It is absolutely no accident that Alan Dershowitz singled Rabbi Michael Lerner out for special opprobrium in his most recent Jerusalem Post and Huffington Post columns and that local Bay Area Jewish pogromists decided shortly thereafter to “party” at Lerner’s home. They defaced it with the slogans and themes they could’ve learned at Dersh’s knee:
Berkeley police today confirmed that the attack on Rabbi Lerner’s home late Sunday June 2nd or early morning Sunday July 3rd [the correct dates were May 2d or May 3rd] was in fact a crime and was being investigated.
The attackers used a powerful form of glue to attach posters to his door and around the property of his home attacking Lerner personally, and attacking liberals and progressives as being supporters of terrorism and “Islamo-fascism.” They posted a printed bumper sticker saying “fight terror–support Israel” next to a caricature of Judge Goldstone whose UN report on Israel’s human rights violations in its attack on Gaza last year has been denounced as anti-Semitic and pro-terror by right wingers in Israel and the U.S.. The caricature has Goldstone talking about his being kept from his grandson’s bar mitzvah, and the caricature of Rabbi Lerner responds by saying “any enemy of Israel is a friend of mine.”
…In the 24 years of Tikkun’s operation, we have received many death threats and vicious hate mail, including phone calls to our office announcing that “Rabbi Lerner is dead” and others saying “We will kill all of you.” This particular attack has two worrisome elements not previously there:
1. They attack Rabbi Lerner’s home. As law enforcement people told us, this is a way of conveying the message to Lerner: “We know where you live, we know your house is vulnerable, so don’t ignore our threats.”
2. By linking Lerner to alleged terrorism, they provide for themselves and other extremists a “right-wing justification” to use violence against Lerner
Here are some of the salient passages of Dershowitz’ recent rave, which denounced a group of rabbis, including Lerner, who I had urged to make a Jewish moral statement supporting Richard Goldstone in response to his treatment at the hands of the South African Jewish community. Note the terms of incitement therein and think how they might impact the type of deranged, violent mind that carried out the mini-pogrom at Lerner’s home:
A group of rabbis, many of whom have long records of anti-Israel activism, authored a “Rabbinic letter” to Goldstone congratulating him on his grandson’s bar mitzvah and using the occasion to make virulently anti-Israel claims, including the blood libel that Israel deliberately targeted innocent Palestinian civilians without any military purpose. These ignorant rabbis…
These bigoted rabbis…
These “rabbis for Hamas” have no shame and no credibility. They exploit their rabbinical status to support any conclusion that undercuts self defense Israeli actions…
…The worst of these rabbis (and that’s saying a lot), Michael Lerner, after attempting to politicize the bar mitzvah by offering his anti-Israel synagogue for the event, has decided to honor Richard Goldstone with Tikkun Magazine‘s “Ethics Award.” I guess all it takes to be honored by Tikkun is to pass Lerner’s litmus test of lying about Israel. That’s Lerner’s definition of “ethics.” There are some good people on the advisory board of Tikkun Magazine. They now have an obligation to reconsider their membership unless they wish to be associated with a rabbi who is prepared to accuse Israel, in the absence of any evidence, of deliberately setting out to murder Palestinian civilians without any military purpose.
Someone ought to summon this intellectual hooligan to a beyt din for the use of such odious language. I have no problem with anyone disagreeing with the sentiments in the rabbinic letter and saying so. But to use the language above is to beg for the sociopathic among us to take action. In effect, Dershowitz’s words here are the equivalent of “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” Of course, there are those willing to act upon Dershowitz’s rhetoric. He, of course is too slick to be caught anywhere near a real act of violence. He would rather use rhetorical violence to impugn the morals of his enemies and gin up real violence by others.
I am younger than Alan Dershowitz, but when I was younger no Jew I knew would dare speak of any rabbi, whether they agreed with them politically or not, in the terms Dersh uses here. Rabbis deserved and received respect because of their learning and their service to the Jewish people. There are many rabbis who I don’t like either personally or politically. But I would never go anywhere near using the terms Dershowitz does.
To be clear, there are Orthodox settler rabbis who have advocated actual acts of violence and murder against fellow Jews and Palestinians. For them, I reserve no respect and have written about them in very strong language. But there is no possible way the Harvard professor can argue the rabbis signing the Goldstone letter are anywhere near such status.
This is not the first time he has incited against a respected Jewish figure: on Israeli radio he called Richard Goldstone a moser, a betrayer of Jews, someone whom the tradition finds worthy of death for such a crime.
So what Alan Dershowitz does is to poison Jewish discourse, to debase the values of our community which show honor to rabbinic leaders, to spread calumny and plants the seeds of violence. He’s this generation’s Roy Cohn, a scummy, truculent, trash-talking hater. Mazel tov, Alan. Your ancestors are hopefully spinning in their graves unless they too had no moral compass.
There is one other troubling aspect of this case outlined here by Tikkun staff:
The police say that this is not a “hate crime” because the attackers were not attacking Rabbi Lerner for his religion, but for his politics.
What the police do not understand is that for these rightist Jews their brand of Zionism IS a religion. This is not stam politics. This is bloody fratricidal civil war inside the Jewish body politic. Make no mistake, this is a hate crime. I’d like someone to tell me whether the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane was a hate crime. If it was, this is too. The only difference is that a Muslim killed Kahane and a Jew vandalized Lerner’s home. These Jews hate Lerner no less than Kahane’s assassin hated him.
Finally, I should say that Alan Dershowitz isn’t the only person who hates Michael Lerner. There are other sterling representatives of the Jewish spirit like Victor Vancier who runs the Masada2000 site who has actually physically threatened Lerner:
In May [2001]…Masada2000 listed Lerner as one of “the five most dangerous Jewish enemies of the Jewish people,” and posted detailed driving directions to his home address. Draped in guillotines, nooses and racist language, the site repeatedly stated: “If you’re ever in the San Francisco area, drop in on him at his home.”
Predictably, the death threats and hate e-mails started pouring in–more than 60 to date. Late-night calls also drastically increased. “Both my wife and I were extremely scared,” Lerner says.
So if it wasn’t Dershowitz it could be someone else. The difference is that Alan Dershowitz has a respected platform from which to launch his hate. Others have dark, dank websites no one ever visits. Speaking of respected platforms, can anyone tell me why Dersh is given such a perch at HuffPo? I can understand JPost since they’re a Jewish neocon publication. But HuffPo? Is Arianna chummy with the guy? Otherwise, I don’t get it. You’d think now with Dersh using the website to preach hate that results directly or indirectly in violence they might reconsider.
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It might be a tad too presumptuous of me, But to me, Arianna Huffington fits the term PEP (Progressive Except on Palestine) nearly to the t. She pretty much takes the Israeli government narrative at face value, so why shouldn’t she be chummy with Dershowitz?
Somewhat similar to your last paragraph, what was your opinion on Max Blumenthal’s “Feeling the Hate in Jerusalem” video being pulled off HuffPo?
UGH!!! UGH, UGH, UGH!!!
Before I write the following, I want to emphasize how much I respect the courage you have to write with so much conviction in defense of justice at a risk to your reputation and security. I find some of your articles riveting, this one being one of them, and this is what attracted me to your site and to sometimes add my two cents here.
I was very moved by what you wrote here and I’m glad you’re challenging Arianna to do the right thing in regards to Dershowitz.
“What the police do not understand is that for these rightist Jews “their brand of Zionism” IS a religion.”
Their brand of Zionism? Richard, I suspect one day you too will have a crisis of conscience like Avrum Burg had. There is only one brand of Zionism; that’s the sad fact, and you are witnessing its effects. Zionism is an ideology that encourages: racism (ethnic cleansing), injustice, paranoia and yes, “hate” to name a few consequences.
I won’t elaborate further because the most convincing argument against Zionism will be made by you alone and maybe, just maybe this blog is your conscience purging itself every day. Maybe you’re actually making the most convincing argument of all.
Whatever is your motivation for the course you’ve taken with this, or how you perceive it at this moment, I’m just glad you’re making the process public as it happens, even if that’s not how you see it. It’s just so much more convincing. I know, I’m presuming, but hopeful that your experience will awaken others.
Think on this: If Palestinians had been responsible for this act of hate (you’re right, it’s hate), this incident would be plastered all over the MSM. Something’s wrong with this picture, don’t you think?
Thanks for the respect you’ve offered for the path I’m following. I think you show you truly understand much of my motivation both for writing this blog & for the way I articulate my ideas.
I have what some might find a radical or unconventional definition of Zionism that is quite different than than put forward by classic Zionists. It’s too complicated to go into every detail here, but suffice to say my Zionism is critical, progressive, accepts limitations, & embraces peace. Further, & in case anyone attempts to label my views as “out there,” my defintion of Zionism dates back to the very beginning of the movement & thinkers like Ahad HaAm, Martin Buber, Judah Magnes & others.
Okay, I will have to explore this further when I have time, but in the meantime forgive me for having to question you again at this time.
I find it troubling that you drew a parallel between Lerner’s situation and Kahane’s murder. In my opinion, this attack on Lerner is a hate crime BUT let’s not forget that Kahane was a racist who spawned followers like Baruch Goldstein, a mass murder follower of the type of right-wing extremism you’re condemning here. You can’t equate the murder of Kahane with the attack on Lerner. To parallel Lerner and Kahane in ANY way actually hurts my sensibility.
I’m not saying that what happened to Kahane was right, NO! It was a violent crime, but at the same time there was a karmic aspect to it.
Let me explain the “karmic” aspect. Let’s say that Kahane inspired a bunch of other “Goldsteins” in future to commit a bunch of other mass murders? Hitler may never have committed murder directly but in my opinion, he was a mass murderer and I think, what if someone could see the future, and stopped him from possessing the minds of those who did the deeds for him later? Alas, it wasn’t meant to be and the analogy is far-fetched but karma works in mysterious and humbling ways.
The thing is this: It is more powerful to destroy the idea which motivates the man than to “stop short” and attack or criticize only the man by pinning the label of extremism on him when he will merely continue to find an even wider audience and allow his idea to spread. So in order to do this you cannot just reason that he just has another “brand” of Zionism than yours which you qualify as “extreme”. Isn’t this a kind of denial? Maybe it’s not the brand, maybe it’s Zionism itself that drives the man to leave his humanity behind. Maybe Dershowitz is thinking that your brand of Zionism and his are alike but that you’re unwilling to go the distance and get your hands dirty and do what it takes to protect the idea that you and he share regardless of the brand.
No, I didn’t mean to compare Lerner & Kahane. Certainly not. Rather I meant to compare the motivation of Kahane’s killer and those who vandalized Lerner’s home.
Thanks, Richard, for explaining to me your definition of Zionism. There certainly is a difference between classical Zionism and what is expressed today.
Actually, I learned a new expression from Joe Mowrey’s blog www,theplainlanguagereview.com/ or http://www.palestinetruthcoalition.com. Are you familiar with it? Rather than Zionism, he uses Israelism, which, for me, has a stronger tang and better expresses what I mean when using Zionism (I forwarded you a copy of my exchange with him).
I thank Kalea, too, for your long, interesting contribution.
Yes, Israelism or pro-Israelism is a good replacement for Zionism. I have all sorts of substitutes I use as well like uber-Zionism, hyper-Israel, etc.
I think you’re talking about the distinction between cultural Zionism and political Zionism. As I understand it, the people you mention are cultural Zionists–they envisaged Palestine being a homeland for Jewish people and Jewish culture without turning it into a Jewish state that would take away political rights from Arabs. Political Zionism, which is what most people think of nowadays when the word “Zionism” is used, is the type that envisioned a Jewish state and at the expense of the Arabs if necessary.
Yes, that’s more or less correct. However, Buber & Magnes combined cultural & political Zionism (though they failed at their attempts at the latter).
in regards to why dershowitz is allowed to post on huffington, they take articles from both sides regarding the israeli/palestinian situation
they also allow free voice to those who wish to respond to the articles
Not exactly. I stopped publishing there when they refused to publish 2 articles I wrote criticizing the IDF w/o any explanation.
RE: “He’s [Dershowitz is] this generation’s Roy Cohn, a scummy, truculent, trash-talking hater.” – R.S.
MY COMMENT: Equating Alan Dershowitz with Roy Cohn is terribly unfair….to Roy Cohn! (lol)
Seriously though, that incredible, nightmarish, Maplethorpe portrait of Cohn is downright eerie. It makes him look like ‘evil personified’ (perhaps with the thick end of a bull whip stuck up its…).
P.S. I’m very concerned about the safety of Rabbi Lerner, Naomi Klein, Uri Avnery and so many others.
JUST ONE ‘FOR INSTANCE’, FROM WIKIPEDIA: (excerpts) The Jewish Defense Organization (JDO) is a militant Jewish organization in the United States…
Mark “Mordechai” Levy is the founder and leader of the JDO, and the only JDO member to receive substantial notice in the press. He spends much of his time promoting the JDO’s Camp Jabotinsky, which provides self-defense and gun training for young Jews at a facility in the Catskills. Levy is an avid follower of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, after whom the camp is named, and often repeats Jabotinsky’s motto: “Better to know how to shoot and not need to, than to need to and not know how.”[25]….
SOURCE – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Defense_Organization
RE: “Alan Dershowitz singled Rabbi Michael Lerner out for special opprobrium…” – R.S.
FROM MONDOWEISS: Yediot* says that Netanyahu offered the job of Israel’s UN ambassador to Alan Dershowitz, who turned him down. Presumably because he was more effective being Israel’s unofficial ambassador to Harvard/the Establishment and doesn’t want to be outed as a dual loyalty case? (Michael Oren had to give up his American citizenship when he agreed to serve Netanyahu). Yediot:
“He is considered one of the world’s most famous lawyers. He was the one who got OJ Simpson acquitted from charges of murdering his ex-wife. He is an ardent supporter of Israel. Now it turns out that Netanyahu and Lieberman courted him enthusiastically, offering him the position of Israel’s UN ambassador.”
* SEE COTERET – http://coteret.com/2010/05/04/yediot-dershowitz-rejected-bibis-offer-to-serve-as-israels-ambassador-to-un/