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Long before most of us in the West had heard the term ‘Islamic Terrorism’, Gadi Adelman had experienced it first-hand.
Since that fateful day, Gadi has spent his time educating us on the dangers that we face. Dangers in fact, that Israelis and many other people of the world experience on a daily basis., wherever the adherents of Islam are either neighbors or in significant numbers.
Gadi Adelman is a tireless and passionate Patriot of America, of Israel and of the truth.
A brief bio: Gadi Adelman is a freelance writer and lecturer on the history of terrorism and counterterrorism. He grew up in Israel, studying terrorism and Islam for 35 years after surviving a terrorist bomb in Jerusalem in which 7 children were killed. Since returning to the U. S., Gadi teaches and lectures to law enforcement agencies as well as high schools and colleges. He can be heard every Thursday night at 8PM est. on his own radio show “America Akbar” on Blog Talk Radio. He can be reached through his website gadiadelman.com.
The Interview
Vin Ienco: Living with rocket fire and terrorism is a ‘way of life’ for most Israelis. Growing up in Israel you witnessed terrorism first-hand as a teenager. Can you tell us about that day?
Gadi Adelman: Not something I often get asked about. It’s a day I will never forget. In November 1975, November 10th to be exact, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 3379, it labeled Zionism as a form of racism. 72 states voted for the motion to equate Zionism with Racism while 67 voted against or abstained (35 against, 32 abstained).
Due to that resolution, on November 13 there was a rally being held at “UN Square” in Jerusalem. Today that same Square is named “Zion Square” due to that very vote and the rally. Zion square is located at the heart of Jerusalem; it is where the main artery Jaffa Road and Ben Yehuda Street meet. It is a pedestrian mall and has been the sight of many bombings both before that date and since.
I spent the entire day trying to find someone to go with me to the rally, at the time my family lived just outside Jerusalem and my mother would not allow me to go alone. I was only 14 at the time and only lived in Israel less than a year and as I said, it had been the scene of previous bombings, one just 4 months earlier that had killed 15 and injured 77.
I finally found someone to join me, a classmate who also was a recent American immigrant.
I don’t remember much from the rally itself, but the street sign “UN Square” was pulled down and replaced with one that said “Zion Square”; the name was formally changed soon after.
My friend and I left after the rally and headed down Jaffa Road like hundreds of others. We were walking down Jaffa Road in the direction of the Old City and talking. For no reason I stopped turned around and began to head back up the street.
I can only explain this as divine intervention. I turned around for no reason; we were in the middle of a conversation. I remember that vividly, as we walked up Jaffa Road we heard the explosion, the windows in the store front next to us shattered and then there was for a split second just dead silence.
We turned and looked back down the street and the bomb had denoted right where we would have been had I not turned around when I did.
I ran to the site, it was a Café by the name of Café Naveh, there were bodies and blood everywhere and they were all kids my age. Seven children died that night, they ranged in age from 12-14 and they were all wearing the same button we all had gotten at the rally. The button said “I am a Zionist!”
More than that I can’t go in to, the memories 37 years later are still too much.
V: Would this be the sole catalyst reason that you are so passionate about warning the world about Global Islamism or can you tell us about other events?
G: I would say it was the main reason. It was after the bombing that I started studying terrorism. I had no intention or desire to learn about Islam. I wanted to know what would make one individual do something so horrific to another. I couldn’t wrap my mind around that and luckily I was in Israel. I say that because there was a multitude of books on terror even in ’75, remember, this was long before anyone in the U.S. even knew the word “Jihad”. So I started studying and of course while I was there I saw more terror as life went on.
V: Israel has made concession after concession to achieve peace with her neighbors, yet there is always another excuse from Muslims on why they won’t stop the terrorism. Why isn’t peace forthcoming in the region?
G: The answer to that question could and has filled many books. To put it simply, Israel’s so-called neighbors don’t want peace. They want the area rid of Jews, period.
Since pre Israel in 1948 they have made this abundantly clear and continue to do so on a regular basis. The old saying that came from the Arab nations that surround Israel was “We will push the Jews in to the sea and make the Mediterranean red with the blood of the Jews.” Today, they just say “We will wipe Israel off the face of the Earth.” Their idea of peace is when Israel no longer exists and the land is owned by them.
V: Tell us if you could about the reaction from U.S law enforcement when you first spoke to them about terrorism – that has in fact pervaded the world since Islam’s inception , 1400 years ago?
G: In 1981, I had returned to the U.S. and wanted more than anything to work in law enforcement, specifically – antiterrorism. It used to be referred to as antiterrorism, today it is known as counterterrorism. Back in 1981 it was common to have at the top of your resume your short and long term objectives. Mine was as follows:
To secure employment with a law enforcement agency with a special emphasis on antiterrorism.
I had an interview with the FBI and the interviewer read my objective aloud and laughed. While laughing he said, “this is America, we don’t have terrorism.” Off the top of my head I told him “wait ten years and remember the word Jihad.”
He of course looked at me as if I had two heads not understanding what I had said. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job.
Funny end to that story, years later, shortly after 9/11 I was being interviewed on a radio talk show that I had been on previously. The host of course knew that story, he asked me to be on the show again, but didn’t tell me that a former Director of the FBI would also be a guest and he asked me to tell that same story.
I received an on air apology from the former Director on behalf of the FBI and he said “I only wish we had hired you back then.”
V: How has speaking out with the truth of what is happening in the world and in America in particular, affected your life?
G: What life? I have no life. I mean that seriously, I have a regular fulltime job so I can eat and live and the rest of my time is spent doing research, articles, the radio show and the occasional video.
V: I saw a video of you at the site of the World Trade Center attacks in New York City and how you explained the ‘atmosphere’ of the area. In your opinion did America really learn from this event and where are we, 11 years on?
G: Not enough, they didn’t learn enough. I really thought post 9/11 people would get it, not just here in the U.S., but throughout the world.
Don’t get me wrong, many people, thousands upon thousands got it but the problem is we are a country of hundreds of millions, not thousands.
We still have a lot of work to do because now we are battling an extremely well organized and worthy opponent; the likes of CAIR, ISNA, ICNA and the MSA are winning on the “Stealth Jihad” battle field. They have the mainstream media on their side, they have the current administration on their side and they even have the public education system on their side with the indoctrination of our children.
V: You speak about different levels of awareness that people have to the growing nay ongoing, threat of Global Islamism. Explain these levels, including the infamous ‘Kumbaya’ element?
G: I did a video on this very subject back in July, 2011. I’ll break it down into 5 categories:
- “Go getters”, they get it.
- “On the fence”, not yet educated on the threat but know there is a problem.
- “Doesn’t matter crowd”, if it doesn’t affect them, it doesn’t matter.
- “Rose colored glasses or head in the sand”, as it’s named, they can’t believe it.
- “Kumbaya”, forget trying to reach them, they would rather hold hands and sing Kumbaya.
V: You have your plate full with releasing an article every week, your popular radio show and your speaking engagements. What other developments have occurred in your career recently?
G: I am really glad you asked that! There is an exciting new venture that I am so glad to be a part of. INTN, the Israel News Talk Network.
INTN is the world’s only 24/7 English radio broadcast with news and commentary specifically designed to help educate America about the important and complex issues facing Israel and the Middle East. INTN has attracted top broadcast professionals and guest commentators… many of the same people you see on the major broadcast and cable TV channels.
In addition, INTN producers have gained unprecedented access to the very top levels of Israeli media and government. We are still in the beginning stages of getting this network off the ground; it is not an inexpensive venture. Right now we are streaming 24/7 shows that we have done, but once we are fully up and running we will have live on air talk shows and news.
Currently we have veteran talk show hosts John Rothmann, Michael David McGuire and I lined up to be full time hosts.
I invite everyone to learn and hear more about this great project. They can go to the website israelnewstalk.com and also can read more about it on Facebook as well.
V: Will we ever get to see the book that we all have been waiting on for some years?
G: Yes, but over the past few years I had to keep putting that on the back burner. I hope that once I am on INTN full time it will allow me the time I need to dedicate to a book. As we already said, I have too much on my plate. I will write the book when I can make it my first priority, it is too important to do part time.
V: What can you tell the people of America and others looking at ways to hold back this tide, on what they can do to make a difference to their futures, their children’s futures?
G: Vin, I always say the same thing. There is only one way to defeat any enemy and that is to know and understand the enemy. I tell people in my articles, on my radio show and even in my videos, don’t take my word for it, educate yourself. Do your own research, come to your own conclusions, but once you have educated yourself it is your responsibility to educate others.
The only way we can defeat this is to have the overwhelming numbers of those that know and understand the truth. Right now we are losing the numbers game.
V: Thank you Gadi Adelman.
