Several weeks ago, a local progressive Jewish congregation, Kadima, hosted a Shabbat talk by Canon Naim Ateek, a Palestinian Christian anti-Occupation cleric. Two days before the event, the Seattle Jewish federation mailed a letter to Kadima telling it that it was making a big mistake in hosting an anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, Jew-hating Palestinian speaker. Needless, to say Ateek is none of those things. Thankfully, Kadima did not cancel his talk.
Unfortunately for the community, very few people knew what the letter actually said since those who wrote it and those who received it refused to divulge it. A brave soul did provide the letter to me, which is the only way that you know what it said. I have already critiqued the inadequacies of the letter and criticized those who signed it. I have also praised those who were asked and refused to sign it.
I singled out for condemnation David Brumer, a signatory of the letter and a board member of the hardline Israel advocacy group, StandWithUs. Unlike some of the others who signed, Brumer proudly used his employer and job title along with his signature. He is a social worker at the Kline Galland Home, where he presumably attempts to ease the burdens of elderly Jews in our community. Apparently, Kline Galland, a federation funded agency, has no problem with Brumer confusing his partisan political activities with his job. I have written to the Home’s two senior executives to clarify the agency’s policy on this matter. They haven’t replied.
Brumer took my attack personally, VERY personally. In fact, in an e-mail to me he called me “deranged,” a “fraud,” and “fascinated” with gay porn. A word about the latter charge: in a recent blog post I noted that StandWithUs has recruited American gays to take Israel junkets in order to co-opt their support for Israel. Alongside this, the Israeli foreign ministry has targeted Iran’s intolerance for gays as a point of leverage in its efforts to set the stage for an attack on Iran. I have little doubt that StandWithUs’ journey into the gay world is directly connected to the efforts against Iran.
I wrote a critical blog post about a gay porno movie filmed in Israel with an all-Israeli cast. That was how Brumer managed to dredge up the homophobic smear that I had a “subconscious fascination” with gay porn. Here is the text of his message to me:
Solipsist that you are, it occurred to me that you may remain unaware of the fact that I’ve helped expose you to the world for the fraud, hypocrite, and paranoid narcissist that you are, in my very own blog, BRUMSPEAK. Check it out. It circulates widely.
Btw, the gay porn hasbara shtick is very creative. Only a deranged mind like yours could come up with that one. Perhaps some subconscious fascination with the subject?
Keep in mind, this is a Jewish leader who the federation asked to sign the Kadima letter because it found him to be a credible figure in the community. Also, keep in mind that Brumer signed a 2004 Derech Eretz statement calling for all signatories to:
…Exhibit…respect and communication, trusting in each other’s good intentions, and rejecting personal or malicious attacks, as we debate issues pertaining to Israel, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, peace in the Mideast, and the wider Jewish community.
This is a community leader who also called for me to be “spanked” for holding the views I do. Since he sat on the board of Congregation Beth Sholom at the time (where I am a member), I had to ask the synagogue president to intercede and end the slanders. Thankfully, she did so. Now that Brumer is no longer bound by such strictures (he’s off the board), he’s unburdened himself and unbuttoned his mouth.
I freely acknowledge that I have used strong language in my criticism of both Brumer and the attacks on Naim Ateek and Kadima in the federation letter. I have called some statements by both lies and distortions. But unlike Brumer, I have documented my claims here in this blog.
In an e-mail, the president of the federation, Richard Fruchter, sensibly tried to distance himself from Brumer saying he is not a member of the Israel committee which created the letter and not affiliated with federation. The problem is that the federation asked Brumer to sign the letter thereby affiliating itself with him and his extremist views. Fruchter sees Brumer’s smears against me as a dispute between two individuals in which the agency has no interest.
But the problem once again is that Brumer and federation are locked into a tight embrace. They invited him to sign. He co-opted his employer, a federation agency, in signing. It seems to me that they’re up to their eyeballs in this and somebody should have some explaining to do.
I was tickled by Brumer’s claim that his blog “circulates widely.” Alexa ranks it 14-million which does not constitute “circulating widely.” Unless he really meant “circulates widely within my own family and among StandWithUs militants.” I was also tickled by his references to psychological-therapeutic jargon in attempting to [mis]diagnose me. It’s as if he needs to dust off all the theories he learned in social work school to prove he can apply them to his clients and wield them as a cugdel against his enemies. If he keeps this up he might just give the vocation of social work a bad name.
Returning to the federation letter, it was signed by only 12 community leaders (two of whom work for federation). Yet the letter was circulated to every rabbi and community leader in the city, scores, if not hundreds of individuals. The fact that only 12 signed is a good sign. It means that many leaders of our community thought the letter was a bad idea. I’m hoping there are some federation board members who are asking some pointed questions of Richard Fruchter as I write this. One question I’d like asked is why the Israel committee is such a monolith. Why doesn’t it have a mandate that compels it to approach the Israel issue in a diverse way that encourages debate? Why do the local Israel lobby groups, via this committee, have a stranglehold on the communal agenda on this subject?
One of my major criticisms of the mainstream community is that it exists in an echo chamber. Jewish leaders largely don’t want to hear diverse voices in their community. The problem with doing this is that by narrowing the scope of what is considered kosher, you end up with blunders like this letter.
Let’s have a dialogue about this within the community. Let’s learn a lesson. Let’s figure out how we can encourage a broad debate about such a critical issue and not smear our fellow Jews just because they don’t see things the same as us. Instead of seeking ways to exclude Brit Tzedek and Kadima from the community, as the Israel committee was seeking to do, let’s embrace them. Let’s end the grandstanding and wagging fingers represented by the Ateek-Kadima letter.
I’m looking forward to the next major community program the Israel committee plans providing a balanced, diverse perspective on whatever issue it addresses. And I don’t mean “diverse” by David Brumer’s standards. I mean “diverse” by Kadima’s standards or any number of other local Jewish peace organizations who are largely omitted from the organized community’s discussions. Federation leaders–do you think you can do this?
The federation recently announced it has had a down campaign. Allocations to agencies are being cut. Of course, there are lots of reasons for this, many of them economic. But Jews in this town are sophisticated, articulate, progressive and concerned with social justice. Many don’t like what they see going on in Israel. Many don’t agree with the perspective offered by the Israel committee or StandWithUs. In fact, a number of polls indicate that Jewish young people are more turned off than ever from Israel in the aftermath of the bloody conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza.
If the federation continues preaching to this relatively small choir, it can’t help its Campaign. It can’t help it’s outreach efforts to the next generation of donors.
RE: “…he called me “deranged,” a “fraud,” and “fascinated” with gay porn.”
MY COMMENT: You have been a very, very, very bad boi! (lol)
“Let’s figure out how we can encourage a broad debate about such a critical issue and not smear our fellow Jews just because they don’t see things the same as us.”
Richard, you unmitigated hypocrite! When have you shown an openess to “a broad debate,” or refrained from smearing your “fellow Jews just because they don’t see things the same as (you)?”
You regularly vituperate against fellow Jews who don’t agree with you (or you don’t agree with them), including many who have done a great deal on behalf of their fellow Jews, employing ad hominem against them with great abandon. And while you go on and on about what you think that Derech Eretz statement requires of those in the Seattle Jewish community, you decline to be bound by it yourself.
You’re here, aren’t you? If I wasn’t open to broad debate (admittedly debate has to be VERY broad to include YOU), you wouldn’t be here & I wouldn’t be repsonding to you. What about the thousands of other comments here disagreeing with my views?
As for criticizing others, can you provide an example of someone I attacked who hadn’t attacked me first? And I assure you I modultate my argument depending on the level of vituperation. For those who suggest I be thrown from a high building like Seva Brodsky or who suggest I be spanked like David Brumer I don’t shy away from using strong language. That’s they way it is. You suggest physical violence against me and I’m not going to be your friend to say the least.
Which other Jews do I vituperate against? Alan Dershowitz? Guilty? David Horowitz? Guilty. Norman Podhoretz? Guilty. Marty Peretz? Guilty. Malcolm Hoenlein? Guilty. Abe Foxman? Guilty. Bibi Netanyahu? Guilty. Dore Gold? Guilty. David Brumer? Guilty. Meir Kahane? Guilty. Moshe Feiglin? Guilty. David Abitbol? Guilty. Aussie Dave? Guilty. If you admire any of the above my critique of their views will leave you pretty much as P.Oed as you appear to be fr. the sound of yr comment. They all richly deserve everything they get in the way of vituperation and I am by no means the only one who serves it up to them. Most are considered leaders of our community & deserve deep & profound scrutiny in that capacity. I’m sure they can handle it though I’m also sure they appreciate yr carrying water for them.
Though I was never asked to sign the Derech Eretz statement, I would do so were I asked. But where in the Derech Eretz statement does it say that when a signatory of that statement violates it by smearing you that you have to turn the other cheek and not defend yourself?
I’m curious how you got here? Friend of StandWithUs or other far right pro Israel group? Do tell. Inquiring minds want to know about yr own political affiliations.
“As for criticizing others, can you provide an example of someone I attacked who hadn’t attacked me first? And I assure you I modultate (sic) my argument depending on the level of vituperation…David Brumer… Which other Jews do I vituperate against? Alan Dershowitz? Guilty? David Horowitz? Guilty. Norman Podhoretz? Guilty. Marty Peretz? Guilty. Malcolm Hoenlein? Guilty. Abe Foxman? Guilty. Bibi Netanyahu? Guilty. Dore Gold? Guilty. David Brumer? Guilty. Meir Kahane? Guilty. Moshe Feiglin? Guilty. David Abitbol? Guilty. Aussie Dave? Guilty”
What need is there for me to “provide an example of someone (you) attacked who hadn’t attacked (you) first,” when you have just provided all those examples?! Each of these people you acknowledge attacking personally attacked you before you attacked them? Meir Kahane (who was assassinated by Nosair, one of Sheik Omar Rahman’s band of terrorists) nearly 20 years ago, he attacked you? Norman Podhoretz and Marty Peretz they too attacked you at some point in time? And Alan Dershowitz and Malcolm Hoenlein (who btw was born in the United States, not Russia)? Abe Foxman has come after you? I wouldn’t have thought you were even on their radar screens. Please do share with everyone the details of those attacks on you by these various individuals, and the many others you have vituperated against over the course of time. (Do we have ideas of reference here?)
“Though I was never asked to sign the Derech Eretz statement, I would do so were I asked. But where in the Derech Eretz statement does it say that when a signatory of that statement violates it by smearing you that you have to turn the other cheek and not defend yourself?” When/how did Ron Jacobs ever smear you? He, of course, is your fellow Jew there in Seattle whom you have accused of either being disingenuous or a liar, and demanded that he recant (what?) or be labeled a “smearmonger” by you. (Last year, after your wife and a friend got after you, you actually apologized to Mr. Jacobs, saying you had heard only good things about him as a person. But then you returned to the personal attacks, even saying he would “undoubtedly have done” what you wrongly accused him of doing if he had only been in a position to do it?!)
“You’re here, aren’t you? If I wasn’t open to broad debate (admittedly debate has to be VERY broad to include YOU), you wouldn’t be here & I wouldn’t be repsonding to you. What about the thousands of other comments here disagreeing with my views?”
Yes, I am here for the short while you can tolerate having your feathers ruffled before you ban me, as you do most who prove too much of a challenge for you. And as soon as it becomes clear that I am not another of your “progressive” dittoheads, I get the usual Richard snark (“admittedly debate has to be VERY broad to include YOU”). As for what you imagine to be “thousands of other comments here disagreeing with (your) views,” you have a counting and/or perceptual problem, because those who do not tread very, very lightly when disagreeing with you are not long for this board. (Feel free to prove me wrong, if you can.)
First, these are public figures & leaders in the Israeli or Diapora Jewish community. They therefore merit close scrutiny. Since I presume you believe in freedom of speech, I know of no law that demands that I not attack their ideas when I find them objectionable. The vast majority of my critique of all these figures is based on their ideas & not their person. However, when someone does attack me personally, uses violent language, or lies about my views then that rule does not apply.
My life was threatened by Earl Krugel, a leader of the JDL. But that’s besides the point, Meir Kahane was one of the most dangerous, vile, hateful Jewish leaders of my lifetime. He deserves being attacked by all right-thinking Jews.
Yes, TNR has attacked me though I can’t remember whether Peretz did personally or not.
Take it up with J.J. Goldberg, who wrote the profile of him from which I derived that information.
Spare us the snark. I’m afraid you’ll have to go through the archives here to find records of all the personal attacks made on me. I’ve got other things to do than respond to yr snark. But it’s all there if you’re serious (which you aren’t) about wanting to know.
Again, Rob Jacobs has published a number of comments in this blog about my views that were false on their face. He has also misstated a number of issues he has written about here. He is either ignorant, inarticulate or more concerned with propaganda than facts or truth. I have clearly stated the deficiencies of his arguments. Rather than make uninformed judgments about this matter you owe it to truth & accuracy to investigate here what he has said & what I have said. If you know how to use Google site search you should be able to do that.
You characterize what I wrote as an apology though I don’t remember it that way (& I have no interest in going back to review the record). I HAVE heard that Rob Jacobs is an amiable person. But that doesn’t make him a truthful person or an honest person when it comes to expressing his political views or those of others. He isn’t. He is entirely untrustworthy as a representative of StandWithUs.
That is a lie. There are many commenters/readers who disagree with my views who have been posting here for years. But they manage to deal with issues & ideas and articulate their views w/o calling me a hypocrite as you have done. I have comment rules & only ban people who violate them more than once. If you follow the rules you don’t get banned. It’s as simple as that. If you advocate pushing me off a building or recircumcizing me or beheading me or hanging Israeli prime ministers, or calling Israel a Nazi state or say Palestine doesn’t exist (all of which have been written here) and the like–then you get banned.
I don’t have to prove you wrong. My comment threads exist & prove you wrong. They’re there for you to peruse. There are comments attacking my views in almost every thread and many of those commenters publish here regularly, or if they don’t it’s not because they’ve been banned.
Richard –
Let me say how very much I admire the way you both handle yourself in your posts, and handle the range of comments that your posts generate. I have become increasingly agitated over the last fifteen years by the visible slide of Israel’s boosters into the nastiest forms of psycho-patriotism and hate speach (eeek, I’m using one of their favourite non-words!) and had often wondered if there could be a Jewish community response to the awful degradation by Zionism of the ancient and revered contributions of Judaism to world culture. To be mawkish, I will say that I want (deeply) to love and admire Judaism but have been driven away by the hijacking of it’s base (Al-Quaida, anyone) since the Balfour Declaration debacle. I’ve come to recognise that many, many Israelis and Jews from the wider world are also horribly wounded by the pariah actions of Tel Aviv and the fanatical sects – people I have come to know of who can give me confidence that there is some ‘push back’. I’m inducting you into my personal Hall of Fame for the stout way you handle the issues and the personalities (ughh) who come out against your reasoned approach. You keep it up – you are representing the very best the Jewish intellectual tradition has a right to claim.
Thanks very much for yr praise. I’m not as troubled by the Balfour Declaration as you. But nevertheless, things certainly are a mess & Zionism has damaged as much as it as succored the Jewish people.
I’m troubled by it to the extent that it has haunted my family. BTW, is that ‘succored’ or ‘suckered’ ?
I’ll be pleased to visit the blof you keep as a regular.
Fellow Jews?
Is this how it’s always framed? How is any criticism valid then? It has to be within the parameters of what’s acceptable to the dominant political ideology within the Jewish community? Or maybe just the loudest.
I think Richard is brave. He has to be – because of the political economy in West.
Just look at Mondoweiss’s front page article on JJ Goldberg’s hit piece on Roger Cohen.
Read the Goldberg article. It’s pure inane condescension. He sounds like a bad 1980s teen movie villain….
And who here has been a big challenge for Richard? It’s mostly the same tribalism or hasbara blah blah.
I think Avram (is that his name?) is the only polite Zionist who actually seems sincere in his views.
He’s the total opposite of Richard Witty – who is polite but very insincere.
The rest are very vulgar and resort to the usual ‘point-scoring’ rhetoric.
This blog and Mondoweiss are very important because they humanize ‘the other’ (Palestinians) and they criticize Zionism (which could be a legitimate political ideology and not a RELIGION! which is what is has become).
Thank you very much. It’s always gratifying when people understand the underlying reasons why you blog & the value of your blog.
Frankly, I’m glad to have Avram, Alex Stein, and even Richard Witty & Amir here because they keep us on our toes & life would be boring w/o counter-discourse. They also point the way (most of the time) to civil discourse even when you disagree. This is a principle that so many of the “point-scorers” among the pro Israeli right don’t seem to understand.