No, that's not what I'm saying at all. Definitely skip the "Zionist conspiracy theory" movies.
On Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 15:11 Sara Mattes <[email protected]> wrote: > All, > We have heard from a number of very articulate voices as to concerns over > the GRALTA series > Jonathan has told us what he thinks we need to alerted to regarding this > upcoming movie. > As Rachel reminds us, this is one voice. > > The only way to sort some of the statements out is to go view and critique > the movies ourselves. > New aware and be sensitive. > > I trust we are educated and sophisticated enough to reach informed > conclusions on our own. > > > > > > On Jan 17, 2025, at 2:32 PM, Jonathan Sheffi <[email protected]> wrote: > > I genuinely appreciate your earnestness, and you make a great point for > why anti-Zionism is inherently antisemitic: Criticism of Israel's actions > *is* different from criticizing Israel's right to exist as a Jewish > state, which is typically leveled at it only because it is Jewish, as in > these movies. > > *A nation is not required to be perfect in order to be legitimate* (see: > USA, Canada, England, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, not to mention > China, Syria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc). This is what is so dangerous about > these movies and speakers. They criticize not only Israel's actions (in a > highly biased and inaccurate way), but also claim that the Jewish people > therefore do not deserve equal rights to political power or > self-determination the way that other people do. By creating a "Jews bad, > Arabs good" narrative, not only do the movies falsely demonize the Jewish > people, they rob everyone of the opportunity to take a broader perspective. > > I think this is the healthiest back-and-forth we've had on this topic so > far. Thanks, Rachel. > ᐧ > > On Fri, Jan 17, 2025 at 2:18 PM Rachel Marie Schachter < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> I know you’re not calling for censorship. I do think that some other >> responses on LincolnTalk were saying this series shouldn’t be allowed to >> take place. >> >> To answer you directly — I believe, and work daily to live into the >> belief, that any speech or actions against Jewish people based on being >> Jewish is absolutely wrong, which isn’t anywhere near a strong enough word. >> I don’t know you and you don’t know me, so I can’t convince you of that >> over email, and I’m not trying to. >> >> When people trying to criticize Israel, a political power, conflate that >> criticism with demonization of all Jewish people, it delegitimizes any >> argument being made. Period. There are people advocating for the people of >> Palestine who are working hard to not do that, and to actively combat it. I >> was trying to agree as someone who believes in a free Palestine that >> antisemitism isn’t somehow suddenly fine, and you’re right, a lot of the >> loudest voices are acting like it is. And I wanted to remind people that no >> one person is the voice of a movement or viewpoint. >> >> Thanks for taking me at face value and having a genuine conversation. >> That’s all I’m trying to do. >> >> Rachel >> >> >> >> On Fri, Jan 17, 2025 at 9:15 AM Jonathan Sheffi <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Nobody is calling for censorship. However, these movies (with which I >>> happen to be familiar >>> <https://5a55e4ca.streaklinks.com/CRxaqkMJySZHSrNlWQjEey_U/https%3A%2F%2Fpairlist9.pair.net%2Fmailman%2Fprivate%2Flincoln%2F2024-December%2F067572.html>) >>> each promote the delegitimization of equal rights for the Jewish people in >>> different ways, whether opposing their right to free speech, to >>> political power, or to self-determination. And so they are being called out >>> for promoting hatred against a minority group. >>> >>> You say that calling out antisemitism in any movement is important, and >>> I agree with you, but you haven't yet said what that means to you. Which >>> beliefs, speech, or actions against the Jewish people do you oppose, and >>> which beliefs, speech, or actions against the Jewish people do you not >>> oppose? >>> ᐧ >>> >>> On Thu, Jan 16, 2025 at 7:07 PM Rachel Marie Schachter < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> I apologize if this falls in the category of something that shouldn't >>>> be continued on LincolnTalk, but I don't want to respond to you privately, >>>> Steve (Brown), and have you think that I'm saying something privately that >>>> I wouldn't be willing to say publicly. I've also had this general idea >>>> floating around my brain for a while, and since I don't know you >>>> personally, I think it makes more sense to respond on LincolnTalk. >>>> >>>> I want to acknowledge your pain and trauma, your lived experience, and >>>> the very true and real history and present rise in antisemitism in America, >>>> including in our town and locally. I truly hope it doesn't make that seem >>>> insincere to say I just want to remind people that Steve Low is just one >>>> person, GRALTA is just one organization made up of more than one person who >>>> I assume don't all share exactly the same viewpoints, and not everyone who >>>> believes in a free Palestine (myself included, and I have for a long time) >>>> approaches their advocacy with antisemitic rhetoric, by conflating Zionism >>>> (which I don't believe has a simple cut-and-dry definition, but I'm also >>>> just one person) with the state of Israel with Jewish people in general. >>>> Steve Low obviously doesn't believe he's doing that, and I'm not here to >>>> argue that one way or the other. There *is* a ton of antisemitic >>>> rhetoric within factions of movements advocating for a free Palestine. It's >>>> not every person or every organization, but it absolutely exists, and it >>>> shouldn't, and it detracts from everyone's goals because it's deflective >>>> and misguided. >>>> >>>> In my view, true liberation demands calling out antisemitism within >>>> *any* movement, the same way it demands calling out *any* legitimately >>>> harmful rhetoric. I don't believe in censoring the series (for >>>> transparency, I haven't seen any of the films) because I don't believe in >>>> censorship in general. I just hope it gives literally anyone comfort to be >>>> reminded that no one person or group is the face of any movement or >>>> outlook, and the loudest voices are very much not necessarily the voice of >>>> a majority, let alone a consensus. >>>> >>>> Rachel >>>> >>>> On Wed, Jan 15, 2025 at 10:23 PM S Brown <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> As we ponder the implications of the question raised in the message >>>>> below: *“Could this happen in Lincoln?”,* we might also consider once >>>>> again how antisemitic rhetoric has become normalized in Lincoln. The >>>>> implication is that a Zionist conspiracy is encroaching dangerously upon >>>>> our town, seeking to control the media, the educational system, and the >>>>> government. >>>>> >>>>> For those who don’t see how disturbingly insensitive, offensive, >>>>> inflammatory and utterly frightening this sort of rhetoric is to so many >>>>> Jews in this town, I weep. >>>>> >>>>> For those like my family, who have long had our children under armed >>>>> guard at their schools, camps, and places of worship, who have been so >>>>> repeatedly traumatized by events over the course of the last 15 monhts, >>>>> and >>>>> who feel so deeply the pain of all those who have suffered in the war, I >>>>> weep even more, as I see this town we love, once a sanctuary, succumb to a >>>>> venomous rhetoric that is poisoning our community, and labels us as the >>>>> enemy. >>>>> >>>>> Steve Brown >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Begin forwarded message: >>>>> >>>>> *From: *"Stephen R. Low" <[email protected]> >>>>> *Subject: **[LincolnTalk] Reminder: GRALTA's Israel-Palestine Film >>>>> Series continues on Thursday (Jan 16) and Sunday (Jan 19)* >>>>> *Date: *January 15, 2025 at 7:03:36 PM EST >>>>> *To: *"Lincoln Talk" <[email protected]> >>>>> *Reply-To: *[email protected] >>>>> >>>>> *The GRALTA Foundation screens the second film in our winter film >>>>> series* >>>>> *The Lobby-USA (Part 1)**, a 2017 documentary produced by Al Jazeera >>>>> Investigations.* >>>>> >>>>> *“A superb undercover investigation”* >>>>> *~** Middle East Monitor **~* >>>>> >>>>> *Two screenings in Lincoln, MA—a weekday evening and a Sunday >>>>> afternoon.* >>>>> >>>>> - *Thursday, January 16 at 7 PM at Bemis Hall, 15 Bedford Road* >>>>> - *Sunday, January 19 at 2 PM at the Lincoln Public Library, 3 >>>>> Bedford Road* >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> [image: image004.png] >>>>> <https://zoa.org/2018/04/10377872-zoa-mort-klein-convinced-qatar-to-cancel-anti-semitic-al-jazeera-jewish-lobby-series/> >>>>> >>>>> Regards, >>>>> Steve Low >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>>>> Browse the archives at >>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>>>> Browse the archives at >>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>>> Browse the archives at >>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>> >>>> -- >>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>> Browse the archives at >>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>> Change your subscription settings at >>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>> >>> -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > > >
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