Dear Executive Committee of the ZOA Coalition,
We, the members of ANU: A New Union, have put together this open letter per your request. During the election debate hosted by Jewish Insider, Jewish Philanthropy, and AZM, our Executive Director, Roei Eisenberg asked your representative, Elizabeth Berney—Director of Research & Special Projects at ZOA—if ZOA would denounce its partnership with Betar, given Betar’s documented attacks on ANU slate member and hostage family member, Alana Zeitchik. This was done following Elizabeth’s request for a minute of silence and prayer for the hostages held in Gaza by Hamas.
Alana has been a fierce advocate for the six members of her family who were taken on October 7th. Two of her cousins, David and Ariel Cunio, are held in Gaza today. During the debate, Elizabeth denied any knowledge of Betar’s aggression toward Alana and requested we submit a letter to ZOA detailing this incident. We are doing so publicly, as we believe transparency will help inform other ZOA members, like ZOA’s Director of Research and Special Projects, who may be unaware of Betar’s actions.
The following are only some screenshots of Betar’s public attacks on Alana. This is not merely a political disagreement. This is about the decency and humanity we owe our own. When hostage families are subjected to this kind of public hostility from within the Jewish communal world, it corrodes the moral fabric we all claim to defend.
Image 1. Tweets from January 14, 2025
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Tweet from Alana Zeitchik:
And over 800 soldiers have died!!!! Don't pretend to care about our soldiers when you're foaming at the mouth for perpetual war. You want to sacrifice my family held hostage for what? For "total victory." Absolutely pathetic.
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Reply from Betar Worldwide:
You are in favor of thousands of terrorists being released. You went [sic] to sacrifice our nation and soldiers and release blood hungry terrorists. You alone don't have a monopoly on caring.
Image 2. Tweets from March 11, 2025
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Tweet from Alana Zeitchik:
Let it be known that @Betar_USA harasses me for advocating for my family held hostage by Hamas and who has been abandoned by his government. They are just as awful as pro-Hamas trolls.
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Reply from Betar Worldwide:
And yet you constantly blame Netanyahu from the Diaspora. And your [sic] like attack Betar for fighting back. So who's gonna save you!
Image 3. Replies from March 11-12, 2025
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Reply 1 from Betar Worldwide (March 11, 2025):
Betar and Jabotinsky is just as bad as Hamas? You are sick and evil. We will still fight for you in israel and america. [sic]
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Reply 2 from Betar Worldwide (March 11, 2025):
You do not have a monopoly on pain. You do not have a monopoly on Zionism. You blame Jews in israel for the kidnapping of hostages and Jews in america for being unsafe due to jihadis. [sic]
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Reply 3 from Betar Worldwide (March 12, 2025):
We advocate for all Jewish families against jihadis which is why there are hostages being held. You do not have a monopoly on pain or on Zionism which enables you (from the Galut) to attack Israel's prime minister and America's president.
Alana has had family in captivity under the worst conditions imaginable for a year and a half. Betar not only attacked her publicly but threatened her as well. What was their intention by saying, “So who’s gonna save you!”?
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We ask the Executive Committee of the ZOA Coalition if this is the kind of behavior they stand proudly by.
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As if attacking a hostage family member wasn’t bad enough, this kind of behavior is commonplace for Betar. If ZOA did not know about them attacking Alana, we wonder how well in tune they are with the actions of their partners if they did not know about an attack on another Jewish activist, Shai Davidai:
Image 4. Tweet from February 12, 2025
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Shai Davidai:
People know exactly what my positions are and what @Betar_USA's positions are.
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They see you guys attacking me and my wife.
They see you guys supporting Meir Kahane.
They see you guys calling for violence against all Palestinians.
They see you guys picking fights with Hamas supporters.
They see you guys attacking every Jewish organization with whom you
disagree.
They see you guys attacking every Jewish person that you don't like.
They see you guys consisting of mostly angry, young, Jewish men.
And they see you guys getting in trouble with the police.
I stand with the strong, non-violent, zionist, and truly grassroots movement
to fight for Jews and Israel and against hatred of any kind.
Some people prefer your brand of violent rhetoric and action. Most people
don't.
That's the choice people are faced with, and I have absolute faith that the
majority of the Jewish people and our non-Jewish allies will make the right
decision.
Betar has led a libel campaign against Shai, a Kol Yisrael slate member who left because he feared for his safety. Kol Yisrael leadership has asked AZM to remove ZOA for its affiliation with Betar, an organization that intimidated a slate member.
Is ZOA unaware of this behavior?
Is it behavior that ZOA condones?
Here are just some examples of Betar’s attacks on Shai:
Image 5. Reply from March 27, 2025
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​Reply from Betar Worldwide:
Shai supports a boycott of israel. He is a radical extremist who should not be given space here. Those who support a boycott are radical extremists.
Image 6. Reply from March 16, 2025
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​Reply from Betar Worldwide:
Thank you for coming around to sanity! We agree!!! JVP, Shai Davidai all these radical extremists are not representative of the Jewish community
Shai Davidai has repeatedly stood up for Jewish students and the Jewish people. Equating him to JVP and those who support a boycott of Israel is disinformation. If ZOA is unaware of this behavior, we question how aware they are of what happens in the Jewish world and if they are equipped to represent that world at the WZC.
In February, the ADL added Betar to its list of extremist groups. ZOA has had well over a month to look into their activities and denounce them as partners. During the debate, the moderator asked how slates would collaborate with US Jewish organizations to fight antisemitism. How can ZOA cooperate if it ignores an institution as large and important as the ADL?
Betar responded to the ADL’s decision by labeling it an attack and comparing it to Hamas’s treatment of the bodies of Oded Lifshitz, Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas.
ANU proudly calls itself the party of discourse. We believe diversity of thought strengthens our peoplehood and is a fundamental Jewish value. We know ZOA disagrees with us on many things. However, how we treat our own should not be a point of contention. If previously unaware of this behavior, we hope ZOA and Elizabeth can now take a moment to correct their partnership with Betar and denounce them once and for all.
We also ask that Alana be publicly apologized to. Though we cannot speak for other hostage families or Shai, we hope ZOA recognizes the need to apologize to them as well.
Warm regards,
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ANU Executive Committee