The Pope Crushed Galileo, Now Ben Gurion Seeks to Crush Gordon « Tikun Olam-תיקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

The Pope Crushed Galileo, Now Ben Gurion Seeks to Crush Gordon

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Tags: bds, ben gurion university, neve-gordon

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13 Responses to “The Pope Crushed Galileo, Now Ben Gurion Seeks to Crush Gordon”

Gene Schulman says:

August 29, 2009 at 1:05 AM

Richard, I don’t agree with your analogy. Certainly, in my opinion Gordon is in the right and deserves all the help and support we can give him. But when the Pope crushed Gallileo, he had the power of the church behind him. Netanyahu’s attempt to crush Gordon will ultimately fail, because Netanyahu is weak and Gordon has right on his side.
At least that’s what I hope.

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Rupa Shah says:

August 29, 2009 at 4:13 AM

Chances of a letter being published in London Review of Books are much greater than in NYRB…… just saying!

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- Richard Silverstein says:
  
  August 29, 2009 at 10:48 PM
  
  I’ve just written to my contact at LRB to ask if they’d be willing. Thanks for that suggestion.
  
  Reply
Warren says:

August 29, 2009 at 4:39 PM

Rupa, agree with you, the LRB is my journal along with the Nation.

I think the New York Review would publish a letter like this, though, Ben Gurion U.’s tactics are so nakedly Stalinist that they fly too much in the face of the cosmopolitan, liberal, “open society” orientation that the NYRB professes to uphold. Who knows, you might even a have great lion of free speech and academic freedom like Wieseltier sign it (remember, he held his nose and signed the academic letter in protest against the censorship of Tony Judt at the Polish consulate), I doubt it, though—and yes, sarcasm was intended.

Like the Galileo analogy, maybe a little over the top (agree with Schulman that Netanyahu’s Israel ain’t the late medieval Catholic church, serious powah, baby), but it still resonates.

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DICKERSON3870 says:

August 29, 2009 at 9:14 PM

RE: “…Rivka Carmi…has approvingly noted that many are calling Gordon a “traitor.” She has called for him to resign and leave Israel…”

MY COMMENT: I do not believe Jacobo Timerman would be at all surprised that such tactics are being used by Israelis (even academics) to suppress free speech. Following Israel’s savage 1982 attack on Lebanon and Sharon’s Sabra and Shatila massacres, Timerman wrote “The Longest War” in which he dared to be mildly critical of both Israel’s military campaign and its treatment of the Palestinians. As a consequence of his criticism, Israel essentially deemed him to be a self-hating Jew and made it clear that he was persona non grata. He left for Madrid and eventually returned to Buenos Aires.

Generally, I do not like the idea of cultural boycotts. Unfortunately, in this case, the efforts of Israeli academics such as Ms Carmi and her ilk to suppress free speech would seem to make a cultural boycott of Israel the appropriate course of action.

MOLLY IVINS’ TRIBUTE TO JACOBO TIMERMAN – http://www.creators.com/opinion/molly-ivins/molly-ivins-november-14-1999-11-14.html

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- Richard Silverstein says:
  
  August 29, 2009 at 11:18 PM
  
  Jacobo Timerman was a great man & I wrote a review of The Longest War for Genesis II, Boston’s alternative Jewish paper, when the book came out.
  
  Reply
  - DICKERSON3870 says:
    
    August 30, 2009 at 3:41 PM
    
    RE: “Jacobo Timerman was a great man…”
    
    MY COMMENT: Yes, I would call him a ‘prince of a man’ or perhaps even a saint.
    
    Reply
- DICKERSON3870 says:
  
  August 30, 2009 at 3:09 PM
  
  RE: “I do not believe Jacobo Timerman would be at all surprised…”
  
  SHOULD HAVE READ: I am confident that Jacobo Timerman would not have been at all surprised (were he still with us)…”
  
  P.S. I must have been having a bad brain day! (lol)
  
  ***REVISED POST***
  
  RE: “…Rivka Carmi…has approvingly noted that many are calling Gordon a “traitor.” She has called for him to resign and leave Israel…”
  
  MY COMMENT: I am confident that Jacobo Timerman would not have been at all surprised (were he still with us) that such tactics are being used by Israelis (even academics) to suppress free speech. Following Israel’s savage 1982 attack on Lebanon and Sharon’s Sabra and Shatila massacres, Timerman wrote “The Longest War” in which he dared to be mildly critical of both Israel’s military campaign and its treatment of the Palestinians. As a consequence of his criticism, Israel essentially deemed him to be a self-hating Jew and made it clear that he was persona non grata. He left for Madrid and eventually returned to Buenos Aires.
  Generally, I do not like the idea of cultural boycotts. Unfortunately, in this case, the efforts of Israeli academics such as Ms Carmi and her ilk to suppress free speech would seem to make a cultural boycott of Israel the appropriate course of action.
  
  MOLLY IVINS’ TRIBUTE TO JACOBO TIMERMAN – http://www.creators.com/opinion/molly-ivins/molly-ivins-november-14-1999-11-14.html
  
  Reply
richard says:

August 30, 2009 at 6:48 AM

When the state in question is a place like Israel, “traitor” is the only possible choice for a man of conscience. The fact that Gordon is a traitor to Israel and its racist, genocidal mentality is precisely the reason we find him both courageous and praiseworthy.

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DICKERSON3870 says:

August 30, 2009 at 3:52 PM

RE: “I am confident that Jacobo Timerman would not have been at all surprised (were he still with us)…”

MY COMMENT: It is still not quite correct, but I give up. This seems to be yet another bad brain day. The old, gray “mare”…um….er….never was worth a damn.

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DICKERSON3870 says:

August 30, 2009 at 6:17 PM

RE: “Ben Gurion University has intensified the witch hunt against Prof. Neve Gordon…”

FROM ‘JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE’:

***Defend academic freedom.
Ben Gurion University Professor Neve Gordon is under attack for having published an op-ed in the LA Times endorsing boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS). Tell Ben Gurion University and the Israeli Minister of Education to defend academic freedom and defend the right to talk about all nonviolent means to end the occupation–including BDS.

***TO SEND E-MAIL – http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/t/9047/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1368

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fernado says:

September 1, 2009 at 2:39 PM

In Berkeley, his academic freedom would have been denied- just like John Yoo. John Yoo published something politically unacceptable, and has been subject to unrelenting harrassment at the school and at his home.
Gordon should be so lucky.

Free speech for me but not for thee. Academic freedom for me and not for thee

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- Richard Silverstein says:
  
  September 1, 2009 at 5:06 PM
  
  You don’t know what you’re talking about. John Yoo is under no academic threat whatsoever. His advocacy for torture is heinous. But no one at UC Berkeley wants to fire him. Get real.
  
  Reply