Nadene Goldfoot
Arsen admitted that, although he comes from a "very Zionist family", the journey was one he took on his own.
He said: "Initially it was by myself because I needed to know where I stood.
"My parents know the history and are very supportive of Israel, but they know what antisemitism is first-hand.
"They used to tell me stories about how a Soviet passport had no references to religion, but there was a line under nationality that said Soviet . . . unless you were Jewish.
"It said their nationality was 'Jew'. They wanted a future for me where I didn't have to live with that."
Arsen found himself living in Jerusalem, while working at the Knesset. He continued: "It really reaffirmed that this was my country and my people.
"I am exceptionally grateful for the life and opportunities that Australia had given me, but it was coming to Israel when I truly felt a sense of belonging.
Shahar Azani of JBS's Eye on Israel program introduced a real Zionist to his followers on Youtube today, Arsen Ostrovsky. He's a Russian born-in Odessa-whose family left the minute the Russian ruler died and migrated to Australia. There, Arsen grew up happily and became a lawyer with a practice, but something was missing. He was a man who needed a mission, a purpose in life. His family was Jewish but coming from Russia, knew very little nor understood their own religion; only a few of the practices were kept in the family.
Through a few of Israel's programs, Arsen was able to visit Israel. What really turned him on was seeing the death of Daniel Pearl on TV. Daniel Pearl was a Jewish journalist for the Wall Street Journal captured by the terrorists. Just before he died, he stated that his father was Jewish and his mother was Jewish and that he was a Jew. Then he was beheaded. Following these statements, Pearl's throat was slit, and his head was severed.
In fact, Daniel Pearl's father's family was from Poland and mother was from Bagdad, Iraq, Jewish people, a Mizrachi and an Ashkenazi. His family moved to Encino, a neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles, when his father took a position with the University of California, Los Angeles as professor of computer science and statistics and later director of the Cognitive Systems Laboratory. In 2011, Judea Pearl received the Turing Award, the 'Nobel Prize for Computer Science'. The history of the family and its connections to Israel are described by Judea Pearl in the Los Angeles Times article, "Roots in the Holy Land".
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British national of Pakistani origin, was sentenced to death by hanging for Pearl's abduction and murder in 2002, but his conviction for murder was overturned by a Pakistani court in the summer of 2020. Go figure. We all saw it happen on TV.
That experience set off an explosion in Arsen's heart of wanting to defend Israel. So he made Aliyah only about 10 years ago and is doing so much as a great lawyer to help Israel.
For one thing, instead of dodging the bullet shot at them by the Human Rights Council of the UN, they are catching that bullet and they are suing everyone for what they have been doing to Israel. What they do, whether it be education or suing, is getting results. They are managing to get out Israel's true narrative, and smashing the lies told about Israel.
Arsen Ostrovsky is a leading human rights lawyer, who currently serves as CEO of The International Legal Forum (ILF), an independent Israel-based pro-active global network of over 4,000 lawyers and activists in 40 countries, standing up for Israel and leading the fight against Antisemitism, BDS and terror in the international legal arena.
Arsen has spoken before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, in parliaments across Europe and to audiences in North America and around the world. He often appears on TV and in the press as an expert commentator on Israel, international law, global antisemitism and Middle East foreign policy.
Arsen has been published and/or quoted by the New York Times, BBC, AFP, Washington Post, Fox News, The Telegraph Deutsche Welle and other major press agencies. He is also a regular columnist at Newsweek Magazine.
In 2018, Arsen was awarded the prestigious Nefesh B'Nefesh Bonei Zion prize in 'Israel Advocacy' and has been recognized by numerous publications, including Jerusalem Post, JTA, Jewish Journal and JNS, as a global leader in Israel advocacy and digital diplomacy.
Previously, Arsen was a Research Fellow at the Hudson Institute in New York, where his research focused on Israel, United Nations and International Law, and before that, practiced as a litigation attorney in Australia.
Thank you Shahar, for interviewing such an important man. He validates all that I have been doing in writing articles defending Israel. It makes me feel connected in our thoughts and hopes for Israel to both of you. Whatever would I do without listening to your program? When I watch, I'm in company with friends who think like me. It's fantastic !! For this 88 year old lady, it's very comforting. Whatever happens, I know that Israel is in good hands.
March 23, 2022
International Legal Forum quoted in JNS on Israel 'apartheid' allegations
Arsen Ostrovsky, Chair and CEO of the International Legal Forum, called Lynk’s report (from UN) “the latest in a litany of one-sided, baseless reports, vilifying Israel and engaging in a full-scale lawfare assault on Israel’s very existence as a Jewish state.”
Resource:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYM1EeGyEaw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Pearl
https://www.facebook.com/arsenostrovskypublic/
https://il.linkedin.com/in/arsen-ostrovsky-9309a13
https://www.jewishtelegraph.com/prof_361.html
No comments:
Post a Comment