I had a good laugh when I saw the New York Times story last week with the headline: Members of Jewish Student Group Test Permissible Discussion On Israel.
The piece told of the decision by the Hillel Jewish student society at Swarthmore College to break with the national organization over its ban on discussions of the Middle East that did not tilt toward the Israeli position. It noted that the restrictions faced by Swarthmore students are far from unusual:
At Harvard, the Jewish student group Hillel was barred from co-sponsoring a discussion with a Palestinian student group. At Binghamton University, a Hillel student leader was forced to resign his position after showing a film about Palestinians and inviting the filmmaker’s brother to speak. And on many other campuses, Hillel chapters have been instructed to reject collaboration with left-leaning Jewish groups.
In any context other than the Israeli one, the idea of college students testing the limits of “permissible discussion” would be ridiculous. Imagine college students “testing the limits” of debate on abortion, gun control, the death penalty or any other issue. It’s inconceivable, at least nowadays. (Students at the University of South Carolina and Ole Miss weren’t free to debate the morality of slavery in 1859). In the United States today, students can freely discuss anything…except Israel. How crazy is that?
That is as likely to change in 2014 as it is likely that Senators Schumer, Menendez,and Booker will condemn the occupation, and for the same reason. College presidents, like other politicians, will not offend fat cat donors. It’s that simple. And the Israel issue is only one of hundreds of issues where the guys writing the checks set the policy. Democracy? Not any kind Washington or Lincoln would recognize. But, as conservatives love reminding us, America is exceptional.
The same people who set limits on debate in college are also in the book censoring business. “Pro-Israel” organizations have not only condemned Max Blumenthal’s book about the occupation, Goliath: Life and Loathing In Greater Israel, they have tried to ban the author from certain venues. This is nothing new; they have been doing this for decades.
A new twist in the case of Blumenthal came when former Harvard professor, Alan Dershowitz, the lobby’s chief enforcer of limits on free speech, demanded that Hillary Clinton disassociate herself from Max Blumenthal’s father (a Clinton friend and confidante of long standing) or face the consequences. He said that the elder Blumenthal and Clinton could avert his evil decree if Sidney merely repudiated his own son. (Calling on a parent to repudiate his child marks a new high in the lobby’s deviation from Jewish law and tradition but what else is new?). I expect we won’t see Sidney Blumenthal around Secretary Clinton much in coming days. She is not exactly known for standing up to the lobby.
It’s all pretty crazy. And stupid. The same crowd that is working so hard to smother Blumenthal’s book has enthusiastically endorsed Ari Shavit’s My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel, helping to push it to the best-seller list. But, guess what, the Shavit book is infinitely more dangerous to the “pro-Israel” line than anything in Blumenthal’s book.
Blumenthal depicts the horrors of the occupation in gory (and true) detail. The settlers are like something out of a European Jewish nightmare (armed thugs tormenting their helpless victims). Beyond that he reports on racism inside Israel itself, a growing phenomenon as evidenced by Israel’s treatment of African migrants. It is sickening to see how easily Israelis have adopted the language and style of American white supremacists.
But Blumenthal is simply not credible, even though the facts are on his side, because the book drips with hatred of Israel. In fact, it concludes with a section called “Exodus Party” which expresses what he clearly hopes is Israel’s future: its collapse after its people depart for Europe. Moreover Blumenthal is an American who speaks neither Hebrew nor Arabic. His book, despite the truth it tells about the occupation is easy to ignore, which is what the Israel establishment should have done rather than attempt to ban it. (For the record, I recommend the book for its comprehensive reporting of the occupation, just ignore its recommendations and tone).
Shavit’s book, on the other hand, will be devastating to anyone who believes that there is nothing wrong with Israel that ending the occupation won’t fix (although the two-state solution would go a long way). Shavit’s description of how Israel was created is almost literally nauseating, at least it was for a liberal Zionist like me. He describes exactly how Israeli forces managed to get most Palestinians to leave the country which was through horrific violence.
Anyone who rejects the Palestinian characterization of the liquidation of Palestine as the nakba (catastrophe) won’t feel that way after reading Shavit. While the results of the events of 1947-8 were glorious for Jews, they were accomplished by means of unambiguous war crimes including mass killings. And because Shavit is a distinguished Israeli who loves his country, his facts (unlike Blumenthal’s) cannot be dismissed. From now on, Palestinian debaters need only cite Ari Shavit when they challenge the absurd myth that the Palestinians left the country after being told to flee by their own leaders. They were driven out. Period.
Either the “pro-Israel” establishment did not read Shavit or they don’t much care that he has utterly destroyed much of their hasbara package. After all, he is an Israeli and he does endorse bombing Iran (that chapter seems extraneous). Blumenthal, by their definition, threatens them while while Shavit doesn’t. Except they have it backwards. The anti-Zionist left is the mirror image of the “pro-Israel” right. They love Blumenthal’s book even though it is nothing more than preaching to the choir while Shavit’s is the very opposite: opening the eyes of the brain washed.
More and more, I view the self-proclaimed anti-Zionist left as primarily being in the hate business, every bit as much as the “pro-Israel” right. The more virulent the attack on Israel and Israelis, the more enthusiastically they will endorse it. Blumenthal’s book is all virulence and so they love it. Shavit’s book, like that of Peter Beinart, is infused with love of Israel so they hate it — even though it advances arguments they, in theory, champion. Hate gets in the way.
I recommend Shavit’s book without reservation although I have to admit that it shook me up. I hated reading the truth about 1948. Anyone who cares about Israel will but it’s necessary. Until we understand what happened then, we will not understand why Palestinians seem so inflexible on such issues as refugee return. The ’48 refugees are not returning to Israel. But it would go far toward peace for Israel to at least admit that it caused the nakba, and it did so intentionally. Maybe then the two sides can get beyond fairly ancient history and do what must be done now to preserve Israel and what is left of Palestine: establish two states for two peoples. Denial, by Israel of the naqba, and by Palestinians of Israel’s legitimacy now can only lead to further catastrophe.
In any context other than the Israeli one, the idea of college students testing the limits of “permissible discussion” would be ridiculous. Imagine college students “testing the limits” of debate on abortion, gun control, the death penalty or any other issue. It’s inconceivable, at least nowadays. (Students at the University of South Carolina and Ole Miss weren’t free to debate the morality of slavery in 1859). In the United States today, students can freely discuss anything…except Israel. How crazy is that?
That is as likely to change in 2014 as it is likely that Senators Schumer, Menendez,and Booker will condemn the occupation, and for the same reason. College presidents, like other politicians, will not offend fat cat donors. It’s that simple. And the Israel issue is only one of hundreds of issues where the guys writing the checks set the policy. Democracy? Not any kind Washington or Lincoln would recognize. But, as conservatives love reminding us, America is exceptional.
The same people who set limits on debate in college are also in the book censoring business. “Pro-Israel” organizations have not only condemned Max Blumenthal’s book about the occupation, Goliath: Life and Loathing In Greater Israel, they have tried to ban the author from certain venues. This is nothing new; they have been doing this for decades.
A new twist in the case of Blumenthal came when former Harvard professor, Alan Dershowitz, the lobby’s chief enforcer of limits on free speech, demanded that Hillary Clinton disassociate herself from Max Blumenthal’s father (a Clinton friend and confidante of long standing) or face the consequences. He said that the elder Blumenthal and Clinton could avert his evil decree if Sidney merely repudiated his own son. (Calling on a parent to repudiate his child marks a new high in the lobby’s deviation from Jewish law and tradition but what else is new?). I expect we won’t see Sidney Blumenthal around Secretary Clinton much in coming days. She is not exactly known for standing up to the lobby.
It’s all pretty crazy. And stupid. The same crowd that is working so hard to smother Blumenthal’s book has enthusiastically endorsed Ari Shavit’s My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel, helping to push it to the best-seller list. But, guess what, the Shavit book is infinitely more dangerous to the “pro-Israel” line than anything in Blumenthal’s book.
Blumenthal depicts the horrors of the occupation in gory (and true) detail. The settlers are like something out of a European Jewish nightmare (armed thugs tormenting their helpless victims). Beyond that he reports on racism inside Israel itself, a growing phenomenon as evidenced by Israel’s treatment of African migrants. It is sickening to see how easily Israelis have adopted the language and style of American white supremacists.
But Blumenthal is simply not credible, even though the facts are on his side, because the book drips with hatred of Israel. In fact, it concludes with a section called “Exodus Party” which expresses what he clearly hopes is Israel’s future: its collapse after its people depart for Europe. Moreover Blumenthal is an American who speaks neither Hebrew nor Arabic. His book, despite the truth it tells about the occupation is easy to ignore, which is what the Israel establishment should have done rather than attempt to ban it. (For the record, I recommend the book for its comprehensive reporting of the occupation, just ignore its recommendations and tone).
Shavit’s book, on the other hand, will be devastating to anyone who believes that there is nothing wrong with Israel that ending the occupation won’t fix (although the two-state solution would go a long way). Shavit’s description of how Israel was created is almost literally nauseating, at least it was for a liberal Zionist like me. He describes exactly how Israeli forces managed to get most Palestinians to leave the country which was through horrific violence.
Anyone who rejects the Palestinian characterization of the liquidation of Palestine as the nakba (catastrophe) won’t feel that way after reading Shavit. While the results of the events of 1947-8 were glorious for Jews, they were accomplished by means of unambiguous war crimes including mass killings. And because Shavit is a distinguished Israeli who loves his country, his facts (unlike Blumenthal’s) cannot be dismissed. From now on, Palestinian debaters need only cite Ari Shavit when they challenge the absurd myth that the Palestinians left the country after being told to flee by their own leaders. They were driven out. Period.
Either the “pro-Israel” establishment did not read Shavit or they don’t much care that he has utterly destroyed much of their hasbara package. After all, he is an Israeli and he does endorse bombing Iran (that chapter seems extraneous). Blumenthal, by their definition, threatens them while while Shavit doesn’t. Except they have it backwards. The anti-Zionist left is the mirror image of the “pro-Israel” right. They love Blumenthal’s book even though it is nothing more than preaching to the choir while Shavit’s is the very opposite: opening the eyes of the brain washed.
More and more, I view the self-proclaimed anti-Zionist left as primarily being in the hate business, every bit as much as the “pro-Israel” right. The more virulent the attack on Israel and Israelis, the more enthusiastically they will endorse it. Blumenthal’s book is all virulence and so they love it. Shavit’s book, like that of Peter Beinart, is infused with love of Israel so they hate it — even though it advances arguments they, in theory, champion. Hate gets in the way.
I recommend Shavit’s book without reservation although I have to admit that it shook me up. I hated reading the truth about 1948. Anyone who cares about Israel will but it’s necessary. Until we understand what happened then, we will not understand why Palestinians seem so inflexible on such issues as refugee return. The ’48 refugees are not returning to Israel. But it would go far toward peace for Israel to at least admit that it caused the nakba, and it did so intentionally. Maybe then the two sides can get beyond fairly ancient history and do what must be done now to preserve Israel and what is left of Palestine: establish two states for two peoples. Denial, by Israel of the naqba, and by Palestinians of Israel’s legitimacy now can only lead to further catastrophe.
Blumenthal is an hezbollah boy toy who is an advocate of the extermination of Israel and a second holocaust
What is the difference with what the Israelis have been doing to the Palestinians and the Nazi treatment of the Jews or the US extermination of native Americans? They’re all the same. The UN has proven itself useless in handling such problems – probably out of fear of the US. It should be noted that the Jews were not allowed to leave the Nazi concentration camps after the end of World War II. Neither the US nor the Europeans wanted them. Also, sending the Jews to Palestine was part of the US-European strategy to control the Middle East and its oil. It´s a game in which the earth and its inhabitants will everntually all lose unless a new inclusive mentality takes place.
[comment removed due to personal attack]
“It should be noted that the Jews were not allowed to leave the Nazi concentration camps after the end of World War II. ”
Excuse me ???
My parents were holocaust survivors. They could have stayed in Poland or the Soviet Union had they wanted too. They didn’t want to, both because of the anti-Semitic collaboration of the Poles and because of the Communist totalitarianism of the Soviets.
They weren’t kept in concentration camps, but moved to “DP” (aka refugee) camps: in their case operated by the Americans in Austria. They applied for visas to the U.S., Canada, and Australia – as well as to Palestine (via the British). The Canadian visa came first and that were they went.
Congratulations, Jeanne. The internet is no stranger to stunningly ignorant comments, by any means, but you have truly broken ground in ways anyone could have previously imagined. Give yourself a hearty round of applause, you surely deserve it!
It is truly pathetic that Tikkun Daily allows Jeanne’s hideous comment to remain posted.
I don’t remember what bill’s comment was, but yeah. It’s quite telling that one comment here has been ‘removed due to personal attack,’ while Jeanne’s deranged, hate-filled, conspiracy-theory laden drivel remains, isn’t it?
It seems to be the way here that it’s perfectly acceptable to hate and lie about an entire people (those people, being, of course, we Jews!), but to say anything which can potentially ever be conceived as ‘bad’ about a person who does same is a total no-no.
Then again, this is the place where regular poster Monir (below) can threaten another Holocaust, and be completely welcome. So it’s certainly not a surprise.
Tikkun Daily, ladies and gentlemen!
There is Something that I hope the loyalists to their Jewishness and Israel before the truth and justice should have learned from this article, as it will go along way for history not to repeat it self. Again ,I applaude Mr. Rosenberg for printing and stating his opinion ,not as just a lover of Israel, and a proud Jew, but first as a human being who has a conscious that makes him a decent human being and a decent Jew. I hope those scared will heal and allow them selves to learn.
So let’s get this straight. You’re saying that we had better learn our lesson, or else another Holocaust will be coming our way?
And you are still allowed to comment here.
Fantastic job, Tikkun Daily. Fantastic job.
I would love to see Israel sink deeper into it’s self-created cesspool. Did I just reach a new low for Tikkun? All of you apologists for moral degeneracy, don’t bother to call me anti-Semitic. It’s just a waste of time.
No, Monir consistently sets the bar for new lows in this sad place. You are merely a sad, hate-filled person who obviously has nothing better to do with your time than troll Jews.
Tikkun’s analysis of the Israel/Palestine struggle can be read in our editorials and in my book Embracing Israel/Palestine which can be read on Kindle ordered thorugh amazon.com or in print form by ordering it from http://www.tikkun.org/eip. Articles that appear on our website do not necessarily reflect our opinions (though most often we are close in orientation to that of MJ Rosenberg, but not always). As to the people who post here, we rarely have time to check what is here much less to censor this discussion (though we do have a policy against racist, sexist, or homophobic judgments or statements on our web and in our magazine). The claim that Israel is acting like the Nazis is false and defamatory, but it is not necessarily anti-Semitic because Jews who make that claim are sometimes people who have a love of the Jewish people but a strong anger at the policies being followed by the nation state Israel. Nevertheless, like MJ Rosenberg, I often find the level of hatred being exprssed toward Israel represents a hatred that may have even been internalized by some Jews unconsciously from living in a society whose holy book The New Testament still teaches hateful description of Jews. However, the way to respond ot the false charges is through claification and rational discourse. So, for example, it is incumbent on us to poiint out that the Nazis are famous for their systematic attempt to murder every Jew alive at the time. Israel is not seeking to exterminate all Palestinians. In fact, Palestinians within the pre-67 borders of Israel have their own parties which are represented in Knesset, Palestinians can attend Israeli schools athe same as other students, and there are many many Arabs in Israeli universities. This is not what happened ot Jews in pre-1939 Germany–Jews were thrown out of their jobs and prevented from going to schools with Aryans and many other racist laws were passed. Where discriminatory laws rule is inthe West Bank and there Israel’s behavior is immoral and unjust and should be resisted.It is not however based on racial issues, because the same race person living inside Israel would not face those same discriminatory laws. Rather, the discrimiination is based on the struggle between two peoples for the same land. And in that struggle, Israel has followed policies that are disgusting and deserve to be sharply critiqued. I suspect, however, that those who then start to call Israel/s behavior “apartheid” or “like the Nazis” are, at least some of them, paid agents of the Zionist hasbara (ideological justification) crew of the Israeli government, because these charges seem so far over the top as to throw doubt on all the rest of what the critics of israel are saying. In setting the discourse along those kinds of lines actually allows Israel’s chief defenders to show how ludicrous that particular set of charges is, and thus to deflect the conversation away from the systematic abuse of human rights that Israel is engaged in and which deserves to be protested. Those kind of charges are a gift to Dershowitz and the many others who seek to repress open debate about ISrael’s policies, because those charges could only be made by people who have, whatever other conscious motivations, a degree of hatred of Jews that could not be justified and should not be excused, no matter how legitimate the anger against Israeli policies that set people on this hateful path inthe first place to make charges that do no fit the facts inside pre-67 border Israel–Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor, Tikkun RabbiLerner.tikkun@gmail.com
If you think that the people.throwing ridiculous Nazi accusations at Israel are double agents rather than people straight from the core of the anti-Israel movement, you are completely detached from reality.
Wow.