{"id":11992,"date":"2011-05-02T12:00:46","date_gmt":"2011-05-02T11:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=11992"},"modified":"2011-05-01T19:00:42","modified_gmt":"2011-05-01T18:00:42","slug":"what-are-they-afraid-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2011\/05\/what-are-they-afraid-of\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are They Afraid of?"},"content":{"rendered":"

UK Zionist network, together with half a dozen Sayanim(*)<\/strong> within the Jewish Palestinian solidarity network, seem to be strongly united this week.<\/p>\n

Acting as a joint effort, they are trying to stifle freedom of speech: they seem to be horrified by the idea that a panel of intellectuals, journalists and an artist plan to explore the intriguing bond between Israel, Zionism and \u2018Jewishness\u2019, and thus far they have harassed panelists, threatened an academic institute and have spread lies, smears and defamation.<\/p>\n

And yet in doing so they have unwittingly provided us with a tremendous glimpse into a contemporary Jewish secular tribal operation.<\/p>\n

And what is\u00a0at the root of\u00a0their\u00a0hysteria? For some peculiar reason, both Zionists and UK Jewish so-called \u2018anti Zionists\u2019, insist that discussing \u2018Jewishness\u2019 is a taboo which should never be explored, certainly not in public,\u00a0and definitely never\u00a0outside of the ghetto.<\/p>\n

But isn\u2019t it all just more than a little suspicious? After all, please consider that the Jewish \u2018anti Zionists\u2019 operate politically under a Jewish banner; they also clearly carry their Jewish identity with pride; and, like the \u2018Jews only state\u2019, they also run a \u2018Jews only club\u2019 — yet they want to try to stop us from questioning what this club actually stands for. They want to take it further and even try to stop us from discussing and grasping what the Jewishness of Israel is all about.<\/p>\n

Why are they so concerned\u00a0about others questioning their ideology, an identity which they themselves are clearly\u00a0and openly so proud\u00a0of?<\/p>\n

Is it that we are not allowed to question ideologies and political precepts?\u00a0 Should we, then,\u00a0also have stopped Max Weber\u00a0from looking into the role\u00a0of Protestantism in the context of the rise of capitalism?\u00a0\u00a0And if Israel proudly defines itself as the Jewish State, then\u00a0are we not entitled to also\u00a0wonder what its Jewishness actually\u00a0means?<\/p>\n

And shouldn\u2019t we also be entitled\u00a0to refer the exact same questions to the UK Jewish \u2018anti Zionists\u2019?<\/p>\n

It seems clear to me that we do have that right to know.<\/p>\n

A few years ago I invented a spoof character. His name was Artie Fishel. Artie was a satirical, fictional Jewish American musician, a rabid Zionist, convinced that jazz was Jewish.\u00a0 He believed that jazz music also had nothing to do with America or Africa. He wanted it back, and thus founded \u2018Artie Fishel & The Promised Band\u2019.<\/p>\n

Artie Fishel was obviously a parody of the Zionist enterprise: if we can take Palestine from the Arabs, then surely we can take jazz from the Americans.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To listen to Artie click here<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Jewish \u2018anti Zionists\u2019 here in the UK\u00a0were the first to oppose the project. The first night on the road, we played in Nottingham. As the gig finished, a ‘Jewish progressive’\u00a0promoter (who was and still is a friend of mine)\u00a0 approached us. She stood there with tears in her eyes : \u201cEverything you say is so true; but why do you have to share it with the Goyim,\u201d she said, in a broken voice.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t amused by the satirical Artie.<\/p>\n

We realised that we must have\u00a0touched a sensitive nerve.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lipstick-Artie Fishel and the Promised Band<\/a> by Gilad Atzmon<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jewish humour is based on self mockery; yet it is very clear to Jews where the boundaries of mockery are. Jewish comedians know where to stop. To a certain extent Jewish humour is a very sophisticated form of \u2018discourse management.’ It is there to define the template of self-reflection. In some regards, it openly admits to\u00a0a certain level of Jewish cultural essentialism; but it insists that such a phenomena is nothing but charming.<\/p>\n

Sadly enough though,\u00a0I\u00a0 myself do not really find the Jewish State a \u2018charming concept\u2019: I cannot see what is so charming about a society that collectively supports carpet bombardment of civilians(**)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I also fail to see what is so charming about relentless Jewish lobbying.\u00a0 And when I look at the\u00a0reality of Jewish political dissidence\u00a0 here in the UK; and when I read about Jewish campaigners harassing a fellow\u00a0Palestinian academic or solidarity activists\u00a0( in the \u2018name of Palestine\u2019 no less\u00a0) it really begins to make me feel sick.<\/p>\n

I often ask myself\u00a0: what\u00a0is it\u00a0that they are so \u00a0afraid of\u00a0? Why are they so desperate to stop us from looking into the meaning of their flag?<\/p>\n

I can think of two possible answers:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0It could be that they may not even know themselves\u00a0what \u00a0their \u2018Jewishness\u2019 stands for\u00a0— but they are certainly \u00a0clever enough to grasp that they had better not find out: they clearly realise that the concept may turn out to be a ‘Pandora box’. Such an answer is consistent\u00a0with\u00a0 Judaic teaching, for in Judaism, observance is primary; comprehension is secondary. In other words, Judaism demands blind acceptance.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 It could also be that they know very well what \u2018Jewishness\u2019 means, yet they know how sinister it may look for the outsider. Hence they use different tactics, just\u00a0to stop the rest of us\u00a0from looking into it. If that is the case, such an answer might mean that their apparent attempt to stifle a debate may be inherent to their conception of \u2018Jewishness\u2019.<\/p>\n

Yet, considering the crimes that are committed by the Jewish state, and\u00a0considering the measures that are\u00a0taken by some elements within the Jewish \u2018anti Zionist\u2019 network, the time is clearly overdue for us to look into the true meaning of Jewish ideology — what does it stand for; what does it preach; what does it promise, and essentially, what does it insist to take away from us (namely, freedom of speech and expression)?<\/p>\n

But here is the good news : it is apparent that many Jews, and even Jewish spiritual leaders are now breaking away from the Jewish \u2018left\u2019 in order to find a\u00a0 meaningful path into true universal empathy as equal and ordinary human beings. I know that is the case, because they ask to meet me. I know, because they talk to me. I know, because they ask questions, rather than repeating ready-made answers.<\/p>\n

And most of all I know because I myself left the ghetto many years ago and I see them trying to do the same.<\/p>\n

Panel Event: Zionism, Jewishness and Israel<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/event.php?eid=160038250722935<\/a><\/p>\n

Time:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tuesday, May 3 \u00b7 6:30pm – 8:30pm<\/strong><\/p>\n

Location: University Of Westminster – Cavendish Campus<\/strong><\/p>\n

A panel discussion examining Israeli Criminality in the wake of the Goldstone Retract.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alan Hart, Gilad Atzmon and others<\/strong><\/p>\n

NOTES: <\/em><\/p>\n

(*) Sayanim –<\/em><\/strong> Diaspora Jews subservient to Israeli interests. Ex-Mossad agent Victor Ostrovsky describes how Sayanim function in \u201cBy Way Of Deception\u201d. \u2018They are usually reached through relatives in Israel\u2026 They perform many different roles. A car Sayan, for example, running a rental car agency, could help the Mossad rent a car without having to complete the usual documentation. An apartment Sayan would find accommodation without raising suspicions, a bank Sayan could fund someone in the middle of the night if needs be, a doctor Sayan would treat a bullet wound without reporting it to the police.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

(**)<\/em><\/strong> At the time of Operation Cast Lead (2008-9), Israeli polls<\/a> showed that\u00a0 94 per cent of Israel’s Jewish population backed the war and IDF tactics.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 gilad.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For some peculiar reason, both Zionists and UK Jewish so-called \u2018anti Zionists\u2019, insist that discussing \u2018Jewishness\u2019 is a taboo which should never be explored, certainly not in public, and definitely never outside of the ghetto. UK Event: Zionism, Jewishness and Israel – Tuesday, May 3 \u2022 6:30pm – 8:30pm \u2013 University Of Westminster, Cavendish Campus – A panel discussion examining Israeli Criminality in the wake of the Goldstone Retract – Alan Hart, Gilad Atzmon and others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11992\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}