A parody social-media account purporting to be Rabbi Linda Goldstein, the ultra-liberal, non-existent “chief rabbi of Gaza,” has drawn interest from Omar Fateh, the Democratic Socialist candidate running for mayor of Minneapolis.
Fateh, who has been highly critical of Israel in its war against Hamas and has been accused by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas of pledging to boycott the Jewish state, engaged in a series of friendly messages with “Goldstein” from July to August, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
“How do I get in touch? This anti-Zionist rabbi loves and supports you,” the parody account wrote in a private message sent to Fateh. The mayoral candidate thanked Goldstein for reaching out and asked for contact information.
“I’ll have my finance director reach out to you,” Fateh wrote.
Several days later, when Goldstein asked why she wasn’t included in a “Jews for Fateh” fundraiser, he wrote back, stating, “We would love for you to join” and “would love for you to get more involved.”
The person running Goldstein’s account has previously sent private messages to several well-known progressive, anti-Zionist figures, often those looking for Jewish supporters to dispel accusations of antisemitism, and publicized their responses.
Goldstein’s account, which is littered with references to extreme anti-Israel propaganda and positions, previously interacted with former New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who said he was “grateful” for the rabbi’s support, and duped a staffer of U.N. official Francesca Albanese, who signaled openness to Albanese giving a lecture at Columbia University on the “morality of intifada.”
