Book tackles question of Jews among anti-Israel activists

[shira]

In recent years, especially since the rise of Radical Islam, many have been perplexed at the significant number of Jews – including Israelis – and westerners in general among leading anti-Israel and anti-Western activists.

Equally puzzling is that these passionate ideologues claim to be fighting for a better, more humane world. Nevertheless, while consistently demonizing Israel, they are often silent about the real violence and abuse of human rights in countries such as Syria and Iran.

For those struggling to comprehend the motivation behind such apparently self-destructive ideology, From Ambivalence to Betrayal: The Left, the Jews, and Israel – the latest book by Robert S. Wistrich, the Neuburger Professor of European and Jewish history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and director of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism – is a must-read.

Indeed, the book’s introduction alone could stand on its own as a brilliant analysis of this theme. The author writes, “Can we seriously imagine Marx, Engels, Kautsky or Rosa Luxemburg remaining silent about the advocacy of shari’a law, censorship, female genital mutilation, honour killings, suicide bombings, or making the world safe for Allah’s rule?....

more...
http://www.jewishtribune.ca/arts-and-culture/2012/10/10/book-tackles-question-of-jews-among-anti-israel-activists

[Mosby]

1. Sounds interesting

It's $43.23 at amazon so I think I will wait for the trade paperback to come out.

I just finished David & Goliath... By Shraga Simmons, it's a detailed account of the media bias surrounding the IP conflict from 2000 to present. I highly recommend this book.

[oberliner]

2. Not sure I agree with the premise

At least as stated in the portion of the intro quoted above.

There are many Jewish activists who are critical of the Israeli government and are also critical of the things listed in that paragraph.

[bemildred]

3. I know I fail to speak out all the time, sometimes 3 or 4 times in one day.

[LeftishBrit]

4. This seems to be broadbrushing and 'demonizing and delegitimizing' critics of Israel quite as much

as some anti-Zionists 'demonize and delegitimize' Israel.

There are plenty of people who criticize the Israeli government, and also criticize the abuses by Islamic governments and organizations. Certainly most human rights organizations do. There are mirror-imageists, xenophobic-isolationists and plain antisemites who do focus only on Israel; but this does not include all left-wing critics of Israel.

And while I have often objected to the view that just because someone is Jewish means they can't possibly be antisemitic, I also don't think that just because someone is Jewish they are obliged to support Israel uncritically, as the title and introduction seem to imply (I have not read the book).

[shira]

5. Nick Cohen and Bernard Henri Levy have written extensively on this...

Here's Levy...
http://www.telospress.com/main/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=288&zenid=15891b1fb6cfe4815931bdf9ba49aeaf

It's about

the rise of a new absolutist ideology, one that is global, anti-liberal, anti-American, anti-Semitic, and pro-Islamofascist, and despite being irreligious is also—and this will require explanation—anti-secular.

Oxymoronic Left, new barbarism, neoprogressivism, red fascism—Lévy does not keep to a single name for it. What he does make clear is that it is emerging from the cadaverous Left, the "backward falling corpse" (which was the book's French title). Now revivified, the zombie Left stalks liberal society. It's more than a patchwork of dead ideas. It's an energized, totalitarian mass movement, marching stiffly, arms stretched forward, into the twenty-first century.

[holdencaufield]

6. "...many have been perplexed"

It's really not all that perplexing. While we may hate to admit it. We Jews are just as susceptible to peer-pressure as anyone else. As the anti-Israel / anti-Jewish pendulum swings to the negative there are a lot of Jews who are unwilling to challenge their non-Jewish associates when the accusations get ugly. Their position in the liberal community is more important to them than the continued survival of either Israel or Israelis.

They see themselves safe from harm and are unwilling to jeopardize that to speak up for defending the only Jewish state on the face of the Earth for 2,000 years.

[King_David]

7. Small tiny minuscule minority

That try get a LOT of attention.

Because it gives the 'movement' respectability.


A lot of times they not even Jewish.




“As Saturen suggests in her letter, international anti-Israel activists place a premium on the participation of Jews in their activities. In this case, the flotilla organizers seemingly scored big – a Jewish participant, and writing in an Israeli media outlet, to boot. Claims of anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism are thus defused.”

Schivone is listed as a member of the Arizona branch of “Jewish Voice for Peace” on the campus of University of Arizona in Tucson.

(Ha ha )


http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=233141

[holdencaufield]

8. Oh, don't I know it ...

Like Neturei Karta and Moshe Hirsch Faction (many of whom, ironically, live in Israel), they represent no sane person's views but you can't have a conversation with an anti-Zionist without them being thrown in your face as representative of opposing viewpoints on Zionism within Judaism.

And, when the can't find any Jews, as you pointed out, they just pretend to be Jewish. I've had more than one conversation with someone who starts out with "I'm Jewish but I believe Israel is just as bad as the Nazis..." only to find very soon in the conversation that they have no exposure to Jews or Judaism beyond what they might have seen on Al-Jazeera. They aren't difficult to rat out, but by the time you do, the narrative is off of Israel and onto the nature of Judaism.