It’s one thing to be attacked by Kahanist swine like Steven Plaut and Rachel Neuwirth who don’t even have the courage use their own names to create a defaming blog about me. This is behavior I’d expect from someone convicted of libel in an Israeli court (Plaut) or who harasses the wives of Israeli peace activists calling upon them to leave their spouses (Neuwirth–story confirmed personally by Yigal Arens). But what I didn’t expect was a solidarity campaign by Anglo-Israeli rightist blogs in support of Plaut’s efforts.
To be more precise, I did expect such a response from someone like Aussie Dave. We don’t have much use for each other. I could’ve expected him to excuse and temporize in the face of a pornographic assault on me. But that doesn’t bother me because everyone in the Jewish blogosphere knows Dave is a hard-core right-winger.
But on April 11th, I was attacked at Jewlicious by CK with whom I also have a history. When I criticized Aussie Dave’s administration of the Jewish & Israeli Blog Awards two years ago, CK defended Dave enthusiastically. CK and I got into it. I didn’t let him get away with calling himself a progressive regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict despite the fact that he favors the Separation Wall, is opposed to the immediate end of the Occupation, accepts the killing of Palestinian civilians in IDF operations, and approves of extrajudicial killings. What is more insidious about Jewlicious’ attacks on me is that many in the Jewish blog world believe that Jewlicious is a tolerant, open-minded, even liberal blog. I believe that some of his readers may be surprised to know that when CK laid down with Steven Plaut he got up with fleas.
Here are a few of the things CK writes:
Richard Silverstein writes a blog…that focuses…on his far left anti-Israel and anti-Zionist opinions.
This is an outright lie and CK knows it. He likes playing fast and loose with the truth. Don’t you hate people who insist on mislabeling others even after they’ve been told how the person identifies themselves? I am a progressive Zionist–NOT anti-Zionist or anti-Israel. I would challenge CK or anyone to find any place in this blog where I have said that I am anti-Zionist or anti-Israel.
Note here how he attempts to minimize the pornographic content of my fake blog:
The pornographic context was, as far as I could tell, the use of the word penis and a reference to “Little Dickie.”
Here is what the actual text states:
“When I get “religious” then I just stroke my penis to see what comes out.”
More ignorant comment from CK:
I mean, I was prepared to be horrified by pics of Little Dickie’s ass or something equally horrific. But no.
Actually, there WAS originally at this blog a picture of me juxtaposed with a man’s hairy ass. Since I owned the image of me (but not one of the hairy ass, thank God) Blogger was forced to take it down due to copyright infringement. But if CK had looked early enough in the life of the blog he would’ve seen precisely what he claims WOULD HAVE horrified him.
More lies:
he considers anyone who disagrees with him and says so on his blog to be a harasser.
CK disagrees with me on my blog. I consider him to be an annoying, lying SOB. But he isn’t a harasser. Not nearly in the sense that Plaut and Neuwirth are. Harassers wish cancer on you. Harassers call you vulgar, racist epithets. Harassers publicize your e mail address on their websites (like Masada2000 used to do). But just because CK is an oaf doesn’t make him a harasser.
And here is where CK begins to normalize Plaut’s aberrant behavior making it kosher to maul those you despise by calling them Nazis and kapos and the like:
If he puts his opinions out there, he shouldn’t cry if people disagree…What annoys me most about Mr. Silverstein is what a whiny bitch he is.
Remember what men used to say about women who were assaulted: “she got what she had coming to her.” That last phrase reminds me of such despicable rationalization of hate. This is what is most dangerous about Jewlicious’ countenancing of Plaut’s site. Jewlicious is respected by some in the Jewish blog world (why in heaven’s name I don’t know, but it is). If this site says it’s OK to go after some of us because our “opinions are simply too offensive and too off the radar” or “hateful and even patently idiotic” (CK’s characterization of my views) then where will this stop? And who’s next?
This is why I supported Tim O’Reilly’s call for a blogger code of conduct in the face of the death threat Kathy Sierra faced. We desperately need such a code of conduct in the Jewish blogosphere. And it should begin with not accepting cowardly defaming attacks on our fellow Jewish bloggers even if we despise their views.
I call upon my fellow Jewish bloggers to criticize Jewlicious for countenancing such horrific and hateful behavior against our fellow Jewish bloggers. I call upon every blogger whose attacks on me are linked in this blog (besides Jewlicious and Aussie Dave–Zionist Youngster and Daily Scoreboard), to say in your blogs that you don’t approve of the defaming blog or its use of your material in it. You don’t have to agree with me or like me. But don’t let a cowardly anonymous Kahanist appropriate my name, my reputation and my identity to attempt to bring shame upon me amongst my peers. Hooking up with freaks like that is not kosher. That should be beyond the pale.
I would also challenge CK to say publicly whether he has had contact, collaborated, or coordinated in any way his attack on me with the anonymous creator of my defaming blog.
UPDATE: Since originally writing this post, I have learned that an anonymous party claims ownership of the fake blog, furthermore stating that Steven Plaut has not participated in its creation. A reporter tells me Plaut has denied his involvement. So while I have no idea whether the anonymous party is being truthful, it is possible that Plaut is either not involved in the blog, is partially involved, or that the blog claimant is lying and Plaut is fully responsible. I don’t yet know for sure which is the case. My impression of Plaut’s authorship was based on a number of factors, including Roland Rance’s firm conviction that Plaut was responsible for the separate blog of which he is a victim.
The counterfeit blog purporting to be authored by me was created in the immediate aftermath of a series of posts I wrote criticizing Rachel Neuwirth, which leads me to believe that she has had some direct or indirect involvement in the creation of this website. Again, I cannot yet determine the extent of that involvement, if any, though it appears likely to me there is some, if not more than that.
I have met many Zionists. There are left-wing Zionists who advocate a fully socialist state in Israel, and there are right wing Zionists who advocate a military dictatorship. And in between, there are an infinite number of permutations and opinions. This goes to illustrate the fact that Zionism is not a monolithic entity. However, there seems to be a section of Zionists who believe that if one does not conform to their particular brand of ideology – almost invariably militaristic, intolerant and backward – then they have the right to launch any kind of libellous or defamatory attack against you. I am all in favour of open, robust debate, but pornographic attacks? This smacks of infantilism and a diseased mind.
Once again, your hypocrisy is astounding.
“But that doesn’t bother me because everyone in the Jewish blogosphere knows Dave is a hard-core right-winger.”
Well actually you are the ONLY one that has called me that. But keep digging.
“Don’t you hate people who insist on mislabeling others even after they’ve been told how the person identifies themselves?”
Yes, actually I do, and that is PRECISELY what you are doing with me. I bet you don’t even know where I stand on the most critical of Middle East issues, yet you conveniently label me. You have only ever cited one post where I commend someone who helped the IDF get to the terrorists. If being an anti-terrorist makes me a hardcore right winger, then you cannot complain of anyone considering you to be pro-terrorist and anti-Israel.
“And it should begin with not accepting cowardly defaming attacks on our fellow Jewish bloggers even if we despise their views.”
You mean like accusing a fellow Jewish blogger of nepotism and of being a racist like you have accused me? THAT is defamation.
“You don’t have to agree with me or like me. But don’t let a cowardly anonymous Kahanist appropriate my name, my reputation and my identity to attempt to bring shame upon me amongst my peers.”
What makes your actions less cowardly? You have appropriated my image and have yet to remove it from your site, despite my clear protestations. (And if you don’t remove it from your site within the next 24 hours, I will seriously consider my options). And your accusations against me are designed to bring shame on me amongst my peers. So do everyone a favor and stop whining.
“I would also challenge CK to say publicly whether he has had contact, collaborated, or coordinated in any way his attack on me with the anonymous creator of my defaming blog.”
And now you are insinuating that CK may be involved in this anonymous blog. What happened to innocent til proven guilty? Or is that a right only afforded to Islamic terrorists?
P.S I am taking a screenshot of this comment so if you decide to take the cowardly way out and ban it (as you have done in the past), I will keep the screenshot for posterity.
So what is it you object to: the “right-winger” or the “hardcore.” If you don’t like the epithets then pls. provide us an example of views of yours that are “soft-core” right-wing; or even not right-wing at all. I just re-read yr current crop of posts and your ideological views are plain as day. I particularly liked yr conspiracy theory that Pakistani cricket coach Bob Woolmer was murdered by jihadi cricket players. Did you share that with Charles? It’s worthy of LGF’s conspiracy theory world. And this one tells us a good deal about yr ideological views: “Despite the fact that there is a rich Jewish history associated with Gaza, such is the hatred and contempt of the PLO Arabs for Jews, that they want the place completely judenrein.”
Ok, let’s take a test. Answer these questions & we’ll see precisely where you stand:
1. should Israel attack Iran’s nuclear facilities?
2. if so, do you favor regime change in Iran?
3. should Israel enage in peace talks with Syria?
4. do you favor Bibi Netanyahu becoming the next PM?
5. should Israel engage in peace talks with the Palestinian unity government
6. did you oppose Gaza disengagement?
7. do you favor the creation of a Palestinian state?
Polls show most Israelis oppose 2 and support 3, 5, 6 & 7. How ’bout you?
Your hatred of Islam is written all over yr blog. I’ve quoted but a single example above. There are more.
You never asked me to remove it till now. In the past, I’ve asked you why you never asked me to remove it & you never responded. How am I supposed to know that you want it removed if you only say it at YOUR blog and don’t tell me?? I always remove material from this blog when copyright owners ask me to & you are the first to do so.
You are so full of self-pity it’s simply amazing. Have I pretended, speaking in your voice, to talk of your masturbatory practices? Have I called you a “kapo?” Have I said your favorite book was Mein Kampf? Have I said you favorite pasttime was “destroying Israel?” Have I posted your picture with your son saying the two of you were planning to make Palestinian suicide bombs? Have I wished that you got cancer of the rectum? Have I called you a Jew hating faggot? All those things have been written of me. If you think anything I’ve written about you rises to that level then you’ve lost yr mind & yr sense of persective not to mention being a self-centered churl.
None of your right wing peers cares what I say about you and you know it. I haven’t brought shame on you among anyone. Progressive Jewish bloggers know where you stand on the issues. They don’t need me to tell them. And if you would stop writing about me at yr blog & haunting my comment threads I wouldn’t be writing anything about you.
No, I didn’t say he is involved in creating the blog. Since the defaming blogger linked prominently to CK’s attack on me and yours, I asked CK whether he had any contact with the fake blog owner.
You do that. I don’t give a flying f(*k what you do with it.
And you haven’t said how you feel about your post being linked approvingly at Little Dickie’s Diaper Droppings so I take it you’re OK with that? Because if you tell me you’re not OK with it then I’ll remove any reference to you in this post.
Attempted character assassination in such a manner as directed at you is simply motzi shem ra. This is a serious offense against Torah and klal yisrael.
any reasonable person left or right would have turned on the masada2000 crowd, when they published Rabbi Lerners personal home address about 3 years ago. Look at the way back archive. I’ve always interpreted jewlicious as being more right wing than jewschool,so I am not surprised by this responce. .
Oh hey just so that you know:
I too favor favors the Separation Wall, am opposed to the immediate end of the Occupation, accepts the killing of “palestinian” civilians in IDF operations, and approve of extrajudicial killings.
Stupid copy/paste 😀
I find it ironic that one poster is worried about comments being deleted here when my experience with jewlicious.com is that they have no qualms about doctoring the text of my posts there. Aside from being infantile as mentioned, it shows that they are unable to address a particular argument on its merits and instead resort to the tactics of brownshirts. They are but one example of the ends justifies the means mentality. I am sorry to hear how much grief Prof. Arens has been given but am heartened by his determination in taking such a courageous stand for peace and justice. I too have been harassed by cyber-bullies and their sole intent is to wear down those with views they find at odds with their own. This enforced orthodoxy is but a mirror of National Socialism. The hatred directed at those Jews they designate as self-hating or race traitors would be wholly unacceptable in any other context, and rightfully so. For whatever reason, many individuals Jews and organizations take on the role of the “good Germans” as they condone these acts by their silence. Glad to find this blog (via PhilipWeiss.org). I will check back often.