaganda on university campuses - "the Arabs are simply too primitive to make any viable lasting peace and until they adopt democratic principles and adhere to laws against violence as in any civilized society there can be no secure peace with them."
- The word "Palestinian" should not be used, since it confers legitimacy on Arab claims to nationhood, when their movement is in fact "Arab fascism" seeking to murder Jews
- The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International AffairsPalestinian Academic Society for the Study of International AffairsThe Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs was founded in March 1987 by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi and by a group of Palestinian academics and intellectuals in Jerusalem. PASSIA is an Arab non-profit institution located in Jerusalem with a financially and legally independent...
is training Arab students and professors to infiltrate American campuses.
Criticism of pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel groups
DAFKA has been especially critical of the International Solidarity MovementInternational Solidarity Movement
The International Solidarity Movement is an organization focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using nonviolent protests. It was founded in 2001 by Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian activist; Neta Golan, an Israeli activist; Huwaida Arraf, a...
(ISM). DAFKA leader Lee Kaplan has stated that:
"The ISM says one thing, and does another. They'll say, 'We're peace activists,' but they really support terror. They speak in code. Like, they'll say, 'We're for nonviolence but we recognize the Palestinians' right to resist with military action.' What kind of baloney is that? They're saying, 'It's not our place to tell people not to kill JewsJewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
.'"
In 2004, DAFKA leader Lee Kaplan reportedly infiltrated a training session for ISM volunteers in San Francisco through the use of acting skills and professional makeup to disguise himself as a Pakistani with a grudge against Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Kaplan subsequently stated of the session that:
"I really thought what I was going to find was college students being useful idiots, but these are downright evil people. These are people who consider themselves subversives; these are people who want to destroy not just IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
— they want to destroy America. They have no compunction about working with murderers and terrorists; they have no compunction about lying."
Controversy
DAFKA is headed by Lee Kaplan, a freelance investigative journalist. On several occasions, Kaplan has infiltrated pro-Palestinian conferences (sometimes in disguise) with concealed recording devices. .2004 Duke University Conference
John F. Burness, Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
's Senior Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations, sharply criticized Kaplan for his behaviour at the Palestinian Solidarity Movement Conference, held at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in October 2004.In a subsequent article published in Frontpage Magazine, Kaplan argued that Burness' comments were retaliation for Kaplan unconvering that Burness was an active adherent and participant in the conference, covering up for the organizers
External links
- DAFKA website
- "UC Berkeley Hillel Silences Conservatives", Little Green Footballs Weblog
- "Why You Should Not Donate Funds To UC Berkeley Hillel" DAFKA website
- Stop the ISM, DAFKA's number 2 website exposing the ISM