Posted on 08/21/2006 8:15:29 AM PDT by markomalley
During my childhood in 1930s Boston, anti-Semitism was as common as baked beans. Since then, I've not been surprised at sudden eruptions of the hatred of Jews, whatever the context.
During the Connecticut Democratic primary contest between Sen. Joseph Lieberman and contender Ned Lamont, I was not, therefore, shocked by the emergence of centuries-old standard anti-Semitism.
As Lanny Davis, special counsel to President Clinton, and a Lieberman supporter, reminded us in the Aug. 8 Wall Street Journal, blogging anti-Semites had Lieberman in their sights back on the Daily Kos Web site on Dec. 7 from a contributor: "as everyone knows, Jews ONLY care about the welfare of other Jews; thanks ever so much for reminding everyone of this most salient fact ..."
And on July 8 of this year, on the Huffington Post Web site: "Lieberman cannot escape the religious bond he represents. Hell, his wife's name is Haggadah or Muffeletta or Diaspora or something you eat at Passover."
Davis made the obvious point that "most Connecticut Democrats voting for Mr. Lamont are genuinely outraged at President Bush for his Iraq War policies" -- and Lieberman's religion was not at all their motivation for backing this George Soros-supported Lamont to replace him. But except for Davis, in all the coverage of this campaign for "the soul of the Democratic Party," there has been very little notice of the vivid, though limited, obbligato of anti-Semitism.
Similarly, little noted during the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses around the country is the occasional morphing of anti-Israel hatred into plain classic anti-Semitism. For example, waving in the California sun on a campus was the regret: "Hitler didn't finish the job!"
These are not entirely rare instances. On April 3, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights reported: "Many college campuses throughout the United States continue to experience incidents of anti-Semitism ... When severe, persistent or pervasive, this behavior may constitute a hostile environment for students in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"On many campuses," the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights continues, "anti-Israel or anti-Zionist propaganda has been disseminated that includes age-old anti-Jewish stereotypes ... that perpetuate the medieval ... blood libel of Jews slaughtering children for ritual purpose ... as well as Jews as overly powerful, or conspiratorial."
In the 1990s, I was speaking at Michigan State University where there was mounting tension between some black and some Jewish students, resulting from Louis Farrakhan's appearance on that campus months before. Jews, he had assured the students, "suck the blood out of the black community."
During my talk there, I spoke of my friendship with Malcolm X, who had broken with Farrakhan's Nation of Islam and -- shortly before he was assassinated for his perfidy -- Malcolm told me that there were whites he'd be willing to work with in the organization he was forming.
This did not go over well with a clamorous group of Farrakhan supporters in the audience who tried to shout me down -- which is a hard thing to do. Simultaneously, there were Jewish students in that audience who spoke critically, as I had, of Farrakhan's hatred of Jews. Amid the tumult, a student, a young woman, rose, looked around and said:
"People who are bigots," she began, "are ignorant. They can only think and see in generalizations, like the way they look at blacks." The Farrakhan contingent was nodding approvingly until she said: "I am a Jew. Nobody knows that by looking at me, so I hear worse things than blacks do -- because the bigots don't know they're talking about me. I often hear Jews should be driven out of the country."
The rancor on both sides had become louder. Undaunted, the young woman went on: "I'm a Jew and I'm a good -- damn good -- person! I don't care what anybody is. If you're a good person, you'll be my friend."
Recently, I went to see my newest grandchild, Ruby, on her first birthday. She's so full of life that she gave some to me. A Jew, she will be safe in America -- unlike in some European countries, let alone in the rest of the world. The chances are that as her years increase, Ruby will become aware that she, too, is among people marked to be especially "chosen" and scorned by bigots who do not want to be her friend.
I'll tell Ruby, if I'm still around, that you never get used to that, but this is America, and you can stand up to these haters, as the young woman at Michigan State did.
I can still see that Jew, head up high, proud as punch of who she was -- and would continue to be. At a college, in one of his last speeches, Malcolm X angrily interrupted a black student who was condemning Jewish "bloodsuckers." Roaring, Malcolm said, "You're doing what has been done to us for centuries!"
Great article, thanks for posting it.
I'm sending this to my Jewish friends, especially to a young, very liberal college student, Jewish, friend.He needs to read this.
Why is the MSM not confronting the issue of anti-semitism in the Defeatocratic Party? What are they afraid of?
The old question...
Why do Jews vote for DUmmies and give so much money to support DUmmies who hate Jews ?
We do not know why; we continue to be amazed.
My last Op/Ed in The Malden Observer was about the threat of anti-semitism. One response I recieved was from a friend who told me his Uncle, Frank Levine of Medford, was a crew member on the Exodus 1947. I look forward to meeting him.
Because they don't know any Republicans. If you want their vote, adopt a synagogue.
Roses are red
Violets are bluish
Tell Abe Foxman
Mel might be Jewish..
Please let me know how the meeting goes.
It would be interesting to hear your report.
Much as I might disagree with the Daily Kos and the Huffington Post, for Nat Hentoff to cherry pick quotes from anonymous posters to those sites to prove a larger point is as unfair as someone doing the same thing regarding FR.
I think he he was pointing out that the party of "tolerance" has their fair share of bigots.
Any similar posts that I have ever seen on FR have been removed very quickly.
In fact, the party of "tolerance" has MORE than their fair share of bigots, but the use of selected quotes from a very small number of anonymous posters to lefty sites is an invalid method of proving the point.
Would it be proper for someone to cite an MD4BUSH posting on FR as representative of what conservatives generally think?
Ping!
Everybody's ragging on Cain again?
High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. also
2006israelwar or WOT
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http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2764229
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2764065
"Would it be proper for someone to cite an MD4BUSH posting on FR as representative of what conservatives generally think?"
He wasn't referincing them as "representative", only that they exist.
"...but the use of selected quotes from a very small number of anonymous posters to lefty sites is an invalid method of proving the point."
his point was that bigots exist on the left. He proved it admirably.
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