Posted on 01/12/2011 10:51:31 AM PST by markomalley
Several Jewish groups are criticizing Sarah Palin's use of the controversial term "blood libel" in her video statement on the Arizona shootings. The phrase has traditionally been used to refer to anti-Semitic and false myths about Jews using the blood of Christians, often children, in their rituals.
It is unfortunate that the tragedy in Tucson continues to stimulate a political blame game. Rather than step back and reflect on the lessons to be learned from this tragedy, both parties have reverted to political partisanship and finger-pointing at a time when the American people are looking for leadership, not more vitriol. In response to this tragedy we need to rise above partisanship, incivility, heated rhetoric, and the business-as-usual approaches that are corroding our political system and tainting the atmosphere in Washington and across the country.
It was inappropriate at the outset to blame Sarah Palin and others for causing this tragedy or for being an accessory to murder. Â Palin has every right to defend herself against these kinds of attacks, and we agree with her that the best tradition in America is one of finding common ground despite our differences.
Still, we wish that Palin had not invoked the phrase "blood-libel" in reference to the actions of journalists and pundits in placing blame for the shooting in Tucson on others. While the term "blood-libel" has become part of the English parlance to refer to someone being falsely accused, we wish that Palin had used another phrase, instead of one so fraught with pain in Jewish history.
The National Jewish Democratic Council, a group of Jewish Democrats, said:
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The fat pig doesn’t speak for me.
Alan is probably the last intellectually honest liberal.
I remember when he said he’d defend Hitler in court, then, if acquited, personally kill him.
If he could stop his intellectual masterbation and pay attention to the real world, he’d be a conservative.
“Historically, Jews were scapegoats. In the context of the shooting story, Palin was a scapegoat. “Blood libel” works quite well on multiple levels.”
Concur.
Personally, I am happy for people to use the phrase, as many people are unaware of that bit of history.
He’s got a nice, comfortable gig going. Seemingly for life.
Well, thank goodness that Abraham Foxman has weighed in so that we now know where to stand on this. /s
(He’s about as reliable on where one should stand as is Al Sharpton.)
“Perhaps she could have made a better choice of words to describe the Tuscon Holocaust”
Very clever. Very clever, indeed!
I would quibble with the word “holocaust,” in that it is really a poor word to describe the the Nazis’ slaughter. “Shoa” is a much better word, and, FWIW, how you can often spot a liberal Jewish person and a conservative Jewish person in public debate.
There are Jewish people that hate Israeli Jewish people for establishing Israel without the Mosiach leading the way.
Means nothing. Assholes exist in every group.
It should be noted that the ADL had a much more muted criticism of Palin using the term as opposed to the garbage put out by National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) and J Street. Believe it or not, at an NJDC event during the 2008 campaign, Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) insinuated that Palin was antisemitic because she carries guns and hunts moose. (How idiotic is that!)
The Jewish Left, fearful that Jews and others may be turning against them, is taking advantage of every perceived opportunity to falsely insinuate that Palin is antisemitic. It's obviously just a political game they are playing, since these same groups had absolutely nothing to say, for example, about Obama's connection to real antisemites like Rev. Wright, Rashid Khalidi, and Edward Said. What these groups are doing is deflecting attention away from the antisemites on the left with their petty and false attacks on Palin, who they perceive to be a major political threat to them down the road.
So, only jews can say blood libel and holocaust? I guess that’s sort of like only blacks can use the n-word.
The left thinks that they are the only ones smart enough to use figures of speech, and get all stupid, pretending not to understand when figures of speech are used by their enemies.
“The Jewish Left, fearful that Jews and others may be turning against them, is taking advantage of every perceived opportunity to falsely insinuate that Palin is antisemitic.”
The Jewish Left is about 20 years too late for me, and this contrived, selective use of such accusations merely alienates me further from them. They cry “anti-Semite” too often, while the Jew-haters murder with impunity, because of their lost credibility. Wasn’t there a story about a boy and some sheep that was similar?
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