Trump's inauguration rabbi gives President Obama top spot on #TopTenAntiSemitic2016 list
Donald Trump's presidential inauguration will feature remarks from the head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which just gave President Barack Obama the top spot on its 2016 list of the 10 worst anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incidents in the world.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Center, will join five other religious leaders at the Jan. 20 ceremony that marks Trump's official ascension to the Oval Office, according to a Wednesday news release.
On Tuesday, the Center, named for renowned Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal, called Obama out by name in its list of the "Top Ten Worst Global 2016 Anti-Semitic/Anti-Israel Incidents," which the center branded for social media with the hashtag #TopTenAntiSemitic2016.
Said the Center in a scathing report,
"The most stunning 2016 U.N. attack on Israel was facilitated by President Obama when the U.S. abstained on a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israel for settlement construction. It reversed decades-long U.S. policy of vetoing such diplomatic moves against the Jewish State."
The United Nations Security Council voted 14-0 on Friday, with the United States abstaining, in support of a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the disputed West Bank.
The resolution called the settlements a hindrance to the pursuit of a two-state Israeli-Palestinian peace solution.
Secretary of State John Kerry defended the abstention in a lengthy, impassioned address on Wednesday, saying, in part, "We could not in good conscience stand in the way of a resolution at the United Nations that makes clear that both sides must act now to preserve the possibility of peace."
Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump had spoken forcefully against the resolution before the vote and decried the U.S. abstention afterward.
The president-elect, who is holding continuing transition meetings at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, through the new year, reiterated his support for the Jewish state via his Twitter feed:
The Center, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, with other outposts across the nation and world, including one in Trump's hometown of New York, describes itself online as:
a global human rights organization researching the Holocaust and hate in a historic and contemporary context. The Center confronts anti-Semitism, hate and terrorism, promotes human rights and dignity, stands with Israel, defends the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations.
This year, its Anti-Semitic/Anti-Israel Incidents list also named Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the British Labour Party, as a peddler of hatred against Jews, along with the French government and the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.
National Policy Institute leader and notorious white nationalist Richard Spencer clocked in as the fifth most egregious anti-Semite of the year on the Center's list.
The five other faith leaders participating in Trump's inauguration are Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, the archbishop of New York; the Rev. Dr. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Pastor Paula White of New Destiny Christian Center; the Rev. Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association; and Bishop Wayne Jackson of Great Faith Ministries International.
"Since the first inaugural ceremony, our leaders have paid tribute to the blessings of liberty that have been bestowed upon our country and its people," said Inaugural Committee Chairman Tom Barrack in a statement.
"I am pleased to announce that a diverse set of faith leaders will offer readings and prayers at the swearing-in of President-elect Trump and honor the vital role religious faith plays in our multicultural, vibrant nation."
