Written by Edan Khanian

In the past week, a local library created a campaign known as “Read Palestine” where texts from Palestinian authors would be placed on a shrine, spotlighting the book and thus encouraging readers to check it out. One “shrine” contained books and a photo of a man known as Bisan Owada, who was a journalist linked to the PFLP terror group, and Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, who joked about Jewish babies being burned alive on 10/7. Another shrine called out Israel to “end the genocide.” In addition to all this, the library also hosted an event with keffiyehs present—a symbol appropriated to promote violence against Jews. In this newspaper, I will be interviewing R’ Samuels, a rabbi here at Valley Torah who is very involved in the Jewish community. For example he-, even flying to Washington D.C last year to join a country-wide protest calling for the release of the hostages currently held captive.

Edan: Good morning Rabbi

R’ Samuels: Good morning

Edan: Just to make sure we are on the same page, the event we are discussing is about the “Read Palestine” event which they advertised for young Palestinian authors, some of which were affiliated with terror groups and calling Israel out for mass genocide.

R’ Samuels: Yes

Edan: My first question is what is your opinion on this event?

R’ Samuels:  I am shocked that the LA Public Library hosted an event like that and promoted materials that contained glorifying violence, glorifying the death of innocent civilians and just really can’t believe that this was allowed to happen.

Edan: So the main reason you are so shocked that this happened is because the LA public library district allowed for this event to take place, correct?

R’ Samuels: Correct. My wife is a librarian for the LA Public Library, she works in the North Hollywood branch. She’s not allowed to wear a hostage necklace saying “bring them home” because that’s a political statement, yet they’re able to promote literal violence against civilians in their library.

Edan: And they are also promoting this violence to young kids?

R’ Samuels: Correct

Edan: From my understanding, the same library hosted events with people wearing keffiyehs, a symbol of hatred towards the Jews.

R’ Samuels: That is true. So keffiyehs are scarfs that have these patterns on them which was made popular essentially during the PLO’s establishment [the Palestinian Liberation Organization] which Yasser Arafat was the head of. He popularized this as a cultural symbol which they themselves say in their own reading material, is a “sign of resistance”. So the idea that they’re trying to now associate it with Palestinian culture essentially makes it that Palestinian culture is all about resistance against Israel and resistance includes all types of resistance including violence and killing innocent civilians because, in their opinion, that’s the only way to stop the persecution of the Palestinian people. Just so you know “Read Palestine Week”  is something that was put together by a group called Publishers for Palestine.  Publishers for palestine.org you can go to their website. So this is not something that’s organic from the library itself. I believe that it started last year. and right after, October 7th. The idea that this is just something that sprung up, organically, to support Palestine, is highly dubious. If you go to their website you will see that they talk about things that are really disturbing. It says, “Read to disrupt, read in your workplace, at your school, in the mall, on the bus, or out on the street. Read with a group, and disrupt the business as usual. Record and share your reading on social media, amplify Palestinian voices as we work together and the genocide and the occupation and free Palestine.

Edan: So this is on their own website?

R’ Samuels: Yes, this can be found on  Publishers for palestine.org Which is the group that organized “Read Palestine Week”, which is also the group that put together the display in the Van Nuys Library. There are over 70 branches of libraries part of the LA Public Library System, and not one of them had “Read Palestine” other than this Van Nuys Branch Library. It was put together by a particular librarian and clerk who worked at the Van Nuys Library who are obviously extremely biased against what I’ll just say is the “Jewish people”.

Edan: Do you believe that there is any way we can avoid this incident from recurring?

R’ Samuels: The only way that I think that this kind of thing can stop is if there’s national attention to it. The only way that you get national attention to something is that you have some type of organization that has enough popularity that people hear about it but so far it’s not happening so it could very well happen again in the future. You can just have a random employee who says, “I want to put together a read Palestine week”. They play as if they are just promoting Palestinian culture. They tell their bosses, “We’re just here to have a cultural event”, and in the meantime, they’re able to put in all of these highly radical violent ideas to try to normalize it.

Edan: How are you able to find positivity in these moments?

R’ Samuels: I’m not sure that I’m so good at it, but I can say that there were positive experiences that I had. People who came to the library from our community, there were Jews that came, Israelis that came and I had some productive conversations with them. I met somebody who’s very influential, the wife of a state senator, and you know she was very optimistic. Trying to promote the idea of having some peaceful resolution in Israel. Those are positive things, that people from different parts of the Jewish Community are coming together, somewhat, during this time. I would say the majority of it is pretty bleak

Edan: Do you have any last comments on this event?

R’ Samuels: I really hope that it gets some national attention. I’m still really hoping. I don’t know why it hasn’t. Whatever anybody can do to try to get it noticed by the public, I think is a very worthy cause 

Edan: What would be your call to action or a message you would want to spread to Jews and non-Jews worldwide?

R’ Samuels: Don’t just allow these things to go unnoticed. You have to do your part. So my part in it is I went to the library. I just sat there for 4 hours with my kippa on, with my suit and tie. I didn’t get into any arguments with people but just showed people that we were there. So just everybody should do their part, even if it looks like it makes a difference because that’s all that we can do and every little effort will have a significant impact. 

Edan: Thank you for your time, Rabbi

R’ Samuels: My pleasure