'Reclaiming Anti-Semitism'
Refuted
Yair
Davidiy
on behalf of Brit-Am counters an attempt to hijack the struggle against anti-Semitism
to the anti-Jewish pro-Arab Quisling Cause.
"Reclaiming Anti-Semitism
Refuted"
Yair
Davidiy
on behalf of Brit-Am counters an attempt to hijack the struggle against anti-Semitism
to the anti-Jewish pro-Arab Quisling Cause.
Quote
Reclaiming Anti-Semitism
by Mitchell Plitnick
Mitchell
Plitnick,
from Jewish Voice for Peace, argues that proponents of peace and justice in
Palestine must take the fight against anti-semitism
back from those who manipulate it towards unconditional support for Israel's
policies.
Those of us who are involved in activism
around Israel/Palestine, and take a position critical of the standard American
and Israeli views of the conflict are constantly peppered with accusations of
anti-Semitism; or, in the case of Jews, we are told we are "self-hating"..
The author of this article must indeed hate Jews even if he is Jewish and whether
or not this is "self-hating"!
Quote
Indeed, for Jews active on this
issue, it becomes incumbent upon us to prominently and frequently argue that
criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic.
Anti-Semites frequently argue that the Arabs are Semites and therefore cannot be
anti-Semites and therefore, they imply they (or those speaking on their behalf)
may say what they like about the "Jews" or "Zionists"and not be regarded as anti-Semites.
"Anti-Semite" however means "anti-Jewish" and nothing else.
Another anti-Jewish trick is to say that the Israelis are Zionists
and not "Jewish" and therefore it is legitimate to advocate destruction of the
State of Israel.
The "Jews" for them are an almost non-existent entity that seems to
reside only in ciber space.
Quote
It can get frustrating.
Constantly engaging in the same argument is bad enough, but when that argument
is over something that should be obvious -- such as the right to criticize the
actions of a state with one of the world's strongest militaries
The armed forces of Israel exist to protect Jews from being exterminated by
hundreds of millions of Muslims with their European friends arrayed against us
just because we are Jewish.
It is easy to see why the existence of these forces disturbs the equilibrium of
pro-Palestinians!
Quote
which has been in occupation of
another people for 35 years --
.
He is right. Rather than being "occupied" the Arabs should be encouraged to
emigrate.
Quote:
the argument becomes all the more
tiresome. In fact, it can become so tiresome that many people, Jewish or
non-Jewish, who have to deal with it can easily become so frustrated that they
cannot or do not wish to hear about genuine issues of anti-Semitism.
Those who are against the State of Israel are invariably themselves anti-Semites
and Quislings. Of course they are "weary" of hearing the rights of Jews being
defended.
Quote:
It is fast becoming the cry of
"wolf" that can portend a horrible fate down the road.
Pro-Palestinian advocates such
as those associated with the author of this article openly advocate the
destruction of the State of Israel and this view appears to be shared by many of
their "liberal" readership who nevertheless will also claim that they are
not anti-Jewish.
Quote:
The argument has frequently
served to be very disruptive to opposition to American policies in the Middle
East, as has been demonstrated again recently in the very unfortunate flap over
Michael Lerner's absence from the invited speakers' list at the anti-war
demonstration to be held this Sunday in Iraq.
Michael Lerner is a Reform "Rabbi" active in left-wing circles who frequently
writes anti-Israel diatribes.
Apparently the Arab-Lovers declined to invite the token Jew-boy to
their party.
Shame on them.
Quote:
What is it we speak of when
talking about anti-Semitism? The term itself is a source of some controversy.
While the term "Semite" refers to a linguistic group which includes both Arabic
and Hebrew, the term "anti-Semitism" was coined by a German Jew-hater, Wilhelm
Marr, in the late 19th century. He coined the phrase to refer to a new form of
Judeophobia,
one which is based on purported racial characteristics. In order to have a term
that was easier to pass along than "Judenhass"
(hatred of Jews), as well as a new phrase for his theory and one which denied
the European heritage of European Jewry, he took what was at the time an obscure
linguistic term and applied it to his racial theory of Jews and his ideas as to
why they were genetically pre-disposed to threaten European society. The actual
term "Semite" is simply a way of grouping speakers of particular languages,
including Arabic and Hebrew, and some other, mostly dead, languages. But
anti-Semitism was, ironically, coined against Jews alone, despite the fact that,
at the time, exceedingly few Jews spoke Hebrew.
Nowadays most Israelis speak Hebrew and Hebrew has become a living language in
the Diaspora as well largely by virtue of Israel. Anti-"Zionists" however, such as those who identify with the author of the article try to give the impression that Israel is not really
"Jewish",
The "Jews" referred to here by the author are the token quisling Jew-boys who
complain about not being invited to the demonstrations and missing out on their
free ham sandwiches and EU-supplied expense monies.
Life is hard.
Quote:
Even up to today, it has been
many centuries since any Semitic language was the primary language of the
majority of Jews worldwide. Arabs, on the other hand, are, by definition,
Semites, but were beyond the racist consciousness of Marr, who never encountered
them.
The Holocaust was the ultimate
expression of Marr's racial conception of anti-Semitism; all the more so because
it was different in character and nature from the centuries of persecution on
religious grounds that Jews had faced in Europe. The effects were devastating,
even beyond the unimaginable death and torment the Nazi persecution caused (not
only to Jews, it helps to recall; millions of others were slaughtered in the
camps as well, though we were the primary targets). The trauma of the Holocaust
for all Jews, and especially Europeans, remains very much with us to this day.
The Holocaust represented the ultimate betrayal of Jewish hopes that the modern,
secular ideologies of socialism, communism and liberalism would at last free us
from the centuries of persecution. It convinced many Jews that we would always
be at risk, that at any moment, no matter how good things seemed, the pogroms
and exile would start all over again, and that the world does and would always
hate us. Entire Jewish movements virtually died in the Holocaust (including
several different non-Zionist nationalist movements). But there were other
effects as well, different from what one might expect. Institutionalized
discrimination against Jews in the West came under fierce attack as shame over
what had been done in Europe spread. It was not an immediate process, of course;
the practice of barring Jews from entry into various neighborhoods or clubs
persisted in the United States in the 1970s. And today, with few exceptions,
most Jews live freely without any significant social obstacles to work or
finding homes. This needs to be cause for Jewish celebration.
We must not forget the Holocaust, nor
ignore the fact that some of our greatest historical tragedies have come on the
heels of some of our greatest periods of prosperity. But the road to sustaining
our security lies not in fear of a repeat of our greatest trauma, but in
vigilance, consciousness and cooperation with our many allies in creating a
world where all forms of hatred based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation
or any other innate characteristics has no power to threaten people. .
The left-wing activists who support Arabs should take their tales about
combating "all forms of hatred based
on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or any other innate characteristics"
to the Arabs including those in Gaza and the PA whom they
support.
In those place homosexuals are executed whether on the official level or by
condoned vigilante actions; female victims of rape are murdered for defiling
family "honor" and the killers treated leniently if at all prosecuted.
Cutting of the clitoris and other past of female anatomy is regularly practiced
on little girls often by chortling women wielding dirty razor blades.
If you think I exaggerate do a SEARCH on U-tube and see it live.
Check the statistics and numerous articles written by Arab human-rights people.
The left-wingers should indeed show a bit of respect for inhabitants of the Arab
world.
Quote:
Does this mean that anti-Semitism
no longer exists? Indeed, not. In the United States, many white supremacist
groups (the KKK,
neo-Nazi groups, Christian Identity groups and others) continue their campaigns
against Jews, along with women,
GLBT folks and, of course, people
of color. More and more, the relative success of Jews in the United States and
some parts of Europe has spawned some reactionary rekindling of late 19th/early
20th century Jewish conspiracy theories, harkening back to the infamous Russian
forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (a Czarist era tract purporting to
dictate a Jewish/Masonic program of global domination).
All these admittedly anti-Semitic tracts do not say anything much different than
standard "left-wing" anti-"Zionist" propaganda does, but then that is different
in the view of quislings.
At least the neo-Nazis dogs are relatively "honest" concerning their intentions.
Quote:
Still, it must be understood
that, as potentially dangerous and certainly disturbing as these
things are, they do not represent anything like the sorts of obstacles and
threats in day-to-day living that many disenfranchised and oppressed people face
all the time, and which we have been all too familiar throughout most of our
history. Again, this should be a cause for celebration among Jews. While
anti-Semitism, in its myriad forms, has ebbed and flowed over the centuries, few
indeed are the periods in our history that match the level of security and
prosperity Jews have found in the United States and Western Europe today. Yet,
make mention of this, and many of us become defensive, as if the thought that
things are so good for Jews, relative to our history, threatens to put us off
our guard, so that if danger rises again we would not be prepared to meet it and
survive. It is crucial for the long-term health of the Jewish people that we
strike a much better balance between recognizing how good things are for Jews
where most of us are living today and with being vigilant against the return of
darker times.
When it comes to the issues around
Israel, the question of anti-Semitism takes on much greater importance. Much is
made of growing anti-Semitism in the Arab world. In Arab countries there are
exceedingly few Jews
There are few Jews in Arab lands since after centuries of persecution and
degradation they left after hordes of Arabs attacked them killing many and
seriously harming others. The Arabs also robbed them and took their property
as well as in many cases their women and children.
The numbers of Jews who fled from Arab lands is equal to or exceeds the numbers
of Palestinian "refugees".
The extent of property and its value taken from Jews by Arabs far exceeds that
of all of "Palestine" as it was when the Jews [sorry "Zionists" whom it is
claimed by pro-Palestinians are not really Jews] took over.
Quote:
in most none at all, and all the
Jews most people in those countries see are Israeli leaders, soldiers and
settlers, and occasional American Jews who voice views at least as hawkish.
Still, it is easy to see why people would see such a phenomenon as proof that
the Arab view of the conflict with Israel is motivated not by dispossession or
concern over Western domination of the Middle East, but by the hatred of Jews.
That is right and hatred of Jews is the only logical explanation for the
attitude of anti-"Zionists" everywhere.
Quote:
When a group of people are absent
from one's life
Why are Jews "absent" from Arab life in Arab countries and Arab dominated areas?
Because the Arabs killed and still kill them.
Even now in the Land of Israel in areas dominated by Arabs a Jew is liable to be
beaten, molested, or lynched just for accidentally passing through.
Quote:
and one sees only frightening
images of them, this provides the most fertile soil for bigotry.
Of course the Arabs lack bigotry in other cases do they not?
Just ask the many Black Christian and Pagan slaves held by Muslims and the Black
non-Arabic speaking inhabitants of Dafur in the Sudan.
And if these examples are not often, do not worry.
There are many more.
Why have most of the Christians left Lebanon?
Quote:
Little reason is given for Arabs
to distinguish between the actions of the Israeli government, of which they see
only the very worst, and the Jewish people, who are purportedly represented by
the Jewish State. Thus, the proliferation of sales of The Protocols of the
Elders of Zion, and the occasional quotes from some Arab leaders, both official
and popular, which are eagerly picked up by the mainstream media that reflect
great hostility to Jews. Of course, there were those who had antipathy for Jews
well before the state of Israel and even the Zionist movement were established,
.
That is right.
The Arabs were pro-Nazis and actively anti-Jewish even before the Nazis.
Quote:
but it is a historical reality
that, although Jews did not generally enjoy legal rights equal to Muslims in
most of the Arab and Muslim world, our experience there was far better, far more
free from persecution, than our experience in Europe. It might not have been a
paradise of equality, but in the context of the times, the Jewish experience in
the Muslim world was far better than the experience of Jews and other minorities
elsewhere.
This is a common Urban Legend eagerly spread by pro-Arabs and misguided traitors
to Western Civilization.
Consider what Maimonides (himself personal physician to Saladin) said about how
the Arabs treated Jews in his Letter to the Jews of Yemen who were themselves
under Arab domination:
Excerpt from Maimonides,
"Letter to Yemen"
concerning Mohammed and Islam
[Loose Literal Translation. Words of explanation in square [..] brackets.]
Quote:
##Let Ye understand, my brothers, the
Holy One Blessed HE through the trap created by our iniquities cast us amongst
this nation, the people of Ishmael [Muslim Arabs] whose oppressiveness is firmly
upon us and they connive to do us wrong and despicably downgrade us as the
Almighty decreed against us (Deuteronomy 32:31, "Your enemies shall judge you").
There never came against Israel a more antagonistic nation. They oppress us with
the most oppressive measures to lessen our number, reduce us, and make us as
despicable as they themselves are. King David, may he rest in peace, saw through
Divine Inspiration all the calamities that were destined to come upon Israel.
Nevertheless [even though he saw all the other troubles], he still began to
shout out and lament in the name of the whole nation against the oppression that
would be occasioned by the
Ishmaelites. David said, "WOE IS
ME, THAT I SOJOURN IN MESECH,
THAT I DWELL IN THE TENTS OF
KEDAR!" [Psalms 120:5].##
##Notice how David emphasizes "Kedar"
out of all the other Children of Ishmael. This is because that Mad Man [Hebrew:
"meshuga"
i.e. Mahomed]
came from Kedar
according to what has been published concerning his genealogy.##
End of Quote.
Maimonides is referring to the fact that Mohammed was from the Koresh clan of
Arabs and they claimed descent from Kedar son of Ishmael (Genesis 25:13).
-Maimonides continues to explain from Daniel 8:10 that Ishmael will ultimately
be defeated by Israel.
Source: Maimonides, "Letter to Yemen" 1:4.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE:
Maimonides ("Rambam", 1135-1204). Born in Muslim Spain, he was one of the
greatest Jewish legal authorities and religious philosophers. Maimonides served
as personal physician to Saladin King of Egypt. He was reported to have been
offered a post by Richard-I of England but to have refused it.
Quote:
The question in the US is made even more
complicated by the presence of real anti-Semites on both sides.
Dispensationalist Christian evangelicals, such as Jerry
Falwell
and Pat Robertson promote their end-of-days vision - which depends on a
fulfillment of the prophecy of a Jewish return to Zion - where Armageddon will
see the Jews all converted or destroyed, by a fanatical support of Israel. It is
worthwhile to remember that this branch of right-wing Christianity is the source
of much of the power of the incorrectly-named "Jewish lobby". The Christian
Right is what gives pro-Israel lobbying its voter power, generates stacks of
letters to representatives and pressures editorial boards with potential loss of
circulation. There just aren't enough Jews on the planet to have that kind of
impact, and, anti-Jewish rhetoric notwithstanding, the greatest concentration of
power continues to rest in the same hands it has for centuries. Right-wing
Christian support for Israel, motivated not by love of Jews but antipathy for
us
The motivation is not "antipathy" but rather sympathy
since the Jews are the People of the Book that righteous Christians believe in.
Quote:
is a threat that must be
confronted, yet the major Jewish organizations have steadfastly refused to do
this, because of their support of Israel. One need only recall, when the Monica
Lewinsky scandal was in high gear and Bill Clinton exerted some pressure on
Netanyahu to compromise with the Palestinians (eventually leading to the
Wye
Accords, hardly a major compromise for Israel), Netanyahu responded by coming to
America and visiting his "good friend"
Falwell
before greeting the US President. Mere weeks later,
Falwell
gave a speech in which he stated that the anti-Christ would be a Jew. .
The author of this article criticizes Christians who support Israel
because of their Christian beliefs.
If something is to be criticized supporters of the Palestinians are even worse.
They substitute a suffering "Achmad" (or "Ali" or whatever else) for their
suffering savior.
They often seem to be imagining the existence of some kind of self-projected
suffering, nice-looking, delicate featured, suntanned, "innocent" Palestinian
tormented by "Zionists". [Note we said "Zionists" and not "Jews" since in
the eyes of many "liberal" Pro-Palestinians they are not anti-Jewish but rather "anti-Zionist".
To be openly anti-Jewish is still
unfashionable in their circles. ]
The attitude of pro-Palestinians in this matter seems awefully similar to
anti-Semitic Christian "Passion" Scenes of the type beloved in Central Europe.
This should not surprise us since in many cases pro-Palestinian activists are
the physical and cultural inheritors of all that was bad in Medieval Times.
Quote:
Obviously,
Falwell
is a man with the best interests of the Jewish people at heart. This is only one
small example of a much greater problem. .
It is of course a problem for Quislings that Israel receives
support from others when they themselves work against their own people. The fact
that Israel is assisted by the USA and that many apparent "Gentiles" are in
favor of Israel seems to torment them.
May they only suffer such torment and much more of it.
Quote:
Some White supremacists, such as
David Duke, have adopted a pro-Palestinian facade in order to promote their
hatred of Jews. Although these characters have remained on the periphery of the
movement for Palestinian rights, some of their thinking has gained more and more
momentum within the movement. This is reflected in an alarming increase in the
belief that Israel controls the US in regards to the Middle East, an assertion
that falls apart in the face of the facts (among many good works on this point,
Stephen Zunes'
recent book, "Tinderbox" is one of the best, as is much of the work on this
subject by Noam
Chomsky) and does harken
back to the sorts of Jewish conspiracy theories discussed earlier, although in
many cases, people who believe this theory may be acting out of a lack of facts
rather than antipathy for Jews. There is no doubt that the lobby that supports
Israel is very powerful in Congress and the media activism of Israel's
supporters has been remarkably effective. It is also true that, while the
Christian Right may provide a lot of the financial and people-power of this
activism, the Jewish groups are providing the public face and most of the
leadership. it is crucial that we keep in mind that it is not always easy to
know the motivations of others. Thus, it is imperative that we attack ideas of a
worldwide Jewish conspiracy as anti-Semitic while being very judicious about
confusing those who are misled but are truly working for what they see as
justice with those who truly wish to harm Jews simply because we are Jews. .
Read the above carefully.
What is he really saying?
He is implying that anti-Semitic "Conspiracy" type propaganda borrowed from the
neo-Nazi type "right wing" circles when employed by Arabs and Arab lovers
against Israel is to be treated with understanding (though condemned) since the
"objective" facts appear to justify it!
Notice that both right and left-wing extremists are employing
"Conspiracy Theories" as weapons in the propaganda war against Israel and the
West.
Quote:
For many, Jews and non-Jews as
well, all of this means seeing anti-Semitism everywhere.
Anti-Semitism does exist everywhere and especially in Pro-Palestinian Cicles like the one
the author belongs to.
Quote:
For some, it creates the perfect
climate to shield Israel from all criticism by equating all such criticism with
anti-Semitism. The process is not always so simple. Many allow certain
criticisms, but draw a line beyond which lay only anti-Semitism. It is not
always easy, or even possible to know what motivates the opinions of others.
Here the writer in effect admits, apparently based on his
anti-Zionist activist experiences, that the motivations of many of those who work
in the same direction as himself are anti-Jewish and nothing else.
Quote:
But whatever one's views on the
question of Israel and Palestine, elemental reason dictates that opposition to
Israel's policies, including the occupation as well as its rejection of all
claims against it by the Palestinian refugees that resulted from the conflict
dating back to 1948
The conflict of 1948 itself and its aftermath was largely occasioned by anti-Semitism and the resulting lust of
Arabs to exterminate Jews.
Quote:
and its laws that give Jews
rights above non-Jews, can and often are based on rationales that have no basis
whatsoever in antipathy for Jews. The debate and discussion is a fair one to
have. The situation in Palestine/Israel, while it has many elements in common
with other conflicts, is also different from most in that the powerful group can
easily see itself as the victim, as Jews have been for so much of our history.
Progress toward reconciliation has been consistently stalled by rhetoric and
name-calling. As Jews working for a future where Palestinians and Israeli Jews
live together, in mutual respect, peace and security, as well against the
effects of institutionalized bigotry of all kinds, it is high time that we took
the fight against anti-Semitism from those who use it to legitimate policies and
actions that oppress others and use it to stifle legitimate debate over issues
that touch millions of lives.
The Palestinians and Arabs and many of their supporters
strive to see the end of the State of Israel and in effect the extermination of
the Jews (whom they define as "Zionists") within it.
The Arabs supposedly will then be free to live in "harmony" with the corpses
they will have been responsible for.
Anyone who supports the Arabs in this struggle of theirs is aligning themself
with the forces of evil and deserves to be treated accordingly.
Quote:
We do this by confronting
anti-Semitism where it really exists, whatever the source, and by confronting
with equal vigor those, whether Jewish or not, who would dishonor the millions
of people and centuries of persecution of Jews by cynically manipulating this
issue for their own ends to defend policies which are antithetical to the
justice and universal equality that is necessary for Jews and all other
historical victims of oppression to exist in peace and security.
Read the above quotation again.
He claims that "anti-Semitism" can be combated by negating the efforts of anyone
who seeks to defend the right of Jews in Israel to exist as independent
sovereign Jews or even just as human beings.
In other words help the Arabs exterminate the Jews and there will no longer be
any anti-Semitism since there will no longer be any Jews (sorry "Zionists"!) to
be anti-Semitic towards!
To reach this conclusion he had to write a whole article.
This is what his conclusion says:
They who think along his lines, says he, should combat anti-Semitism by resisting pro-Jewish and pro-Israeli
forces while being tolerant towards neo-Nazi inspired left-wing ones.
It sound ridiculous I know. The author himself would no doubt deny that such were his intentions.
Nevertheless, the whole article is here before us. It is written with some intelligence, some information,
preparation and effort have gone into composing it and it is being distributed by members of his circle to
the Media darlings who apparently think along similar lines.
The article says what we have described it as saying.
They want to destroy the State of Israel.
Many of them admit this openly.
Let us not say we were not warned.
Let us also remember that the extermination of Jews in World War 2 would have been much more difficult were it not
for certain Jews who co-operated (through malice or misunderstanding) with the murderers.
All Jews and all Israelites should strengthen their belief in the
Almighty, study the Torah and the rest of Scripture. We should all do what we can to strengthen the USA and Israel
against their enemies including those in the Media and public Life.
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