Anti-Semitism

Quote of the Day: Alan Dershowitz on Anti-Semitism

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A quote from Alan Dershowitz:

How does one understand — not even forgive, simply understand! — the virulently anti-Jewish statements of intellectuals throughout history? Their numbers included H. L. Mencken (‘The Jews could be put down very plausibly as the most unpleasant race ever heard of’); George Bernard Shaw (‘Stop being Jews and start being human beings’); Henry Adams (‘The whole rotten carcass is rotten with Jew worms’); H.G. Wells (‘A careful study of anti-Semitism, prejudice and accusations might be of great value to many Jews, who do not adequately realize the irritation they inflict’); Edgar Degas (characterized as a ‘wild anti-Semite’); Denis Diderot (‘Brutish people, vile and vulgar men’); Theodore Dreiser (New York is a ‘kike’s dream of a ghetto,’ and Jews are not ‘pure Americans’ and ‘lack integrity’); T. S. Eliot (a social as well as literary anti-Semite, even after the Holocaust); Immanuel Kant (‘The Jews still cannot claim any true genius, any truly great man. All their talents and skills revolve around stratagems and low cunning … They are a nation of swindlers.’) Other famous anti-Semites include Tacitus, Cicero, Aleksander Pushkin, Pierre Renoir, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and, of course, Richard Wagner. This honor roll of anti-Jewish bigotry goes on, and included people of every race, religion, and geographic area, political leaning, gender, and age. The answer to the question why? probably lies more in the realm of abnormal psychology than in any rational attempts to find understandable cause in history, or economics. Anti-Semitism is a disease of the soul, and diseases are best diagnosed by examining those infected with them (Dershowitz, Alan. Chutzpah. Little, Brown, and Co. Boston, Toronto, London, 1991; p 113). (see here)

So, according to Dershowitz, anti-Semites may be found among “people of every race, religion, and geographic area, political leaning, gender, and age.” And his theory is that people in all these different categories are suffering from some kind of abnormal psychology (!). The normal as abnormal. Thereby absolving him from having to find a rational explanation.

The mind boggles. But it’s an excellent example of the imperviousness to Jews to any objective understanding of anti-Jewish attitudes.

American Rabbi: Europe must accept immigration swamping

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Thanks to Jewamongyou’s Blog for drawing my attention to a classic: In Paris, Muslim and Jewish leaders pledge to stand together against the rise of extreme-rightist parties, European Jewish Press 09/Mar/2011

PARIS (EJP)—Prominent Muslim and Jewish leaders from across Europe pledged to stand together against the rise of extreme-right xenophobic and racist parties that represent an escalating peril to ethnic and religious minorities across Europe, including Jews and Muslims.

These leaders made the pledge during a gathering in Paris of the “Coordinating Committee of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders.”

The first meeting of the Coordinating Committee was initiated by the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU), the World Council for Muslim Inter-Faith Relations (WCMIR), and the World Jewish Congress (WJC)…

“If Europe wants to remain true to its ethical and spiritual foundations, it must embrace people from different cultures, religions and ways of life. If not, it will not only fail as a concept, it will lose its soul,” said FFEU President and World Jewish Congress Vice President Rabbi Marc Schneier. Read more

Erasmus on Judaism and Islam

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The Dutch monk Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536) is considered one of the greatest philosophers in Europe. He was a renowned scholar and was entrusted with the education of Charles V, the future German Emperor, King of Spain and Sicily, and Lord of the Low Countries. There are numerous respectable institutions named after him, like the University in Rotterdam, and he is hailed for his supposed ‘cosmopolitism’ and ‘tolerance’ in an age of religious conflict. Looking closer at his writings, there appears another Erasmus, which is neither multicultural nor tolerant.

Contra Johannes Reuchlin

Was Erasmus really an ardent defender of religious freedom and civil rights for all? In the beginning of the 16th century the dissident theologian Johannes Reuchlin was the light bearer advocating equal civil rights for Jews. Erasmus was not in favour of this: “I am no Reuchlinist… never have supported him, he would not even have wanted that” (Jonathan I. Israel, The Dutch Republiek 1477 – 1806, p.50).

It has been suggested by the Erasmus Center for Early Modern Studies that Erasmus’ aversion of Jews was caused by personal disputes against people he disliked: “Several anti-Jewish statements of Erasmus are known. Invariably, these are aimed at specific persons whom he disliked in particular. There is absolutely no evidence of any systematic or political-ideological hatred of the Jews — which we might, then, anachronistically term anti-semitism.” Read more

Charlie, Say It Ain’t So

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Alas, the news is that fabulously popular actor Charlie Sheen has been canned or at least suspended from his show Two and a Half Men. Though the show has been CBS and Warner Bros. Television’s top-rated sitcom for the season, Charlie crossed the line: He said something construed as anti-Semitic.

It happened in a radio interview with Alex Jones:

In his interview with Jones, Sheen repeatedly evoked violent images and ideas. He also derided [Two and a Half Men producer Chuck] Lorre in an attack that reeked of anti-Semitism.

“There’s something this side of deplorable that a certain Chaim Levine — yeah, that’s Chuck’s real name — mistook this rock star for his own selfish exit strategy, bro. Check it, Alex: I embarrassed him in front of his children and the world by healing at a pace that his unevolved mind cannot process,” Sheen said.

“Last I checked, Chaim, I spent close to the last decade effortlessly and magically converting your tin cans into pure gold. [In a radio interview Sheen claims that Lorre has pocketed a $500,000,000 from the show.] And the gratitude I get is this charlatan chose not to do his job, which is to write,” he said. (See here for the story.) Read more

David Horowitz: “Ron Paul is a Vicious Anti-Semite”

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A very encouraging development is that the Israel Lobby is increasingly on the defensive with the Republican base. Both Ron Paul and Rand Paul have proposed cutting the foreign budget. A letter from Ron Paul was headlined “Stop buying friends overseas, save $6 billion!”

“Borrowing money from China — or printing it out of thin air — to hand out overseas in [an] attempt to purchase friends has been a failing foreign policy, as we see most recently in Egypt where there is not even a government in place!” Paul wrote in his Dear Colleague letter. “We should seek friendly relations and trade overseas, but we cannot justify lavish gifts to foreign leaders when American taxpayers are increasingly feeling the pain of our economic crisis…. We cannot afford to have ‘business as usual’ when we are bankrupt.”

The bill is not endorsed by the leadership and probably won’t pass, but “Paul’s amendment represents the rising tide of opposition to foreign aid and the increased difficulty of defending such aid in Congress.”

These calls to restrict foreign aid are framed entirely within the context of a completely out of control federal budget. But that hasn’t stopped the David Horowitz from his usual over the top craziness, painting anyone who doesn’t do everything Israel wants as an anti-Semite: “Ron Paul is a Vicious Anti-Semite and Conservatives Need To Wash Their Hands of Him.” Read more

Brendon O’Connell’s Ordeal

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Brendon O'Connell

Brendon O’Connell (here’s his blog)  is a 40-year-old pro-Palestinian activist who is now serving a three-year prison sentence for violating Australian laws intended to suppress White concerns about the utopian multicultural future by restricting speech. His troubles began when he went to a protest at a store selling fruit from the occupied West Bank and got into a confrontation with a pro-Israel Chabadnik. O’ Connell videotaped the confrontation (see here and here). The only physical contact comes at 3:41 of the second link, but it’s difficult to see what’s happening and, in any case, that incident was not part of the criminal proceedings. It’s great video and definitely gives on a snapshot of Brendon’s very outgoing, colorful personality.

As I write at the end of my brief, we need more people like him — people willing to be assertive and in-your-face about the outrages surrounding us. Most White Americans would rather munch on snack food while watching TV and then move away when the neighborhood gets overrun by non-Whites. They cower in fear at the thought of offending the powers that be. Of course, Brendon is living proof that those fears are well founded.

Brendon sought out my support for his case and I agreed to participate. The idea was to have me testify live via a video hookup. However, in the end, he decided not to use the brief I had written on his behalf and he dismissed his lawyer as well. Things did not go well at the trial (here’s a newspaper account). The “victim” states that the three-year term “is not enough.” Presumably nothing short of a death sentence would satisfy him. Read more

The threshold for anti-Semitism reaches a new low

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Jennifer Rubin

Jennifer Rubin, the Washington Post’s neocon blogger, is very upset. According to Rubin, an article by the notoriously anti-Semitic Time Magazine claimed that “Jews only care about money.”

Wow! To think a very mainstream liberal publication would publish such a thing. Surely concentration camps for Jews cannot be far behind.

So I thought I would check the Time article just to actually comprehend the evil myself. Read more