Blocking of Jewish Editor from DSA Conference

The editor of the only Jewish news outlet in Portland claimed he was barred from attending a virtual press conference organized by the local Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The meeting aimed to discuss Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

Rock ‘n’ Roll, editor of the Jewish Review magazine, expressed his frustration over being excluded from the event, which featured four members of the Portland City Council. He described the decision as a “disgrace” to the publication’s audience, particularly given the seriousness of the issues at hand.

He mentioned, “I understand there are various opinions about the Jewish state. Out of respect for this diversity of thought, I intended to be there to report honestly on the discussions, as I strive to do with all my articles.”

Roll added that he was removed from the event before it commenced, raising questions about the decision-making process behind his exclusion.

As the sole staff member of the Review, an online biweekly owned by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Roll highlighted the lack of explanation regarding his removal when he logged into the conference.

“As discussions between city council members and the community unfolded, the only media representative focused on Portland’s Jewish community was abruptly dismissed without any notice,” he wrote.

He criticized the ease with which the event organizers created a barrier between elected officials and the press, noting the implications of such actions.

The DSA stated it was screening attendees to prevent disruptions from potential troublemakers and insisted that Roll’s exclusion was unintentional. They explained that volunteers managing the technology mistakenly interpreted his name as a pseudonym.

After learning of the mix-up, the DSA provided Roll with a recording of the call, which he subsequently uploaded to YouTube.

They clarified that attending council members had no part in planning the conference call, distancing themselves from the decision to block Roll.

However, Roll insisted he did not register under his full name, using only his documents and email as identifiers, which contributed to the misunderstanding.

A representative from the office of one of the council members indicated that there were no known “technical issues” during the event.