Every so often even the strange place we call Israel produces a development so odd that you don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Beit Hatfutzot is the respected Israeli museum devoted to the study of the Jewish Diaspora. Every year, it holds the NADAV Peoplehood awards ceremony which this year will coincide with an annual meeting of the International Board of Governors. The genius organizing this event decided that it would be a super idea to grant an award to Caroline Glick and her band of pro-settler goons for producing the “award-winning” Hasbara video, We Con the World (as I don’t want to promote the video directly, I’ll offer the link here so you can watch this garbage if you wish). It was created by a far-right media advocacy group called LATMA, to mock the Gaza flotilla and paint the Turkish human rights activists aboard as pro-Hamas terrorists who deserved everything they got at the hands of IDF commandos.
If you’ll recall, the Israeli foreign ministry promoted the video as if it was an official government effort until it was pointed out to them, ahem, that it was not.
One has to wonder what’s gotten into the mind of those producing the Beit Ha-Tfutzot event that they would grant an award to such an example of pro-Israel political extremism. Let’s also recall that this museum was the brainchild of seminal Israeli Zionist leader, Nahum Goldman. Goldman was a powerful advocate of Israeli-Palestinian peace and a follower of the Brit Shalom movement. He would be rolling in his grave to know that Carol Glick would be mounting a podium at his museum to receive such an honor.
Yaron London, a media personality generally associated with liberal Zionism, is listed as the master of ceremonies, and a co-honoree will be the Russell Berrie Foundation. I wonder if they know what company they’ll be keeping?
The members of the International board of governors and board of directors of the Museum can be found here. If you know any of these individuals you might want to inform them of the travesty which the Museum is perpetrating and the shame it faces for honoring such a piece of hate speech propaganda.
Isn’t the name of the museum odd? It assumes that Israel is the center and the natural repository for the cultural artifacts of “the diaspora.” Shlomo Zand has debunked the myth that Jews around the world originate in Palestine. When all the Jews finally move back to Israel, they can be reassured that one place will preserve the memory of their dead “diaspora” culture.
The museum’s premise is the opposite take on the other Hasbara message in which Israel is the heroic frontier, the charity case, the victim.
Per the “Diaspora” museum, Israel is the center, the home, the final resting place for every dead Jewish culture.
This museum carries the banner of Zionist contempt for the Jewish communities that the State of Israel destroyed.
A perfect shidush with the “we con the world” drek.
oops. shiduch.
Yes, the Hebrew name of the museum is “Diaspora” but the English name is “Museum of the Jewish People,” an entirely diff. kettle of fish.
Nahum Goldman, one of the founders was none of the things you say & the original mission of the museum was to instill an appreciation of the Diaspora in Israeli life. I don’t know much about the museum currently though this award indicates it’s deeply troubled.
Richard,
Thanks for being on top of this scoop. Hopefully Bet Ha-Tfutzot will be shamed into changing this.
Just one favor: please, Please don’t call Latma “pro-Israeli”. Just like you don’t want Sarah Palin to be called “pro-American”.
I meant “pro-Israel” in quotes. Of course, they’re not genuinely pro-Israel as you or I would define this. They’re pro-settler, pro-hate, pro-smear.
you are so deluded. One thing the world needs is laughter. And Caroline and her cohorts at Latma do just that. Thank God. Your moaning and groaning about their stuff reminds me just a tad about the style of outraged uproar a certain group of people (we know who they are…I will not name them lest I say something politically incorrect) had about some Danish cartoons. You may recall a large number of very intense reactions centered around insult to honor, etc. riots ensued all over the world and over 100 people were killed. Offset honor killings? Do you really think this is a suitable role model for your blue meanie sniping at Latma? For Heavens’ sake, lighten up. You so-called Spiritual Progressives. Ha!
But the worst part about LATMA is that it isn’t even funny. Not even remotely so. I wouldn’t mind if there was some wit. It’s attempting to be a right wing version of Eretz Nehederet & failing utterly & abysmally. What they should do is create an Israeli version of Stephen Colbert. Now that might be funny. But it’s far beyond the ken of Caroline Glick-less.