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I am an American-Israeli lawyer and musician. As a Jew, I cannot tolerate censorship and stifling of dissent and minority opinions.
[edit] Favorite quote
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Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us. -- Justice William Douglas |
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[edit] Contributions
[edit] Article creation
[edit] Major writing and/or cleanup
[edit] Articles deleted by censors
Intolerant editors (user:Epson291, user:Malcolm Schosha, User:Jason.Schwartz,user:Scientizzle) have deleted an objectively-written article about an unusual event relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using the excuse that it was "non-notable." If there is one thing I cannot tolerate, it is politically-motivated censorship. Sadly, some have tried turning Wikipedia into Censorpedia but I (and hopefully others too) will not be silenced. Since they cannot prevent me from writing articles on my userpage, here it is:
[edit] We're not celebrating Israel's anniversary
We’re not celebrating Israel’s anniversary refers to an open letter signed by a group of more than 100 prominent Jews and former Israelis, comprised of academics, writers, lawyers, musicians, activists, community leaders and a Nobel Laureate, explaining why they will not be celebrating Israeli Independence Day. Published in The Guardian on 30 April 2008 -- a week before the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel -- the letter stirred controversy in Israel and in Jewish communities worldwide.[1]
The letter opens by acknowledging that Jewish celebrations worldwide are understandable "in the context of centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocaust."[2] It then describes in several paragraphs the heavy price paid by the Palestinian people for the founding of the Jewish State since 1948. The signatories refer to the Palestinian Nakba (lit. "catastrophe") and cite Plan Dalet, which the letter claims "authorised the destruction of Palestinian villages and the expulsion of the indigenous population". The authors reason that they are not celebrating Israel's independence because they claim Israel is a country "that even now engages in ethnic cleansing, that violates international law, that is inflicting a monstrous collective punishment on the civilian population of Gaza, and that continues to deny to Palestinians their human rights and national aspirations."[2] The letter ends by declaring "We will celebrate when Arab and Jew live as equals in a peaceful Middle East."[2]
The letter reads:
- In May, Jewish organisations will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. This is understandable in the context of centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocaust. Nevertheless, we are Jews who will not be celebrating. Surely it is now time to acknowledge the narrative of the other, the price paid by another people for European anti-semitism and Hitler's genocidal policies. As Edward Said emphasised, what the Holocaust is to the Jews, the Naqba is to the Palestinians.
- In April 1948, the same month as the infamous massacre at Deir Yassin and the mortar attack on Palestinian civilians in Haifa's market square, Plan Dalet was put into operation. This authorised the destruction of Palestinian villages and the expulsion of the indigenous population outside the borders of the state. We will not be celebrating.
- In July 1948, 70,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes in Lydda and Ramleh in the heat of the summer with no food or water. Hundreds died. It was known as the Death March. We will not be celebrating.
- In all, 750,000 Palestinians became refugees. Some 400 villages were wiped off the map. That did not end the ethnic cleansing. Thousands of Palestinians (Israeli citizens) were expelled from the Galilee in 1956. Many thousands more when Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza. Under international law and sanctioned by UN resolution 194, refugees from war have a right to return or compensation. Israel has never accepted that right. We will not be celebrating.
- We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state founded on terrorism, massacres and the dispossession of another people from their land. We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state that even now engages in ethnic cleansing, that violates international law, that is inflicting a monstrous collective punishment on the civilian population of Gaza and that continues to deny to Palestinians their human rights and national aspirations.
- We will celebrate when Arab and Jew live as equals in a peaceful Middle East.[2]
[edit] Signatories of petition
Haim Bresheeth, an Israeli professor who now lives in Britain, was one of the drafters and organizers of the petition. In an interview with ‘’YNET’’, he stated: “I don’t understand why the signatories are being accused of anti-Semitism and support of terrorism. None of those who attached their names to the letter supports harming civilians…We want Israel and the Palestinians to live side by side in peace without missiles, without Qassams and without warplanes hovering above…Israel is unwilling to talk to Hamas, which won the democratic elections. Hamas, on the other hand, is willing to talk to Israel so long as it withdraws from all the territories.”[1]
The letter is signed by 105 prominent British Jews and several Israelis. Famous playwright, poet and Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, leader of women's rights groups Selma James, writer-actor-filmmaker Stephen Fry, Sir Peter Levin Shaffer, Miriam Margolyes OBE and Prof. Emeritus Moshe Machover are among the group of scholars, writers, lawyers, musicians, actors, playwrights, artists, and community leaders who signed the letter.
[edit] Israeli official response
Israel's Ambassador to England, Ron Proser, responded to the open letter by saying: "Israel is a democratic nation where anyone can speak their mind and freely criticize anything with virtually no restraints, but when a group such as this one, of Jews and former Israelis, sums up 60 years of Israeli existence with hate slogans like these – they deserve to be denounced and even ostracized. We are proud of the marvelous achievements Israel and the Jewish people have accomplished in our 60 years of existence and we will not allow this harebrained group to spoil our celebration."[1]
[edit] Responses of American peace organizations
Responding to this petition, Jewish Voice for Peace, one of the largest peace organizations in the U.S., issued its own statement mirroring the call of the British Jews. Its statement, however, was more nuanced and detailed. JVP stated, "While Israel provided a safe haven for countless Jewish refugees who had nowhere else to go, many of them members of our own families, the terrible fact is that over 700,000 Palestinians were made into refugees to make room for the future state of Israel. Sixty years and several generations later, that number has swelled to an estimated 7 million. Many live in 58 registered refugee camps dispersed throughout the Middle East, and some 4 million Palestinians in the Occupied Territories continue to endure reprehensible collective punishment to this day." Explaining what they intend to do instead of joyous celebrations that ignore the plight of Palestinians, JVP continued:
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Any peaceful future depends on recognizing both the Palestinian and the Israeli narrative. And yet, just as the names of over 400 pre-1948 Palestinian towns and cities have been deliberately erased from maps, the history of the Palestinian Nakba itself has been all but erased from consciousness. At Jewish Voice for Peace, we cannot participate in celebrations that erase both the history and modern-day injustices experienced by Palestinians....We choose instead to remember, to know, and to work towards justice and self-determination for both peoples.[3] |
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