Carol Gould, one ot the participants to this debacle, wrote to me as follows “It has taken me four days to recover from this ordeal. At one point I really felt that I would be murdered before leaving the building on Sunday night. What appalled me was the South Bank giving a free dinner afterwards to about forty members of the audience of hecklers — almost all Jews.”
Carol’s website, the CurrentViewpoint, has her own report.
By Marcus Dysch, Jewish Chronicle
Earlier this week I attended three events, on consecutive evenings, which revealed much about British Jews and their relationships with Israel.
One discussed the rising boycott and delegitimisation campaign (Omar Barghouti, Jonathan Freedland, Carol Gould and Seni Seneviratne) debate the value of cultural boycotts at the 2011 London Literature Festival , another looked at support for Israel from the left, and the third was something altogether different, and, thankfully, more positive.
On Sunday I watched my JC colleague Jonathan Freedland bravely attempt to argue the case against cultural boycotts despite overpowering anti-Israel fervour which at times bordered on outright antisemitism.
Although Jonathan and his “opponent” on the night – Palestinian boycott activist and author Omar Barghouti – tried to keep the atmosphere on the panel as friendly as possible, the make-up of the audience meant Jonathan’s case was doomed to failure from the start of the debate – in fact even from before the start.
Taking my seat in the Southbank Centre I watched as familiar faces from the anti-Israel circuit showed up. Piling in one after another were the likes of Tony Greenstein and Deborah Fink, flanked by dozens of anti-Zionist supporters.
Meanwhile I saw barely a single recognisable pro-Israel face in the auditorium. My suspicions were proved right when the Q&A got underway after the panellists’ impressive opening statements for and against the motion on cultural boycotts.
The bombardment unleashed against Jonathan – who had already spoken out against the West Bank occupation and various aspects of Israeli government actions – was as ferocious as any I can recall against a Jewish panellist in recent years. The response to almost every word uttered by his fellow panellist, American author Carol Gould, was just as vitriolic, with the audience laughing, mocking, shouting and at times even hissing as she spoke.
What really struck me – and seemingly shocked Jonathan too – was how little interest the pro-boycotters had in any form of rational debate whatsoever. Practically every audience intervention was less question, more a direct attack on him and/or Israel. Not on Bibi’s administration per se, but on Israel herself.
They were vicious, argumentative, rude, and revealed views which were absolutely and utterly entrenched, without the slightest prospect of yielding as much as a millimetre to the anti-boycott panellists.
Jonathan summed the evening up rather aptly when he told the audience: “Tonight has been hugely revealing. I thought my disagreement with the boycott movement was because I want to see the end of occupation and you want to see the end of occupation and it was an argument about tactics. What has come through loud and clear is your motivation is not actually just the end of occupation but it’s with Israel itself – you have a fundamental problem with it.“
As shocking as the evening had been, what struck me later was a slightly different issue – where were the pro-Israel campaigners? Why, at a well-publicised, impressively-panelled, London Literary Festival event, had barely a single anti-boycott, pro-Israel activist turned up to either argue against the BDS brigade, or put forward a good word for the Jewish state? How could it be that as abusive question after abusive question rained down on Freedland and Gould, no one came to their defence? Even if there were friends of Israel in the audience, they kept their heads down.
At Parliament on Tuesday night I attended a fairly glum Labour Friends of Israel event at which another panel debated the difficulties facing the left when defending Israel while in opposition.
Former Middle East Minister Ivan Lewis encouraged supporters to promote Israel’s positives and be less defensive.
The Bury South MP rightly pointed out that the boycott and delegitimisation campaigns had led to a “siege mentality” among Israel supporters, telling them that they should “not allow themselves to always be judged through the prism of being defensive”.
The room was packed with Jewish Labour supporters, and yet – perhaps strangely – it was largely left to non-Jewish panellists such as former NUS president Wes Streeting and JC political editor Martin Bright to offer advice on standing up for Israel.
Whether the audience’s dispirited mood was down to the strain of backing Israel in hard times, or finding themselves in opposition after 13 years of power, is hard to say. But what was abundantly clear was that being a supporter of Israel on the left is an uncomfortable position in which to find oneself.
Wes and the others tried to rally the troops, talking of the need to “nail the hypocrisy of the left”, but as far as I could see their efforts fell on deaf ears. There were few, if any, shafts of light to be found during the 90-minute Portcullis House event.
Sandwiched between these two events was, thankfully, a bright ray of sunshine. On Monday, the admirable British Friends of Reuth charity put on a hugely enjoyable showing of the brilliant Israeli TV show Srugim.
The cinema was packed. Hundreds of supporters turned up, filling the cinema. Families squeezed up together to enjoy the show. People genuinely shouted “more, more!” as the broadcast ended.
I was desperate to see the show having heard so much about it and loved the evening. It was impossible, however, not to notice the difference in atmosphere and attendance to the other events. Here were hundreds of (mainly religious) Jews enjoying, effectively, a pro-Israel night out. Where had they been the night before at the Southbank Centre?
It left me wondering – why are British Jews so reluctant to publicly show their support for Israel?
Coughing up extortionate air fares to sit on the beaches of Tel Aviv and Eilat is one thing, but at home in Britain the battle is being lost. More has to be done.
Moaning to each other around the Friday night dinner table just doesn’t cut it any more. Out there, beyond the leafy suburbs, in the blogosphere, in the media, on the streets, Israel’s UK-based enemies are having a field day.
Make no bones about it – in many places and many ways the likes of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Jews for Justice for Palestinians are buoyant. They are thriving in their role as underdogs, safe in the knowledge that in the vast majority of cases they will face little if any face-to-face debate from Israel supporters.
Where are our community leaders? Where are our highly-trained professional lawyers and advocates? Dare I say it, where are our celebrities? Why has no one got the stomach to stand up for what they believe in?
Except for a few individual campaigners here and there (and Jewish students), many pro-Israel British Jews seem to either not have the bottle for the fight, or prefer to show their colours only in comfortable, safe surroundings such as East Finchley’s comfy Phoenix Cinema.
Perhaps a combination of battle fatigue and a sense that arguments are being lost have discouraged many. Others are simply happy to sit back and let the few take the strain.
The We Believe in Israel conference in May was heralded as a new start, a way forward. Grassroots groups would spring up all over the show, activists would be armed with the information and tools to take on Israel’s haters.
Based on this week’s events, the opportunity has been either missed, or ignored.
Defending Israel in Britain will get no easier in the months to come. Israeli government policies such as this week’s ridiculous anti-boycott legislation will ensure that.
But if Britain’s Jewish community, the majority of whom wholeheartedly supports Israel, cannot be relied on to stand up and defend her, then who will?
If you’ve made no effort to stop it, then it takes some chutzpah to sit around complaining as the tide of hatred washes over you.
UPDATE – The Southbank Centre has helpfully posted an audio recording of Sunday’s event online, so you can now listen to the whole debate, and judge for yourselves.
Freedland gloom as Israel boycott is applauded
By Marcus Dysch, July 14, 2011
A culture of “impunity, racism and genocidal tendencies has overtaken Israeli society”, according to Palestinian boycott activist and author Omar Barghouti.
Mr Barghouti was speaking in support of a boycott motion proposed at a London Literature Festival debate at the Southbank Centre on Sunday.
He was joined by Seni Seneviratne, a British-Sri Lankan poet who is a member of British Writers in Support of Palestine, in backing the motion, which questioned whether a cultural boycott could be a “viable and effective political strategy; indeed a moral imperative”.
Mr Barghouti said: “Israel uses culture to brand itself and change its image around the world. Boycott is the most effective non-violent means available to us to end the occupation and apartheid.”
Ms Seneviratne compared Israel to apartheid South Africa and said the boycott was “forcing Israeli journalists and politicians to recognise the shift in world opinion”.
American writer Carol Gould, opposing the motion alongside JC and Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland, challenged the comparison. She said: “If Israel is an apartheid state how is it that Omar has been able to study at Tel Aviv University? Did blacks study at Wits [in Johannesburg]?”But both Ms Gould and Mr Freedland were repeatedly shouted down by pro-Palestinian activists.
A clearly shaken Mr Freedland told the audience: “Tonight has been hugely revealing. I thought my disagreement with the boycott movement was because I want to see the end of occupation and you want to see the end of occupation and it was an argument about tactics.
“What has come through loud and clear is your motivation is not actually just the end of occupation but it’s with Israel itself – you have a fundamental problem with it.”
“Jonathan summed the evening up rather aptly when he told the audience: “Tonight has been hugely revealing. I thought my disagreement with the boycott movement was because I want to see the end of occupation and you want to see the end of occupation.”
Do I have this right? Jonathan is supposed to be pro-Israel? And Jonathan wants to see the end of occupation? This is horribly, horribly depressing.
Jews living on their own highly cherished Biblical homeland of Judea and Samaria is NOT occupation! Jonathan clearly believes that Jews should not live on Jewish land because they are not Muslim!
Can anyone explain why Jonathan is considered pro-Israel? This is very depressing.
There is an enormous amount to be done in Britain to restore the balance and ensure Israel gets a fair hearing, but progress is being made.
Here in Leeds we no longer have constant attacks from the pro-Palestinian claque, because they know that they will be answered immediately.
It is more difficult to be proactive and that is going to have to be the next stage.
Yamit, I kinda feel like I fell out of the saddle.
I did some PT earlier and was icing down for awhile. My PT person comes Monday and she get me to bend that knee back as far as I can and with her it’ a “come on just a little more”. She is just what the doctor ordered.
I guess what I don’t understand is the American Jews who assimilated what did they gain or benefit from?
By assimilation into the American way of life does it require one to forfeit their religious belief and heritage?
In fact the good nuns told us if you were a good Jew, Christian and or Catholic you no doubt will be a great American citizen.
Your core faith and beliefs is the backbone of being a good citizen and neighbor.
We all enjoyed Italian, Polish, Irish, Lebanese, Jewish and Hungarian heritage days and festivities and we stood together as Americans.
I guess the secular progressive movement didn’t want any part of it.
We need to work hard getting it all back.
@ rongrand:
Good to see you’re back in the saddle ron. 😉
rongrand Said:
There are some things that are immutable, the speed of light, Euclid’s parallel postulate, mans nature. Man is still a very limited being and not all things are possible just because we may want them to be. Antisemitism is one of those immutables.
Then there is a school of thought that postulates that without the pressure of antismitism jews would have all assimilated and disappeared eons ago.
Called the Tsuris theory of Jewish survival. Here is explanation
Anti-Semitism sucks.
We continue to develop means to help us live longer.
Improve methods of communicating.
Put men on the moon.
Find cures for almost every deadly disease.
Why can’t we eradicate Anti-Semitism?
Are we really trying and or are we afraid to.
I bet if we really try, nothing is impossible.
The fascist, totalitarian left rather than respond to this point, instead drowns them out because the argument Gould and Freedland make eviscerates the left’s vicious lie that Israel is an apartheid state. Therefore the truth must be shouted down so that no one actually hears it.
Stupid British jews – I hope they go down when that miserable island, source of so many attacks and invasions of other countries ( Colombia, India, “palestine”, USA, Hong Kong), finally sinks, that those stupid Jews go sown with it.
England is a place I will never go to and want nothing to do with.
The faster it sinks the better off we all shall be. Source of nothing my family needs or wants.
The world against the Jews….
“Right and Left… they are both enemies of the Jews”
lemonlimemoon.blogspot.com
Read here:
I take all this as evidence that HaShem is gradually pressuring the diaspora Jews to return to Israel. Most Jews will prefer to remain in the galut and only strong pressure will move them. It is ironic that the anti-Semites are actually doing the task of Zionism in promoting aliyah.
The answer is very simple and lies in this statement:
In other words, the pro-boycotters are like little children putting their hands over their ears and shouting “nah nah nah nah nah!!!!”
So at this point in the UK, discussion is a waste of time and energy.
Pat Condell said it best, in his video on the Guardian and the BBC. He calls the folks in these, and related, institutions, “Multi-Culti middle class leftist pricks” who practice “Multi-Culti middle class leftist prickery”. From what Condell says, this is an extremely (as we see) vocal minority, because right now, the rest of the UK – the ordinary (read: intelligent) folks are suffering badly as political correctness dismembers the country.
I have little sympathy or empathy for stupid Jews who cling to the exile and refuse to learn the lessons not just of history but what it really means to be a Jew. Jews have no long-term future outside of Israel.
‘Boker Tov Eliyahu’
Stupid Jews.
MUST READ:Lynched in London by Giulio Meotti
Benny Morris spoke to this columnist after almost being lynched at the London School of Economics. Read this and stop enrolling in anti-Israel universities. There are others.
Check out some Antisemetic Events Just in July of 2011.
Heh, stupid Jews… Wake-up!