November 2, Day 4 of The Australian's attack on Professor Jake Lynch, finally saw the sound and fury move from the front page into the paper's equally arid interior, probably because the attack's principal spear-carrier this time around, Ean - with an E - Higgins, was getting too little joy from Education Minister Christopher Pyne, who "condemned the BDS campaign against Israel, but backed down on a Coalition promise to cut funds to academics who promoted it." (Coalition backs off on BDS)
That "promise," of course, had come from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. However, "[i]n response to questions from The Weekend Australian, Mr Pyne... declined to say he would uphold the categoric policy enunciated by Ms Bishop..." (ibid)
Higgin's fizzer notwithstanding, one of the paper's bigger guns, associate editor Cameron Stewart (rambammed: 2005), was wheeled out to blaze away at the BDS campaign in an opinion piece, which oddly never even got around to mentioning Professor Lynch. Stewart's aim was simply to smear the campaign, in the usual fashion, as a manifestation of anti-Semitism. Much of it consisted of a recycling of the nonsense trotted out on Day 1 of the current attack.
First, there was that convenient springboard, the "violent assault on a Jewish family at Bondi... last weekend." This obviously random attack, by a group of Islander youths, although typical of countless other unprovoked, alcohol-fueled, Saturday night bashings of people of every stripe by thugs of every stripe in Sydney, allegedly had "[t]he Jewish community on tenterhooks," and, according to Cameron, became the occasion for an outpouring of support for the community by religious (including Muslim), ethnic, and sporting groups, and federal and state politicians such as Turnbull, Danby, and O'Farrell.
Juxtaposing an alleged "deep unease" in the Australian Jewish Community with a bald assertion that "anti-Semitic acts are on the rise overseas," Stewart then cited "an anti-Israel protest in Denver, Colorado, as well as demonstrations in France and Belgium" as evidence of the latter. Thus is the dross of a vicious and deplorable, but not particularly unusual, assault, having bugger all to do with genuine anti-Semitism, let alone Palestine/Israel, transmuted by the Murdoch press into yet another manifestation of a supposed rising tide of anti-Semitism, of which anti-Israel protests are, of course, merely the current manifestation.
So let's pause and take a closer look at the "anti-Israel" protest in Denver. Here's The Times of Israel account: "Advertisements accusing Israel of 'ethnic cleansing' appeared on Denver-area buses while the Jewish National Fund held its annual conference in the city. The ads, which include the slogan 'Want Peace? Stop ethnic cleansing in Palestine', were sponsored by the website Notaxdollarstoisrael.com and the Colarado BDS Campaign... Colorado BDS held what it called a 'counter-conference'... to coincide with the JNF session. It included plans for protests outside the Governor's mansion and the JNF conference..." (Denver buses carry anti-Israel ads during JNF conference, 29/10/13)
Photos of the protest at another website show people, including anti-Zionist religious Jews, holding placards reading: Jewish National Fund: Racist; JNF: Violation of Judaism & Godly compassion; Judaism Condemns the State of 'Israel' And its Atrocities.
Enough said.
Interestingly, even Stewart felt compelled to play down the hysteria being whipped up by his own paper over the incident at Bondi: "A closer examination... suggests it was almost certainly a random attack..." This statement of the bleeding obvious, however, was not going to deter him from his work of smearing criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism: "... but it has served to cast a spotlight on anti-Semitism in Australia as some anti-Israel fringe groups are blurring the boundaries between race and politics." The sly implication here, of course, is that anyone who criticises Israel is a demented fringe-dweller who just can't help crossing over to the Dark Side at times.
That other hyped 'incident' of Day 1, involving a pair of UNSW student buffoons and your stereotypical 'offended' Jewish student - "Today I had the worst experience of anti-Semitism in my life" - was again trotted out, and reflected on at length by a "child survivor of the Holocaust and an expert on trauma," called upon by Stewart to dilate on the nature of such 'suffering': "It's like their nightmares coming true again."
Amusingly, in stressing Australia's "relatively easy assimilation of Jews into all aspects of Australian society," Stewart must unwittingly have offended the usual suspects by citing as an example of Jewish success in Australia onetime (1931-36) governor-general Sir Isaac Isaacs, who was firmly of the view that political Zionism "is founded on principles that bear a striking resemblance to the slanderous doctrines that Hitler put forward in justifying Anti-Semitism" and "detracts from the noble principles of our religion." And how right he was when he predicted that the Zionist project in Palestine "would deny equal rights of citizenship to Arabs and others, and would imperil the security of the Holy Places of other faiths." (Isaac Isaacs, Zelman Cowan, 1967, p 234)
Finally, there was the usual spray of letters, falsely conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. Too wearisome to repeat, I'll leave you with the shorter of the two more clear-thinking efforts (the other was by Greens senator Lee Rhiannon):
"George Fishman (Letters 1/11) goes much too far saying 'supporters of the BDS are a mask for hatred of Jews.' The fact is there are many people like me who want to see Israel treat Palestinians in a humane and just way. Supporting the BDS is one small way of protesting against Israel, not the Jewish population." Judy White, Rose Bay, NSW
Judy must be one of Cameron Stewart's fringe-dwellers.
PS: Response (4/11/13) from Daniel Lewis, Rushcutters Bay, NSW: "While I'm sure Judy White would never identify with anti-Semites, there is a simple test. Besides Israel, who else are you boycotting? Syria has killed more Palestinians in the past year than Israel. Hamas killed more Palestinians in 2008 than Israel did. Jordan killed more Palestinians in a single week than Israel did in the following 50 years..." So says Daniel Lewis, but here's a question for him: What were those Palestinians doing in Syria, the Gaza Strip and Jordan in the first place?
Showing posts with label Daniel Lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel Lewis. Show all posts
Monday, November 4, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Sinister & Absurd
The Australian's current BDS whipping boy is, of course, the director of Sydney University's Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies (CPACS), Jake Lynch.
The following succinct and powerful letter from Professor Lynch appeared in the Australian on 25 June:
"Your campaign to equate the call for an academic boycott of Israel with anti-Semitism is an attempt, as sinister as it is absurd, to stifle an important debate. There are other countries that occupy territory recognised as not their own; kill large numbers of civilians in military action; stockpile nuclear weapons without joining the Non-Proliferation Treaty; and violate the 1973 UN convention against apartheid. But only one does all four. There is no non-Jewish state in that category, so the charge of discrimination is easily disproved. Or are you resolved not to let facts get in the way of a good witch-hunt?"
Sinister and absurd sums it up so well. The current phase of the Australian's s&a campaign kicked off with Christian Kerr's Israelis may sue boycott activists (18/6/13), referred to in my 28/6/13 post His Brilliant Career.
Following this (and spiced up with another beat-up about Holocaust denier/revisionist Frederick Toben inadvertently finding his way onto a Greens' mailing list), we had the following propaganda barrage:
20/6: Greens courted Holocaust denier, Christian Kerr
21/6: Split in Greens over Holocaust denier, Christian Kerr
21/6: Editorial: All aboard the ship of fools: The guest list for a pro-Palestinian fundraiser is revealing
22/6: Greens exposed: Letters from P. Clifford, Chatsworth, Qld & Joel Feren, Elwood, Vic.
24/6: Toben backing for peace centre, Christian Kerr
26/6: BDS suspicians: Letters from Merv Morris, St Kilda, Vic., Gary Luke, Erskineville, NSW, and Daniel Lewis, Rushcutters Bay, NSW.
27/6: Funding anti-Semitism: Letter from James Miller, Woolloomooloo, NSW
The point here is that the above is merely the latest round in an ideological dirty war being waged by the Australian against pro-Palestinian BDS initiatives in this country. It began in earnest in 2011 with Marrickville Council's brave adoption of the BDS principle and will continue into the foreseeable future as the BDS movement grows. Keep in mind too that the paper's obsession with BDS is merely another aspect of its broader, pro Israel (and anti-Palestinian/Muslim) agenda, typically associated with foreign editor Greg (Jerusalem Prize) Sheridan.
For the round before this, see my 24/5/13 post The Australian's Operation Fear & Loathing.
The following succinct and powerful letter from Professor Lynch appeared in the Australian on 25 June:
"Your campaign to equate the call for an academic boycott of Israel with anti-Semitism is an attempt, as sinister as it is absurd, to stifle an important debate. There are other countries that occupy territory recognised as not their own; kill large numbers of civilians in military action; stockpile nuclear weapons without joining the Non-Proliferation Treaty; and violate the 1973 UN convention against apartheid. But only one does all four. There is no non-Jewish state in that category, so the charge of discrimination is easily disproved. Or are you resolved not to let facts get in the way of a good witch-hunt?"
Sinister and absurd sums it up so well. The current phase of the Australian's s&a campaign kicked off with Christian Kerr's Israelis may sue boycott activists (18/6/13), referred to in my 28/6/13 post His Brilliant Career.
Following this (and spiced up with another beat-up about Holocaust denier/revisionist Frederick Toben inadvertently finding his way onto a Greens' mailing list), we had the following propaganda barrage:
20/6: Greens courted Holocaust denier, Christian Kerr
21/6: Split in Greens over Holocaust denier, Christian Kerr
21/6: Editorial: All aboard the ship of fools: The guest list for a pro-Palestinian fundraiser is revealing
22/6: Greens exposed: Letters from P. Clifford, Chatsworth, Qld & Joel Feren, Elwood, Vic.
24/6: Toben backing for peace centre, Christian Kerr
26/6: BDS suspicians: Letters from Merv Morris, St Kilda, Vic., Gary Luke, Erskineville, NSW, and Daniel Lewis, Rushcutters Bay, NSW.
27/6: Funding anti-Semitism: Letter from James Miller, Woolloomooloo, NSW
The point here is that the above is merely the latest round in an ideological dirty war being waged by the Australian against pro-Palestinian BDS initiatives in this country. It began in earnest in 2011 with Marrickville Council's brave adoption of the BDS principle and will continue into the foreseeable future as the BDS movement grows. Keep in mind too that the paper's obsession with BDS is merely another aspect of its broader, pro Israel (and anti-Palestinian/Muslim) agenda, typically associated with foreign editor Greg (Jerusalem Prize) Sheridan.
For the round before this, see my 24/5/13 post The Australian's Operation Fear & Loathing.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Grumpy Old Zionist
I just couldn't resist this one...
Anyone familiar with the gaggle of Israel apologists who regularly ply their trade in the letters pages of the corporate press will recall Daniel Lewis of Rushcutters Bay.
Now although Daniel's latest letter - in the Sydney Morning Herald of June 4 - has absolutely nothing to do with Israel, please bear with me and read it anyway:
"I agree with Kim Woo's observation on a lack of manners which resulted in a sandwich being thrown at the PM. But then Kim blames 'the media, especially the shock jocks' for fomenting hatred of the government. Clearly Kim forgets a shoe being hurled at John Howard on national television. I also doubt that your average school student is listening to Alan Jones. I wonder if instead it's that left-wing education policymakers have made it impossible for teachers to discipline students. From drunken teenagers disrespecting police to sandwich-throwing children, the results were predictable. As long as a student can go to a public school with coloured hair, facial piercings and flashy running shoes it is clear who is in charge. It also explains why independent and private schools are so attractive to parents who want their children to grow up well behaved."
Yep, thank God for private schools: no red teachers/policymakers, short-back-and-sides, no nasty piercings, sensible shoes, bums on seats, noses in books...
"A group of about 100 high school students travelling from New York to Atlanta were thrown off an AirTran flight, along with their chaperones, after the pilot and crew lost patience with some kids who wouldn't sit down and put away their cellphones. Seniors from the Yeshiva of Flatbush* in Brooklyn were on the flight about 6 am Monday at LaGuardia Airport. AirTran's parent company, Southwest Airlines, said in a statement that flight attendants asked passengers several times to take their seats and put their mobile devices away. The airline said that when some didn't comply, the captain repeated the request. When that didn't work either, the whole group of students was ordered to disembark for safety reasons, the airline said. The flight was delayed for about 45 minutes while the students filed out of the Boeing 737, which seats about 137 people, leaving the plane mostly empty. Rabbi Seth Linfield, executive director at Yeshiva of Flatbush, said administrators Tuesday were still looking into the disagreement, but he said in a statement that 'preliminarily, it does not appear that the action taken by the flight crew was justified'... Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins wouldn't get into details as to why the entire group was kicked out, but said, 'I have no indication that the flight attendants overreacted'. He said the AirTran cabin crew made 'repeated requests' for an unknown number of the students to behave. 'The point at which the captain comes on the PA system and says, 'You all need to sit down' is unusual. The students were on a 3-day trip that was to include a rafting excursion and a visit to to a Six Flags theme park. The students were then put on other flights, but it took 12 hours for some to reach their destination... Some of the students posted pictures and video of their journey on social media sites. At least one sent a barrage of Twitter messages to media organizations, complaining that the way they were being treated was a 'scandal'.**" (A group of about 100 high school kids kicked off flight, David Caruso, AP, 5/6/13)
[*"Since 1927, the Yeshivah of Flatbush has stood at the forefront of American Jewish education and has set the standard of excellence emulated by other academic institutions. It has imbued its students with a thirst for knowledge, a commitment to Zionism..." (From the Yeshivah of Flatbush Mission Statement, flatbush.org); **A future Abe Foxman for sure!]
Anyone familiar with the gaggle of Israel apologists who regularly ply their trade in the letters pages of the corporate press will recall Daniel Lewis of Rushcutters Bay.
Now although Daniel's latest letter - in the Sydney Morning Herald of June 4 - has absolutely nothing to do with Israel, please bear with me and read it anyway:
"I agree with Kim Woo's observation on a lack of manners which resulted in a sandwich being thrown at the PM. But then Kim blames 'the media, especially the shock jocks' for fomenting hatred of the government. Clearly Kim forgets a shoe being hurled at John Howard on national television. I also doubt that your average school student is listening to Alan Jones. I wonder if instead it's that left-wing education policymakers have made it impossible for teachers to discipline students. From drunken teenagers disrespecting police to sandwich-throwing children, the results were predictable. As long as a student can go to a public school with coloured hair, facial piercings and flashy running shoes it is clear who is in charge. It also explains why independent and private schools are so attractive to parents who want their children to grow up well behaved."
Yep, thank God for private schools: no red teachers/policymakers, short-back-and-sides, no nasty piercings, sensible shoes, bums on seats, noses in books...
"A group of about 100 high school students travelling from New York to Atlanta were thrown off an AirTran flight, along with their chaperones, after the pilot and crew lost patience with some kids who wouldn't sit down and put away their cellphones. Seniors from the Yeshiva of Flatbush* in Brooklyn were on the flight about 6 am Monday at LaGuardia Airport. AirTran's parent company, Southwest Airlines, said in a statement that flight attendants asked passengers several times to take their seats and put their mobile devices away. The airline said that when some didn't comply, the captain repeated the request. When that didn't work either, the whole group of students was ordered to disembark for safety reasons, the airline said. The flight was delayed for about 45 minutes while the students filed out of the Boeing 737, which seats about 137 people, leaving the plane mostly empty. Rabbi Seth Linfield, executive director at Yeshiva of Flatbush, said administrators Tuesday were still looking into the disagreement, but he said in a statement that 'preliminarily, it does not appear that the action taken by the flight crew was justified'... Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins wouldn't get into details as to why the entire group was kicked out, but said, 'I have no indication that the flight attendants overreacted'. He said the AirTran cabin crew made 'repeated requests' for an unknown number of the students to behave. 'The point at which the captain comes on the PA system and says, 'You all need to sit down' is unusual. The students were on a 3-day trip that was to include a rafting excursion and a visit to to a Six Flags theme park. The students were then put on other flights, but it took 12 hours for some to reach their destination... Some of the students posted pictures and video of their journey on social media sites. At least one sent a barrage of Twitter messages to media organizations, complaining that the way they were being treated was a 'scandal'.**" (A group of about 100 high school kids kicked off flight, David Caruso, AP, 5/6/13)
[*"Since 1927, the Yeshivah of Flatbush has stood at the forefront of American Jewish education and has set the standard of excellence emulated by other academic institutions. It has imbued its students with a thirst for knowledge, a commitment to Zionism..." (From the Yeshivah of Flatbush Mission Statement, flatbush.org); **A future Abe Foxman for sure!]
Friday, May 24, 2013
The Australian's Operation Smear & Loathing
Murdoch's Australian is pompously referred to as the 'great' man's 'flagship'.
Warship more like it, armed to the teeth with all the latest Zionist lies, smears, canards, spin and good old-fashioned bullshit direct from Israel's 24/7 hasbara mill.
Think I'm exaggerating? That's only because you don't read it. (Not that I blame you, of course.)
Here's a list of the ordnance (ordure?) lobbed on Palestine's defenders in the land down under (the Zionist thumb) since April 12:
12/4: Students call for Israeli uni boycott, Ean Higgins
16/4: Jewish students slam council over 'pet' BDS, Ean Higgins
16/4: Appalling attempt to boycott Israeli uni, Philip Chester, Zionist Federation of Australia
17/4: Pro-Israel letters from Phil Herd, Kangaloon, NSW & Philip Mendes, Kew, Vic.
18/4: BDS targets uni over campus shop, Christian Kerr
19/4: Students were told about Brenner, Christian Kerr & Mitchell Nadin
29/4: Campus rally to protest Max Brenner opening, Ean Higgins
30/4: PM denounces activists as anti-Israel protest turns anti-Semitic, Christian Kerr
30/4: The ugly face of student activism, Peter Wertheim & Julie Nathan
1/5: Gillard BDS stance slammed as too little, too late, Christian Kerr & Ean Higgins
1/5: Unis tolerating intolerance: Racist anti-Israel protests expose lack of understanding, editorial
2/5: Protests lack link to Israel: BDS fan, Christian Kerr
2/5: Islam becomes the new guilt: We've replaced our contrition over the Holocaust, Clive Kessler
3/5: Jihad Sheila link to anti-Jewish posts, Ean Higgins & Christian Kerr
3/5: Anti-BDS letter from Professor Fred Hilmer, vice-chancellor, UNSW; pro-BDS (but not Max Brenner) letter from Alastair Harris, Braidwood, NSW
4/5: Pro-Israel letter from Daniel Lewis, Rushcutters Bay, NSW
6/5: Student body rethinks anti-Israel boycott, Christian Kerr
7/5: Labor split over Israel boycott, Christian Kerr
7/5: It'd hurt us to boycott Israel: Anti-Semitism aside, Israelis make a vast contribution, Tim Harcourt
8/5: Anti-BDS move at Sydney Uni tipped to fail, Christian Kerr
10/5: University of open minds: Sydney University gives anti-Israeli activists short shrift, editorial
14/5: Anti-BDS stance 'easy, populist', Christian Kerr
14/5: Reality ignored in rush to judgment on 'apartheid' Israel, Bruce Loudon
14/5: Strange way to promote peace: critics of Israel should turn their attention to Iran, editorial
15/5: MPs unite to sign anti-Semitism pact, Christian Kerr
20/5: Labor MPs to back PM on anti-Semitism, Christian Kerr
21/5: Cruel game behind politicians' rush to condemn anti-Semitism, Stuart Rees, chairman of the Sydney Peace Foundation (NB: token response from one under fire)
22/5: BDS to go the doctor at Sydney uni, Christian Kerr
22/5: Bell tolls for anti-Semitism, Howard Jacobson, novelist
22/5: 3 letters contra Rees from Merv Morris, St Kilda, Vic., Michelle Kerr, Asquith, NSW & Stephen Jones, Bonython, ACT
23/5: BDS 'smeared by cynical Israel lobby', Ean Higgins
23/5: Boycott continues centuries-old hatred, Cassandra Wilkinson
23/5: 1 letter contra Rees from Douglas Kirsner, Caulfield North, Vic.; 1 'let there be empathy' letter from Stewart Mills, Balmain, NSW
24/5: Libs back bid to beat anti-Semitism, Christian Kerr
24/5: 3 pro-Israel letters from James McDonald, Annandale, NSW; Robert Friedman, Caulfield, Vic & John Francis, Lauderdale, Tas; 1 pro-Palestine letter from Peter Slezak, Bellevue Hill, NSW; 1 neutral from Paul Norton, Highgate Hill, Qld
And what's all the sound and fury about? There's scant evidence here of reason, rational discourse, research, or honest reflection. Just spin and smear. Just good old Zionist hysterics, all vitriol, hyperbole and talking points. Here's a stream-of-consciousness selection:
"... the insidious BDS... extremist, anti-Israel BDS policy... extremist BDS campaign... boycotts and sometimes sanctions campaigns aren't always anti-Semitic, but when you target individual businesses because they are Jewish, it is clearly anti-Semitic... often anti-Semitic BDS campaign... anti-Semitic activities such as the BDS campaign... misconceived BDS campaign... the BDS campaign has too much of a resemblance to the Nazi boycotts of Jewish businesses... an anti-Semitic campaign... BDS is anti-Semitic in its implications... BDS is the most recent name for a centuries-old hatred... the BDS campaign easily passes Natan Sharansky's 3D test for anti-Semitism - demonstration, double standards and delegitimisation... overwhelmingly BDS reeks of anti-Semitism... the BDS campaign is but a moral millimetre away from Krystallnacht..."
Nasty stuff indeed. But I'll leave you on a positive note. Here's Peter Slezak's near lone voice of reason (probably cut to ribbons by the letters editor):
"Israel defines itself as a Jewish state and then critics such as Stuart Rees are automatically accused of anti-Semitism. One might reasonably wonder then, how to protest against violations of international law and Palestinian human rights without being denounced with this slur. Conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism dishonours the memory of its victims and cheapens the term. Genuine concern about the scourge of anti-Semitism would generalise as a concern with racism, discrimination and oppression in all its forms - against Jews or Palestinians."
Warship more like it, armed to the teeth with all the latest Zionist lies, smears, canards, spin and good old-fashioned bullshit direct from Israel's 24/7 hasbara mill.
Think I'm exaggerating? That's only because you don't read it. (Not that I blame you, of course.)
Here's a list of the ordnance (ordure?) lobbed on Palestine's defenders in the land down under (the Zionist thumb) since April 12:
12/4: Students call for Israeli uni boycott, Ean Higgins
16/4: Jewish students slam council over 'pet' BDS, Ean Higgins
16/4: Appalling attempt to boycott Israeli uni, Philip Chester, Zionist Federation of Australia
17/4: Pro-Israel letters from Phil Herd, Kangaloon, NSW & Philip Mendes, Kew, Vic.
18/4: BDS targets uni over campus shop, Christian Kerr
19/4: Students were told about Brenner, Christian Kerr & Mitchell Nadin
29/4: Campus rally to protest Max Brenner opening, Ean Higgins
30/4: PM denounces activists as anti-Israel protest turns anti-Semitic, Christian Kerr
30/4: The ugly face of student activism, Peter Wertheim & Julie Nathan
1/5: Gillard BDS stance slammed as too little, too late, Christian Kerr & Ean Higgins
1/5: Unis tolerating intolerance: Racist anti-Israel protests expose lack of understanding, editorial
2/5: Protests lack link to Israel: BDS fan, Christian Kerr
2/5: Islam becomes the new guilt: We've replaced our contrition over the Holocaust, Clive Kessler
3/5: Jihad Sheila link to anti-Jewish posts, Ean Higgins & Christian Kerr
3/5: Anti-BDS letter from Professor Fred Hilmer, vice-chancellor, UNSW; pro-BDS (but not Max Brenner) letter from Alastair Harris, Braidwood, NSW
4/5: Pro-Israel letter from Daniel Lewis, Rushcutters Bay, NSW
6/5: Student body rethinks anti-Israel boycott, Christian Kerr
7/5: Labor split over Israel boycott, Christian Kerr
7/5: It'd hurt us to boycott Israel: Anti-Semitism aside, Israelis make a vast contribution, Tim Harcourt
8/5: Anti-BDS move at Sydney Uni tipped to fail, Christian Kerr
10/5: University of open minds: Sydney University gives anti-Israeli activists short shrift, editorial
14/5: Anti-BDS stance 'easy, populist', Christian Kerr
14/5: Reality ignored in rush to judgment on 'apartheid' Israel, Bruce Loudon
14/5: Strange way to promote peace: critics of Israel should turn their attention to Iran, editorial
15/5: MPs unite to sign anti-Semitism pact, Christian Kerr
20/5: Labor MPs to back PM on anti-Semitism, Christian Kerr
21/5: Cruel game behind politicians' rush to condemn anti-Semitism, Stuart Rees, chairman of the Sydney Peace Foundation (NB: token response from one under fire)
22/5: BDS to go the doctor at Sydney uni, Christian Kerr
22/5: Bell tolls for anti-Semitism, Howard Jacobson, novelist
22/5: 3 letters contra Rees from Merv Morris, St Kilda, Vic., Michelle Kerr, Asquith, NSW & Stephen Jones, Bonython, ACT
23/5: BDS 'smeared by cynical Israel lobby', Ean Higgins
23/5: Boycott continues centuries-old hatred, Cassandra Wilkinson
23/5: 1 letter contra Rees from Douglas Kirsner, Caulfield North, Vic.; 1 'let there be empathy' letter from Stewart Mills, Balmain, NSW
24/5: Libs back bid to beat anti-Semitism, Christian Kerr
24/5: 3 pro-Israel letters from James McDonald, Annandale, NSW; Robert Friedman, Caulfield, Vic & John Francis, Lauderdale, Tas; 1 pro-Palestine letter from Peter Slezak, Bellevue Hill, NSW; 1 neutral from Paul Norton, Highgate Hill, Qld
And what's all the sound and fury about? There's scant evidence here of reason, rational discourse, research, or honest reflection. Just spin and smear. Just good old Zionist hysterics, all vitriol, hyperbole and talking points. Here's a stream-of-consciousness selection:
"... the insidious BDS... extremist, anti-Israel BDS policy... extremist BDS campaign... boycotts and sometimes sanctions campaigns aren't always anti-Semitic, but when you target individual businesses because they are Jewish, it is clearly anti-Semitic... often anti-Semitic BDS campaign... anti-Semitic activities such as the BDS campaign... misconceived BDS campaign... the BDS campaign has too much of a resemblance to the Nazi boycotts of Jewish businesses... an anti-Semitic campaign... BDS is anti-Semitic in its implications... BDS is the most recent name for a centuries-old hatred... the BDS campaign easily passes Natan Sharansky's 3D test for anti-Semitism - demonstration, double standards and delegitimisation... overwhelmingly BDS reeks of anti-Semitism... the BDS campaign is but a moral millimetre away from Krystallnacht..."
Nasty stuff indeed. But I'll leave you on a positive note. Here's Peter Slezak's near lone voice of reason (probably cut to ribbons by the letters editor):
"Israel defines itself as a Jewish state and then critics such as Stuart Rees are automatically accused of anti-Semitism. One might reasonably wonder then, how to protest against violations of international law and Palestinian human rights without being denounced with this slur. Conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism dishonours the memory of its victims and cheapens the term. Genuine concern about the scourge of anti-Semitism would generalise as a concern with racism, discrimination and oppression in all its forms - against Jews or Palestinians."
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
We're All Going to Die!
Zionism's foot soldiers seldom miss a trick. Here, for example, is grizzled veteran, Daniel Lewis, seizing on supposed "threats" to Coptic churches in Australia to sound the alarm and tell us all how the "Australian Jewish community" has to spend serious money on security measures for its 'threatened' institutions:
"The Australian Jewish community spends millions of dollars a year on securing its synagogues, schools and kindergartens with armed guards to protect itself from Islamic terrorism. Now we learn that the Australian Coptic community faces similar threats from Islamist groups. If something isn't done about this now, the only houses of worship which won't require guards and metal detectors in due course, will be mosques." Daniel Lewis, Rushcutters Bay, NSW (Letter to The Australian, 10/1/11)
Very much a rough-end-of-the-pineapple situation you might have thought. Unless, of course, you'd read something like this:
"Speaking at Beth Rivkah Ladies College on Tuesday [27/7/10], Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O'Connor had to compete to be heard over the sound of hammers banging and drills drilling. A very positive noise, he said. And Beth Rivkah is not alone. Over the next few months, Jewish schools across the country will be opening new classrooms, canteens, music rooms, arts centres and staff areas, all partially funded by the [government's $16 billion] stimulus package. The government also announced $15 million more to pay for capital improvements that will secure schools at risk of attacks motivated by race or religion. The Coalition has also committed to the funding if elected... That money is essentially $15 million that schools can now direct to education and support programs, rather than security costs. It is money that has been welcomed by every Jewish school in the country, all of which have already benefited from the original $20 million program, a program the Coalition did not support. Terrorism is a real fear and the Jewish community is an easy target. That is why we have guards outside community institutions, including schools, synagogues and offices, large fences and CCTV. It is a harsh reality that both parties have recognised and they should be thanked for doing so." (Money matters, editorial, The Australian Jewish News, 30/7/10)
Now despite Daniel's failure to indicate the source of the sauce, so to speak, we should not blind ourselves to the very real peril in which Australia's Jewish community now finds itself. For a truly chilling report of fear & loathing at the front lines of the Clash of Civilizations down under, I suggest you read We're All Going to Die at yourjc.wordpress.com, 29/7/10.
"The Australian Jewish community spends millions of dollars a year on securing its synagogues, schools and kindergartens with armed guards to protect itself from Islamic terrorism. Now we learn that the Australian Coptic community faces similar threats from Islamist groups. If something isn't done about this now, the only houses of worship which won't require guards and metal detectors in due course, will be mosques." Daniel Lewis, Rushcutters Bay, NSW (Letter to The Australian, 10/1/11)
Very much a rough-end-of-the-pineapple situation you might have thought. Unless, of course, you'd read something like this:
"Speaking at Beth Rivkah Ladies College on Tuesday [27/7/10], Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O'Connor had to compete to be heard over the sound of hammers banging and drills drilling. A very positive noise, he said. And Beth Rivkah is not alone. Over the next few months, Jewish schools across the country will be opening new classrooms, canteens, music rooms, arts centres and staff areas, all partially funded by the [government's $16 billion] stimulus package. The government also announced $15 million more to pay for capital improvements that will secure schools at risk of attacks motivated by race or religion. The Coalition has also committed to the funding if elected... That money is essentially $15 million that schools can now direct to education and support programs, rather than security costs. It is money that has been welcomed by every Jewish school in the country, all of which have already benefited from the original $20 million program, a program the Coalition did not support. Terrorism is a real fear and the Jewish community is an easy target. That is why we have guards outside community institutions, including schools, synagogues and offices, large fences and CCTV. It is a harsh reality that both parties have recognised and they should be thanked for doing so." (Money matters, editorial, The Australian Jewish News, 30/7/10)
Now despite Daniel's failure to indicate the source of the sauce, so to speak, we should not blind ourselves to the very real peril in which Australia's Jewish community now finds itself. For a truly chilling report of fear & loathing at the front lines of the Clash of Civilizations down under, I suggest you read We're All Going to Die at yourjc.wordpress.com, 29/7/10.
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