To many of us, prior to the 2013 Oscar Ceremony, the name “Seth MacFarlane” meant very little. As a matter of fact, the man is widely unknown to most people 35 and older, unless you are part of the entertainment industry. MacFarlane is the creator and the many voices behind the cartoon “Family Guy” that contains nothing I could recommend for family viewing. He is also the director, writer and producer of the recent movie “Ted” starring Mark Wahlberg and an animated nymphomaniac teddy bear with a very dirty mouth. No, I have not turned my blog into a movie review platform, but since I need to bring our attention to MacFarlane’s pathetic Oscar performance, I felt it necessary to list some of his credentials.
I used to await Oscar night with great anticipation when movies were still made to make us think, laugh and cry. The ceremony seldom disappointed, as it was always a perfectly well balanced blend of wit, class and wholesome entertainment. This last Sunday, I did not watch the Oscars, primarily because I had only seen two movies that made the list and I felt a big disconnect between what Hollywood praises and what I consider worth watching.
The morning after, a plethora of articles and YouTube snippets were a testimony to the horrendous hosting job done my Seth MacFarlane. In short, he bombed! His jokes included some extremely disturbing comments on weight gain, sex, gays, blacks, Lincoln’s assassination, Hispanics, pedophilia, and of course Jewish people. None of those topics should ever be used as joke material and hopefully, Hollywood will have learned to choose their host more carefully next time (I do not hold my breath though). While I abhor all these racist and sexist jokes that are usually only used to cover-up for lack of real comedic talent, let me now turn to a skit involving Mark Wahlberg and Ted the teddy bear.
Archives for 2013
The Sting of Antisemitism: What We Can Learn from Europe
I left Paris 28 years ago and decided to make America my home. Back then; the dream of being successful, respected and appreciated in the “Land of Opportunity” was a major reason why I left my “Old Europe” behind.
All these crimes were committed by “devout” Muslims, and while it must be re-iterated that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE JEW KILLERS, the last 9 deaths of Jewish people in France were all at the hands of radical Muslims.
So, what can the United-States learn from the state of Antisemitism in Europe? As I see it, there are only three options: Ignore, move-out, or fight back!
1. Can we IGNORE Antisemitism?
This question obviously begs for only one kind of answer: NO! Yet when we look around and witness the reactions of the media, government agencies and political figures, one is to wonder how much the world really cares about the monster of Judeophobia.
French President Jacques Chirac in an interview with the New York Times in 2002 said:
“To imagine that France, the very first country to recognize the rights of Jews, could be Antisemitic, is propaganda, not reality”
What color was the sky in your world Mr. Chirac? Well, to be fair, I must also mention that Mr. Chirac within a year after that statement, felt like adding that: “Attacking a Jew in France is an attack on all of France”. Wow, quite a different statement from someone who one year prior declared that Antisemitism didn’t exist in his country!
Nicolas Sarkozy has done very little to combat “La Nouvelle Judeophobie” as French author Pierre-André Taguieff calls it. His relations with Netanyahu took a turn for the worse when he was recorded calling him a liar in a conversation he had with President Obama.
As for François Hollande, he has the remainder of his 5 year mandate to “put his money where his mouth is”, so to speak. As Europe continues to ostracize Jews in Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy, Hungary and Spain to list just a few European countries, France, far from being immune to the “oldest hatred” is going to have to realize that antisemitism CANNOT BE IGNORED.
As for us in the United-States, it is time we stop pointing the finger across the ocean to denigrate “those antisemites” on the other side, because we have plenty of work to do in our own backyard.
Campus antisemitism is on the rise all across the country and remains basically unchallenged if not encouraged in some cases by school officials and the media.
Muslim enclaves such as the Dearborn, Michigan are promoting hate and violence against Jews (and Christians for that matter). It has now become dangerous to walk some areas of Dearborn if you are Jewish, Christian or even slightly pro-Israel.
As much as we try to define and re-define the commonalities and differences between Antisemitism, anti-Israelism and anti-Zionism, we need to accept that they are all rooted in a hatred for the worldwide Jew whoever he/she might be, wherever he/she might live, and whatever he/she might have done. The Boycott Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement is a perfect symptom of that chronic disease. SIMPLY PUT, WE CANNOT IGNORE ANTISEMITISM.
2. Should Natives MOVE OUT Because of Antisemitism?
Great Britain has one of the most virulent Muslim communities in Western Europe. Muslim leaders such as Anjem Choudary who was behind the organization known as “sharia4UK”are very vocal proponents of Sharia implementation. Choudary has publicly proclaimed that sharia in the UK and the US is inevitable, but only a matter of time:
“I am 100 percent certain that the sharia will be implemented in America and in Britain one day. The question is, ‘when?’ and how it will come to fruition.”2
3. Should We Fight Against Antisemitism?
I have come to the very sad realization that most people don’t bother fighting against Antisemitism. It is too often ignored for lack of understanding or even worse, because of of a chronically apathetic condition of our postmodern society.
While I frankly believe that the last 2000 years should serve as our teacher, if antisemitism still need to be defined, it is our responsibility to do so. But defining is only the first step, because once we have identified the problem and its source(s), it is incumbent on us to develop the tools and platforms to fight Antisemitism.
Various organizations have sprung up in the last few decades in Europe to keep track, report and fight Antisemitism. Their work is tedious and emotionally draining, yet critical. They keep us all abreast of what is happening.
We should also be aware of the history of the Jewish people through the lens of Antisemitism and I could recommend the reading of one book to start, and that is the superb work by Catholic priest Edward Flannery dated back to 1965 “The Anguish of the Jews”. 3
Additionally, we should speak up when we witness either words or deeds against the Jewish people. It should concern us as much as it concerns them. Reporting to the authorities is also necessary even if we feel that little might be done. IF WE DON’T SPEAK UP, WHO WILL?
Europe should serve as a barometer for Antisemitism. We Americans can no longer ignore the gravity of the situation or try to convince themselves that it is Europe’s problem not ours. We cannot ignore or move-out, and we must fight back!
In a few days on the 14th of Adar (Feb 24, 2013), Jewish people around the world will celebrate the Feast of Purim and remember how a loving and just God protected the children of Israel against the enemy Persian Empire. The Book of Esther will be read in synagogues and we will be reminded that Esther was brave enough to speak up on behalf of her people.
It doesn’t matter if you are Jewish or not, but as you realize that the welfare of Israel and the Jewish people is at stake, you must do your part and speak up. After all it isn’t just the welfare of the Jewish people that is in danger but also the welfare of western civilization as a whole. I would like to believe that in preserving western civilization, we also carve a place of respect for those of Muslim upbringing who want to live with us in harmony. Anything less would be unbiblical.
2. Anjem Choudary on CBN News World: UK Islamist Leader:Islam will dominate America (Aug. 2012) http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2012/August/UK-Islamist-Leader-Islam-Will-Dominate-America/.
3. Flannery, Edward: The Anguish of the Jews: 23 Centuries of Christian Antisemitism (Quest Books, 1965)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Anguish-Jews-Edward-Flannery/dp/B000WBCBFY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1361401310&sr=8-3&keywords=anguish+of+the+jews+flannery
American Campuses: A New Breeding Ground for a New Judeophobia!
Judeophobia is defined as the fear and hatred of Jewish people and is somewhat synonymous with anti-Semitism. The very word used to describe this unique fear of Jewish people contains the suffix phobia (Greek for fear). It is common for people to fear something that they do not understand, and, like in the case of all phobias, Judeophobia is an irrational and abnormal fear never based on facts.
While it is never my intention to diminish the gravity of Judeophobia and of all other kinds of xenophobias for that matter, I must admit that I, along with those of us who witness and fight this kind of hatred, have grown accustomed to its various sources.
We expect it to come from Middle eastern countries or terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah, as it is indoctrinated in the minds of young children at an age when their only dilemma should be about which toy to play with. It starts as a cultural indoctrination that serves as a base for a further, deeper and more hateful ideological and or religious indoctrination. It is almost as if it has become part of the DNA of certain people groups.
We also expect it from numerous European countries such as Hungary, France, Poland, Spain and England amongst others. The roots of that old weed run very deep into a post-Christian soil that has been deprived of any nutrients from biblical Christianity for centuries. There was a stump of anti-Semitism left in the European soil after the Holocaust. Small and apparently insignificant shoots came out at first, but a civilized post World War Two community was determined to nip it in the bud, and so they did, at least originally. In reality, the stump became the base for the sequoia of a revived old-fashioned racial anti-Semitism.
Yet there is a new breeding ground for a new Judeophobia and it is found on university campuses all over the United-States. Cowardly hiding behind the First Amendment of 1791, many public figures borne of the leftist intelligentsia, currently promote anti-Semitism from classroom to classroom across campuses. Beware of your criticism of their vitriol, lest you be accused of hatred and intolerance yourself. It was only days ago that a very disturbing event took place in New York at Brooklyn College. The New York institution includes between 20 and 25% Jewish students who for the most part (along with many Jewish AND non-Jewish supporters of Israel) were stupefied when they heard of the school’s decision to sponsor such an event promoting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement (BDS). Two speakers were featured. Omar Barghouti and Judith Butler.
Mr. Barghouti is a founding member of The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. He is also one of the starters of the 2005 BDS movement. No stranger to American campuses, Mr. Barghouti travels extensively across our nation to promote the BDS ideology, comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and calling for the boycott of many Israeli products and companies.
His message of hate gets placated across American campuses where he can be heard making statements such as this one: Many of the methods of collective and individual”punishment” meted out to Palestinian civilians at the hands of young, racist, often sadistic and ever impervious Israeli soldiers at the hundreds of checkpoints littering the occupied Palestinian territories are reminiscent of common Nazi practices against the Jews.
Just days before his appearance at Brooklyn College, Mr. Barghouti was at Yale, University of Pennsylvania and University of California, Irvine (UCI). But, he was invited to Brooklyn College in the name of “Freedom of Expression”. Political correctness strikes again!
Ironically, this man is currently working on a doctorate in Philosophy at, and I hope you’re ready for this? Tel Aviv University in Israel. Consider some of the Israeli related brands an inventions Mr. Barghouti should ALSO boycott to be ethical and consistent: Intel, Windows software, the USB flash drive, IBM, Cisco, Motorola, the Cell Phone and Instant Messaging, to name just a few. In all honesty, a full boycott would affect Mr. Barghouti’s research and writing quite a bit. Now, isn’t that the epitome of hypocrisy from a man who promotes BDS so passionately?
As for Ms. Judith Butler, “a self-hating Jew” by any standard, her presence was also problematic from the standpoint of any honest intellectual dialogue. Ms. Butler is a professor in the rhetoric and comparative literature department at UC Berkeley. She is also on the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Ms. Butler delivered a speech at Brooklyn College that at first glance appeared to be balanced and in favor of peace in the Middle East, but the foundation of her message is so flawed that it makes it impossible to take it seriously.
Ms. Butler was unfortunately not interested in any dialogue (even though it is the message that JVP promo video clearly sends, albeit constructed on a very false premise). She clearly wanted to deliver a monologue of finger pointing and unjustified demonization of Israel. I find it very interesting when she claims that: The state of Israel doesn’t represent all Jews, and not all Jews understand themselves as represented by the state of Israel. In theory, I think she is right, but then we have to honestly ask ourselves why is it then that whenever the Knesset passes a new law or a new settlement is planned or erected, Jews all over the world become the recipients of anti-Semitism by proxy? What should the building of a settlement in Israel have to do with the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Eastern Europe or the fire bombing of a synagogue in South America?
To be sure, not all critic of Israel should be labeled as anti-Semitic, yet I see the BDS movement attempt at indoctrinating students all over America as nothing else than a catalyst for further acts of deligitimization of Israel. I do not have anything against the very concept of boycotting as long as it is done for the right cause and that it is consistent even if not always convenient.
American campuses have become very conducive to hate speech against Israel in the name of Freedom of Expression. It is almost always a tirade of lies built on a false foundation never checked by a quasi-intellectual leftist audience. Our campuses used to be platforms for education, dialogue and training of the next generation. Today it seems that Judeophobic propaganda has become a common thread across our nation’s university campuses. This doesn’t promise a very glorious future for American Jews unless we fight for the truth!
Stop Insulting Our Intelligence!
On Sunday January 27, the whole world (or at least the ever dwindling remnant of the civilized world) commemorated “International Holocaust Remembrance Day”. This yearly remembrance is based on January 27, 1945 when Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated. It is an international event introduced by the UN in 2005 and is additional to the Jewish Commemoration of the Holocaust known as Yom HaShoah or “The Day of the Catastrophe”. Yom HaShoah typically falls on the 27th of Nissan (April 8, 2013) and coincides with the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Many communities worldwide, Jewish and non-Jewish, remembered the 6,000,000 victims as well as the survivors and their descendants. Statements of support abounded as the heroic struggles against Nazism and the unnecessary death of millions were recalled. Even President Obama issued its own statement in which we can read: The United States, along with the international community, resolves to stand in the way of any tyrant or dictator who commits crimes against humanity, and stay true to the principle of “Never Again.” Sounds good, right? But these are just words and words are cheap and rather hollow if not backed-up by actions. But rather than find fault in the current US administration’s handling of the Middle East crisis –and God knows that it can easily be done– I would like us to consider the newest installment in the most popular reality TV show on the planet known as: “Let’s Insult Their Intelligence”.
This is a show (if it indeed existed) that would focus on demonizing Israel and the Jewish people and then insult their intelligence by claiming that none of the words or deeds perpetrated were even close to being anti-Semitic. I believe that it would be very popular. This week’s episode could have been entitled: “A cartoon for Peace”.
Famous British Sunday Times cartoonist Gerald Scarfe spewed another venomous creation on Sunday, depicting Benyamin Netanyahu building the security fence with bricks interspersed with Palestinian bodies and using Palestinian blood as mortar.
It immediately drew the attention of the Jewish community worldwide, who demanded an immediate apology for the anti-Semitic cartoon. By the way, it is noteworthy to mention that no death threats were made to any British subjects; no British embassy was ransacked because Netanyahu was insulted, and the Sunday Times wasn’t firebombed by “Jewish extremists” either! Was the Jewish community offended? Absolutely YES! Did it react in a barbaric fashion? Absolutely NO!
Yet, was the Jewish reaction another case of oversensitivity or even worse, another example of playing the “victim’s card” and manipulating the media? For this, we need to take a look at Mr. Scarfe’s cartoon and compare it to others published before his time.
In Mr. Scarfe’s cartoon, we see a mean-faced Benyamin Netanyahu with long and sharp trowel in hand, dripping with blood. He is getting ready to apply another brick in the “security wall”. Every other layer of bricks shows the head of a squeezed dead Palestinian with an emphasis on the elderly, women and children to symbolize some sort of “innocent victimhood”. Palestinian blood is used as mortar for the wall. The bottom caption reads: “Israeli Elections: Will Cementing Peace Continue?”
The almost instant response from the Daily Times was one of support for the cartoonist and was a clear statement that in no way was the drawing anti-Semitic, but it was simply a political cartoon connected to the recent Israeli elections.
So, a cartoon is published that is clearly depicting a murderous Netanyahu. Never mind that the wall he is building is in reality for the most part a barbed-wire fence and never mind that it is built to defend Israel from terrorists and bombings. Never mind that Hamas uses their own children, women and elderly as human shields, the message is clear: Israel continues to have blood on their hands as they build an apartheid state.
Nazi propaganda cartoon: Rich Jews drink blood. |
Of course, the fact that the cartoon was published on “International Holocaust Remembrance Day” was a pure coincidence or maybe a busy newsroom oversight, right? Well, I wish I could say that it is true but I am afraid that the day was purposely picked to hurt the Jewish people even more. I think that to deny that “International Holocaust Remembrance Day”was selected as the publish date is simply to insult our intelligence.
Nazi cartoon: Jews draw blood from Christian children to make matzah for Passover. |
Some Nazi propaganda from the 30s and 40s repeatedly depicted Jewish people drawing blood from people. The “world controlling rich Jew” was pictured feasting on the blood of his victims. Of course, many times the victims also represented poor Christian children whose blood was drawn to make “matzah” (unleavened bread) for the celebration of Passover.
This is known as the “Blood Ritual” and originates in the middle Ages. The twelfth century introduced a new charge against the Jews that would be added to the list of reasons why they should be converted, ostracized, abused and even killed. This new charge was fabricated from beginning to end for the sole purpose of stigmatizing Jewish people further into a demonized state. It is still being used today against the Jewish people by anti-Semitic groups and/or people across the globe.
Medieval etching of Jews emptying a Christian Boy of his blood for use in Passover Matzah |
UPDATE: As of Wednesday January 30th, 2013, Martin Ivens, the acting editor for the Times had issued an apology for the cartoon. The apology, according to him is for the poor choice of a release date but NOT for the contents
Is There Another Holocaust Coming?
I am always extremely hesitant to use the term “Holocaust” to describe anything other than the events that took place in Nazi occupied Europe in the 40s. The gruesome horror of the Shoah (Hebrew word for the Holocaust meaning “the Catastrophe”), places it in a league of its own in the annals of human depravity and ethnic cleansing. This is of course not meant in any way to minimize any other genocide, but simply to recognize the unique place held by the Holocaust.
This catastrophe could be summarized as “the systematic attempt at the complete destruction of European Jewry” and even though the words “Shoah” and “Holocaust” have become somewhat taboo within most civilized circles, various components from the events that these two words describe remain a threat to my people worldwide.
The current Iranian regime has repeatedly stated that Israel deserves complete annihilation and that they would be “honored” to take part in such an event.
Hamas continually and indiscriminately shoots rockets from Gaza onto Israeli targets. Even though they result in very little damage to Israel in terms of actual death toll, they do cause a tremendous psychological strain on the population. Commentary columnist Alana Goodman said it best when she wrote:” The truth is, Hamas’s rockets don’t cause as many casualties as they otherwise would because Israel goes to great lengths to protect its people. It spends fortunes on bomb shelters and missile defense systems. In contrast, Israel’s military responses cause more Palestinian casualties than they otherwise would because Hamas goes to great lengths to endanger its people. It shoots missiles out of hospitals and schools, uses children as human shields, and tell Gaza civilians to ignore Israeli warning pamphlets that advise them to leave targeted neighborhoods”.
I could continue (like I regularly do) to expose the Jew haters of the world like Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, various dictators and world leaders as well as many liberals, but as I have also done in the past, I cannot help but remember that God has promised to never, EVER completely destroy Israel! (Jeremiah 31:35-37). And that, if you ask me is the glorious future that I am hanging on to, when it comes to my people.
But today, I am drawn to a passage of the Bible that is very disturbing and that very few, including myself, care to comment on. This is a passage found in Zechariah 13:8-9 and that has yet to be fulfilled:“And it will come about in all the land,” Declares the LORD, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”
This most troubling passage describes the land of Israel during the last days (a time of history that is drawing near). Anyone holding to a pre-tribulational and pre-millennial view of the end days (I would put myself in that category) would understand these two verses to contextually describe Israel towards the end of the 7 year Great Tribulation. At that time, two-thirds of all Jews–by then in the Land–will be decimated, leaving only one-third to be refined like silver and gold or in other words “saved”.
Christians have often been accused of anti-Semitism simply because of the fact that they voiced their desire for Messiah’s Second Coming to take place “now”, which seems to imply that they are pushing for the destruction of two-thirds of all living Jews (about 10,000,000 by today’s numbers). In reality, those accusing Christians need only to take it up with God.
So, what are we to do in light of such a burdensome passage of Scripture? We certainly cannot ignore it (too many have done exactly that). We could, through a series of theological gymnastics, change its meaning, but then we would have to live with the consequences. Maybe you can, but I am certainly not willing to do that.
Instead, we must accept that by the end of God’s program, before the return of Yeshua, two-thirds of the Jewish people will perish. Yet, and that is a detail of extreme importance, God said two-thirds but never gave us an exact number. So, instead of dwelling on the fact that if it happened today it would decimate 10,000,000 Jews, let us work together on reducing that unknown total number of Jewish people that will populate the land of Israel during the Tribulation. Oh, and by the way, if you are unsure about the timing of the Rapture, the Great Tribulation and/or the Millennium, you are still faced with the same dilemma, except that you might live through it with the two-thirds of Israel instead of being caught up in the air prior.
Let us work together at reducing the number of Jewish people who do not know Yeshua thus reducing the final two-thirds of Zechariah 13:8-9.
Fighting anti-Semitism is crucial but it must be paired with sharing the hope we have in Yeshua. Additionally, if there is indeed another Holocaust on the horizon, it looks like we can all play a part in reducing its death toll, and that to me, put us smack in the middle of God’s will (Genesis 12:3).
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