One February 2010, Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren was invited to lecture about US-Israel relations at UCI (University of California Irvine). Soon after he started, students started to stand and interrupt him shouting statements such as:” Michael Oren, propagating murder is not an expression of free speech”. A total of 11 students stood up and yelled, 8 from UCI in Orange County, but also 3 from Riverside.
The students were speaking on cue, even using cards, in what clearly appeared to be a “rehearsed show”.
The connection with the MSU (Muslim Student Union) shouldn’t be missed, as they had denounced Oren’s visit hours prior. The same MSU is responsible for organizing a yearly event in the Spring that has been known as Hate-Fest, when they invite anti-Israel speakers, many of them having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and even the terrorist group Hamas.
UCI has the reputation of being the most virulent anti-Semitic campus in America, yet Michael Drake (UCI chancellor) has been quoted to say that there was no such problem on campus. To his credit, he decided to revoke the MSU charter for one year and put them on probation for another year. Thus they did not have the opportunity to organize their annual anti-Israel rallye in 2010. They quickly resumed in May of 2011 with another week of vitriolic diatribes while on probation. Well, we are back to freedom of speech I guess!
The anti-Israel rhetoric is nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing or anti-Semitism in disguise. That is of course if we agree that anti-Israel sentiment, as the lesser of two evils is indeed the “sheep”, and this is hardly a fact!
Almost one year later, on February 4, 2011, the disrupting students were facing charges by the Orange County District Attorney. This was already a small victory against the poison of radical Islam and it certainly didn’t go unnoticed by both Jewish and Muslim communities. This was small but worth mentioning in our politically correct self mutilating society. And yet, the verdict had not come out!
On September 23rd, the Santa Ana Court in Orange County, California made their final deliberation and to much surprise, found the students GUILTY. They were sentenced to community service and put on a three-year probation.
This is a great victory in the history of campus anti-Semitism. This creates a precedent that will for sure dictate how other universities will and should react to hate speech, anti-Semitism and xenophobia. It sends a message to those who go on spewing hatred, thinking that they will go unpunished.
This is one case where “Campus Intifada” has been defeated because there were enough outraged people within and without our legal system, and they were not afraid to speak up and defend the truth.
An anti-Semitic group attempted to propagate hate speech by misusing free speech but Judeo-Christian ethics prevailed over radical Islam lack of ethics.
Chutzpah prevailed over Sharia and may the momentum continue!
Anti-Semantic or anti-Semitic?
In our postmodern global community of political correctness, what happens in Europe has a tendency to quickly duplicate itself in America and it is usually not a contribution that would benefit our quickly atrophying Western civilization. This is the case for the latest French educational reform.
The new manuals used by the French educational system for the 2011-2012 school year, preparing last year high school students for their exit exam “Baccalaureat”, will look different this year. Adjustments are not necessarily bad and even needed at times, as, to reprise an old Dylan song: “ The times they are A-changin”. But there are words that are better left untouched. Words that have become part of history and thus have acquired a meaning that sets them apart from other words and even possibly from the original meaning applied to them.
One such word is the word Shoah!
While not widely used in the United-States, it has been the descriptive word in Europe and Israel for the Nazi Holocaust of World War II. The origin of the word is Hebraic and means “catastrophe”. Israel has even instituted a yearly memorial to the Holocaust known as “The Day of the Catastrophe” or Yom HaShoah.
Now France is having second thoughts about its usage in school manuals. Instead of using Shoah, French educational reformers prefer the term anneantissement, which more plainly means “annihilation” and is definitely more politically correct. This of course will require to rename the French “Memorial of the Shoah” to less offensive “Memorial of the Annihilation” or “Yom HaShoah” “The Day of the Annihilation”.
Reactions have been almost immediate in France, especially by the Jewish community and/or by key contributors and proponents of the perpetuation of the memory of the Shoah. One such man is writer and movie director Claude Lanzmann whose nine-and-a-half hour documentary film on the Holocaust, titled Shoah (1985), has been recognized as the foremost movie on the topic.
Lanzmann wrote a lengthy reaction article in French newspaper Le Monde, defending the word Shoah and expressing his disgust at those who want to diminish the unique tragedy of the Holocaust by changing its name. He claims that by using the word Shoah while himself not a Hebrew speaker, he felt that it was almost as if he was not naming the unnamable, as he couldn’t find any word worthy of properly carrying the meaning and perpetuating the legacy of the Holocaust.
History grabbed hold of the word and today, it belongs to an unchangeable family of unique foreign terms for unique events such as Perestroika, Glasnost or even Intifada. On that basis, Lanzmann cry for the preservation of the word is justified.
One of the excuses given by French officials is that the word Shoah, coming from the Bible, gives the event a religious and even emotional connotation more than a historical meaning. “History must be retold from a secular perspective” they claim.
Additionally, the French minister of Education Claude Chatel made a quick comeback by stating: “I have never been opposed to the use of the word ‘Shoah’ in our programs or manuals”, insisting that the word does appear in the new schoolbooks. And they do, kinda! But how they do is of the utmost importance.
In looking at how the Holocaust is reported in the new French History manuals. They now include a chapter titled: The Second World War: A war of Annihilation of Jews and Gypsies.
To be sure, we have no ground to deny or even belittle the treatment of Gypsies by the Germans during World War II, but even by their own admitting, the Gypsies never lived the same tragedy. As a matter of fact, no one can today report an exact number of Gypsy lives lost during the time of the Holocaust. Yet, one Gypsy life taken by the Nazis was still one too many, but I don’t think that there is any validity in equating the death of both Jews and the Gypsies under the same umbrella of the Holocaust. What is next: “Homosexuals, Jehovahs Witnesses, retarded people” why not? After all, they were all targeted by the Nazi race purification war machine, so they should rightfully be recognized as well!
Finally, while changing the intensity of the descriptive word for the Holocaust, and in most cases the very use of the word Shoah, the French educational system multicultural reformers have quietly added the word Nakbah, yet another foreign word from Arabic origin meaning, well you guessed it: “Catastrophe” and that is used by Palestinians every year on May 15 (one day after Israel Independence Day) to commemorate Yam an-Nakbah, or, yes you guessed it again: “The day of the Catastrophe” or the day of the rebirth of the State of Israel.
So is the problem with the awkwardness and/or religious meaning of the word Shoah or could it be one more, subtle attempt at delegitimizing Israel and the Jewish people.
If this is not a double standard, I don’t know what is! The fate of the Holocaust memory now lays in the hands of French schoolteachers, in a country that is 11% Muslim and growing. Once all the survivors are gone, and we are approaching that day rapidly, who will be left to tell the story. Who will be left to tell the truth?
“The road to Auschwitz was built by hate, but paved with indifference”.
Ian Kershaw,
British Historian
Introduced in 2001, Re-affirmed in 2009, Legitimized in 2011? Not if we can Help it!
On September 11 of 2011, as the civilized global community will respectfully and solemnly mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy of the World Trade Center terrorist attack, some others will find nothing better to do than to congregate under the banner of DURBAN III.
DURBAN I (2001, Durban, South Africa) and DURBAN II (2009, Geneva, Switzerland) convened under the guise of “a global fight against racism”. Keynote speakers included Fidel Castro, Yassir Arafat and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who all agreed on the fact that Israel was the worst culprit when it comes to racism. Actually, Ahmadinejad equated ZIONISM with RACISM.
A far cry from an unbiased conference on racism and human rights abuse, DURBAN I, II and soon III ( in New York) have the delegitimization and even demonization of Israel in common. (find out more on this site)
This is nothing new, as the enemy of the ONE who calls Israel “the apple of my eye” is trying to destroy God’s chosen people. King Solomon said it best in Ecclesiastes 1:9:
That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun.
This not a political battle, this is not a sociological or cultural battle, this is a spiritual battle between the forces of evil and the God of Israel (and He wins at the end!). This is Antisemitism disguised in a false human rights cloak
No other country in the world and in the history of mankind as been more falsely accused and denigrated than Israel. The United Nations even passed a resolution in 1975 that also equated Zionism with Racism, only to rescind on it in 1991(what took them so long?). Zionism has been given a very bad reputation, it currently carries the stigma of intolerance and hatred as Israel is now portrayed as the “New Nazis” of the Middle east, the exact opposite of what it really is!
On September 22, 2011 (9/22/2011), and I cannot help but look at the date as another slap in the face of decent human beings, DURBAN III will convene and attempt to revive, solidify and legitimize the 2001 DURBAN I Declaration while delegitimizing Israel. Several countries have already stated that they wouldn’t take part in DURBAN III ( Canada, Israel, United States, Czech Republic, Italy, The Netherlands and Australia). Hopefully many will follow suit.
This is an event that CANNOT be allowed to succeed. WE ALL NEED TO JOIN IN PRAYER!!! So I would like to offer a suggestion about this upcoming event to take place on 9/22/11.
Many will be able to be present in NEW YORK on 9/22/11 to protest, but many will not be there and that is why we need to pray.
We need as many believers as possible to pray for God’s will and Israel’s protection as DURBAN III takes place. WHY DON’T YOU COMMIT TO PRAY DAILY AT 9:22 AM OR PM FOR THE NEXT MONTH? It doesn’t have to be long, but just genuine and heartfelt. We know that prayer works! (set-up a daily alarm on your phone today!)
As always, firmly rooted in the teachings of Yeshua through God’s Word, we need to admonish and rebuke IN LOVE as the Apostle Paul so powerfully stated:
And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:14-17
We must apologize to JEWS and to DOGS!
After I wrote on Mr. Falk’s awful entry in his personal blog about Israel, and today I feel it necessary to update my entry and further clarify why his apology was more of a disgrace than his original offense.
As I previously reported, on June 29, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, Richard Falk posted a cartoon on his personal blog (see below)
The cartoon was from an Arabic site and clearly depicted America as an Israeli influenced dog wearing a yarmulke (skull cap) with a star of David and peeing on blind justice. When confronted by leaders of Jewish organizations like the ADL, Mr. Falk pulled the cartoon of his site and offered a half-baked apology and also said that his poor eyesight made him think that the yarmulke was a helmet!
I say half baked because in his own words, he said that he didn’t think that the cartoon was antisemitic, and I quote:
“With apologies, I realize that the cartoon that originally appeared on my blog devoted to the arrest warrants for Qaddafi and two others issued by the ICC had strongly anti-Semitic symbolism that I had not detected before it was pointed out to me. I posted the cartoon to express my view that double standards pertained to the American and ICC approach to international criminal accountability. As soon as I was made aware of the anti-Semitic content of the cartoon I removed it from my blog, although initially I denied such a posting because I did not realize that it was anti-Semitic and was mistaken as to what was being referred to.
Additionally, Mr. Falk also apologized to animals, as if dogs and Jews had been mutually insulted by being compared to one another. So when I think about it, I don’t know what is more antisemitic: the cartoon itself of the awkward apology to Jews and animals?
His pathetic attempt at backpedaling only succeeded in more embarrassment as he added:
“Beyond this, if we are to have a sustainable human future we must also make peace with nature, and treat animals with as much respect as possible…
His pathetic attempt at backpedaling only succeeded in more embarrassment as he added:
“Beyond this, if we are to have a sustainable human future we must also make peace with nature, and treat animals with as much respect as possible…
Nazis used to compare Jews to vermin worthy of being crushed to death and Islamists describe Jews as pigs and apes. has Mr. Falk joined their ranks, at least philosophically, by implying that Jews and dogs were hurt in his comments. How ridiculous is that?
Mr. Falk (a Jew himself) is by his own admitting a strong critic of Israel’s policies, comparing Israelis to the new Nazis of the middle east. He would most certainly agree with a cartoon from 2009 depicting Palestinians as the new victims of the “Israeli holocaust”, a lie that the world is buying from Islamists and liberals alike.
So the question remains:” Is the U.N. so insensitive to Israel and the Jewish people that they don’t even see the antisemitism in the cartoon that was published or are they so indoctrinated by liberal pro-Palestinians and so blinded by political correctness, that they really believe that Israel is the enemy?
One reassuring thing though, is that Israel is viewed with favor in God’s eyes and if you ask me, God’s view of Israel is what matters, and He has promised to never destroy her. So, I will side with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and love Israel and my people and I will do anything to expose the lies of those who hate “the apple of God’s eye. May God have mercy on them and may they find peace in the Prince of Peace, Yeshua of Nazareth.
How Close Are We?
The Bible promises us that in the end days, Jewish people from all over the world will all be reunited before the Second Coming of Yeshua the Messiah (Zec 12:10, 13:9, Matt. 23:31-39). This return of the Jewish people (mostly in unbelief) has already started with a major wave of Jews from the former Soviet Union…and it continues.
I often wondered why Jewish people from around the globe would all want to return to Eretz Yisrael. After all, much of our people have undergone a great secularization and/or assimilation into the societies and countries in which they immigrated. Many of us were born outside of Israel and can only slightly relate to the Land.
Lately, I have been forced to revise my view about the return of all Jews to Israel and thus the importance of keeping Israel a Jewish State as well as the only democracy in the middle east.
JEWS WILL INCREASINGLY RETURN TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL BECAUSE OF WORLDWIDE ANTISEMITISM.
Some countries of Europe are currently making it very difficult for Jewish people to live peacefully. Islam continues to infiltrate every level of our modern Western civilization: Government, Education, Religion all at local, national and global levels.
Our postmodern world invites a dialogue of detente and tolerance with all, a politically correct dialogue of peace.
ISLAM ON THE OTHER HAND TURNS A DIALOGUE OF PEACE INTO A MONOLOGUE OF HATRED!
To be sure, not all Muslims are terrorists just like not all Germans were Nazis. Nevertheless, the systematic brainwashing of Muslims vis-a vis Israel and the Jewish people can only lead to a greater desire to eradicate all Jews from the planet.
Local governments often do their parts to help in the ostracizing of our people, all of course in the name of multiculturalism and tolerance.
A recent article in the Jerusalem Post militates towards that end (click here for article)
How soon before all Jews are back in Israel? God only knows!
What I know is that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob promised the world that He would never destroy Israel (Jeremiah 31:35-37)
35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day, And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name:
36 “ If this fixed order departs From before Me,” declares the LORD, “Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease From being a nation before Me forever.”
37 Thus says the LORD, “ If the heavens above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,” declares the LORD.
I also know that God doesn’t want for anyone to perish but the Bible is clear that all (and He includes Muslim, Jews and everybody else) must put their trust in the death and resurrection of Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus) for their sins. This decision to trust Yeshua is the only way for anyone to secure an eternity in God’s presence. The alternative is too HOT to handle!
(Psalm 2:12, Isaiah 59:2, Ecclesiastes 7:20, 1 Tim 2:5, John 14:6)