The Politics of Anti-Semitism

Rating:
Summary: The Politics of Crying Wolf
Review: "There's no more explosive topic in American public life today than the issue of Israel, its treatment of the Palestinians and its influence on American politics. Yet the topic is one that is so hedged with anxiety, fury and fear that honest discussion is often impossible."
--Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair.

There has been a concerted effort in the United States to block critical debate about what is happening in Israel-Palestine, and a pervasive last-ditch attempt to stifle criticism of Israel by smearing those who dare to raise their voices. This book is a collection of articles dealing with the means that the insidious slur of "anti-Semitism" has been used for political ends. The articles range from a philosophical examination of the term "anti-Semitism" to a survey of the topics that are not covered in US discourse because of self-censorship induced by fear, fear of being labeled an anti-Semite or fear of being targeted by pro-Israeli groups. The consequences of this are evident for all to see: an uncritical acceptance of interminable US wars, the generalized misery of the Palestinian people, bloated armaments budgets, and massive US resources siphoned off to Israel. To break the silence and allay fear over these topics requires critical appraisal of what anti-Semitism actually means and to tackle the taboo that it represents.

The philosopher Michael Neumann analyzes the term, discussing alternative definitions and examining the implications of these alternatives. Making the definition too broad cheapens the term, creating its own problems, while if the definition is too narrow, the accusation loses its political significance. Neumann points out: "... there is a choice to be made. You can use anti-Semitism to fit your political agenda, or you can use it as a term of condemnation, but you cannot do both." This is a superlative discussion, with important lessons for all.

Scott Handleman criticizes the way "anti-Semitism" has been portrayed in recent books, that is, the claim that anti-Semitism is something evil out there, irrational, and the responsibility of others. He offers an alternative appraisal of anti-Semitism by suggesting that the responsibility of its victim should also be taken into account. Again, this is an important discussion to place the various sanctimonious books on the topic into perspective.

There are several Israeli perspectives on the issue, including an important one by Uri Avnery. Avnery points out several Zionist myths and discusses how Israeli actions contradict those myths. Whereas Zionists claimed that Israel was needed as a refuge from anti-Semitism, the contradiction has arisen that Israel's policies are actually causing much anti-Semitism. "For Jews, this creates a dangerous vicious circle. Sharon's actions create revulsion and opposition throughout the world. These reinforce anti-Semitism. Faced with this danger, Jewish organizations are pushed into defending Israel and giving it unqualified support. This support enables the anti-Semites to attack not only the government of Israel but the local Jews, too." Avnery also makes the important point that Zionists should consider the implications of their actions taking into account that their project may go awry.

The self-censorship also affects people from whom one would not otherwise have expected it. Jeffrey Blankfort catalogs the unwillingness of many left activist groups to take a stance critical of Israel. He provides a series of amazing examples: the organizers of demonstrations against the US-Iraq war and their unwillingness to take a critical stance vis-à-vis Israel; unions barely willing to utter the word Israel in their literature or posters, and relegating a mildly critical comment about the condition of the Palestinians to the backside of a poster! For a critical assessment of the anti-war movement and what passes for domestic opposition to the neo-imperial US role, it is important to read this essay. It suggests that, for these resistance movements to be effective, they need to have a critical view of Israel. Unfortunately, such groups are reticent about starting this debate.

Kathy and Bill Christison offer an amazing overview of the power and influence of the neocons. They show that these rightwing zealots are inextricably bonded with Israel. However, it is surprising that questioning the loyalty of such policymakers is suppressed in the media discourse. In many cases, the neocons demonstrate clear contradictions between their "Israel first" proclivities and their presumed loyalty to the United States - the country currently employing them.

This book is important for all those concerned with peace and justice in the Middle East, and those wanting to change the US foreign policy agenda. It is also important for those seeking to understand the American political system and find ways of influencing it. The book addresses an issue that has caused much anxiety in the past. A discussion of "anti-Semitism" is important, to undo the pernicious political effects of its usage as a slur; the book also provides a basis for countering the slur. Finally, the book also surveys a range of important taboo topics in American discourse. Knowing what issues are sensitive, and why, should spur an opening up of the debate -- perhaps the greatest value of this book. The supporters of Israel may also want to read the book because it highlights an unintended effect of their attempts to block debate. That is, overuse of the anti-Semitic slur has devalued the coin, reducing its worth to that of crying wolf.

Many of the essays in this book have appeared on the CounterPunch website - an important online magazine which is edited by the editors of this book. Cockburn, St. Clair and the other authors must be commended for addressing this important topic with this collection of excellent essays. Unfortunately, criticism of Israel is still a taboo topic, and the first ones to raise questions will probably attract a significant amount of abuse. One must remember this when appreciating the courage of those who have produced this important book.

Rating:
Summary: Putting Things in Perspective
Review: 18 various essays from astute writers explore the recent claim that Anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide. Without a doubt it is clear that most of the authors attribute the new claims of anti-Semitism in response to the heightened worldwide awareness and moral criticism of Israeli policy in the West Bank and Gaza, along with its special nation status the world's only superpower has bestowed upon it.
The essays are in no way meant to trivialize true anti-Semitism, and the book does not ignore that true anti-Semitism exists.The real thing is explored and deplored in this book, but the focus is on what should constitute true anti-Semitism with what is merely a convenient way to silence anyone who criticizes Israeli policy, thus threatening open debate and democracy.

This is not a book you will just breeze through. I had to read several of the essays multiple times because of the varying philosophical and moral perspectives offered. Some were better than others and made very sound arguments.

A Jewish professor of philosophy inflates the definition of anti-Semitism to include just about anything a philo-Semite could ever hope for, then through a brilliant moral narrative shows us that in doing so, only cheapens and trivializes the real thing.

A BBC journalist wants to know why a certain actor wants to kill him, and why numerous people who engage in factual journalism are suddenly the object of hate mail so vile it far exceeds any crime they are supposedly guilty of.

A SUNY upstate professor pulls the curtain away exposing the myth that the right-wing noise machine speaks for the majority of American Jews and writes that ever increasing Jewish organizations are forming to counter the vocal militant minority that manages to bully not only non-Jews, but moderate and left leaning Jews as well.

A Taayush member in Tel Aviv takes us into a refugee camp in Beit Jalla to remind us what all the fuss is about, lest we start believing that all this supposedly unwarranted and frivolous criticism for humanity's sake is after all true anti-Semitism.

One essay explores why philo-Semites are no better than anti-Semites, because they hold one group higher in esteem and value than the rest of humanity.

Perhaps the frivolous slur of anti-Semite aimed at legitimate moral criticism of Israeli policy, is no different than the unwarranted slur of "anti-American" or "unpatriotic" that are hurled at people in this country who either question, criticize, or oppose the morality or soundness of the current US administration's foreign policy. In either case, it is at worst, a blind nationalistic allegiance to a government - right or wrong... and at the very least a departure from thoughtful debate and a sad decline into two-dimensional thinking.

And finally, a former Israeli Knesset member points his finger squarely at the Sharon government calling it "a giant laboratory for growing the anti-Semitism virus" and claims, that with its crimes in the West Bank and Gaza, is the biggest generator of anti-Semitic feelings today, which implicates not only itself, but its entire Jewish population along with it.

Rating:
Summary: Saying the Unsayable
Review: A couple of years ago, the actor John Malkovich gave a vitriolic speech at Cambridge University in England. He shocked his audience of academics by saying that he "would like to shoot Robert Fisk," who he considered an anti-semite. Who is Robert Fisk and why does he get under the skin of ego-maniacal actor like Malkovich? Well, for starters he is one of the most accomplished reporters in the world. A throwback, who writes serious stories from the frontlines of wars, from Afghanistan to Gaza to Baghdad. Second, he is one of the few reporters who has written honestly about the barbaric treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government. His reward for this is a death threat by an American actor. In the Politics of Anti-Semitism, a searing new book edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair,Fisk writes of his astonishment at being the target of such virulent hatred, not only from Malkovich, but from a UCLA professor of history and a Harvard professor of law. Fisk concludes that it is impossible to write honestly about the rampages of the Israeli Defense Forces without courting the toxic charge of being an anti-semite, perhaps the most potent slur in western politics.

Fisk's account is just one of more than dozen in this provocative volume of essays by American and Israeli Jews, seasoned investigative reporters, academics and historians. The book also includes an eye-popping essay titled Dual Loyalties by Bill and Kathy Christison, two former political analysts for the CIA, who provide a flow chart for how the Israeli lobby permeates nearly every layer of the US government from the Pentagon to the State Department to the National Security Council.

This book isn't about "Jewish control" of American policy, but about how the Israeli government, and its backers in Washington, cynically fling the charge of anti-semitism against its critics, left and right. As Israeli Jew Uri Avnery persuasively argues in his essay Manufacturing Anti-Semities, it's the policies of the Israeli government--apartheid walls, assassinations, illegal settlements, destruction of Palestinian homes--that is creating real anti-semites, ones who blow themselves up along with Israeli citizens. The Israeli government and its blindly loyal supporters in the US would be well served to read and take to heart the writers in this book, rather than attempt to gag them with slurs, threats and character assassination.

Rating:
Summary: Better than Chomsky: scintillating truth
Review: A MUST READ! many viewpoints, all devoid of the usual Zionist
agitprop, but rich in logical analysis and understanding of root causes, without any desire to whitewash the truth. Purpose? To understand and to stop the Palestine Holocaust initiated by Israeli terrorists in 1948 and continuing until today. Mass Murder goes on in Gaza, but you won't hear it mentioned on US TV. Find out why.... Good companion piece to Jewish history, Jewish religion by Israel Shahak.

Rating:
Summary: brave and powerful collection of essays
Review: A timely and brave collection that sheds a LOT of light on the complexities of anti-semitism, and on crass Zionist apologetics that bastardize the charge and problem. Should be required reading for people who think anti-semitism is on the rise, etc, when this is just stupid Zionist propaganda that is bad for everyone. Or for people that want to bash the anti-war, anti-globo movement.

Rating:
Summary: Racist, hateful literature that belongs in a trashcan
Review: Alex Cockburn claims to be Jewish, but when you read his hateful writings, it is hard for me to believe. When he wrote an article filled with errors and untruths about the Middle East in National Geographic thousands of readers complained but the magazine refused to address the article or correct the errors.

This book is no different. Don't buy it unless you want to read the ridiculous opinions of a man that makes his living preaching to anti-Semites and other people living in a fantasy world where the Jewish people control the world.

Rating:
Summary: How Zionists Love Anti-Semitism
Review: Among other things, this collection of essays shows that if anti-Semitism did not exist, the Zionists would invent it. They use it to justify the creation of a racist, colonial-settler state, that has displaced Palestinians and has sought their extinction as a people. They also use it to shield Israeli crimes against Palestinians by silencing their critics with false charges of anti-Semitism. This propaganda has worked best in the United States, the one place where it matters most.

Rating:
Summary: The Klan Thinks that Blacks Complain Too Much About Racism
Review: Among the authors included in this compellation of anecdotes is one Michael Neumann, who analyzes the term anti-semitism. Neumann points out: "... there is a choice to be made. You can use anti-Semitism to fit your political agenda, or you can use it as a term of condemnation, but you cannot do both."

Recently, it came out that Prof. Neumann had recently engaged in a revealing e-mail debate about Israel and Judaism with the "webmaster" of an Internet site called Jewish Tribal Review (JTR). In the exchange, which JTR subsequently published, Neumann writes: "My sole concern is indeed to help the Palestinians, and I try to play for keeps. I am not interested in the truth, or justice, or understanding, or anything else, except so far as it serves that purpose." Prof. Neumann also wrote: "If an effective strategy means that some truths about the Jews don't come to light, I don't care. If an effective strategy means encouraging reasonable anti-Semitism, or reasonable hostility to Jews, I also don't care. If it means encouraging vicious, racist anti-Semitism, or the destruction of the state of Israel, I still don't care."

I can't say that publishing this collection of Jew-bashing articles is an effective strategy toward accomplishing these vile goals, but it is certainly a step in that direction.

Rating:
Summary: The Politics of Fear
Review: Apologists for Zionism have long used the bogey of anti-Semitism to try to silence criticism of the criminal policies of successive Israeli governments. When Jewish human-rights activists criticise Israeli policies, they are labelled "self-hating Jews". When non-Jewish activists do the same, they are called anti-Jewish racists.

Who has suffered from this smearing? Not just those targeted by the Zionist smear-mongers. The victims, of course, include the Palestinians who continue to be victimized and brutalized by criminal Israeli policies, policies which will continue as long as this smear is used to provide immunity against criticism.

However, the victims also include Jews who are frightened by these repeated claims of a resurgent anti-Semitism.
As the Israeli human-rights activist, Ran HaCohen, has put it, in this article (http://www.antiwar.com/hacohen/h092903.html),

"It is high time to say it out loud: in the entire course of Jewish history, since the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BC, there has never been an era blessed with less anti-semitism than ours. There has never been a better time for Jews to live in than our own. ... Thus, evoking Jewish victims of the past to defend Jewish victimisers of the present -remember that Israel has one of the mightiest armies on earth - is a moral fault on a par with, and embarrassingly similar to, anti-semitism itself."

Rating:
Summary: A correctly titled book
Review: As a sometime reader of counterpunch.com, let me say that amazon.com is the first forum in which a dissenting view from counterpunch's official radical-leftist line may be presented alongside their writings. This alone speaks volumes about a publication that not only stifles opposing thought by refusing to publish it, but whose contributors regularly slander their critics.

Having said this, my point isn't simply to take issue with counterpunch's intolerance of dissenting views. My point is to take issue with their intolerance. When Edward Said argues for a monolithic Arab entity in the Middle East and North Africa, is this not intolerance? When Michael Neumann argues that the murder of two small children on a kibbutz, one shot in the face, is a moral act, what sort of moral tautology is being advanced? But worst of all is the persistent attempt to apply a 'collective guilt' to Israelis by which they are somehow obliged to suffer genocidal tactics like suicide bombings in cafes, busses, restaurants, and schools. It's a dilapidated state of reason which culminates in notions of collective guilt, but this is a dominant theme, if not the dominant theme in these writings. The rather bizarre morality driving these essays is not some higher good which imagines a world without war or murder or racism, but one in which war, murder and racism play a balancing and restoring role. Prepare yourselves for essay after essay whose logical conclusion is '..So use terrorism against Israelis and Israel to avenge [the contents of whichever essay you happen to be reading].' Yes, your better emotions and your better nature will be evoked, but what about your reason? Oh I forgot - that's not what fuels this conflict. And in case there is any doubt as to the depth of insight you'll find, the book comes wrapped in a Nazi styled star of David bleeding onto the Israeli flag. Don't ask. 'The politics of Antisemetism?' Perhaps the politics of conflict perpetuation, misunderstanding, and obfuscation in the middle east.