Anti-Semitic leaflets turn up anew in Valley <(Passion)

Tuesday, March 9, 2004 Anti-Semitic leaflets turn up anew in Valley By Jim Patten Staff Writer

Police in North Andover and Andover are trying to trace the source of anti-Semitic literature left on front lawns sometime Saturday night.

The literature -- which criticizes the Anti-Defamation League, uses a report from the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights to accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians, and criticizes the practices involved in the kosher slaughter of meat for human consumption -- was found on lawns in the Quail Run Lane area of North Andover and on Dufton and Shawsheen roads in Andover Sunday morning, police said.

"They are virulently anti-Semitic," Rabbi Robert S. Goldstein of Temple Emanuel of Andover said of the fliers. "This is a typical strategy of an anti-Semite, to take something out of context and twist it. It is very personal and it goes right after the Jews."

Goldstein believes the flier criticizing the ADL may be the result of that organization's criticism of the Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of the Christ," which the league feels portrays Jews in a negative way.

North Andover Detective Lt. Paul J. Gallagher said yesterday one Quail Run Lane resident spotted the literature at several area homes Sunday morning and picked it all up and brought it to the police station.

Andover police Lt. James D. Hashem said a resident of Dufton Road and a resident of Shawsheen Road called police during the day Sunday to report the presence of the literature.

Hashem suspects the leaflets are the work of the Arkansas-based white supremacist group White Revolution, which left fliers on lawns up and down Pelham and Perley Streets in Methuen three weeks ago that implied minorities are more violent and more prone to AIDS than whites.

Billy Roper, a representative of White Revolution, did not return a phone message for this story.

"It is obviously very offensive, very upsetting," Hashem said. "It is just somebody trying to spread hate and spread their message, whatever it may be."

He also raised the possibility the most recent fliers were an attempt to capitalize on the problems the Chabad Lubovich Temple in Andover was having in its attempts to expand.

The flier on kosher slaughter features a graphic description of the practice and has a picture of a cow with the words "Holocaust victim" underneath.

The flier criticizing the ADL features pictures of Abraham H. Foxman, national director; and Howard P. Berkowitz, national chairman, along with an Israeli flag and a sign reading "No Arabs Allowed."

The ethnic cleansing flier features a montage of pictures of Palestinian children.

Per loin said

I find it interesting that yesterday there was another thread about an "anti-semitic" incident. In that one also, the rabbi on hand was quick to push blame for the incident toward Gibson. Is it coincidence that in both cases the rabbi would be such evil bigots, or are a large percentage of rabbis so? Or is there something else afoot? Are we seeing a campaign of artificial incidents set up for a particular purpose? If so, what might that purpose be? Gibson will have hundreds of millions in the bank after "Passion". Have some rabbis and lawyers put together a plan to sue for a chunk of that money? Stay tuned.

I replied, sarcasticly.

Most Rabbis are bigots as you note. In fact most Jews are. They run the world, and this is just part of the plot.

Since you didn’t understand, I was being sarcastic. I think you were suggesting that that many Rabbis are evil bigots, but you didn’t have the courage to say it, so you posed it as a question.

Cowardly, per loin the brave, have the courage of your convictions. If the Jews are after Gibson’s millions through a conspiracy of Rabbis and lawyers, have the courage to say it, rhetorical questions are silly

Per Loin: I've noted no such thing, but I do note that your words are vile bigotry. Please correct your conduct. Such bigotry is not acceptable on this forum.

Sure you did, you’re just afraid to support your accusations, not a surprise. The bigotry is yours. Not acceptable, whine all you want, I’m sure you know who to ping if you care to make that case to.

I think the comments of both rabbis are wildly premature, at the best, and only make harmonious relations between Christians and Jews more difficult at a time when there is no need for strife between the two faiths. Neither rabbi has any evidence of a connection between these anti-Semitic incidents and the film "The Passion of the Christ."

However, neither do you have any evidence of a conspiracy between these two rabbis, or any others.

Right, so who is really dividing us?

I replied, sarcasticly.

If you can't take sarcasm back, don't attempt to dish it out.

I think you were suggesting that that many Rabbis are evil bigots, but you didn't have the courage to say it, so you posed it as a question.

In fact, if you'll dismount from your "victim of everything" complex long enough to read what I wrote, you'll understand that I was pointing out the implausibility of these two evil bigots being the rabbi at hand to comment on these two incidents. If I believed that many rabbis were such, there would have been no reason to question whether there was "something else afoot". Get it yet or are you looking for new aspects of your self pity?

Police in North Andover and Andover are trying to trace the source of anti-Semitic literature left on front lawns sometime Saturday night.

I wonder when the police find the people who distributed the fliers what they plan to charge them with. Is it illegal to distribute fliers with a hateful message? Does this qualify as a hate crime? If not, what would be the charge? The only one that really seems to apply is littering, a charge I would certainly support. I find fliers on my lawn, or wedged into my porch railing, or fasted with a rubber band to my doorknob, three or four times a week, usually for tree trimming, lawn mowing, house painting and chimney repair.

You didn't address this to me, but if you're suggesting there was a tongue in cheek element to your post #26, it's not evident to me after several readings.

My perception is that only a small percentage of rabbis would have made such rash and divisive statements. Is that your perception as well?

Probably. Jewish fear of anti-Semitism is understandable, yet still something of an abstraction to those of us who aren't Jews.
I've been taken by surprise by the fear-mongering thus far, and am assimilating the information as I receive it. I'm still trying to guage to what level American Jews mistrust American Christians.
One thing I haven't seen yet, and it's admittedly still early, is any kind of a call on rabbis not to jump the gun with these kinds of speculations. It's not a totally fair expectation, as Judaism doesn't have the type of organized hierarchy that facilitates that, as most Christian denominations do. I think however, an effort along these lines would be helpful.

I didn't realize it wasn't in the article, but yes, Massachusetts.

All,
I've been reading this newspaper daily for many years. This type of incident happens once or twice per year in that area, going back a long time.

It's refreshing to read such a well written news piece, however unpleasant the subject-matter, packed so full of actual information. The Eagle Tribune is a great newspaper.

I am really, REALLY tired of hearing Jewish leaders cry about anti-Semitism directed at them from mainstream Christians. There are nuts who are murderous anti-Semites, and some call themselves Christians, while most are Islamic, and some are not connected to either religion - but all of them are nuts. They are not made nuts by Mel Gibson's movie. They were nuts before Mel Gibson made the movie. And they are not part of mainstream Christianity.

In America today, Christians are very supportive of Israel and very much against anti-Semitism. To believe otherwise is to live in paranoia. It is to deny the obvious and instead to believe in a deep-seated conspiracy of Gentiles against Jews.

I would suggest to the Jewish leaders that this practice of continually making false accusations and claims of persecution can lead to a backlash, a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. It is worse than the boy crying wolf. The boy was not accusing his fellow villagers of being wolves.

Ahha. Not the movie you say. Backlash about the movie. I thought only Democrats parsed sentences this way.

I see, so I am a liberal democrat now because I read to what the man actualy says rather than what I want or expect him to say. Please read it and note that it isnt anti-semitism fuled by the movie, or a backlash from the movie he cites, its backlash about criticism of the movie the rabbi refers to, a very different thing.

When Andy Rooney panned the passion as good for nothing but a few laughs and that Mel Gibson was crazy as a bedbug, people got mad and wrote lots of letters, which Rooney referred to directly, some of which were not at all nice. were the poeple who got mad at him inspired to be so by the movie? No, the backlash came from his stupid comments, and those who already didnt like Rooney doubtltess were the most agitated.

Likewise, the ADL criticim of the Passion certainly caused some backlash even here on FR bcause people took it as an attack on christianity itself. If you don't believe it, read this thread again and see how defensive everyone is and how ready they are to call rabbi's bigots. And this is from freepers, whom I consider to be pretty rational people. Now imagine how the crazy hard core neo-nazi anti-semite scum, who already hate all jews, might react to the perception that the ADL is telling them what to do and see.

Bottom line, religious discussions are emotional, criticism from outsiders is never taken well, and the nuttier you were to begin with, the more wild your response might be.

...along with an Israeli flag and a sign reading "No Arabs Allowed."
The ethnic cleansing flier features a montage of pictures of Palestinian children.
Goldstein believes the flier criticizing the ADL may be the result of that organization's criticism of the Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of the Christ," which the league feels portrays Jews in a negative way.

Hashem suspects the leaflets are the work of the Arkansas-based white supremacist group White Revolution.

It seems like the ADL is more bent on blaming Christianity than a preponderance of evidence that points to Islamofascism.

Why do I feel that the ADL and liberal Jews want to create division between Christianity and Judaism?...Very similar to how Jesse Jackson/Maxine Waters/Charles Rangel want to create division between whites and blacks.

"The literature -- which criticizes the Anti-Defamation League, uses a report from the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights to accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians, and criticizes the practices involved in the kosher slaughter of meat for human consumption"

To most white supremists, Palestinians and the kosher slaughter of meat isn't very high on their list of complains-these are LEFT WING talking points and have NOTHINFG to do with the Passsion.

Look on college campus and leftists professors. Sheeesh

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