The authors in this volume are intelligent. And while some folks may call them "self-hating Jews," I sure don't. These people think very highly of themselves and, for that matter, of each other. Nevertheless, I do not think highly of most of them, and it is...
Ver más
The authors in this volume are intelligent. And while some folks may call them "self-hating Jews," I sure don't. These people think very highly of themselves and, for that matter, of each other. Nevertheless, I do not think highly of most of them, and it is worth pointing out why.
Some of the earlier articles are historical. It is revealing to compare Ahad Ha'am, Judah Magnes, and Martin Buber with the more recent contributors. Ha'am found plenty of fault with Herzl, but never supported terror by either side. Magnes also demanded Jewish rights. And Buber was willing to defend Jewish rights in the Levant, and he did so in a famous letter in 1939 to Mahatma Gandhi. It was Gandhi who denied the Jews any rights there.
The problem is that many of the more modern contributors have been cajoled or otherwise convinced to support fascist thugs.
The politics of the authors is really up to them. I don't happen to agree with them politically, but there is a little more to it than that. For one thing, it isn't merely a political issue. We're also seeing some rather serious misrepresentations of Israel and Zionism by many authors. And second, I feel that on top of that, the authors are falsely pretending to have a genuine commitment to liberalism when they are actually defending reactionary terrorism. A final problem is that the editors failed to include any articles to counter this steady barrage of misleading essays.
I turn slightly green when I see praise of ISM members such as Rachel Corrie in this book. And that's only one of a few dozen examples of the attacks on human rights, justice, and truth I was deluged by in this volume.
Normally, I would point out that opposition to truth, justice, and human rights will eventually discredit one's cause. One example in particular is the discrediting of German Paganism following World War Two. But upon reflection, I think this is a poor analogy. I think most of the authors have no cause. They certainly do not espouse liberalism or human rights. And that's part of the reason I think so poorly of them.
I have a very poor opinion of the Icelanders who surrendered to the Christians without a real fight a thousand years ago. These Vikings were experts at fighting who lay down their swords. And experts at writing who lay down their pens. The authors of this book are behaving the same way. They ought to have picked up their pens to stand up for truth, justice, and human rights. Instead, they wrote to support those who attack truth, justice, and human rights.
Avoid this book. Go watch a movie instead. I recommend "Relentless."
The authors in this volume are intelligent. And while some folks may call them "self-hating Jews," I sure don't. These people think very highly of themselves and, for that matter, of each other. Nevertheless, I do not think highly of most of them, and it is worth pointing out why.
Some of the earlier articles are historical. It is revealing to compare Ahad Ha'am, Judah Magnes, and Martin Buber with the more recent contributors. Ha'am found plenty of fault with Herzl, but never supported terror by either side. Magnes also demanded Jewish rights. And Buber was willing to defend Jewish rights in the Levant, and he did so in a famous letter in 1939 to Mahatma Gandhi. It was Gandhi who denied the Jews any rights there.
The problem is that many of the more modern contributors have been cajoled or otherwise convinced to support fascist thugs.
The politics of the authors is really up to them. I don't happen to agree with them politically, but there is a little more to it than that. For one thing, it isn't merely a political issue. We're also seeing some rather serious misrepresentations of Israel and Zionism by many authors. And second, I feel that on top of that, the authors are falsely pretending to have a genuine commitment to liberalism when they are actually defending reactionary terrorism. A final problem is that the editors failed to include any articles to counter this steady barrage of misleading essays.
I turn slightly green when I see praise of ISM members such as Rachel Corrie in this book. And that's only one of a few dozen examples of the attacks on human rights, justice, and truth I was deluged by in this volume.
Normally, I would point out that opposition to truth, justice, and human rights will eventually discredit one's cause. One example in particular is the discrediting of German Paganism following World War Two. But upon reflection, I think this is a poor analogy. I think most of the authors have no cause. They certainly do not espouse liberalism or human rights. And that's part of the reason I think so poorly of them.
I have a very poor opinion of the Icelanders who surrendered to the Christians without a real fight a thousand years ago. These Vikings were experts at fighting who lay down their swords. And experts at writing who lay down their pens. The authors of this book are behaving the same way. They ought to have picked up their pens to stand up for truth, justice, and human rights. Instead, they wrote to support those who attack truth, justice, and human rights.
Avoid this book. Go watch a movie instead. I recommend "Relentless."
