It’s not antisemitic if you write “Zionist” instead of “Jewish”, right?

July 11, 2012 — David Hirsh

Press TV, the Iranian propaganda channel for which antiracists like George Galloway and Jeremy Corbyn have worked, has changed its headline (via Harry’s Place and antisemitism.org) :

Posted in Uncategorized. 15 Comments »

15 Responses to “It’s not antisemitic if you write “Zionist” instead of “Jewish”, right?”

  1. David Olesker Says:
    July 11, 2012 at 10:54 pm

    Well, I’m glad they fixed that. I was worried there for a minute!

    Reply
  2. Nancy Says:
    July 11, 2012 at 10:55 pm

    Impressive. I will have to refer people to this when they (too frequently) don’t believe me when I tell them that “Zionist” is code for “Jew”. Many thanks.

    Reply
  3. soupyone Says:
    July 11, 2012 at 11:54 pm

    I wonder if any past supporters of Press TV, or proud “anti-Zionists”, will have the guts to admit the racism within the above text:

    “European politicians have been led to believe that the IMF’s recommendations are in the best interest of the people. Yet, the IMF’s misguided approach to austerity continues to harm the entire European economy. This is not by coincidence, as the IMF serves as an arm of the Jewish Banking Cartel, which itself is the primary component of the Jewish Mafia.

    The Western media has also played a key role in the rape of Greece by the banking segment of the Jewish Mafia. As always, the Western media monopoly has teamed up with establishment economists in order to convince the people that the IMF is competent and is acting in the best interests of the people.

    The media has also placed sole blame for Greece’s economic problems on Greek officials and the Greek people. This is a theme that is all too familiar. As one example, you will recall how the media focused on “greedy” and “deceitful” homebuyers in the U.S. as the source of the real estate collapse rather than focusing on widespread fraud by Wall Street banks.

    Serving as a very important component of the Jewish Mafia, the means by which the Western media monopoly operates is all too predictable. It always blames the victims and never the villains. This mechanism serves as the primary means to prevent revolts in response to criminal activities committed by bankers, corporations and governments. When this approach is not fully effective, the Jewish Mafia uses its operatives in the government to intimidate and incarcerate individuals that threaten to uncover the entire operation. ”

    Reply
    • Moebius Stripper Says:
      July 14, 2012 at 10:24 pm

      I don’t blame David Hirsch for not wanting to give PressTV the traffic, but the original article is worth seeking out, if only because the word “Jewish” appears in the article sixteen (16) times, whereas “Zionist” only appears in the headline and in the comments. Makes you wonder why they even bothered changing the headline at all.

      Reply
  4. Absolute Observer Says:
    July 12, 2012 at 10:02 am

    On a related note,

    Thursday, July 12, 2012 3:01 AM
    See the cartoon at the URL here:
    http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASInt_13/6348_13.htm

    TEXT:

    Anti-Semitic Cartoon Declared Winner Of Iranian ‘Wall Street Downfall’
    Festival

    New York, NY, July 11, 2012 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today
    reacted to the results of an Iranian cartoon contest, in which the winning
    entry depicts three religious Jews praying in front of a representation of
    the Western Wall in Jerusalem labeled “New York Wall Street.”

    “Once again, Iran takes the prize for promoting anti-Semitism,” said
    Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “The winning cartoon takes the
    most sacred site in Judaism and perverts it into a shrine of greed. It is
    offensive on so many levels.”

    The virulently anti-Semitic cartoon was declared the winner of Iran’s
    first annual “International Wall Street Downfall Cartoon Festival,”
    co-sponsored by the Iranian media outlet Fars News. According to reports,
    the contest’s jury consisted of seven judges from Iran, Turkey, Poland and
    Romania who judged more than 1,600 cartoons. The winning artist, Mohammad
    Tabrizi, was awarded 5,000 euros for his image of Jews praying in front of
    “Wall Street.”

    Mr. Foxman said: “Here’s the anti-Semitic notion of Jews and their love
    for money, the canard that Jews ‘control’ Wall Street, and a cynical
    perversion of the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism. This contest
    not only puts virulent anti-Semitism on a pedestal, but in posting the
    images online and involving judges from other countries, helps promote
    classical anti-Semitic notions before a global audience of potentially
    millions.”

    In 2006, the Iranian government notoriously sponsored a Holocaust cartoon
    contest in which the winning entries derided Jews and mocked and belittled
    the death of six million Jews and millions of others in the Holocaust.

    —
    The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading
    organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that
    counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

    Reply
  5. Absolute Observer Says:
    July 12, 2012 at 10:14 am

    I appreciate that this is not in the spirit of the post, but it is interesting to note that to date, comment on the ‘banking crisis’ has been free of antisemitic rhetoric. For some, this is evidence of the demise of antisemitism in Europe and the US. What is not taken into account, of course, is the way that anti-Jewish theorising and sentiment has attached itself to ‘criticism’ of Israel (after all, how are these headlines and story that different in content from the idea that the US Congress and President is but mouthpieces for the Zionist/Israel Lobby?)
    In the post above, Press TV has stripped bare the antecedences of what is treated as ‘legitimate criticism’ of Israel and shown it for what it is – classical antisemitism.

    Reply
  6. NIMN Says:
    July 12, 2012 at 6:44 pm

    I have heard from various friends in Greece that the racist and antisemitic far-right is on the ascendancy. We know also of some well-known Greek personages (such as Mikis Theodorakis) not of the right, who are into anti-Jewish conspiracy thinking. Could it be that it is this phenomenon that Press TV is tapping into and also to encourage?

    Reply
  8. snoopythegoon Says:
    July 13, 2012 at 6:43 am

    Absolute Observer,

    I beg to differ with your first statement. The antisemitic rhetoric becomes more sophisticated, using terms that may escape a first glance. For instance, the term “banksters” that recently has become a euphemism of choice for American “soft” antisemitic discourse – check it out.

    Reply
  9. Absolute Observer Says:
    July 13, 2012 at 3:10 pm

    snoopy,
    Thanks for your comment. I have not come across that term; what does it signify and mean?
    AO

    Reply
  10. mark gardner Says:
    July 17, 2012 at 3:25 pm

    the vast mythology of anti-Zionism only ‘makes sense’ through the prism of antisemitic history, themes etc. it often seems like little more than a post-Shoah rebranding of antisemitism. then, along comes Iran and it all becomes even more horribly familiar.

    Reply
    • David Olesker Says:
      July 17, 2012 at 4:45 pm

      Mark, The good news/bad news on classical antisemitism is that, in a post Holocaust world (or at least the Western part of it) classical, vulgar, “Perish Judah” antisemitism is no longer acceptable in most circles. We forget just how widespread and respectable such views were in Europe (including the UK) before WWII.

      Today, antisemitism has become the hatred that dare not speak it’s name. That’s why Jew haters — even those of the right — usually clothe their animus in the language of Anti-Zionism, pro-Palestinianism, anti-Imperialism etc. What we are seeing is an effort to make Jew hatred acceptable to people who would reject antisemitism. Hence the debate about “who is an antisemite”. The constant libel that “Zionists” use the allegation of antisemitism to shut down debate is central to the discourse because none of our enemies can expect to succeed if they are perceived as what they really are. Hence, one of the things we have to do is to expose crypto-antisemitism for what it is.

      The problem is that crypto-antisemitism is not immediately identifiable as Jew hatred by the untrained observer. David Hirsh and the rest of the Engage team have been toiling on this issue for a long time (and kol hakavod to them). The recent CofE vote shows how much more work we all have to do on this issue.

      Reply
  11. Absolute Observer Says:
    July 17, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    Mark,
    I agree entirely; without the history of antisemitism these tales of ‘Israel lobbies’, of ‘ZIonist power’ would never gain the traction they do. And, as we know the power of myth is its ability to reinvent itself in new situations.

    Reply
  12. Lev Bronstein Says:
    August 15, 2012 at 7:26 pm

    This review by Benny Morris (2009) of Avi Shlaim’s recent book ‘Israel and Palestine’ covers some of the points raised here in great depth. It’s a long but fascinating read.

    http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/derisionist-history?page=0,0

    Reply

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