[CTRL] Toronto Globe and Mail Kills Review of The Politics of Anti-Semitism
-Caveat Lector-
Analyze carefully the remarks by Martin
Levin below, and then realize that those who dominate the American and Canadian
media are substantially more extreme in their loyalties to Israel than even
Levin.
Levin's remarks about Robert Fisk and
Norman Finkelstein are despicable, however, and nicely demonstrate the use of
the anti-Semitism smear to censor substantive and meaningful discussion on some
of the most important political issues facing the human
race.
Those who have overused the anti-Semitism
smear -- including several Israeli prime ministers -- have committed a grave
political error. They have essentially defined the entire world, including
the American government and many Jews, as anti-Semites. Atthis point
99% of the world may well decide that if to oppose Ariel Sharon, Likud, and the
settlers is anti-Semitic, then being an anti-Semite is a very good and necessary
thing indeed. -
SM
http://www.counterpunch.org/review12062003.html
December 6 /
7, 2003
CounterPunch Special
Toronto Globe and Mail Kills Review of "The
Politics of Anti-Semitism"
Hello, CounterPunch,
I was asked to write a review of two recent books on
anti-Semitism for Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper. The two books are "The
Politics of Anti-Semitism" and Phyllis Chesler's "The New Anti-Semitism." I
filed the review a week ago, and was sent an email earlier this week from the
editor, who expressed "real problems" with the review. The "real problems" seem
to stem from the fact that I didn't slam "The Politics" (and its "out of the
same litter contributors") but instead praised it while ridiculing (justifiably,
I believe) the Chesler book. I have written many reviews for the Globe, as well
as for the Toronto Star and other publications. (My day job is writing plays.)
They have never spiked a review of mine before. I should add that I approached
the Globe with the idea of reviewing "The Politics" (before I'd read it), and
that they agreed, but only if I would also consider the Chesler book.
I wonder if you'd be interested in looking at the review,
as well as the correspondence relating to it. Yours, Jason Sherman,
Toronto.
[The review, filed Thursday, Nov 13.]
You're Either Against Us, or You're Not For Us
By Jason Sherman.
The Politics of Anti-Semitism Edited by Alexander
Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair AK Press, 178 pgs. (US$12.95)
The New Anti-Semitism The Current Crisis and What We Must
Do About It By Phyllis Chesler Wiley, 305 pgs, $38.95
It doesn't take much to get yourself called an anti-Semite
these days. A few years ago I wrote a play that questioned some cherished
notions about Israel. My "self-hating Jew" badge arrived in the next edition of
the Canadian Jewish News. Not that I was surprised. After all, Noam Chomsky once
wrote that "Left-liberal criticism of Israeli government policy since 1967 has
evoked hysterical accusations and outright lies." Oppose the Israeli occupation
and its treatment of the Palestinian people, he noted, and you risked being
labeled "a supporter of terrorism and reactionary Arab states, an opponent of
democracy, an anti-Semite, or if Jewish, a traitor afflicted with self-hatred."
As two new books make clear, little has changed in the
last 35 years, except perhaps that the mud is thicker, the slinging fiercer, the
cry of "anti-Semite!" louder (and less credible) than ever. Muckraking
journalists Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair co-edit a newsletter and
website called CounterPunch (I visit the latter daily, and twice on Sunday),
from the pages of which they have gathered eighteen brilliant essays on the
Middle East. It's a sort of greatest hits package, called The Politics of
Anti-Semitism. Among its short, sharp blasts are those by Robert Fisk,
foreign correspondent for The Independent, a fierce critic of
authoritarian rule wherever he finds it, who expresses genuine disgust
over the hate mail he regularly receives ("Your mother was Eichmann's daughter"
is among the most pleasant); American writer Norman Finklestein, whose trip to
Germany to promote his controversial book The Holocaust Industry leaves
him not a little soiled; and American economics professors M Shahid Alam, whose
call for a "moral stand against the oppressive and unjust behaviour of Israel"
leads the Boston Herald to claim: "Prof Shocks Northeastern with Defense
of Suicide Bombers."
The editors contribute a couple of memorable pieces.
Cockburn, easily the sharpest and funniest political commentator around (among
other things, he regularly makes mincemeat out of the pompous Christopher
Hitchens), recounts the morality tale of Cynthia McKinney, a black congresswoman
who made the mistake of calling "for a proper debate on the Middle East," after
which "American Jewish money [was] showered upon her opponent." St. Clair's
brilliantly retells the tale of the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty,
which killed 34 Americans and wounded 174
Re: [CTRL] Toronto Globe and Mail Kills Review of The Politics of Anti-Semitism
-Caveat Lector- These Semites have a point. You are either for the quintessential good-doers of the world, ie G-d's Chosen People, or you are against them. But who speaks G-d's language? Does G-d pronounce Israel as Israel or as Palestine? Which Nation of Semites is more G-dly than the other? Let's have a non-violent G-dliness contest between the two. What would its rules be? The winner gets a trophy inscribed with I am more G-dly than you at a big G-dfest. Maybe it can replace the annual Missions Fest in Vancouver. Zandu Goldbar $ Learned Elder of Zion On Sun, 7 Dec 2003, Sean McBride wrote: -Caveat Lector- Analyze carefully the remarks by Martin Levin below, and then realize that those who dominate the American and Canadian media are substantially more extreme in their loyalties to Israel than even Levin. Levin's remarks about Robert Fisk and Norman Finkelstein are despicable, however, and nicely demonstrate the use of the anti-Semitism smear to censor substantive and meaningful discussion on some of the most important political issues facing the human race. Those who have overused the anti-Semitism smear -- including several Israeli prime ministers -- have committed a grave political error. They have essentially defined the enttire world, including the American government and many Jews, as anti-Semites. At this point 99% of the world may well decide that if to oppose Ariel Sharon, Likud, and the settlers is anti-Semitic, then being an anti-Semite is a very good and necessary thing indeed. - SM http://www.counterpunch.org/review12062003.html December 6 / 7, 2003 CounterPunch Special Toronto Globe and Mail Kills Review of The Politics of Anti-Semitism Hello, CounterPunch, I was asked to write a review of two recent books on anti-Semitism for Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper. The two books are The Politics of Anti-Semitism and Phyllis Chesler's The New Anti-Semitism. I filed the review a week ago, and was sent an email earlier this week from the editor, who expressed real problems with the review. The real problems seem to stem from the fact that I didn't slam The Politics (and its out of the same litter contributors) but instead praised it while ridiculing (justifiably, I believe) the Chesler book. I have written many reviews for the Globe, as well as for the Toronto Star and other publications. (My day job is writing plays.) They have never spiked a review of mine before. I should add that I approached the Globe with the idea of reviewing The Politics (before I'd read it), and that they agreed, but only if I would also consider the Chesler book. I wonder if you'd be interested in looking at the review, as well as the correspondence relating to it. Yours, Jason Sherman, Toronto. [The review, filed Thursday, Nov 13.] You're Either Against Us, or You're Not For Us By Jason Sherman. The Politics of Anti-Semitism Edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair AK Press, 178 pgs. (US$12.95) The New Anti-Semitism The Current Crisis and What We Must Do About It By Phyllis Chesler Wiley, 305 pgs, $38.95 It doesn't take much to get yourself called an anti-Semite these days. A few years ago I wrote a play that questioned some cherished notions about Israel. My self-hating Jew badge arrived in the next edition of the Canadian Jewish News. Not that I was surprised. After all, Noam Chomsky once wrote that Left-liberal criticism of Israeli government policy since 1967 has evoked hysterical accusations and outright lies. Oppose the Israeli occupation and its treatment of the Palestinian people, he noted, and you risked being labeled a supporter of terrorism and reactionary Arab states, an opponent of democracy, an anti-Semite, or if Jewish, a traitor afflicted with self-hatred. As two new books make clear, little has changed in the last 35 years, except perhaps that the mud is thicker, the slinging fiercer, the cry of anti-Semite! louder (and less credible) than ever. Muckraking journalists Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair co-edit a newsletter and website called CounterPunch (I visit the latter daily, and twice on Sunday), from the pages of which they have gathered eighteen brilliant essays on the Middle East. It's a sort of greatest hits package, called The Politics of Anti-Semitism. Among its short, sharp blasts are those by Robert Fisk, foreign correspondent for The Independent, a fierce critic of authoritarian rule wherever he finds it, who expresses genuine disgust over the hate mail he regularly receives (Your mother was Eichmann's daughter is among the most pleasant); American writer Norman Finklestein, whose trip to Germany to promote his controversial book The Holocaust Industry leaves him not a little soiled; and American economics professors M Shahid Alam, whose call for a moral stand against the oppressive and unjust behaviour of Israel leads the Boston
