Posted on 09/27/2006 3:37:13 AM PDT by goldstategop
Last month I wrote an article called “Norman Finkelstein’s Obscenities,” a response to Finkelstein’s latest screed, “Should Alan Dershowitz Target Himself for Assassination?” As the title of the article suggests, Finkelstein puts forward in his article what he believes to be a justification for my assassination as a war criminal, based on my support for Israel.
Nor was this the only obscenity in the article. Not by a long shot. As I wrote in my article, Finkelstein piece was accompanied by a:
cartoon drawn by “Latuff”, a frequent accomplice of Finkelstein. The cartoon portrayed me as masturbating in rapturous joy while viewing images of dead Lebanese civilians on a TV set labeled “Israel peep show,” with a Jewish Star of David prominently featured.
I found out recently that Rabbi Michael Lerner, founder and editor of Tikkun magazine, has been circulating the Finkelstein article from his Tikkun e-mail account and under Tikkun letterhead. Lerner apparently didn’t have the stomach to attach the cartoon, despite the fact that the inspiration for the disgusting cartoon comes directly from what Finkelstein writes in the article circulated by Rabbi Lerner, as I showed in my previous article:
The cartoon aptly represents the content of Finkelstein’s piece, which accuses me of being a “moral pervert” who “missed the climactic scene of his little peep show.” He also claims quite absurdly that I “sanction mass murder” and “the extermination of the Lebanese people.” (I’m surprised he hasn’t accused me of kicking of puppy dogs, scowling at little children, and parking in handicapped spaces.)
This is from a rabbi who modestly purports to devote himself “to peace, justice, non-violence, generosity, caring, love and compassion.” This is a rabbi who purports to observe the Jewish commandments against evil words (“lashon harah”) and bearing false witness. This is a man who ardently opposes Israel’s targeted assassination of Hamas leaders, but who apparently has no qualms about the assassination of pro-Israel academics. That’s a rather peculiar definition of “peace, justice, and non-violence” Rabbi Lerner is employing.
This is not the first time that Lerner has served as a megaphone for Finkelstein’s hate speech. Lerner published an article-length version of one of Finkelstein’s screeds in Tikkun, complete with Finkelstein’s hateful thesis: “Alongside Israel [American Jewish elites] are the main fomenters of anti-Semitism in the world today… They need to be stopped.” (Finkelstein had previously called American Jews “parasites.”) In the same book that Lerner was promoting, Finkelstein invoked some of the most crass anti-Semitic caricatures found in contemporary America, “Should people like Abraham Foxman, Edgar Bronfman, and Rabbi Israel Singer [who are prominent Jewish leaders] get a free ride because they resemble stereotypes straight out of Der Sturmer?” Can you imagine a professor issuing a similar description of a woman or a Muslim, or describing the Pope according to an anti-Catholic stereotype? Can you imagine Tikkun publishing an author who falsely described Rabbi Lerner as resembling a stereotype “straight out of Der Sturmer”?
Lerner tried to weasel out of what he had done by saying the he forwarded the Finkelstein article because I had called him “an anti-Semitic rabbi” in one of my books. (What I actually wrote is that “even a rabbi can support anti-Semitic actions” – as Lerner did when he supported divestment from Israel and only Israel – which is quite different from calling him “an anti-Semitic rabbi,” but never mind.) As a defense lawyer, I would recommend to Lerner that he would be better situated to defend against those charges if he didn’t so eagerly associate with anti-Semites and publish Jew-hating rants.
Through his nefarious association with Norman Finkelstein, who is a genuine Jew-hater, Michael Lerner has forever disqualified himself from being taken seriously on matters of Jewish concern, the Jewish community, or Israel.
Two people determined to destroy our culture with their sickening so called progressive ideas.
Hentoff and Dershowitz are not that similar-I have frequently disagreed with Hentoff,but always respected him as a principled man-he is an atheist and pro-life,precisely because he believes there's nothing else-he's also against the death penalty-consistent-personally I don't understand atheists and don't equate the death penalty with abortion(what crime did the fetus commit?),but Hentoff has always been head and shoulders above Dershowitz-actually Dersh and Lerner deserve each other-I read some of Dershowitz' books and his view of Jews is very myopic-he has predetermined ideas and molds his facts to fit them-I saw him in adebate with Alan Keyes who wiped the floor with him-Dersshowitz in that debate let slip that he had no respect for the Constitution,it was merely an interesting document-very cavalier,but it told volumes about him.I think Nat Hentoff really does believe in the Constitution.And he is also a scholar in the field of jazz,a very American music form.
So many liberals have morphed into loony leftists, or have taken to reflexively appeasing leftists extremists, that those liberals who actually attempt to marginalize extremism stand out as oddballs.
If you have never seen the fantastic debate between Keyes and Dershowitz, try to get a tape (might still be available through C-Span)
It tells you pretty much where Dersh stands on religion. Keyes, who consistently maintains, that there is an absolute moral authority that comes from God, while Dersh insists that he himself KNOWS what's right (meaning what he considers right might sometimes be in line with spiritual teachings, but not always, and thus he is the authority unto himself.) It's relativism. It's picking and choosing what spiritual teachings you are going to observe and which ones you are going to ignore.
"Rabbi" Michael Lerner is an old SDS activist from the 1960s. I remember him very well from his days at the University of Washington, where he was - I think - a philosophy professor. He was an a-hole then, and remains one.
Every split in the enemy's camp should be exploited. This is one of those.
He is just figuring out LERNER is a scumball. I say this "rabbi" on c-span one time and knew what he was. He is a socialist maybe even communist. He is a hater of God, Christian, Women, Truth, Firearms. Oh heck hs is a walking lefty acting like a rabbi. He makes me ill just as lefty socialist so called Christians do. FAKE.
Say what you want about Dershowitz and I disagree with him over 85% of the time, but he is dead-on target when it comes to dealing with terrorists. He is all for torture if it involves mass murderers. Notice, how little air time the MSM gives him now that he is outspoken advocate of defending Israel and support of the war on terror.
The Dersh's conversion has definitely elevated him in my eyes as well. He seems to be going through a Horowitz-ish transformation from Left to Right. Horowitz drives the liberals insane because he knows their tactics and then exposes them.
I always took the phrase "The Politics of Meaning" to translate into "The Phonyness of Good Intentions". In otherwords, "meaninglessness".
I have never and do not now trust him.
The truly ugly; hypocritical and evil face of the Left is precisely that; if even a Rabbi is wearing it.
I do think 'the Dersh' is seeing it now; as he never has before. I hope more Liberal Jews can wake-up and see the 'light'; albeit without having to undergo terrorist-worthy, blindsiding- personal attacks such as Alan Dershowitz has experienced.
Of course, this is the favored MO of the Left. . .
As well or more. . .he was Hillary's guru. . .
The attributes shown are amazing and yet, not amazing. . .disgusting and yet. . .somehow, a fitting testiimony to all of those who share this circle.
A world without Absolutes. . .and yes, this is really one relativist doing battle with another. . .and relatively speaking. . .Dershowitz claims the higher ground here. . .and the 'Rabbi' has staked what he imagines, is his.
So true.
Dershowitz (like the "official leadership" of American Jewry) is simply a leftwinger who crosses over on the single issue of Israel (in the same way that Buchanan and his "palaeo" pals cross over from the other side on that one issue). Dersh and Co. support Israel as a modern western style democracy that is bringing women's suffrage and "gay rights" to the benighted Middle East. And Dersh and Co. become "the official leadership of American Jewry" because the genuine leadership of the Jewish Nation in exile in America (the Orthodox rabbinate) are so silent and even participants via support of and membership in secular "multidenominational" Jewish organizations.
The thing is, when pro-Israel Jewish liberals draw a picture of Jewish national purpose that is absolutely unrecognizable from a Torah perspective, sometimes it's the anti-Israel Leftists who actually connect the Zionist project to genuine Jewishness by screaming about "the genocidal teachings of the Bible" or the alleged "unfairness" of G-d having a chosen people.
Dershowitz has always been a strong supporter of Israel-- this is not a new position for him.
This is serious. Behind the hypocritical, self-righteous posturing of "Her Heinous" (love it-is it yours?) and guru, there is enormous evil.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.