Re: mikis theodorakis

[Jeremy A Schiffer <schiffer...>]

Eliott Kahn wrote:

> As many of us are trained as musicians and speak the same language as
> composers like Theodorakis, we should challenge these ideas HEARTILY
> with our own before what they speak--God forbid--reaches receptive ears.
> We should speak loudly, forcefully and clearly to make sure we reach the
> greater majority with the truth.
>
> There will always be antisemites and people filled with hate; it's
> important that we try to keep them on the fringes and not let their
> ideas predominate.


I agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly; however, it needs to be
applied to hate on all sides, not only to hate which is directed AT the
Jews.

When the State of Israel, which purports to represent all the Jews in the
world, has high ranking government officials who openly advocate the
"transfer" of Palestinians out of the West Bank*, and Jews do not protest,
then what is the incentive of the rest of the world to react to claims of
anti-Semitism? This is a serious question, by the way, not an attempt to
incite.


*Tourism Minister Benny Elon, Former (and likely future) PM Binyamin
Netanyahu, and Army Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon have all spoken openly,
at least at times, of forcefully removing the Palestinian population from
the West Bank and resettling them elsewhere in Arab countries.

In fact, Elon's party, Moledet, which holds several seats in the current
governing coalition, has its entire platform based on ethnic cleansing
(don't believe me? Here's their own website:
http://www.moledet.org.il/english/moledet.html)! Does no one there
remember Germany in the 1930's?? It's shameful that the Israeli public
does not actively and openly repudiate the ideas of these hate-mongers in
their midst.

Why will so few Jews speak up to protect the rights of others, yet expect
everyone else to speak up on our behalf?

Freedom from hate has to be a two way street. As long as we - as Jews -
are stained by the hate of those like the Moledet, it will be increasingly
difficult to have any legitimacy on which to protest the hate of
Theodorakis and his ilk.


-jeremy
http://klezmer.org

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