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Conservative blogger says L.A. federation nixed speech

July 1st, 2012

Los Angeles (JTA) — Conservative blogger Pamela Geller blasted the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for what she says was its decision to cancel her appearance.

Geller — a fiery critic of Muslims, liberals, and mainstream Jewish organizations — on her blog, Atlas Shrugs, compared modern Jewish leaders to those who did not do enough to protest the Nazis in the years before the Holocaust.

“This is tragic. Imagine, without so much as firing a shot, they’re caving in to a Hamas front group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations,” Geller wrote.

CAIR had issued a statement criticizing the L.A. federation for agreeing to allow Geller’s appearance on June 24. The scheduled talk, sponsored by the Zionist Organization of America, was titled “Islamic Jew-Hatred: The Root Cause of the Failure to Achieve Peace.”

As of press time, the L.A. federation could not be reached for comment. In its own statement, ZOA said the L.A. federation cited security concerns in canceling the event.

Supporters of ZOA have faced similar criticism for their efforts to block communal organizations from providing space to the liberal group J Street and speakers critical of Israeli policy.