I heard the same messages from my parents (nonreligious Jews) and their
friends while growing up. I recall almost being conditioned that
Palestinians and Arabs were different almost inferior but Arabs that came to
the U.S. were different as they were Americanized. I remember this because
we had neighbors of Syrian dissent one was a successful businessman and the
other was our family dentist until he died of cancer. When I was attending
Michigan I had classes with a woman of Jordanian dissent who spent time in
Jerusalem and got to know a Palestinian restaurant owner that I became
friends with. AIn spite of my parents I was never a strong supporter of
Israel and Americanized Jewish kids growing up in the sixties were expected
to buy in to the Zionist movement. I had several friends that went during
summer vacations and spent time on a kibbutz and toruing Israel. but as a
teen ager not could I relate to Judaism I could relate less to Zionism.
Chuck
Chuck
-----Original Message-----
From: Miriam Vieni
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2016 7:36 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Shell Shocked and what happened on DB Review
when I recommended it
Alice,
I wish we could all use that as an excuse. But I have a clear memory of
sitting as a child in my parents' living room, hearing the grownups
rationalize what was being done to the Palestinians. They must have known
something because they were ssaying things like, "Well, they're just poor,
ignorant people, and they don't make good use of their land. The Israelis
will do much better. They will make the desert bloom". And Sanders and
Chomsky were in Israel where one can see new buildings built over ruins of
Palestinian villages. And many Israelis moved into homes that Palestinians
had to leave behind. And from the staart, there were novels and films, all
glorifying Israel, all showing Palestinians as the enemy. Someone wrote
those books and films with a purpose in mind. The Jewish terrorists were
glamourized, remember? They blew up the King David Hotel and people said,
"How terrible", but they didn't go on and on about it, nor did our media.
Miriam
________________________________
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Alice Dampman
Humel
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2016 7:57 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Shell Shocked and what happened on DB Review
when I recommended it
I would posit that these things were not as publicized, not as widely known
as they are now. News coverage was so entirely different "back then," not as
all-pervasive, not as investigative, not as many points of view expressed,
and not as technologically advanced, dare I say invasive, as it is now.
On Mar 30, 2016, at 4:51 PM, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Well, Bernie Sanders, as you probably know, spent time in Israel on
a
kibbutz when he was a young man. That's something that many Jewish
young
people did. Back then, politically liberal people were very
supportive of
Israel. Most older Jewish people can't give up that basic loyalty.
Even Noam
Chomsky, in his latest book of dialogues with Ilan Pappe on the
issue, has
some difficulty. He says, "It was different back then". Well yes,
Israel
wasn't as openly right wing back then but why wasn't it evident to
him, to
the grownups, that the State of Israel was being formed by the
dislocation
of, and the murder of some, Palestinians? Didn't it occur to anyone
that
there was something immoral about the ethnic cleansing of a people
in order
to compensate another people for their ethnic cleansing? Well, it
didn't
occur to me, but even Noam Chomsky?
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob
Hachey
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 4:32 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Shell Shocked and what happened on DB
Review
when I recommended it
Hi Miriam,
Firstly, good for you for having the chutzpah to put out a
recommendation
for Shell Shocked on that list. IT is sad that you had to endure
hostility
as a result of your action.
Secondly, there is no doubt that the Isreal lobby has tremendous
influence
both in congress and among our people generally. Heck, even Sanders
who is
opposed to many of our overseas actions is extremely careful when
speaking
of Isreal.
Finally, I've come in for a good bit of criticism for condemning
Protective
Edge and other Israeli atrocities. I've even been accused of
supporting
groups like al qaeda and ISIS! First rule of thumb wen you dare to
advocate
for anything that is not supportive of the Likud government here in
America?
Shields up!
Bob Hachey
