Woe to Those who Remain Silent
By Sherwin Pomerantz
With apologies to Pastor Martin Niemöller who used this literary style to talk about the roundup of communists, trade unionists, and Jews in Nazi Germany, I submit the following vis-à-vis the slippery slope down which we seem to be sliding here in Israel.
• First they asked that their brightest young men be excused from military service because there are so few of them that it won’t make any difference, and I didn’t speak out because there were, indeed, so few of them.
• Then they refused to teach their children mathematics, English and other secular subjects, and I didn’t speak out because they have a right to live their lives the way they want.
• Then they decided it was better for their men to study than to work and they secured state support for their learning, and I didn’t speak out because there were, indeed so few of them.
• Then they demanded separate seating on buses, men in the front and women in the back, and I didn’t speak out because I don’t ride the busses.
• Then they put up a separation in their neighborhoods during holiday periods and asked the women to walk on one side and the men on the other, and I didn’t speak out because I never go to those neighborhoods.
• Then some Ashkenazi religious schools refused to admit Sephardi religious students because they were not religious enough, and I didn’t speak out because I don’t have children of school age.
• Then they demonstrated against having parking lots open on the Sabbath outside Old City of Jerusalem to handle the many tourists who come there, and I didn’t speak out because I don’t drive on the Sabbath anyway.
• Then they told Manny, after causing tens of thousands of dollars of damage to his Jerusalem store, that in his book store of religious volumes he has to take certain books off his shelves because they are “Zionist” books and he has to put up a sign advising women to dress modestly, because his English books attract immodest tourists, and I didn’t speak out because I never go there anyway.
• Then they spat on and insulted religious girls going to elementary school because the girls don’t wear stockings, and I didn’t speak out because I don’t live in that city.
• Next they will tell me how I must live my life and, there are now so many of them, that I will have no choice but to do so if I want to continue living here.
My friends will see this and tell me that I am exaggerating. They will tell me that all of this is the work of a small group of zealots in each location who don’t represent the mainstream religious community. And they will be correct in saying this. But if this is a correct analysis of the situation then where are the mainstream rabbis speaking out against such coercive behavior? Where are the political leaders insisting that the police arrest individuals who threaten and cause harm to others in the name of religion? Why are there no arrests when vandalism causes property damage and potential danger to life and limb?
The dictionary tells us that a zealot is a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in the pursuit of their religious, political or other ideals. But history teaches us that generally zealots are inimical to the long term good and welfare of society.
Former US Senator Robert Byrd, who held the record as the longest serving senator in the history of the United States, said it best when he opined “It is the duty of each citizen to be vigilant, to protect liberty, to speak out, left and right, and disagree lest he be trampled underfoot by misguided zealotry and extreme partisanship.”
There is a lesson to be learned here and those of us who value the democratic principles to which we are committed, have an obligation to protest any encroachment on those rights by any member of the society in which we live. We can do no less nor do we have the right to remain silent. Woe to those who remain silent in the face of bigotry.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Treasonable Conduct….or Not?
By Sherwin Pomerantz
Yesterday, Israel’s Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, advised the Prime Minister that for lack of prosecutorial evidence he was abandoning his investigation of the activities of MK Hanin Zuabi and her participation in the Mavi Marmara Flotilla of May 2010 which was intended to break the blockade of Gaza.
Can you believe that?
A member of the Parliament of Israel representing the Arab Balad party chooses to sail on a ship as part of a flotilla whose aim is to oppose what even the UN said is a legitimate action on the part of the Israeli government and the Israeli Attorney General basically finds nothing unlawful about it. Zuabi, of course, denies that she knew anything about the fact that the ship on which she was a passenger had a significant cache of weapons and was ready for a serious confrontation with the Israel Defense Forces. You can see evidence of her participation and knowledge by going to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX8-zEO1TNU
When questioned after the event she said “Those who send the army to stop the flotilla should be brought before international tribunals (for trial).” As if that was not sufficient to question her commitment to the law she pledged to uphold when she was sworn in to the Knesset, hear what she had to say in November when she spoke at the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in Capetown. There she referred to the country in whose parliament she serves as the “Racist political and legal regime in Israel.”
Or some of her other comments at the time which included:
“It is part of the ideology of Israel to be racist”
“It is the policy of Israel to seclude and deport us” (referring to Palestinians)
“But actually I am saying that Israel is worse than an apartheid state.”
Given all of this it is certainly strange that our attorney general says he can find no grounds for further action. Really? Is this not treason? The dictionary says that treason is “a violation of allegiance to one’s sovereign or one’s state.” Isn’t it obvious that participating in a flotilla designed to break the blockade of Gaza which is a policy of the government in which you serve treason? Doesn’t that constitute a violation of allegiance to one’s state? Can it be any clearer?
When questioned about all of this Zuabi regularly invokes her parliamentary immunity and states that in a democracy she has a right to state her opinions, even if they differ from those of the government.
Democracy is committed to the free expression of opinion even if that opinion is negative about the country in which one lives. But that is an entirely different situation than the breaking of the law by someone who is sworn to uphold it by dint of his or her participation in a country’s parliament. One cannot hide behind parliamentary immunity by invoking such immunity while being disloyal to the country in whose parliament he or she serves. That borders on treason and the attorney general should not have dropped the case regardless of the concern for the consequences in the Arab street. In the end, democracy and Israel will both pay the price of such legal negligence.
By Sherwin Pomerantz
Yesterday, Israel’s Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, advised the Prime Minister that for lack of prosecutorial evidence he was abandoning his investigation of the activities of MK Hanin Zuabi and her participation in the Mavi Marmara Flotilla of May 2010 which was intended to break the blockade of Gaza.
Can you believe that?
A member of the Parliament of Israel representing the Arab Balad party chooses to sail on a ship as part of a flotilla whose aim is to oppose what even the UN said is a legitimate action on the part of the Israeli government and the Israeli Attorney General basically finds nothing unlawful about it. Zuabi, of course, denies that she knew anything about the fact that the ship on which she was a passenger had a significant cache of weapons and was ready for a serious confrontation with the Israel Defense Forces. You can see evidence of her participation and knowledge by going to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX8-zEO1TNU
When questioned after the event she said “Those who send the army to stop the flotilla should be brought before international tribunals (for trial).” As if that was not sufficient to question her commitment to the law she pledged to uphold when she was sworn in to the Knesset, hear what she had to say in November when she spoke at the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in Capetown. There she referred to the country in whose parliament she serves as the “Racist political and legal regime in Israel.”
Or some of her other comments at the time which included:
“It is part of the ideology of Israel to be racist”
“It is the policy of Israel to seclude and deport us” (referring to Palestinians)
“But actually I am saying that Israel is worse than an apartheid state.”
Given all of this it is certainly strange that our attorney general says he can find no grounds for further action. Really? Is this not treason? The dictionary says that treason is “a violation of allegiance to one’s sovereign or one’s state.” Isn’t it obvious that participating in a flotilla designed to break the blockade of Gaza which is a policy of the government in which you serve treason? Doesn’t that constitute a violation of allegiance to one’s state? Can it be any clearer?
When questioned about all of this Zuabi regularly invokes her parliamentary immunity and states that in a democracy she has a right to state her opinions, even if they differ from those of the government.
Democracy is committed to the free expression of opinion even if that opinion is negative about the country in which one lives. But that is an entirely different situation than the breaking of the law by someone who is sworn to uphold it by dint of his or her participation in a country’s parliament. One cannot hide behind parliamentary immunity by invoking such immunity while being disloyal to the country in whose parliament he or she serves. That borders on treason and the attorney general should not have dropped the case regardless of the concern for the consequences in the Arab street. In the end, democracy and Israel will both pay the price of such legal negligence.
Monday, December 19, 2011
As the Holidays Approach
By Sherwin Pomerantz
Friends, on Tuesday evening Jews worldwide will kindle the first candle on the Chanukah menorah to commemorate the victory of good over evil, of honesty over lies and of the belief that miracles do happen. Someone once said that a menorah is like the nightlight of our people. In times of darkness it shines on the whole world reminding us not to be afraid to be different but to be proud of whom we are.
For Christians worldwide Friday will wind down rapidly to Christmas eve and the promise of peace on earth, good will towards (wo)men that still eludes us. Charles Dickens described the eternal allure of Christmas when he wrote in 1836’s Pickwick Papers “Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveler, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!”
Certainly for all of us it is a time of memory, a time for a bit of reflection and perhaps even some wistfulness for times gone by, albeit those times seem to appear better with the passing of the years. Syndicated columnist and humorist Dave Barry may have hit the nail on the head when he said: “In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it Christmas and went to church; the Jews called it Hanukkah and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy Hanukkah!" or (to the atheists) "Look out for the wall!"
But it was probably Helen Keller who in her succinct way summed up the meaning of the season best when she said : “The only blind person at Christmastime is he who has not Christmas in his heart.”
In many respects the past year has been a disappointment what with financial crises worldwide, the continued absence of peace in so many parts of the world, an incredible number of natural disasters and rampant political upheavals that do not yet seem to hold out the promise of positive change. Yet we humans have this uncanny ability to remain optimistic, to hope for a better future and to envision the light at the end of the tunnel even if it is not exactly visible to us.
Let us hope that as we go through this holiday season full of light and joy, that the new year about to burst forth in 12 days will be one of fulfilled dreams, good health and a peaceful universe in which we can finally experience the prophesy contained in the second book of Isaiah: “And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not life up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
By Sherwin Pomerantz
Friends, on Tuesday evening Jews worldwide will kindle the first candle on the Chanukah menorah to commemorate the victory of good over evil, of honesty over lies and of the belief that miracles do happen. Someone once said that a menorah is like the nightlight of our people. In times of darkness it shines on the whole world reminding us not to be afraid to be different but to be proud of whom we are.
For Christians worldwide Friday will wind down rapidly to Christmas eve and the promise of peace on earth, good will towards (wo)men that still eludes us. Charles Dickens described the eternal allure of Christmas when he wrote in 1836’s Pickwick Papers “Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveler, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!”
Certainly for all of us it is a time of memory, a time for a bit of reflection and perhaps even some wistfulness for times gone by, albeit those times seem to appear better with the passing of the years. Syndicated columnist and humorist Dave Barry may have hit the nail on the head when he said: “In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it Christmas and went to church; the Jews called it Hanukkah and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy Hanukkah!" or (to the atheists) "Look out for the wall!"
But it was probably Helen Keller who in her succinct way summed up the meaning of the season best when she said : “The only blind person at Christmastime is he who has not Christmas in his heart.”
In many respects the past year has been a disappointment what with financial crises worldwide, the continued absence of peace in so many parts of the world, an incredible number of natural disasters and rampant political upheavals that do not yet seem to hold out the promise of positive change. Yet we humans have this uncanny ability to remain optimistic, to hope for a better future and to envision the light at the end of the tunnel even if it is not exactly visible to us.
Let us hope that as we go through this holiday season full of light and joy, that the new year about to burst forth in 12 days will be one of fulfilled dreams, good health and a peaceful universe in which we can finally experience the prophesy contained in the second book of Isaiah: “And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not life up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Misinformation, Disinformation and Lies
By Sherwin Pomerantz
Yesterday we entertained a couple of business guests from Amman, Jordan during their first ever visit to Israel. Oddly enough they came here with their dog that needed some special surgery which was not available in Jordan. Given that our staff had prior connections with the principals of the company one of our senior people offered to take them on a tour of Jerusalem and met them at Damascus Gate, one of the northern entrances to the Old City after which they took the traditional walking tour of the area.
This morning I was told that our guests were absolutely amazed that Arab residents of Jerusalem walk freely on the streets of the city without hindrance. Their impression, from the press in Jordan and other information sources, was that the Arab population of Israel is interned in quasi-concentration camps and their movement is severely limited by the local security forces. This brought home to all of us here in the office both the failure of our information efforts directed to the Arab world as well as the disinformation fed to the local populace there by the media.
As for misinformation, it’s worth looking at http://www.theblaze.com/stories/palestinian-hip-hop-group-comparing-israelis-to-nazis-performs-for-oregon-public-high-school-students/ which is a video of the Palestinian Hip-Hop Group DAM (which means “blood” in both Hebrew and Arabic) performing at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon on November 4th.
The lyrics demonize Israeli Jews, calling them rapists and Nazis, justifying terrorism against them. (”You’re a Democracy? It’s more like the Nazis…Your raping of the Arab soul gave birth to your child: The suicide bomber.”) A sample of the group’s work: one DAM song called “Min Irhabi” or “Who’s a Terrorist?” is filled with anti-Israel propaganda and in-your-face lyrics. With these few lines, one gets the picture:
Who’s a terrorist? I’m a terrorist?
How am I a terrorist while I live in my country
Who’s a terrorist? You’re a terrorist!
You’re swallowing me while I live in my country
Killing me like you killed my ancestors […]
Democracy? I swear you’re Nazis
With all the times you raped the Arab spirit
It got pregnant and birthed a boy called the suicide bomber
And here you are calling us terrorists
Even though students and parents voiced their concerns about the band’s content to the school board, the board went ahead with the performance, “despite the physical and emotional fears of the students.”
For the record, the public school’s Arab Studies Program is funded by the Qatar Foundation International, which also sponsored the hip hop group’s visit to the high school. Last year, Israeli, Spanish and British newspapers reported that the Qatar Foundation had given money to extremist Muslim cleric Yusuf al Qaradawi who advocates “terrorism, wife beating and anti-Semitism” and that the foundation gives money to the terrorist group Hamas. All of this taking place in the public school system of a major US city.
So now we have it all, misinformation, disinformation and lies, some accidental some intentional but all damaging to Israel and its reputation in the world community.
Price winning journalist Carl Bernstein once said, “The lowest form of popular culture - lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people's lives - has overrun real journalism. Today, ordinary Americans are being stuffed with garbage.” And that garbage molds public opinion and is our greatest enemy.
By Sherwin Pomerantz
Yesterday we entertained a couple of business guests from Amman, Jordan during their first ever visit to Israel. Oddly enough they came here with their dog that needed some special surgery which was not available in Jordan. Given that our staff had prior connections with the principals of the company one of our senior people offered to take them on a tour of Jerusalem and met them at Damascus Gate, one of the northern entrances to the Old City after which they took the traditional walking tour of the area.
This morning I was told that our guests were absolutely amazed that Arab residents of Jerusalem walk freely on the streets of the city without hindrance. Their impression, from the press in Jordan and other information sources, was that the Arab population of Israel is interned in quasi-concentration camps and their movement is severely limited by the local security forces. This brought home to all of us here in the office both the failure of our information efforts directed to the Arab world as well as the disinformation fed to the local populace there by the media.
As for misinformation, it’s worth looking at http://www.theblaze.com/stories/palestinian-hip-hop-group-comparing-israelis-to-nazis-performs-for-oregon-public-high-school-students/ which is a video of the Palestinian Hip-Hop Group DAM (which means “blood” in both Hebrew and Arabic) performing at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon on November 4th.
The lyrics demonize Israeli Jews, calling them rapists and Nazis, justifying terrorism against them. (”You’re a Democracy? It’s more like the Nazis…Your raping of the Arab soul gave birth to your child: The suicide bomber.”) A sample of the group’s work: one DAM song called “Min Irhabi” or “Who’s a Terrorist?” is filled with anti-Israel propaganda and in-your-face lyrics. With these few lines, one gets the picture:
Who’s a terrorist? I’m a terrorist?
How am I a terrorist while I live in my country
Who’s a terrorist? You’re a terrorist!
You’re swallowing me while I live in my country
Killing me like you killed my ancestors […]
Democracy? I swear you’re Nazis
With all the times you raped the Arab spirit
It got pregnant and birthed a boy called the suicide bomber
And here you are calling us terrorists
Even though students and parents voiced their concerns about the band’s content to the school board, the board went ahead with the performance, “despite the physical and emotional fears of the students.”
For the record, the public school’s Arab Studies Program is funded by the Qatar Foundation International, which also sponsored the hip hop group’s visit to the high school. Last year, Israeli, Spanish and British newspapers reported that the Qatar Foundation had given money to extremist Muslim cleric Yusuf al Qaradawi who advocates “terrorism, wife beating and anti-Semitism” and that the foundation gives money to the terrorist group Hamas. All of this taking place in the public school system of a major US city.
So now we have it all, misinformation, disinformation and lies, some accidental some intentional but all damaging to Israel and its reputation in the world community.
Price winning journalist Carl Bernstein once said, “The lowest form of popular culture - lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people's lives - has overrun real journalism. Today, ordinary Americans are being stuffed with garbage.” And that garbage molds public opinion and is our greatest enemy.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Believing One’s Own Lies
By Sherwin Pomerantz
When I was still living in Chicago some 30 years ago, I used to meet with my accountant on a regular basis who was also an investor in the company. I learned a lot of things from him but one of the lessons that was seared into my memory was that the biggest danger business owners face is believing their own lies. That is certainly true but also applies to political leaders.
In an interview aired on ABC News today, the Syrian president says that acts of violence have been committed by individuals, not ordered by the government; "No government in the world kills its people, unless it's led by a crazy person" Assad says. Syrian President Bashar Assad went on to say that he is not directly responsible for acts of violence committed by his security forces since an uprising against the Alawite president began in Syria in March of this year, and denied reports of torture by the Syrian army.
Speaking with Barbara Walters, Assad said that "There is a difference between a deliberate policy of repression, and the presence of some errors committed by some officials. There is a great difference," Assad reportedly said, adding that acts of violence were carried out by "individuals," and not ordered by the Syrian government.
According to UN figures the death toll in the embattled country has risen above 4,000 people. Assad, speaking during his first interview with an American news outlet, dismissed that figure, questioning the UN's credibility.
Well, he is certainly guilty of the warning not to believe one’s own lies. His statement that only countries led by crazy people kill their own people may make a good sound bite but is hardly borne out by fact. There have been plenty of political leaders throughout history who were sane but either convinced they were above the law, had visions of world domination or, as in Assad’s case, deathly afraid of losing power and then used those reasons to slaughter even millions of people. So one does not have to be crazy to order one’s troops to fire at will.
Earlier this week Saudi Arabia convicted an Australian Muslim there for the Hajj pilgrimage of blaspheming the name of Allah and sentenced him to two years in jail and 500 lashes. 500 lashes, of course, cannot be sustained by any human being so that is effectively a death sentence and the court’s decision, on appeal, to reduce the time in prison to one year is laughable, given the fact that the prisoner will not survive the lashings. But no one considers the leadership of Saudi Arabia crazy, do they?
In addition, given the totalitarian regime which was created by Assad’s father and continued by him, can anyone anywhere give credence to his claim that the deaths were carried out by individuals and not by order of the government? In addition to accusations by human rights groups of torture, killings, and unwarranted arrests of activists and bloggers by the Syrian armed forces, recent reports point to a new phenomenon of unknown assailants and deaths on both the pro- and anti-Assad sides.
Sadly, the ability of political leaders to believe their own lies is not limited to regimes such as Syria. There are plenty of other examples worldwide even in the west. The job of the electorate and the judicial system, in countries that still claim to be free, is to prosecute those who act on such beliefs and convict and sentence them to appropriate prison terms.
There is no doubt that here in Israel we have something less than a perfect democratic system if there is such a thing. But the fact that this morning a former President of the country began serving a seven year prison term having been convicted of sexual crimes while in office is testament to the vitality of the judicial system in the country and an example of someone prosecuted for believing his own lies. Those who are guilty of such acts are also guilty of thinking they are above the law.
Theodore Roosevelt was right when he opined “No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask his permission when we ask him to obey it.” A point well taken and still true.
By Sherwin Pomerantz
When I was still living in Chicago some 30 years ago, I used to meet with my accountant on a regular basis who was also an investor in the company. I learned a lot of things from him but one of the lessons that was seared into my memory was that the biggest danger business owners face is believing their own lies. That is certainly true but also applies to political leaders.
In an interview aired on ABC News today, the Syrian president says that acts of violence have been committed by individuals, not ordered by the government; "No government in the world kills its people, unless it's led by a crazy person" Assad says. Syrian President Bashar Assad went on to say that he is not directly responsible for acts of violence committed by his security forces since an uprising against the Alawite president began in Syria in March of this year, and denied reports of torture by the Syrian army.
Speaking with Barbara Walters, Assad said that "There is a difference between a deliberate policy of repression, and the presence of some errors committed by some officials. There is a great difference," Assad reportedly said, adding that acts of violence were carried out by "individuals," and not ordered by the Syrian government.
According to UN figures the death toll in the embattled country has risen above 4,000 people. Assad, speaking during his first interview with an American news outlet, dismissed that figure, questioning the UN's credibility.
Well, he is certainly guilty of the warning not to believe one’s own lies. His statement that only countries led by crazy people kill their own people may make a good sound bite but is hardly borne out by fact. There have been plenty of political leaders throughout history who were sane but either convinced they were above the law, had visions of world domination or, as in Assad’s case, deathly afraid of losing power and then used those reasons to slaughter even millions of people. So one does not have to be crazy to order one’s troops to fire at will.
Earlier this week Saudi Arabia convicted an Australian Muslim there for the Hajj pilgrimage of blaspheming the name of Allah and sentenced him to two years in jail and 500 lashes. 500 lashes, of course, cannot be sustained by any human being so that is effectively a death sentence and the court’s decision, on appeal, to reduce the time in prison to one year is laughable, given the fact that the prisoner will not survive the lashings. But no one considers the leadership of Saudi Arabia crazy, do they?
In addition, given the totalitarian regime which was created by Assad’s father and continued by him, can anyone anywhere give credence to his claim that the deaths were carried out by individuals and not by order of the government? In addition to accusations by human rights groups of torture, killings, and unwarranted arrests of activists and bloggers by the Syrian armed forces, recent reports point to a new phenomenon of unknown assailants and deaths on both the pro- and anti-Assad sides.
Sadly, the ability of political leaders to believe their own lies is not limited to regimes such as Syria. There are plenty of other examples worldwide even in the west. The job of the electorate and the judicial system, in countries that still claim to be free, is to prosecute those who act on such beliefs and convict and sentence them to appropriate prison terms.
There is no doubt that here in Israel we have something less than a perfect democratic system if there is such a thing. But the fact that this morning a former President of the country began serving a seven year prison term having been convicted of sexual crimes while in office is testament to the vitality of the judicial system in the country and an example of someone prosecuted for believing his own lies. Those who are guilty of such acts are also guilty of thinking they are above the law.
Theodore Roosevelt was right when he opined “No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask his permission when we ask him to obey it.” A point well taken and still true.
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