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1972
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lunedì, settembre 29, 2003
Sinistra e nuovo antisemitismo. Dibattito promosso da FrontePage Magazine sulle radici e le caratteristiche di un fenomeno inscindibilmente connesso con il pregiudizio ideologico antioccidentale che ancora attanaglia nostalgici ed eredi di tutte le pseudorivoluzioni fallite. Intervengono Sol Stern, Phyllis Chesler, David Rosen e Roger Gottlieb (quest’ultimo da posizioni marxiste). Importante e interessante discussione. Riportiamo alcuni brani ma sarebbe da leggere per intero.
What is "new" about anti-Semitism is that it is now "politically correct" on the presumably anti-racist and feminist Left to hate Jews and especially the Jewish state. (Chesler) Historically, of course, the broad European Left was opposed to right wing anti-Semitism and generally to oppression of Jews. But that's because the Left saw the Jews (or at least many Jews) as being in the vanguard of the progressive and socialist movements of the time. The Left loved Jews when they could be portrayed as victims of monopoly capitalism and its alleged progeny, fascism. The Left was either absent or in denial when the Jews became victims of objectively "progressive" regimes. Now the Left (or at least a significant portion of it) sees embattled little Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and the collective expression of the Jewish people, as an obstacle to the creation of a 23rd or 24th Arab state. Even more troubling to the Left is that Israel gets support from the Great Satan, the United States. Imagine if by some historical quirk there was an alliance between Israel and revolutionary Cuba against all the reactionary, feudal Arab regimes. The Left would be lining up to buy Israel Bonds. I guess we Jews shouldn't take it personally. The Left doesn't hate Israel and our support of Israel because of our biological deficiencies or because we rejected Christ. Nevertheless, if the Left had its way Israel would be dead and, eventually, so would the Jewish people. (Stern) (…) leftist anti-Semitism is directly connected to the Left's dedication to anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-globalization. (Chesler) For me, the confusions and failures of the Left do not invalidate its central goals: greater collective freedom and rationality throughout social life. What you call "hatred" of "their own societies" I would probably call, in most cases at any rate, legitimate criticism of injustice and irrationality: for example, rejection of imperialism and of corporate domination of the economy and culture. In the case of anti-Semitism I disagree with what a great many leftists have said, or not said, about anti-Semitism. But my disagreement doesn't place me outside the Left, for the Left is not a monolithic mindless mass. It is a varied assorting of people with different views--with at least as much internal disagreement and conflict as the Catholic Church and the Republican Party. That said, I agree that a good deal of leftist thinking concentrates on the power of the U.S .and its client states and often fails to take seriously the autonomous structures of injustice in less powerful states: from the Arab nations to the state socialist ones (e.g., China, Cuba). (Gottlieb) Gottlieb's concedes the hypothesis of this symposium, namely that the Left (or at least a significant portion of it) is either anti-Semitic or tolerates it. But he shrugs it off and says it's human nature, we all make mistakes, and anyway conservatives also exclude dissenting points of view. This is a rather lame excuse for Left wing anti-Semitism. It's like the old apologist for Stalin saying America has lynchings. (Stern) Criticism of any specific Israeli government policy is not only not anti-Semitic but it's sometimes necessary. After all, we are the democrats. We believe that open discussion is good in itself and will lead to more effective policies by our democratic friends in Israel. On the other hand attacks on Israel as a national project, depictions of Israel as created in sin, holding Israel up to a higher standard than other countries faced with the same external threat, should be considered presumptively anti-Semitic. It's not all that different than knowing the difference between legitimate and necessary criticism of any particular US government and anti-Americanism. Anyone with a modicum of common sense can tell the difference between legitimate criticism and demonization of an entire nation. (Stern) The Palestinian cause has become the principle litmus test of participation in the Left. It is almost impossible to function within the broad Left without adopting a staunch pro-Palestinian view. This is why Phyllis has hit this wall of silence. It has become so fundamental it is no longer discussable. It is similar to the problem of raising the issue of the communist oppression of the peoples of Eastern Europe in the post World War II era. If you raised it you were not part of the Left and had no place in its internal debate. (Rosen) |
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