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Summary: At long last, another expose of a victim industry
Review: My interest in Dr. Finkelstein's work is based on a run-in I had with an old friend. He'd read Goldhagen's "Hitler's Willing Executioners." When I challenged him to be cautious about charging all the Germans with knowing about and advocating the "final solution," he accused me of being a Hitler supporter. That, of course, jeopardized our 15-year friendship. I then hunted on the Web, found some of the writings of Finkelstein who'd challenged Goldhagen's ravings. I was amazed that many accused Finkelstein--whose parents were Auschwitz survivors--of being just short of a Nazi sympathizer himself. My interest grew. Years ago, after doing some reading on Ireland's 19th century potato famine, I wrote that we--all us us, despite race, religion, etc.--need to be cautious of claiming our monopoly on oppression. Nearly all of us have collectively been victims at some poing in the history of mass oppression. That means we are all potentially in the position of the oppressed, and all need to condemn the oppressors, not claim--and base our identity on--our "unique" status as victim. I refer, of course, to the left's tendency to identity politics, exacerbating the victimhood problem. It gets nearly comical. Take those observations, couple them with Israel's abysmal human rights record, and one may not wonder why I read this book. Oh, allow me to point out that I have been to the Holocaust Memorial Museum a dozen times, have given tours of the fine display, was there recently for a presentation of a book on holocaust deniers. What's more, nearly a decade ago, while working with a group that sponsored a conference on torture, one of the presentors, a psychologist who works with torture survivors, stayed with me. I commented that I had an acquaintance, a Catholic priest, who was confined to Dachau concentration camp for four years. I'd deduced that there were others aside from Jews who suffered the exploits of the Third Reich. My guest clarified that the Jews were most often sent to death camps, e.g., Auschwitz, not just concentration camps. I conceded: She was right, and that DID change my perspective on the Jewish position relative to the Reich. So the allegation that I am an anti-Semite or "holocaust denier" won't get the critic very far. Finkelstein's fundamental contention is that there is the Nazi holocaust--that which occurred and no one we take seriously denies it--and then there's the "Holocaust," the contrived entity that has been exploited my most major Jewish organizations, and inadvertently, though Finkelstein would say very consciously, justifies anything the Jewish state, Israel, does. And that meets the needs of the U.S. which needs Israel as an ally--a lieutenant--in the global economy context. In other words, it has a clearly POLITICAL motive. Is that an anti-Semitic statement? Hardly. Finkelstein's history on the emphasis on the "Holocaust" and of Israel, fitting into the greater context of U.S. political/rhetorical need, is convincing. And his pointing out that Reagan received the humanitarian-of-the-year award from prominent Jewish organizations not long after his apologetics toward the Waffen SS at Bitburg Cemetery in Germany, claiming they were no less victims of Nazism than anyone else, severely challenges the "nonpartisan" intent of the organizations. The personalities to whom Finkelstein refers have always pushed my eyebrows up with Spockian wonder: Goldhagen I've already meantioned. Elie Wiesel spoke at Georgetown a number of years ago. He endorsed ANYTHING the Jewish state does, because, he said, of what happened to "them" during the Third Reich. I discussed it with a law student immediately afterwards to confirm what we'd heard. Neither of us could beleive it. That and the $25,000 Wiesel commands for his speeches make Finkelstein's challenges of Wiesel's motives not a little appropriate. Wiesel's receipt of the Nobel prize is to me no more credible than Kissinger's. I am glad too that Finkelstein points out that those who are the "holocaust deniers" are taken seriously by almost no one. (As I stated, I attended at the Holocaust Museum a presentation on a book on those deniers. As I discussed with one of the authors, that denial is important in that it fits into the larger context, of anti-intellectuality, of pseudo-history and pseudo-science, more than the threat that many people take that nonsense seriously). Incidentally, while I do advocate that Holocaust Museum's display, as the Third Reich's barbarity cannot be exaggerated, I have also recognized the subliminal motive of the museum, as a propaganda tool for the Jewish state. So I appreciate Finkelstein also pointed that out. And he reveals something I hadn't thought of: that the Museum's being in the U.S. and subsidized by U.S. taxpayers is curious. How would Americans respond if there were in Berlin a museum dedicated to the subject of slavery in the U.S. or on the demise of the Native Americans? Curious indeed. The extortion racket that many a Jewish organization has institutionalized with lawsuits against Germany, Poland and some of the former Soviet states--without a whimper expressed toward American corporations who capitalized off the holocaust, and none of the benefits of which are being recieved by holocaust survivors--is worthy of a book in itself! I risk being labled anti-Semitic and/or a holocaust denier with this. I won't insult anyone's intelligence by referring to "Jewish friends" who would laugh that off. But I do recommend the book. It is imperative that it be kept in the context of the politics that motivate the holocaust opportunists. And I reiterate, we must remember to decry the oppressors whoever they may be rather than aggrandizing ourselves with victim status. Finkelstein opens the door to that possibility.
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Summary: Commodifying pain
Review: From the commodification of suffering, the exploitation of Swiss Banks, the claims to dormant accounts at German Banks up to the demands that Polish peasants pay out compensations to Holocaust survivors, the book documents the farce Zionism has created. The irony is that everyone knows it is farce but few dare to speak out. The research is a true documenation of one of the routes adopted by Zionism for the accumulation of further capital. Forget about causes, religion and survivors' suffering, it is all about greed, greed and even more greed. May be Shylock was not off the mark when Shakespeare depicted the jews,..
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Summary: Eli Wisel must read this.
Review: An excellent attempt in unbiased writing. Compact and easily read, it includes a lot of information on the methods that the Holocaust professionals use for official extortion, and how they even manipulate US power to terrorize defenseless countries like Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the Baltic States and others in the future. There is nothing anti-Semitic or biased, the author is Jewish and comments only on a small abusive group of Jews and non-Jews who are the executives of the Holocaust Industry. Comparable works to this book are usually not published so extra information on the subject has to be derived from the News. A better book on the same subject does not exist yet, so Norman G. Finkelstein's THE HOLOCAUST INDUSTRY will be the book to beat in this new century.
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Summary: Hats off to an upright man!
Review: Hats off indeed to one of a beleaguered species in these dismal times. Sanity, in the form of clear, cool, hard thinking, is equally rare and so one is in Norman Finkelstein's debt for a book of great insight, honesty and timeliness in which he opens fire broadside on the craven, degraded and corrupt Holocaust Industry. Normally, whenever the HI wants to obliterate an opponent, they lead the charge in characteristic eliminationist, virulent fashion, to employ their own jargon. So just why is it, one asks one's self, that they have gone into silent shock in the face of this book, unable to refute or deny its arguments? And oh wouldn't they do just that if they could. Can it be that the game is up and that even such Zionist mouthpieces as The Washington Post and The New York Times have seen the writing on the wall? Guilty collusion? Can they, too, be on the take? One suspects the worst. One recalls their joyous support for the dread and deeply confused D.J.Goldhagen in his Feldzug against the Germans and rational thought. In their dreams of power and self-aggrandizement they have foolishly forgotten that the USA is an overwhelmingly Gentile and busily sectarian land with little patience for a hustling minority which has lost all shame and all sense of reality. Well, the good Dr Finkelstein has applied shock therapy to these unhinged souls and is to be congratulated for his bravery and good citizenship, for the enemy is merciless and without scruple. Three cheers for the author of a work which cannot be recommended highly enough.
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Summary: An Invigorating, Brave Book
Review: As there are plenty of well written reviews already submitted for this book, I will refrain from a lengthy review. Finkelstein sheds light upon the abuse of the Holocaust by Jewish organizations whose motives are less than honest. Well written and easy to understand, his book is a joy to read (he's actually quite witty in places, see his passage about the two girls with the israeli flag). But the strength of his work lies in his willingness to tackle issues which have never previously been discussed. In particular, I admire his critique of Elie Wiesel, who in my opinion gets away with too many controversial and offensive comments. Finkelstein doesn't let him off easy. But that's besides the point. In methodical fashion, Finkelstein shows how the holocaust has been abused to make money ("Holocash"), to defend Israel's atrocious human rights record, and to promote the interests of the American Jewish community. I have read several highly critical reviews in major US papers. Excuse this rambling review. Buy the book, it's defintely worth a read, whether you agree with the thesis or not.
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Summary: Stop, In The Name Of The Holocaust!
Review: Obviously, many Jews are feeling threatend by this most revealing book. And no doubt it will be used as ammunition for the anti-semtic cause. This book is, after all, the truth. However, the Jews have no-one but themselves to blame for this. The non-stop industrialization of the holocaust, as well as its use as a extortion racket against Europe, documented in this great book, have turned the Jews into a race of coffin riders. It's a good thing Finkelstein is a Jew, had he been otherwise, he would most likely be destroyed. Pointing out that the Holocaust industry has become self-serving and destructive, Finkelstein goes on to argue that the Nazi genocide wasn't abnormal, since history is filled with such attempts (Stalin, Mao), but instead the exploitive industry that has grown up around it has proven to be the only thing 'unique'. A truly great book, I only hope it will have far-reaching effects on the way we percieve the holocaust and Isreal itself.
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Summary: If Decent People Won't Speak Up, Who Will?
Review: Finally. Someone with the courage to speak up about one of the most taboo subjects in America. The Holocaust industry has been so good at presenting their case that to even suggest impropriety by any of the holocaust industry advocates is to be immediately branded an anti Semite, enemy of Israel (which, the author points out, is one in the same for the ADL and other organizations). What better refuge for con men, liars, and bigots? We're all looking at 4 people showing up at Klan rally and thinking "how awful", while Israel's human rights abuses go unnoticed. Who wants to criticize the people who suffered in the holocaust? It's a short book, heavily footnoted - I think the author does this because most readers would scarcely believe his accusations if he didn't. The industry has done it's best to suppress or slander him, which isn't surprising. Also not surprising, all American mainstream media has either ignored or condemned this book. He gets five stars for sheer audacity, and defiance to an industry which, in his words "has clearly gone berserk".
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Summary: An important book for survivors and historians
Review: A very important book. It is clear ... that there are many holocaust survivors who agree with Dr. Finkelstein's assessment of the Holocaust Industry. Whether you agree with him or disagree with him, Dr. Finkelstein has opened up a Pandora's Box that will not be easily closed again.
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Summary: WHEN YOU HIT A CHILD, HE GROWS UP TO HIT OTHERS!!!
Review: Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Fast paced, detailed, no flowery language. To the point. Backed up by facts and very controversial in its tone. It has to be, because it tackles a 'TABOO' subject head on without apology. What happened to the Jews was terrible. But no one acts like them as far as compensation claims go- The writer is correct in suggesting that perhaps all this over-exposure of the Holocaust may actually be detrimental to the memory of the victims and their families and friends. Oppression at this scale and level is pure EVIL and us Jews should be actually more compassionate towards others in their's. We should have learnt from the Holocaust- not exploited it to its bare nakedness. Even my local limousine driver (who is an Englishman) who does not hate jews is sick and tired of our repetitious addicition to all direct and subtle references to this tragic part in History. Let it lie down! Let the dead die in peace! This book is gracious, couragious, noble and extremely sad and very powerful. Those who deny its truth are themselves beholden to the Industry this book tries to expose. Good work Norman!!!
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Summary: The king is naked!
Review: The main value of Dr. Finkelstein's book lies in its breaching the forbidden, nay, the holy subject of the Jewish holocaust. There have been very few topics in the history of human thought so surrounded by taboos and anathemas as this one. Finkelstein, by his guerrilla attacks at its foremost guardians and fundamental dogmas, makes a practicable breach in its defenses which (hopefully) will let in some common sense and skilled historical research. No historical event should be deemed immune from scholarly analysis, and the Holocaust cannot remain the sole exception from this rule. Publications such as "The Holocaust Industry", John Sack's "An Eye for an Eye", and Peter Novick's "The Holocaust in American Life" (regrettably, this author chose the side of Finkelstein's attackers) pave the way toward this desirable goal. One last remark: I find it quite hilarious that so many reviewers who are hostile toward Finkelstein keep harping about his "ranting" style. The flimsiness of this "argument" is so apparent that its use only demonstrates their total helplessness in the face of Finkelstein's well-reasoned, deadly barrage of facts and figures. Yes, the king is naked and Dr. Finkelstein has demonstrated it beyond all doubt...
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