Charles Jacobs is a pro-Israel and human rights activist. Jacobs has a long history of working for pro-Israel lobby groups. In 1988, he co-founded Boston's branch of

CAMERA A camera is an Optics, optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), ...

, and in 2002, he founded The David Project. He is currently the president of Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT), which describes itself as a

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

-based non-profit that combats Islamist antisemitism but has been described as an Islamophobic

hate group A hate group is a social group that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race (human classification), race, Ethnic group, ethnicity, nation, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any o ...

Early life and career

Jacobs spent his early years in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area. He has been described as a business consultant and a management consultant. He holds a

Doctor of Education The Doctor of Education (Ed.D. or D.Ed.; Latin ''Educationis Doctor'' or ''Doctor Educationis'') is (depending on region and university) a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. It prepares the holder for a ...

(EdD) from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, having graduated in 1988. ''

The Jewish Advocate ''The Jewish Advocate'' was a weekly Jewish newspaper serving Greater Boston and the New England area. It was established in 1902 and, with 118 years of publication, was the oldest continuously-circulated English-language Jewish newspaper in the ...

'' (Boston) has described Jacobs as a key figure in founding Boston's chapter of the

Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) is an American non-profit pro-Israel media-monitoring, research and membership organization. According to its website, CAMERA is "devoted to promoting accurate and balanced ...

(CAMERA);

American Anti-Slavery Group

Jacobs has been involved in anti-

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

activism since the 1990s, having helped to found the

American Anti-Slavery Group The American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG) is a non-profit coalition of abolitionist organizations that engages in political activism to abolish slavery in the world. It raises awareness of contemporary slavery, particularly among the chattel slaves ...

(AASG)—which was incorporated in December 1994, with Jacobs as its clerk and treasurer—through which he proceeded to publicize contemporary slavery in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

. Jacobs campaigned personally in favor of divestment from

mutual fund A mutual fund is a professionally managed investment fund that pools money from many investors to purchase securities. The term is typically used in the United States, Canada, and India, while similar structures across the globe include the SICAV i ...

s supporting oil companies such as

Talisman Energy Talisman Energy Inc. was a Canadian independent petroleum company that existed between 1993 and 2015. The company was created from the assets of BP Canada after British Petroleum divested its 57 percent stake in June 1992. It was one of Canada ...

which, he alleged, supported the

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

-based Sudanese government. AASG, in partnership with

Christian Solidarity International Christian Solidarity International (CSI) is a Christian human rights NGO that is "committed to defending religious liberty, helping victims of religious repression, victimized children, and victims of disaster." It is based in Switzerland, with a ...

(CSI), participated in a practice known as slave redemption, whereby aid organizations purchase slaves' freedom with money from donations. As of 1999, AASG was a fundraiser for CSI. AASG's and CSI's slave redemption policy was opposed by

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

, which argued that the practice was "intolerable." Jacobs responded on behalf of AASG that " at is intolerable is to leave these women and children in the hands of brutal captors" and also disputed UNICEF's allegations that redemption encourages the purchase of weaponry by injecting US dollars into the Sudanese economy. He has further claimed that slave redemption does not incentivize the slave trade, although he characterized the policy as a "temporary solution" that AASG would abandon if it were deemed counterproductive by the people of Sudan. Jacobs was given the Boston Freedom Award in September 2000 as an acknowledgment of his anti-slavery work. His application was chosen from a pool of approximately 12 other candidates. Jacobs has thus far been the sole recipient of the award, which was created by Boston 2000, a private corporation tasked with preparing celebrations and other commemorations for the New Year in Boston, as part of Boston's festivities for the new millennium. The award was presented on behalf of Boston 2000 by Mayor Thomas Menino and

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was married to Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his death. As an advocate for African-American equality, she w ...

, but it was neither officially endorsed nor funded by the city of Boston; partial financing was provided by Andrew Wilson, creator of the

Boston Duck Tours Boston Duck Tours is a privately owned company that operates historical tours of the city of Boston using replica World War II amphibious DUKW vehicles. Boston Duck Tours first started running tours in Boston, Massachusetts on October 5, 1994. Th ...

David Project

Along with Ralph Avi Goldwasser, Jacobs founded the David Project for Jewish Leadership in 2002. The Project is a right-wing organization whose mission is to "combat anti-Israel bias on university campuses" and "document campus harassment of Jewish students." According to ''

The Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ' ...

'', Jacobs viewed the David Project as a means of combating a purported "'Muslim-left' anti-Israel alliance on campus."

Daniel Pipes Daniel Pipes (born September 9, 1949) is an American historian, writer, and commentator. He is the president of the Middle East Forum, and publisher of its ''Middle East Quarterly'' journal. His writing focuses on American foreign policy and the ...

has described the David Project as one element of a "general effort" to combat the bias he perceives in universities which includes his own

Middle East Forum The Middle East Forum (MEF) is an American conservative think tank founded in 1990 by Daniel Pipes, who serves as its president. MEF became an independent non-profit organization in 1994. It publishes a journal, the ''Middle East Quarterly''. A ...

and

David Horowitz David Joel Horowitz (born January 10, 1939) is an American conservative writer. He is a founder and president of the right-wing David Horowitz Freedom Center (DHFC); editor of the Center's website ''FrontPage Magazine''; and director of Disco ...

's eponymous Freedom Center. Jacobs has also described the Project as a "response to the new anti-Semitism in which Jews are hated not for their religion or race, but for their state" and an attempt to "teach Jews who were divided politically to make Israel's case in the face of the unfair, dishonest discourse on college campuses." While the David Project under Jacobs's leadership focused much of its attention on universities, it also launched initiatives in Jewish day schools, middle schools, high schools, and summer programs. In perhaps its most famous campaign, the David Project released a documentary titled ''Columbia Unbecoming'' that highlighted professors at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

who the organization perceived to be hostile to Jewish students and pro-Israel viewpoints. Jacobs described this film as aiming "to stop the ideological assault on Israel" in universities, and to teach college students how to "make Israel's case." The University investigated the claims made in ''Columbia Unbecoming'' and did not find that any antisemitic statements had been made. Sociologist Jonathan R. Cole has described the film as "one-sided" and has further suggested that the documentary and similar "critics of the university ... tend to blur the distinction between speech and action" by "accus ngprofessors of inappropriate action and intimidation when they are actually trying to attack the content of their ideas." Under Jacobs's leadership, the David Project in 2004 campaigned to create a competitor to '' Mosaic: World News from the Middle East'', a public affairs program, on

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

public television. ''Mosaic'' featured reports from an array of news organizations based in the Middle East. The David Project was instrumental in publicizing allegations that the

Islamic Society of Boston The Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) is an organization that runs two mosques in the Boston area. The original mosque called Islamic Society of Boston is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2007, the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC) wa ...

(ISB), an organization building a mosque in Roxbury, a Boston neighborhood, was linked to individuals the Project characterized as extremists. On behalf of the Project, Jacobs alleged that the ISB had connections to at least two individuals whose views Jacobs took to be problematic. The David Project, and Jacobs's new organization Citizens for Peace and Tolerance, was sued for defamation by the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) in October 2005.''Islamic Society of Boston et al. v. Boston Herald et al.'' (Docket Report), no. 0584CV0437 Suffolk Superior Court (Massachusetts) The ISB's suit alleged that the Project had conspired with other groups to defame the Society by claiming it was associated with extremists, thereby impeding ISB's construction of its Roxbury mosque. The Project, for its part, sued Boston's Redevelopment Authority (BRA) in October 2006 to obtain information relevant to the city's sale of land to the ISB.''David Project Inc et al. v. Boston Redevelopment Authority'' (Docket Report), no. 0684CV04167, Suffolk Superior Court (Massachusetts) In 2007, the David Project's suit against the BRA was dismissed, and the ISB dropped its defamation action soon afterward. Jacobs left the David Project in July 2008.

Americans for Peace and Tolerance

Along with several other local figures including Ahmed Subhy Mansour, Steven A. Cohen, and Dennis Hale, Jacobs founded Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT) (originally Citizens for Peace and Tolerance), in response to the ongoing construction of the Roxbury mosque. ''

'' describes APT as "a group focused on radical Islam". Jacobs describes APT as "an organization of Christians, Jews and Muslims promoting authentic interfaith dialogue and opposing Radical Islam 'sic''" Jacobs has been described as a

counter-jihad Counter-jihad, also spelled counterjihad and known as the counter-jihad movement, is a self-titled political current loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, street movements and campaign organisations all linked by apocalyptic beli ...

activist. ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' has characterized Jacobs as " e primary critic of the oxburymosque." Jacobs has claimed, on behalf of APT, that " think the slamic Society of Bostonleadership are hiding behind the general Muslim population" and asserted that those funding the project were associated with extremists.

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

Carmen Ortiz Carmen Milagros Ortiz (born January 5, 1956) is an attorney, college instructor, and former United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. In 2009, she was nominated to the position by President Barack Obama. Ortiz was both the first ...

characterized APT's view in this connection as "incredibly racist and unfair." Jacobs has noted that his group held a rally at the mosque's opening attended by

Frank Gaffney Frank J. Gaffney Jr. (born April 5, 1953) is an American anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist and the founder and president of the Center for Security Policy. In the 1970s and 1980s, he worked for the federal government in multiple posts, including ...

, director of the

Center for Security Policy The Center for Security Policy (CSP) is a US far-right, anti-Muslim, Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The organization's founder and current president is Frank Gaffney Jr. who is known for promoting falsehoods about former U.S. President B ...

. (According to public IRS filings, APT received over $121,457 from Gaffney's organization in 2009.Center for Security Policy
IRS form 990 (2009)
8.) As late as 2014, Jacobs and another APT official claimed that the Islamic Society of Boston "constitutes a vast infiltration tunnel beneath our feet." Under Jacobs's leadership, Americans for Peace and Tolerance has conducted several subsequent advocacy campaigns in the Boston area. ''The Boston Globe'' has described it as "a group that has accused many local Muslim leaders of being secret radicals." In 2012, for example, APT launched an effort to dismiss Abdullah Faaruq, a volunteer Muslim chaplain at

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...

, alleging, among other complaints, that the chaplain had made statements in support of

Tarek Mehanna Tarek Mehanna is a pharmacist convicted of conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda, providing material support to terrorists (and conspiracy to do so), conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, conspiracy to make false statement ...

. In 2013, Jacobs alleged that an imam of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center was an extremist. This claim was rejected by Todd Helmus, a counterterrorism researcher at the

RAND Corporation The RAND Corporation (from the phrase "research and development") is an American nonprofit global policy think tank created in 1948 by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces. It is financed ...

; and

Diana L. Eck Diana L. Eck (born 1945 in Bozeman, Montana) is a scholar of religious studies who is Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University, as well as a former faculty dean of Lowell House and the Director of The Pluralism ...

, a professor of comparative religion at Harvard University. In 2015, Jacobs and other APT officials alleged that a member of the

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, Massachusetts City Council was a "secret radical" because he had been involved in a local chapter of the

Council on American-Islamic Relations A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

. In 2010, Jacobs was involved in publicizing an incident in the

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a New England town, town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson Col ...

public schools during which non-Muslim students visited the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center and were permitted to participate in prayers. The mosque's leadership group, the Muslim American Society of Boston responded to Jacobs's allegations, arguing that APT had misrepresented the situation by suggesting that students had been directed to pray when in fact they had not. In 2013, APT condemned material it alleged was taught in the public schools of

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

, suggesting that its content was anti-Semitic and biased against Israel. As part of its efforts in this regard, APT launched an advertising campaign alleging that the educational material was anti-Israel and "glorif edIslam." Local school officials and religious leaders vigorously disputed APT's allegations. The claims in APT's ads were challenged by the

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

, which called APT's claims "misleading" and argued in a report it issued on the controversy that APT's "charge" with respect to the educational material "lacks evidence and is irresponsible." The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the town of Newton have also rejected APT's claims.

Political views

Islam and Muslims

Jacobs has authored columns praising prominent counter-jihad activists such as

Brigitte Gabriel Brigitte Gabriel ( ar, بريجيت غابرييل; born Hanan Qahwaji, 21 October 1964) is a Lebanese-American conservative author, anti-Islam activist, and founder of the anti-Muslim group ACT! for America. Early life and education Gabriel ...

;

Ezra Levant Ezra Isaac Levant (born February 20, 1972) is a Canadian conservative media personality, political activist, writer, broadcaster, and former lawyer. Levant is the founder and former publisher of the conservative magazine, The'' Western Standard''. ...

;

Mark Steyn Mark Steyn (; born December 8, 1959) is a Canadian author and a radio and television presenter. He has written several books, including ''The New York Times'' bestsellers '' America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It'', ''After America: G ...

; Robert Spencer; and

Pamela Geller Pamela Geller (born 1958) is an American anti-Muslim, far-right, political activist, blogger and commentator. Geller promoted birther conspiracy theories about President Barack Obama, saying that he was born in Kenya and that he is a Muslim. Sh ...

, who he terms a "Jewish heroine" and "one of the most courageous Jewish women of our time." Jacobs has referred to

Steven Emerson Steven Emerson (born June 6, 1954) is an American journalist, author, and pundit on national security, terrorism, and Islamic extremism. Some have called Emerson an Islamophobe, who has recently been accused of spying on two different American ...

as a "terrorist expert," and has praised Frank Gaffney as "fabulously eloquent," encouraging readers of his column to attend a public lecture Gaffney delivered in 2010. Jacobs has consistently attempted to discredit the notion of

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

, describing it as an "Islamist political tool," a "specter," a "bogus concept," and "a term created and employed by radical Islamists." He has claimed that the "Muslim community" is "dominated by radical Islamists posing as moderates," although on other occasions alleges that Muslims in America, while "historically moderate," are now becoming radical. He has alleged that 80 percent of mosques have been "radicalized." Jacobs claimed at a public forum that "I believe in the possibility of a moderate American Islam, but I believe that Saudi extremists are here to strangle that possibility." He has further suggested that American society has fallen victim to "Islamists" who "exploit our laws and values ... to facilitate the promotion of Islam and Sharia law," and warned of a "stealth jihad" in America. Writing with Avi Goldwasser in 2012, he suggested that at least some Muslim students on American university campuses "should be required to attend sensitivity training about Judaism and about American values of tolerance." Jacobs has voiced particular concern about the Jewish community in relation to the threat he perceives from Islam. He has suggested that the Jewish community is under "ideological and perhaps physical threat from the alliance of progressives and radical Muslims," later elaborating in an interview with

Steve Bannon Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist in the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump during t ...

on Breitbart News Daily to claim that "the left-Muslim alliance presents the greatest threat to Jewish life on this planet." He argues that "the Jews of Europe have sustained unrelenting political and physical assault by the growing Left/Islamist (or "Red/Green") Alliance, which holds Israel, and its supporters in the West, responsible for all the world's ills." Jacobs likewise alleges that Muslim immigrants have had a negative impact on Jewish life outside the United States, claiming, for example, that "Judeophobic Muslim immigrants in Europe are driving the Jews out."

Human rights groups

Jacobs frequently argues that American and European human rights groups ignore human rights violations committed by actors of non-European descent. "The human rights community," he has claimed, "composed mostly of compassionate white people, feels a special duty to protest evil done by those who are like 'us'."

Israel

Jacobs claims that demonization and delegitimization of Israel, which he terms "anti-Israelism," is equivalent to antisemitism, and further argues that " ti-Israelism dominates the current discourse." Jacobs has often warned of what he terms a "left/Muslim alliance" antagonistic to Israel. Speaking for the David Project at a rally in 2004, Jacobs said in relation to the

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is one of the world's most enduring conflicts, beginning in the mid-20th century. Various attempts have been made to resolve the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, alongside other ef ...

that " Arabs wanted peace, there would be peace."

Jewish organizations

Jacobs has long taken issue with some Jewish organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and

Jewish Community Relations Council A Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is a locally based Jewish organization that carries out "action agendas on behalf of and in the name of the local Jewish communities." Councils may aim "to represent the consensus of the organized Jewish ...

(JCRC). In 2011, Jacobs criticized the ADL for failing to address "Islamic anti-Semitism" and instead focusing on Islamophobia, which he alleged was "a term created and employed by radical Islamists to block and stain with the racist label, any public concern about Islamist beliefs and conduct." In 2013, he claimed that the ADL had failed to advocate for "Jewish concerns," instead focusing on what he termed "what today passes for 'liberal' universalist values." In 2015, Jacobs condemned

J Street J Street ( he, ג'יי סטריט) is a nonprofit liberal advocacy group based in the United States whose stated aim is to promote American leadership to end the Arab–Israeli and Israeli–Palestinian conflicts peacefully and diplomatica ...

and the

New Israel Fund The New Israel Fund (NIF) is a United States-based non-profit NGO established in 1979. It describes its objective as social justice and equality for all Israelis. The New Israel Fund says it has provided $300 million to over 900 Israeli civil so ...

, alleging that these organizations "come just inches away from justifying the murder of Jews." In 2016, he claimed that the Boston JCRC's support of a Massachusetts bill relative to rights for transgender people was a "a perfect example of the misguided policy of the far-left led JCRC which places primacy on supporting issues that have nothing to do with Jewish interests and in fact gives power to those who are most hostile to Israel: the left-wing victimhood PC alliance basket of feminists, gays, transgenders, and 'anti-racist' professionals." Earlier, he had claimed that the " ostonJCRC and all Jewish bodies need to drop its 'sic''fear of being called the bigots and Islamophobes in order to stand up to Islamic antisemitism."

References

External links

APT official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Charles American political activists Counter-jihad activists People from Newark, New Jersey Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Rutgers University alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)