Comments on: Britain is Not the Only Battleground

By: David Sokol

David Sokol — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:12:56 +0000

Where’ the beef? We all know this already. It is cool now to be anti Zionist. It is becoming “grass roots” As our long established organizations have rubber chicken dinners regular Jews just ignore or sit and whine and do not know what to do.. Where is the action on a grass roots level. When do non jewish members of the American community see Jews out of their offices. I feel our leeadeship is in a rut. Yes we need the big lobby-but unless there is grass root connection with America we are doomed. No jew really has the luxury to be silent. I no longer consider anti zionists and one sided pro palestinians as friends. And I am tired of prefaceing everything with “yes Israel does bad things but…” Where is our leadership? Google “jewish activism” and you will get anti Zionism.
David Sokol

By: Eamonn

Eamonn — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 17:02:43 +0000

South African history didn’t begin in 1994. Israel’s cooperation with the previous apartheid regime may have something to do with it’s current unpopularity in that country.

By: Jean Sherrell

Jean Sherrell — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 20:58:53 +0000

Couldn’t agree more with Barry Shell. People who would not dream of calling themselves anti-Semites are eager to identify themselves as anti-Zionists. Some progressive liberals, even Jewish ones (at least in the San Francisco Bay Area where I live), KNOW that promoting anti-Zionism is equivalent to saying “Israel does not have the right to exist” but usually add qualifiers to that, most frequently “… if that existence makes them transgress what it means to be a Jew.” or “… and maybe it shouldn’t exist if it makes Jews do to Palestinians what the Nazis did to them.” One person even told me that if “we” — Jews — continue to persecute the Palestinians we are in danger of losing our souls.” Other secular liberals argue that religion and tribalism are the only reason Jews feel they have to hang on to Israel, that religion and tribalism are the root of the world’s worst problems, and therefore Jews should be rational enough to leave Israel if they really believe in tikkun olam.
There are many arguments to make against all these positions, and I’ve probably made most of them in recent years, but it has never occurred to me to refer anyone to Wikipedia. Maybe that will work. Must admit, however, that I sometimes despair. If people will not read history, insist on equating exoticism with virtue, and refuse to think analytically, maybe they don’t want to understand — and that state of mind is an illness for which there is no cure as well as a mental environment in which anti-Semitism can thrive.
One idea I am toying with (as a writer and researcher) was inspired by rereading Leon Uris’ novel The Haj. Perhaps getting out material of an entertaining sort that dramatizes inner Arab life, using primarily Arab protagonists, exploring that culture from a non-hostile but completely honest perspective, without the least hint of propaganda, could at least offset hostility to Israel by showing clearly the forces they are dealing with. Nothing can move a dedicated anti-Semite, but perhaps there is a way to nudge those anti-Zionists who are idealistic and well-meaning but largely uninformed. Any comments on this approach would be appreciated.

By: Joe Smith

Joe Smith — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 12:34:16 +0000

I myself am more than happy to boycott products and services from any country ignorant enough in todays world affairs as to blame Israel for defending themselves from terrorist nations.

By: Barry Shell

Barry Shell — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 20:56:02 +0000

The best part of your article was the last bit identifying anti-Zionism as the scariest modern ideology we must deal with today. I personally have had arguments with otherwise extremely intelligent and very supportive “progressive liberal” friends where they identify Zionism as a “failed experiment”. I am noticing that it’s very easy for our liberal friends to jump on this band wagon. It’s important to take them aside and explain to them exactly what Zionism means and who started it and why. Or just point them to the Wikipedia entry on it so they can become enlightened. The key point is to explain to one’s friends that promoting anti-Zionism is the equivalent of saying “Israel does not have the right to exist”.

By: Theodore Rudin

Theodore Rudin — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 20:01:55 +0000

TOO BAD OUR COMMUNITY JEWISH NEWSPAPERS DO NOT FOLLOW SUIT BY INCLUDING THIS KIND OF INFORMATION FOR THEIR READERS. THE SAME GOES FOR THE GENERAL CIRCULATION PAPERS.

A CORRECTION OF PRIOR COMMENTS.

By: Theodore Rudin

Theodore Rudin — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 19:58:39 +0000

iT CERTAINLY HELPS TO SPREAD THE WORD OF THE THREATS TO OUR COMMUNITY.

TOO BAD T FOLLOW SUIT AND I MUST ALSO ADD THHAT MORE JEWISH COMMUNITYE GENERAL PRESS. NEWSPAPERS DO NOT

By: Norman Phillips

Norman Phillips — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:14:48 +0000

No one should be surprised at the eagerness of so many British organizations to join in the campaign to boycott Israeli commerce and educationalists. In essence it is nothing more than anti-semitism.
Born and bred in England I have always detected the constant undercurrent of anti-semitism and on many occasions I confronted it head on. I have no doubt that had Hitler succeeded in occupying Britain there would have been little opposition to his exterminating Britains Jews.
It seemed to me that for each Brit that disavowled attacks on Jews there were at least aonther who could not care less or supported it.
But the most surprising aspect of the campaign to boycott Israeli products and acadamia is the incredible ignorance of those who sign on to the cause, especially those who role in in education. We can credit the effective Arab proganda and misinformation for much of it but the fact that those favouring the boycott accept on face value the misinformation speaks poorly for their integrity.
Israel cannot be blameless in every regard and like other nations they commit errors of judgement which are eagerly picked up by their adversaries. What is needed a confference of all the leading Jewish NGOs such as WJC, ADL, etc., to launch a massive PR campaign toright the misinformation. Each of these proud organizations should put aside their selfish self identitiy and work together for benefit of not just Israel, but Jews worldwide.

By: Charlotte Wolfe

Charlotte Wolfe — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 13:38:43 +0000

IF THE CALL FOR BOYCOTTING ISRAEL IS HEEDED - then these IGNORANT callers for the boycott should also boycott every medicine, vaccination, cell phones, music, litature, technological advancements, medical advances, scientific achievements and all human benefits discovered and developed by Israelis. They should throw away their cell phones immediately (a major modern technical development from Israel).

By: Dr Randy ROSE

Dr Randy ROSE — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 04:17:01 +0000

In 2002 Australian ‘academics’ also tried a boycott of Israeli academics.Check it out on this website…..

http://www.abc.net.au/am/stories/s574915.htm