On Friday (December 3), a 31-year-old anti-Israel politician named Imani Oakley fell for a parody account on Twitter while trying to organise a virtual fundraiser in Gaza. Oakley, a Democrat running for US Congress from Newark, wanted to organise the virtual fundraiser with the help of one Rabbi Goldstein, a parody handle run by a US lawyer.
The Democratic Party leader proposed discussions on topics such as ‘Occupied Tel-Aviv’, ‘Zionism and other white supremacy movements’, ‘The morality of intifada’ to raise funds for Gaza. The idea was proposed by the parody account via email correspondence. “I would be grateful if you could provide dates/times for this week or next to connect and discuss further,” the campaign manager of Oakley had emailed on November 23.
“I think it would be terrific if Ms Oakley would in-person or virtually (over Zoom) attend a house party/fundraiser in Gaza. I can’t think of a better way to show off her #FreePalestine bona fides. There are several influential Jewish-Americans in Gaza who can provide plenty of help back in her district, including contributions and media placement,” the parody account said in another email correspondence.
I’m disappointed that unregulated platforms like @Twitter are doing more to suppress the fight against injustice than they are to fighting white supremacy.
— Imani Oakley for Congress (@ImaniOakleyNJ10) December 4, 2021
But anyway here’s the emails and the corresponding thread explaining why this is happening to my campaign: https://t.co/MjUpy2hZkw pic.twitter.com/0nnM1zueSA
Known for her anti-Israel activism, the Democrat hoped to join hands with ‘anti-Zionist’ Gaza-based Rabbi to benefit her campaign. Oakley believed that the Twitter handle of Rabbi Goldstein was real. Despite the several pro-Hamas tweets by the account, the Democratic leader had decided to go ahead with the campaign. The account was created by a pro-Israel lawyer named Michael to mock far-left and anti-Zionist Jews.
“I am making fun of the five per cent of Jews that hate Israel. I created this personality that shows how reductive and absurd these people are,” Michael stated. While taking a dig at Imani Oakley, he said, “Jews cannot live in Gaza. So the fact that people think she is the chief rabbi in Gaza or has a temple in Gaza just shows how uneducated people are about the conflict.”
It must be mentioned that the Twitter account of Rabbi Linda Goldstein boasts 3.8K followers. The fact that it is a parody account becomes evident from the cover image itself. It reads, “Encourage women to smell their poop to be more inclusive to trans women.” Besides, expressions such as ‘Jewish advisor to Hamas’, ‘nude Yogi’ and ‘Chief Rabbi of Gaza’ in the bio are clear indicators that the account was made for satirical purposes.
Imani Oakley defends herself after falling for a parody account
After realising that she was duped by a parody account, Oakley stated, “Let me be clear: no political attacks will stop me from defending the humanity and dignity of the Palestinian people, fighting against human rights abuses by the Israeli government, and demanding an end to apartheid.”
Let me be clear: no political attacks will stop me from defending the humanity and dignity of the Palestinian people, fighting against human rights abuses by the Israeli government, and demanding an end to apartheid. (🧵🪡)
— Imani Oakley for Congress (@ImaniOakleyNJ10) December 3, 2021
She added, “We were in the process of vetting Linda like we would any fundraiser host. Today, Levine Jonathan (journalist at New York Post) reached out asking us for comment for a story mocking us for responding to a parody account. We were in the process of vetting Linda Goldstein. If you Google the name, plenty of people come up. It’s a common name, and we had no indication that it was tied to a parody Twitter account.”
We were in the process of vetting Linda Goldstein. If you Google the name, plenty of people come up. It’s a common name, and we had no indication that it was tied to a parody Twitter account. 4/
— Imani Oakley for Congress (@ImaniOakleyNJ10) December 3, 2021
She went on to play the victim card, despite supporting a Twitter handle that boasted about ties with Hamas. The Democrat even played the race card and stated that mocking her foolishness on social media is a “shameful attack on women of colour.”
I’m being targeted for standing up for the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people. Dirty political tactics trying to slander me and my campaign have no place in this or any elections. This is a shameful attack on a woman of color fighting for justice.6/6
— Imani Oakley for Congress (@ImaniOakleyNJ10) December 3, 2021
“I’m being targeted for standing up for the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people. Dirty political tactics trying to slander me and my campaign have no place in this or any elections. This is a shameful attack on a woman of colour fighting for justice,” she concluded.
