Alan Dershowitz, never one to let facts or truth get in the way of an ideological harangue, has sunk to a new low. One of Big D’s most avid enemies has been Norman Finkelstein, an anti-Zionist professor who has done quite a formidable job of debunking a Dershowitz book. So it was something Dershowitz couldn’t pass up when he discovered that a neo-Nazi website was reporting that Finkelstein would participate in the Iran Holocaust conference:
A neo-Nazi website has published the schedule of speakers at the Iranian Holocaust denial conference. (His name was mysteriously removed from the schedule this morning.) Prominent among the speakers in the schedule was assistant professor Norman Finkelstein of DePaul University…
It is unclear whether Finkelstein actually attended the conference, since the identify of many of the attendees has been kept secret, and the media office at DePaul says it doesn’t know. But Finkelstein certainly fits comfortably into the hate club, since he has allied himself closely with the Holocaust denial movement by trivializing the suffering of its victims and denying that many of them were victims at all. It would be natural for the rulers of Iran to have invited this Jew-hater to their hatefest. I don’t know if they did, or if Finkelstein accepted any such invitation. But the burden is now on him to explain why his name appears in the schedule and to produce all correspondence with the sponsors of the conference. It should make interesting reading
I can almost see the wheels spinning inside his head. He thinks: “Omigod, this could be it. If Finkelstein is stupid enough to attend the conference, then I’ve finally nailed his ass. No one will ever believe another thing he says either about me or anything else.”
There was one small problem. The internet posting was a hoax. Finkelstein never attended the conference. Even Big D noted the site had “mysteriously” removed Finkelstein’s name. Instead of implying it was some sort of conspiracy to conceal Finkelstein’s participation, why didn’t the big lug think that maybe they withdrew the information because they themselves discovered it wasn’t true? I suppose even neo-Nazis might give a few small cares about the truth once in a while.
Instead of proving Finkelstein’s intellectual perfidy, Dershowitz has proven his own. And speaking of the truth, Dershowitz of course lies when he says Finkelstein has “allied himself closely with the Holocaust denial movement by trivializing the suffering of its victims…” A commenter at Huffington Post expressed Finkelstein’s position much more accurately:
Finkelstein is not a Holocaust denier or trivializer. His main point is that the Holocaust has been used as a money-maker for certain organizations and as a “justification” for immoral Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.
In other words, Finkelstein is a critic of what Salo Baron used to call the “lachrymose theory” of Jewish history; the notion that Jewish life revolves around and is defined by suffering. That Jewish groups reduce Jewish identity to a series of historical victimizations. That we are defined by our suffering. This is a wholly legitimate criticism of our Jewish leadership and the organizations they lead (Aipac, ADL, AJC, etc.) The fact that Dershowitz attempts to label this as “Jew-hating” merely proves how odious a person and ‘intellectual’ (I use the term advisedly) he is.
A former student of Finkelstein’s who disagrees with him on some issues, had this telling retort to Dershowitz:
…He is in no way a holocaust denier. How could he be? Both of his parents were in concentration camps. He is a good man and believes in what he preaches, and backs up his point of view in an academic and honorable way, unlike Dershowitz. Disagree with him for the right reasons, don’t make outrageously untrue claims!
Big Al. have you no shame? At long last have you no shame? The man’s parents survived the ovens and you have the chutzpah to call him a Holocaust denier? That is rich.
For anyone wishing to know what Finkelstein was really doing last Tuesday, take a look at this International Herald Tribune article. He was testifying on behalf of alleged Hamas supporters at a federal trial [thanks to Ellen & Seth for pointing out the confusion in a previous wording of this sentence]. Take that, D. And next time, why don’t you shut your trap and do some serious research before you open it?
Dershowitz is an idiot. So is Ahmadinejad. What purpose does this conference serve? All it does is add fuel to Israel’s non-stop whine: ‘See – everyone hates us’.
It also adds fuel to those who already conflate Palestine supporters with Nazis.
It lends credence to those who say that we who criticize Israel are ‘anti-Semitic’.
Whose interests does this conference serve? I think it serves Israel’s interests.
Yesterday on Wolf Blitzer (it might have been an earlier broadcast), David Duke criticized Israel for oppressing Palestine. This is one ‘ally’ I can do without.
ellen
“He [Finkelstein]was testifying at a federal trial against alleged Hamas supporters.”
Richard, I read this as Finkelstein was testifying against alleged Hamas supporters! Which surprised me, so I went to the article, and realized I misread your comment.
Your post is informative, as always.
e
I listened to the David Duke debate. He basically echoed what Carter wrote in his book. It is amazing to see David Duke and Carter on the same page. Carter should have gone to the conference in Iran-he would have felt at home
>I listened to the David Duke debate. He basically echoed what Carter wrote in his book. It is amazing to >see David Duke and Carter on the same page. Carter should have gone to the conference in Iran-he >would have felt at home
You may have listened to Duke – but you clearly haven’t read Carter. I must confess I haven’t listened to Duke – but I did hear clips (not sure if it was Blitzer or Matthews) and equating Duke with Carter is pure polemics. Duke reiterated the same “Jews and Zionists control the media and the world” crap that anti-Semites have been spewing for centuries.
While I haven’t actually read Carter – I have read excerpts – and his thesis is simply – “The debate over Israel-Palestinian conflict that occurs IN ISREAL among Israelis and in Europe among Europeans isn’t being done in the US” and is a valid debate.
I have read Carter cover to cover. His comments in the book, as well as his media responses, say that the debate is silenced in the press here. What he is saying is in code is that the Jewish owned media is suppressing debate in this country, as opposed to Europe, where the media is “free”. There isnt really much debate in Europe about the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Most Europeans feel that Israel is the leading cause of war in the world, and Jews in Europe are treated accordingly. Synagogues are being burned and vandalized at record rates in France, England, and Italy, and deep down, the chattering classes of Europe are upset that Hitler didnt finish the job. Carter is not a Hitler type of anti-Semite, but an anti-Semite who feels that Jews should be put in their place, and not get uppity about putting Menorahs in public places or interfering with the affairs of legitimate countries
Very informative post. Keep it up!
Very interesting post Richard, but I misread the last part in the same manner as Ellen, so I suggest you clarify that Finkelstein was testifying for the defense at a trial against Hamas supporters. Right now it sounds like he’s testifying for the prosecution. Interestingly enough, the odious Judith Miller is a witness for the prosecution. Oy.
Ellen: Yes, sorry if I confused you. The feds are trying the Hamas members. Finkelstein was a witness of the defendants behalf.
I couldn’t agree more about the absolute stupidity of the conference. The Iranians are just trying to score pts. in some weird way, though how anyone can score any pts for hosting Holocaust deniers is beyond me. A twisted world we live in.
This is pure calumny. Not true. Not a shred of truth. David Duke knows about as much about the Mideast conflict as I know about brain surgery (which is almost nothing). I’m sorry to say it, but you’re an idiot to make such a comment as “Carter should’ve gone to the conference.” It shows you are only interested in scoring propaganda pts & not discussing real issues or Carter’s real position on the issues.
It doesn’t seem to have mattered that you read the Carter book. You read the book you expected to find and not the book he actually wrote. Sad really.
No, wrong again. He is saying that the Israel Lobby has created a political tone in this country which intimidates journalists & politicians from talking freely about the issue. And this is largely true. I don’t fully agree w. Carter however. It is quite easy to find pluralistic debate about the I-P conflict. If you look at any of the media sources I use in this blog you’ll find plenty of debate. The problem however is, & here I agree w. Carter, you won’t find the issues discussed in many of the forums most watched by the majority of Americans (CNN, network news, etc.). And this is because the editors know that if they come down too hard on Israel they will face the orchestrated wrath of Aipac & the rest of the ultra-Israel lobby.
And you’re an expert on European political issues because of what…? There is plenty of debate in Europe about the conflict. But what really irks you is that all sides are covered in that debate, both the ultra-Israel perspective, the progressive Zionist perspective, & the Palestinian perspective. You just can’t take the free debate. You’d feel so much better having the type of managed debate you’ll find here.
You are simply loony tunes. If you are to be believed Jews in Europe better batten down the hatches because the storm troopers are right around the corner. What balderdash! BTW, it’s not just “Europeans” who feel that Israel is one of the most dangerous countries in the world; international surveys find that this opinion is held almost universally (& for good reason, I’m afraid).
What a moronic statement! Carter in fact is a philo-Semite who cherishes the Jewish people & its role both in the Bible and throughout history. The fact that he criticizes Israel for anything–this is what makes him an anti-Semite in yr. book. BTW, pls. provide a single piece of evidence (real evidence, not yr opinion) that proves his anti-Semitism. You’ve read the book. You should have plenty of examples at hand.
And where in heaven’s name did you come up w. the notion that Carter would disapprove of menorahs on public display. Can anyone believe a single thing you say? It’s all based on thin air. No substance whatsoever.
You have basically confirmed what both David Duke and Jimmy Carter by saying that AIPAC controls the media. Most people think AIPAC and Jews are synonymous. Given that AIPACs power isnt what it used to be, then it must be other Jews who control the media. Philo-semitism doesnt fit in with replacement theology, of which Carter is a firm believer.
NO! Anti-Semites like Duke believe that Jews literally control the media by owning it or some such claptrap. The actual truth is much different. I didn’t say Aipac controls the media. It doesn’t. But it has managed to manipulate debate to the extent that the media are intimidated from putting strong voices out there that would counter its point of view.
If this is something that troubles you (as well it should) you have only Aipac to blame because it attempts to foist on the American people that it DOES represent all Jews, when it does nothing of the sort.
Spare us the disquisitions on evangelical theology. What in heaven’s name do you really know about it? So you know big words like “replacement theology.” Pls. prove that Jimmy Carter believes in it or that he is an anti-Semite. I asked you to do this in my last reply to you & you haven’t taken up the challenge. I can only presume that you have no hard evidence to prove your contention.
Re: Conference on Holocaust denial:
My comment was made before I knew there were elections coming up tomorrow in Iran. Given that, and given the student demonstrations this week (great event!), and given what I heard a Mid-East scholar say that Ahmadinejad is not too secure in his power, I can speculate that perhaps the purpose of holding the conference is to shore up support for Ahmadinejad among the most right-wing elements.
While I cant speak for Herbert Kaine in terms of replacement theology, I think he is spot on when it comes to the debate over zionism in Europe. In Europe, the debate in our media is whether Israel deserves to exist. The European media, which I listen to daily, concludes that Israel is the LEADING cause of war in the world, and if Israel disappeared, there would be peace in the world. In the US, there is debate whether Israel is doing the right thing. Also, if Jews can influence the media without actually owning the media, that speaks for more power that even David Duke claims for the Jews. I hope that the debate in the US does not resemble that of Western Europe
I read the European media just as you do & I say to you: “hogwash.” Prove to me that mainstream European media are debating whether Israel deserves to exist. And if you find an article or 2 on this theme, prove to me that this is a dominant theme. You can’t because it isn’t.
This is either a lie or gross oversimplification. Pls. tell us which by providing any substantiation that any mainstream media source claims that “if Israel disappeared there would be peace in the world.” Your claim is preposterous on its face.
What are you “on” about?? Are you foolish or naive enough to think that a group of people cannot “influence” the media without owning it? This happens every day in almost every place in the world where there is media.