Rabbi Steven Burg, in an interview with Newsmax, said Israelis welcome the support of the U.S., but are alarmed by students at some American college campuses openly demonstrating in favor of Hamas.
Burg, the CEO of Aish Global, made his comments during a Friday interview on "Wake Up America," speaking from Jerusalem.
When asked about the U.S. government support for Israel, he replied, "I think they [Israelis] feel very supported right now. I think America, to their credit, has taken all the right steps.
"I think they [Israelis] are looking at America, and they're seeing what's going on on college campuses like Harvard and Columbia, Penn., and UCLA with the Jewish students afraid for their lives with people backing Hamas.
"I think that they're scratching their heads … "
He stressed Israelis believe the U.S. government has done the right thing.
"But there's a big problem in America because if you go campus by campus, they're supporting terrorist organizations," he said. "That's the future leadership of America, and I think that terrifies people in Israel, and it should terrify people in America."
When asked how America should counter those ideological differences with those on campuses, he said, "I think it starts at the top. I think the presidents of these universities have to be held accountable. How do you let people run around the campus terrorizing Jewish students? How do you let them run around campus celebrating the killing of women and children? I think until the leaders of these universities step forward and actually man up and say free speech doesn't include killing men, women and children that I think we're going to continue to have a problem."
Meanwhile, he said security in Israel continues to increase.
"Right now, there's a lot of security," he said. "I'm here in the old city of Jerusalem. There is probably triple the amount of security we would have on a normal Friday, but I think people feel strong. They feel that there's no moral ambiguity for what needs to happen here."
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Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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