A Hollywood wanna-be’s claptrap about anti-Semitism

Howard Gutman, the U.S.ambassador to Belgium created a firestorm with his comments suggesting “new” anti-Semitism stems from the failure to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This is balderdash and only emphasizes the lack of sympatico between this administration and the Jewish state.

Early Sunday Mitt Romney released a statement: “President Obama must fire his ambassador to Belgium for rationalizing and downplaying anti-Semitism and linking it to Israeli policy toward the Palestinians. The ambassador’s comments demonstrate the Obama administration’s failure to understand the worldwide campaign to delegitimize Israel and its appalling penchant for undermining our close ally.” By the end of the day Newt Gingrich echoed Romney’s call.

The text of Gutman’s speech should be read in full to appreciate how specious is Gutman’s reasoning. (You will note that the comments were not spontaneous, but written in advance. Was it vetted? And if so shouldn’t that person be canned as well, unless of course the administration agrees with his views ?) Here is the key passage, in which he distinguishes overt, anti-Semitism (ludicrously claiming it’s nearly extinct in Europe) from a purportedly “new” phenomenon:

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I believe I suggested yesterday that while the Panetta and Hillary comments may have been coordinated, Gutman's were off the cuff and likely just an incompetent diplomat expressing his bias. I was mistaken, the comment was from a address made on the topic of antisemitism, and can be found on the Embassy Website, the clips excerpted below.

Thinking About Anti-Semitism in Europe “Conference on Fighting Anti-Semitism in Europe: What is Next? Speech by Ambassador Howard Gutman on November 30, 2011
[T]his second problem is in my opinion different in many respects than the classic bigotry – hatred against those who are different and against minorities generally — the type of anti-Semitism that I discussed above. It is more complex and requiring much more thought and analysis. This second form of what is labeled “growing anti-Semitism” produces strange phenomena and results. . . .
It is the area where every new settlement announced in Israel, every rocket shot over a border or suicide bomber on a bus, and every retaliatory military strike exacerbates the problem and provides a setback here in Europe for those fighting hatred and bigotry here in Europe.
I said that it is both fortunate and unfortunate that the largest part of the solution for this second type of problem — too often lumped under a general banner of anti-Semitism — is in the hands of Israel, the Palestinians and Arab neighbors in the Middle East. It is fortunate because it means that, unlike traditional hatred of minorities, a path towards improving and resolving it does at least exist. It is crucial for the Middle East — but it is crucial for the Jewish and Arab communities in Europe and for countries around the globe — that Mid-East peace negotiations continue, that settlements abate, and that progress towards a lasting peace be made and then such a peace reached in the Middle East. Were a lasting peace in the Middle East to be reached, were joint and cooperative Israeli-Arab attentions turned to focus instead on such serious, common threats such as Iran, this second type of ethnic tension and bigotry here in Europe — which is clearly growing today — would clearly abate. I can envision the day when it disappears. Peace in the Middle East would indeed equate with a huge reduction of this form of labeled “anti-Semitism” here in Europe.

And from Jenifer Rubin's article, which is worth reading in it's entireity. Not just Jews he doesn't like.

“Your responsibility is to put your family first,” Gutman lectured as he singled out Palin’s Down Syndrome baby and pregnant teenage daughter. “The proper attack is not that a woman shouldn’t run for vice president with five kids, it’s that a parent, when they have a family in need . . .” should get out of the public sphere and stay home.

Gutnman a rich fool who bought an ambassadorship and likes playing at being a diplomat. In Obama’s, Brave New World, diplomatic posts were not supposed to be up for sale. But ZERO has named more bundlers, hacks, and contributors than his predecessors. I guess he believes that, since our country is not all that great, it can be represented by amateur mediocrities. What a world class jerk we have as president!

It's in our DNA? I can understand that Sephardim and Mizrahi Jews have slightly different DNA from Ashkenazim, not as much as you think, though. Jews have been largely endogamous for 3000 years. Ashkenazi Jews are essentially all third or fourth cousins. If it is genetic, then why do Ashkenazi Jews whose grandparents or great grandparents immigrated from 1880-1920 tend to vote Democrat, while those Ashkenazi Jews who immigrated or whose parents immigrated after 1945 tend to be conservative?
It's not about genes. It is about community, culture, experience and grievance.

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