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Harold Bloom has a book review in today's NY Times, the stupidity of which is matched only by its illogical and racism: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/books/review/Bloom-t.html?src=me&ref=homepage> The review, of a new book on antiSemitism in England, is an excuse for Bloom to claim over and over -- in fact, in an obsessive compulsive manner -- that there's a direct line from centuries-old English literary antiSemitism to today's spreading antiZionism in the same country. Bloom makes no attempt to establish any connection, direct or indirect, nor even to adduce any proof that opposition to Zionism IS antiSemitism. The impression left is that all the English are inherently, inevitably and permanently antiSemitic, therefore... anyone challenging a Jewish colonial-settler state is a racist! (The ellipsis represents Bloom's missing causal connection, which of course he leaves out because it doesn't exist. Or rather he doesn't have to admit its existence, being one of the beneficiaries of colonial domination) By coincidence I just finished a piece of English literature which is not only firmly against antiJewish racism, but also reminds us of the proud political tradition of NONZionist radicalism in which Jewish workers participated. Philip Pullman, author of the fantastic His Dark Materials series, earlier wrote four books featuring a young female hero, Sally Lockhart, set in Victorian England. In the third in the series, "The Tiger in the Well," one of Sally's fellow adventurers is a Jewish immigrant socialist, Dan Goldberg, who saves the day by forging unity among workers of various nationalities in London to foil the evil doings of an antiJewish, anti-immigrant capitalist. Pullman mentions in passing other Jewish political trends in Goldberg's milieu, including the then brand-new Zionist trend. But the solving of the mystery, and the defeat of the book's villains, hinges upon Goldberg's determination to make his fellow Jewish socialists understand the need to overcome their self-imposed linguistic and cultural isolation to unite with other English workers. Anyway, it's worth reading all the "Sally Lockhart Mysteries" for the various progressive points made, as a restorative antidote to the bad taste left in the mouth by swill like Bloom's review -- and just for fun. Andy Pollack ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: [email protected] Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
