Steven Sotloff, Journalist Killed by ISIS, Tried to Hide His Jewish Heritage

New York Magazine ^ | September 3, 2014 | Katie Zavadski

[nickcarraway]

The second American journalist killed by ISIS militants was Jewish and held Israeli citizenship, according to newly released details about his personal life.

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Sotloff had taken on Israeli citizenship when he studied in the country. That information was scrubbed from the media after he was captured, because of fears that it would decrease his chances of getting released and worsen his treatment, and only cleared by Israel's foreign ministry on Wednesday, following the release of a video showing Sotloff's execution.

There had previously been some close calls. The New York Times reported that Sotloff was the grandchild of Holocaust survivors in its initial report of his capture, before quickly removing the information from its website.

Former captives say that he continued observing Jewish holy days and praying while in ISIS custody. One told a Hebrew-language paper that he fasted on Yom Kippur by pretending to be ill, and prayed toward Jerusalem by observing the direction in which his Muslim captors prayed.

These revelations came after U.S. officials authenticated the beheading video, which surfaced Tuesday.

"The U.S. Intelligence Community has analyzed the recently released video showing U.S. citizen Steven Sotloff and has reached the judgment that it is authentic," said a National Security Council spokesperson.

President Barack Obama was told about the video as he was leaving to Estonia. "Those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget and that our reach is long and that justice will be served," he said.

Sotloff is the second American journalist beheaded by ISIS, following James Foley, in a video that surfaced two weeks ago. After that execution, Sotloff's mother pleaded with ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to release her son.

"I want what every mother wants, to live to see their children’s children. I plead with you to grant me this," she said in a video.

[MasterGunner01]

I’d like to pose a serious question to the Liberal journalists.

Do you seriously think that being an Infidel and telling hardcore Muslim fanatics you are on their side is a magic talisman that will keep you safe?

Think again, fools.

There are now two dead journalists who were killed by their Muslim ISIS terrorist “friends”.

These are NOT nice people. Trust me on this.

[colorado tanker]

These people must have a death wish. The people who live in that hellhole are stuck, but why would anyone travel there on purpose?

[BerryDingle]

So the idiot media thinks terrorists “need a reason” to kill anybody?

[lee martell]

The average parent would be far too overwrought and in despair to get in front of a camera as Sotloff’s mother did. She was impressively calm, cogent and strong when she filmed the video pleading for her son’s release. I’m so sorry it became a futile effort, but I wasn’t surprised. Sotloff was also naive for thinking he could hide his jewish heritage for long. I have sketched many human faces in my art classes over the years. I could easily see that he had classic features of a young man with Jewish ancestry. If he used his real name, that too was a simple clue. His grave error was getting close, close enough to them for a face to face interview.

[God luvs America]

probably should’ve started by changing his name....1st thing I wondered was why was a guy named Sotloff wandering around iraq??

[KeyLargo]

September 3, 2014, - 10:50 am
Steven Sotloff: ISIS’ Beheaded Anti-Israel Jew Converted to Islam Years Ago; “Hated” Israel

By Debbie Schlussel

Yesterday, I told you all the inside scoop on ISIS’ latest beheadee Steven Sotloff: how he was extremely pro-HAMAS and anti-Israel all through his four years of studying and living in Israel; how he “deeply loved Islam” and “Islamic culture” and lived in Yemen for years; how he was an apologist for jihadists of every stripe, including ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood, in addition to HAMAS.

In my piece, I said I wouldn’t be surprised if Sotloff had voluntarily converted to Islam, long before his captivity with ISIS.

All of this makes you wonder, did Steven Sotloff convert to Islam? Don’t bet against it. Like I said, he lost his head before ISIS took it from him.

And my instincts were correct. He converted to Islam several years ago in Egypt while “covering” a/k/a cheering on the Muslim Brotherhood revolutionaries in Tahrir Square. It’s like a Jew taking the SS oath and joining the Gestapo while pretending to be an objective journalist covering the Holocaust and World War II. His friend, Oren Kessler, an Israeli-American journalist, formerly of the Jerusalem Post, confirms it:

In Egypt, Kessler said, Sotloff once allowed locals to give him a “quickie conversion,” a 10-minute ceremony meant to return him to his purported Islamic roots.

http://www.debbieschlussel.com/74484/steven-sotloff-isis-beheaded-anti-israel-jew-converted-to-islam-years-ago-hated-israel/

[theBuckwheat]

It appears he was captured because his liberalism led him to be blind to the evil people he was cozying up to.

[MasterGunner01]

When the war in Bosnia was hot, a car full of freelance journalists were in a small city where fighting was going on. They'd been cautioned that snipers were using the blasted high rise building across a park. They were joined by a French news crew. The warning was passed on, but the female French reporter ignored it. She got out from under the cover of the building and was felled by a head shot from a concealed sniper.

What is wrong with journalists? They believe that running around with vests saying PRESS somehow makes them untouchable and bad guys will not kill them. They're proved wrong over and over, but no matter how many are killed, the rest remain blissfully convinced of their immortality.

[Nowhere Man]

I always wonder why they don’t they don’t try to fight instead of just kneeling and talking. I know if it was me, i’d do my best to give that Moslem pig with a knife a kick in the groin or a knuckle sandwich in the teeth. Yeah, maybe there would be a good chance that I will still die but at least I’d inflict some pain and maybe take a few of them with me. Myself, I’m sick of them doing this. I’d issue an ultimatum. First if they harm one hair of any Western person or commit terrorism anywhere, I will have B-52’s take out Mecca and Medina with atomic weapons. Also, they have two days to release all those captive, if they do not comply, the above B-52’s will carry out their missions.

[nickcarraway]

I really can't agree with you, "Americans should grovel and cower and hide in their parents basement like cowards," crowd. Yes, some people are stupid about their safety, but other people are engaged in occupations that mean they risk their lives for an honorable cause.

War correspondent was a decent profession, although less so since the Russo-Japanese War.

Would you guys trash Jack London? Even though he was already a rich author, he went to cover the Russo-Japanese War. The Japanese were keeping the correspondents in Tokyo, even the venerable Richard Harding Davis. London tried several ways to get to Korea, and even was arrested by the Japanese for spying. Once he got there, he had to buy a junk in travel in subzero temperatures and gale force wins, to get closer to the front. He risked being killed by the Japanese and the Russian, and eventually the Japanese kicked him out completely. He risked his life, even though he was a rich man, but he also produced the best reporting of that war. Should he be trashed? I really don't get the attitude you guys have.

I can't speak to Sotloff's experience, but I certainly don't share your attitude that all American or journalist should be cowards, or that they can't serve a worthwhile purpose.

[MasterGunner01]

I did not say journalists are or should be cowards. My point was they should be very circumspect who friends and enemies are. They should not expect that their PRESS identification will act as a magic talisman to ward off bullets and shrapnel. Likewise, Steve Sotloff, was a self-hating American Jew who converted to Islam, learned Arabic, lived in Yemen, and was a willing propaganda shill for HAMAS, ISIS, and other terrorist organizations. He was only too happy to champion the terrorist cause and his ISIS captors rewarded him by beheading him. All of his contributions to the terrorist's cause were for naught because, to them, he was an Infidel (though he had converted to Islam) and was a dirty Jew in their eyes.

There are a lot of journalists who exhibit this kind of “Stockholm Syndrome”. They've come to ideologically associate with terrorists and thugs, wrongfully thinking these same people accept them as one of them. Surprise, these enemies don't because they are paranoid about welcoming double agents into their midst. Journalists will never enjoy complete trust because they are who they are and what they do. Try as you might, you cannot shake one the beliefs of these journalist collaborators. These "useful idiots" (Lenin's term for them) cannot see the their folly. Even with the knife at his throat, Steven Sotloff could not believe his “friends” would murder him in cold blood — but they did.

Note to journalists: Before you “go native” and embrace the locals’ customs and traditions 100%, remember that you are ALWAYS considered an outsider. Hence, you are expendable when push comes to shove.

[colorado tanker]

I did not mean to blame the victim. His murderers are no less responsible for their crime because he placed himself in harm's way.

I just shake my head at the naivete of Westerners who don't recognize the profoundly different world view these Islamists have and the risk they run being near them.

[TexasGator]

“I just shake my head at the naivete of Westerners who don’t recognize the profoundly different world view these Islamists have and the risk they run being near them. “

He was described as an Islamophile.

[Travis McGee]

Liberal stupidity knows no bounds.

Sotloff was a great admirer of Muslim culture in the Middle East. Really????