re: [Marxism] antisemitism workshop audio now online

[Mike Friedman <mikedf@xxxxxxxx>]

You of course, as a grown-up person (I assume) can decide your own 
priorities. But I repeat, to hold a conference, workshop, or whatever 
on antisemitism at this moment, that is not contextualized by the 
over-riding need to confront Zionism, manifests screwed-up 
priorities. That, as I said, is at a minimum. I'd like to give the 
workshop organizers the benefit of the doubt and not assume that they 
are merely engaging in the usual anti-semitism baiting that 
characterizes much of the zionist left, as soon as solidarity with 
Palestine or questions about the legitimacy of the Zionist entity are 
raised. As for myself, I am Jewish, too. And I'm quite clear about 
the distinction between Judaism and Zionism. Let's be concrete, 
instead of engaging in ad hominem attacks: where have I conflated 
"questions about Jews, and questions about Israel"? I would say that 
it was your panel and the tenor of your workshop that may have 
expressed that conflation.


> spencer s spencerpdx at yahoo.com
> Sun Aug 6 16:32:23 MDT 2006
>
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> i missed his report-back. prehaps you'd like to dig it
> out of the archives and (re)send it.
>
> i was simply saying that K. closely represented our
> views, whereas half of the list attributed a bunch of
> weird-ass things to us, like we are zionists, etc.
>
> in any event, obviously this panel had been scheduled
> months in advance; it was even announced before the
> Lebanon invasion. these things don't pop out of thin
> air.
>
> i enjoy however that you seem to think that you can
> tell me what my priorities as an activist should be.
> although in fact, i think now more than ever we need
> to talk about how much of the left is affected by
> antisemitism, because i see it as fairly widespread,
> especially amongst people doing middle east solidarity
> work. people can't seem to distinct between israel and
> jews. and you seem to be one of them, as you openly
> conflate questions about jews, and questions about
> Israel. last i checked, israel was a nation-state and
> jews were a series of ethnic groups around the world
> united by religious and cultural commonalities.
>
> --- Mike Friedman <mikedf at amnh.org> wrote:
>
> >  Uhh... maybe I missed something, but why does your
> >  reading
> >  kersblebeded's books make it unsurprising that he
> >  "got it right"? For
> >  my part, I'll be content with Fred Feldman's report
> >  back. I've found
> >  him to be a reliable source. And in my opinion,
> >  honest activists
> >  shouldn't be organizing symposia on anti-semitism in
> >  the movement at
> >  this moment, but on building the movement against
> >  the U.S./Israeli
> >  aggression and Israeli apartheid. The aggression has
> >  cost the lives
> >  of well over a thousand Palestinian and Lebanese
> >  civilians to date,
> >  as well as destroying much if not most of the
> >  Lebanese and Gaza
> >  infrastructures. And, yes, it's cost some Israeli
> >  civilian lives as
> >  well. In the context of such a symposium, there
> >  could certainly have
> >  been a workshop or panel speaker on anti-semitism.
> >  But, I think, at a
> >  minimum,  the organizers of the Bluestocking event
> >  have their
> >  priorities screwed up.
> >
> >  By the way, Lou P., there would be another
> >  short-term activity or
> >  series of activities that could be entertained: a
> >  movement-wide
> >  educational conference or teach-in on the crisis and
> >  the U.S./Israeli
> >  role in the Middle East. If the major anti-war
> >  coalitions could do
> >  this together, it would be magnificent!

--
Michael Friedman
Doctoral Candidate in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior
City University of New York

Molecular Systematics Laboratory
Department of Invertebrate Zoology
American Museum of Natural History
79th Street at Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
(212)313-8721

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