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Zionist thugs interupt talk

Yael Kahn | 07.02.2010 02:08 | Anti-racism | Palestine

Zionist thugs interupt talk

I was fortunate to attend the packed meeting on "Never Again: For Anyone" at
Parliament in Portcullis House on 27 Jan 10, on Holocaust Memorial Day. This
was one of the best meetings I have ever attended in nearly 40 years of
being an activist. I was inspired by the courage and resolve of 85 year old
Holocaust survivor, Dr Hajo Meyer.

I was moved by the Palestinian speaker, Dr Haidar Eid, who spoke live from
Gaza via telephone. The fact that he was prevented from attending this
important event was a poignant reminder of the strangulating siege imposed
by Israel. Not only did the Israeli nightly attacks on Gaza prevent him from
speaking live via video link, but the telephone line was unavailable for the
first part of the event. After a few failed attempts to connect by phone,
the speaker schedule had to be quickly rearranged. When, eventually, a phone
link was established the Boothroyd Room fell silent. I noticed the pain on
many faces, hearing Dr Haidar Eid speaking calmly about the horrific
suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, inflicted by Israel.

Hearing other speakers gave a glimpse to understanding how other genocides
were planned, implemented and denied.

This event was by no means the only one on Holocaust Memorial Day, yet it
attracted Zionist lead figures, among them: Louise Ellman MP [Vice Chair of
Labour Friends of Israel], Jerry Lewis [Vice President, Board of Deputies]
and Jonathan Hoffman [Co-Vice Chair of the Zionist Federation]. Even
Christian Friends of Israel came to the event organised by IJAN
[International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network]. The presence of these Zionists
was a confirmation of the significance they attributed to this event.

The conduct of many of the Zionists in attendance showed their purpose was
not to learn from it, especially not from Holocaust survivor, Dr Meyer. Was
it fear from his words that drew them into the Boothroyd Room?

Most of the Zionists clearly came to silence the Holocaust survivor, Dr
Meyer. As soon as he started talking they shouted at him. The first to shout
was Jonathan Hoffman. He was also the first to be escorted out by police.
This was after Hoffman’s repeated shouting at the 85 year old Holocaust
survivor, preventing Meyer from giving his talk. The police gave him a
number of warnings. The two MPs who chaired the meeting were eventually
forced to ask for his removal.

Similarly, a bearded Zionist man repeatedly shouted at the 85 year old
Holocaust survivor. When eventually he was escorted out by police, his
conduct was most shocking. He stunned us when he made the Nazi salute and
shouted the Nazi obscenity, "sieg heil". We could only speculate on his
motives.

A couple more Zionists were eventually escorted out by police, before Dr
Meyer was able to complete his talk. There were other Zionists who also
joined in the shameful and disruptive conduct of shouting at the speaker.

They tried to silence the Holocaust survivor from speaking about his
memories and lessons from the Holocaust. Even when Dr Meyer was talking
about the extremely painful period of his life, under the anti-Semitism in
Nazi Germany and Auschwitz the shouting of obscenities at him did not
stop. Some of the shameful attacks were when Dr Meyer spoke positively about
Judaism.

I have never witnessed such contempt and disrespect to a Holocaust survivor.
It is inconceivable that such conduct would have not been labelled
anti-Semitic by the same people who were doing the attacking, had Dr Meyer
not been anti-Zionist.

It was a personal reminder of an attack on my father, who, like Dr Meyer,
grew up in Nazi Germany. My father, Michael Kahn, escaped Nazi Germany in
1937. In 1988 my father joined us at a weekly protest at Dizengoff Circle
[in Tel Aviv] against Israeli attacks on Palestinians. He was singled out by
Zionist Israelis, who told him in Hebrew: “shame the Nazis didn’t finish you
off”.

The hateful remarks and lack of compassion for the Holocaust survivor, Dr
Meyer, by the Zionists was compounded with their lack of interest in the
Holocaust itself!

Despite the obscenities shouted at Dr Meyer, by the Zionist thugs, he did
not give up delivering his talk. The 85 year old continued with his powerful
and thoughtful talk, in spite of being interrupted many times, which forced
him to stop his talk more than a dozen times. Meyer, who was a freedom
fighter against the Nazis, until he was captured and sent to Auschwitz,
demonstrated an amazing spirit. Clearly, the courage he had when joining the
resistance against the Nazis has not faded over the years, and even at 85 he
did not allow the Zionist attackers to intimidate him.

During and after the meeting Zionist thugs also singled out a Jewish Rabbi,
Jacob Weisz. They were aggressive towards the Jewish Rabbi, who was in
traditional Jewish garb and came to listen to Dr Meyer. The thugs were heard
making disrespectful comments to the Jewish Rabbi at his traditional Jewish
appearance.. . Other Jews were also attacked by Zionist thugs, including
physical threats.

Yael Kahn
- e-mail: energineer[at]gmail.com

Additions

Sheffield recording of Hajo Meyer

07.02.2010 19:52

The audio of the meeting that Hajo Meyer did in Sheffield has been posted here:

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/sheffield/2010/01/445155.html

Chris


Comments

Hide the following 26 comments

Norman Finklestein

07.02.2010 09:22

Shocking. Absolutely disgusting, but bears out what the anti-zionist jewish historian Norman Finklestein has been saying about Israeli treatment of holocaust survivors for decades now.

Is there any video of the meeting?

Sim1


disgrace

07.02.2010 09:53

I am ashamed that these zionists hide behind the suffering of others.
Always they try to accuse critics of israel of being anti-semitic,
they disrespect the memory of all who suffered in the holoocaust.
Two wrongs never make a right!
Thankyou for posting this article.

jewish israeli


Sorry but its Jewish Palestinian

07.02.2010 10:39


Actually it should be Jewish Palestinian!

ivor Had-Enough.com


Fair enough about the hecklers but

07.02.2010 13:13

if it's wrong to be a Zionist then is it wrong to be a rastafarian?

and if a Friend of Israel is automatically a Zionist then is it wrong to be a Bob Marley fan?

onlyme


Lyrics of "Haillie Sellasse, Up Your Ass" by anarcho-punk band Propagandhi

07.02.2010 13:21

To be fair, I think Bob Marley was more about getting stoned and having a good time than any deep politics, but here's a song I like that is apt for this thread, and in response to the previous comment:

"Haillie Sellasse, Up Your Ass"
by Propagandhi

You speak of Rastafari, but how can you justify belief
In a god that's left you behind?
You've simply filled the gap between the upper and lower class
And your faith merely keeps you in line.
An amalgamation of jewish scripture and christian thought.
What will that get you? Not a fuck of a lot.
Take a look at your promised land.
Your deed is that gun in your hand.
Mt. Zion's a minefield. The West Bank. The Gaza Strip.
Soon to be parking lots for American tourists and fascist cops.
Fuck zionism. Fuck militarism. Fuck americanism.
Fuck nationalism. Fuck religion.

anon


Heh, Heh. They are slow on the uptick

07.02.2010 15:47

We've been doing this to Zionist speakers for years. They are slow if they've only just caught on

Yaman


'There is nothing more anti-Semitic than Zionism' - LowKey

07.02.2010 16:02

They have proven this true by their actions!

Someone


Propagandhi Play carnival

07.02.2010 16:05

Would love to see Propagandhi play that tune live to a Rasta crowd at Notting hill carnival!

Disgraceful that the Zionists could get away with totally disrupting the meeting.

Nah Apologize!


I found that racist

07.02.2010 20:41

Does anyone else find this statement racist?

They were aggressive towards the Jewish Rabbi, who was in
traditional Jewish garb

What is traditional Jewish garb? Jeans and a T-shirt? That what I wear.


and came to listen to Dr Meyer. The thugs were heard
making disrespectful comments to the Jewish Rabbi at his traditional Jewish
appearance..


Whats a traditional Jewish appearance? Big nose? Dark curly hair? Thick glasses? Pocket protector?

I found that racist


@ I found that racist

07.02.2010 21:10

No, it's not racist. As I understand it Orthodox Jews do dress in a certain traditional way. Similarly many Muslims wear items that reflect their culture.

What is offensive is these people who were mocking him.

Anti-Racist


@ I found that racist

07.02.2010 21:22

I assumed the man he was referring to was a Hassidic Jew.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasidic_Judaism#Dress

Other sects of Judaism also have different rules regarding dress but thats probably the most recognizable.

Nope


heretical Jewish sect

08.02.2010 02:06

You do know that Rabbi Jacob Weisz is a member of Nateuri Karta, a sect so extreme and so unpopular with the Jewish community that it is considered heretical by mainstream Jewish religious authorities?

anonymous


Let's keep clear minded

08.02.2010 15:24

@onlyme - check out Darcus Howe on Devils Advocate discussing rasta fari, you'll get your answers there.
@anon - Propagandhi, I take it they're all straight edge then?, check out B. Zephenia on israel and spliffing, we wouldn't want to get into steriotypes now.
@Yaman,Someone - spot on!
@I found that racist - not really, jews aren't a race. Its a uniform some jews wish to wear. Threads,rig out,clothes,uniform,garb - does it matter. They dress like that to be different, it's up to them, if you can't stand the heat........or if your faith ain't strong enough stick to the jeans and t-shirt.
@anonymous - Have you actually listned to rabbi Weiss? Wot he says is spot on.Just coz the majority diagree with him doesn't make him wrong. He talks of real peace and his group act accordingly with no hypocracy, unlike the zionist mob. Naturai Karta haven't killed anyone, stolen any land or hid behind the events of WW2 to extract any monies or such from anyone even though many members suffered percecution.
The whole zionist/middle east thing is like a boil ready to burst, lets just hope and work towards a better and peaceful life for the indigenous peolpe and an thorough expulsion of the
zionist pus. Yuk!

tim


This holocaust survivor is a hero, heres2 a freepeaceful jewish-muslim palestine

08.02.2010 16:15

in our life time with full democracy for both. Extremism from all sides is abhorent.

james


"(traditional Jewish) garb", not "traditional (Jewish garb)"

08.02.2010 16:48

@I found that racist

Assuming I'm not being trolled here, it's obvious you are parsing the sentence incorrectly. It's like a "black taxi driver" - a person who drives a black taxi, or a black person who drives a taxi?

"traditional Jewish garb" clearly mean the garb worn by a traditional i.e. orthodox Jew. Not the garb traditionally worn by Jews in general.

Similarly "traditional Jewish appearance" obviously mean the appearance of a traditional i.e. orthodox Jew. Not the traditional appearance of Jews in general.

anon


@tim

08.02.2010 16:59

"Propagandhi, I take it they're all straight edge then?, check out B. Zephenia on israel and spliffing, we wouldn't want to get into steriotypes now."

AFAIK they aren't straight edge. Actually, I think the real point of the song is aimed at white people who buy into the rasta culture because they think it's cool and like the cannabis references, without thinking about the political undertones, thinking a former royal was a living god, supporting Zionism, etc.

I'm no expert but I think mainstream rastafarianism is homophobic too, though obviously not all rastas believe the same thing, just like any religion. Benjamin Zephaniah is certainly rasta and very "right-on" in the Indymedia sense. Rastafarianism certainly has its good points, just like any religion.

But also, it doesn't matter which religion it is, they are all factually incorrect, pretty much all have nasty sides to them, and encourage dogmatic instead of free thinking. So like the song says, "Fuck Religion"!

And lol at the idea of Propagandhi playing it to a live crowd at the Notting Hill Carnival!

anon


info on Neturei Karta

08.02.2010 17:14

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neturei_Karta

They are an orthodox Jewish group that opposes Zionism and the state of Israel for religious reasons.

Basically they think the Jews were forced into exile from Israel at various times (by the Babylonians and later the Romans) because it was God's will. And that to take back the land by force is against God's will; they should wait until God gives it back to them by divine intervention. Hopefully I summarised that correctly.

anon


No, not because ORTHODOX

08.02.2010 22:32

"As I understand it Orthodox Jews do dress in a certain traditional way"

The only way in which ORTHODOX dress is special is:
a) The men will be wearing a hat of SOME sort. Might be nothing more than a beanie.
b) The women will have their hair covered. If looks like ordinary hair, that could be a wig.
c) A "Tallit katon" will be worn --- SOME garment they are wearing will have fringes, but you might not see anything as doesn't have to be an outerd garment.
d) The men won't be clean shaven.

NOW -- there are SOME Orthodox Jews who belong to one or the other of the Hassidic sects, aka "the black hats", and THESE have the customary mode of dress you are picturing as Orthodox. That's their TRADITION, not something required by the laws of Judaism even most strictly observed. If you asked one of these "do I have to dress as you do in order to be a completely religious Jew?" they would tell you no.

BTW -- The description of Neturai Karta's position more or less correct. They consider simply going ahead and reoccupying the land as hubris (G-d hasn't given the sign). That's the only sense in which they aren't Zionist. They are NOT saying Israel doesn't belong to the Jews and that the return won't ever happen.

They are a small subsect of one of the smaller sects of Hassidism. Some of the other (and larger) Hassidic sects are Zionist in the sense the term is usually used. So not only shouldn't you say "the Orthodox aren't Zionist" (most of the "settler" movement is Orthodox) but you shouldn't even say "the Hassidim aren't Zionist".

MDN


More clarification

08.02.2010 22:53

If the Orthodox don't believe Jews should be in Israel, why are there some many orthodox Jews in Israel?

And why would people assume by looking at this person that he had one political ideology and not the other? In eitehr case, the implication is that people were judging him by his appearence, which is always wrong.

And this comment is off the wall "Shocking. Absolutely disgusting, but bears out what the anti-zionist jewish historian Norman Finklestein has been saying about Israeli treatment of holocaust survivors for decades now. "

As far as I can tell, there were no Israelis involved. All Brits.


.

Now I'm confused


I'll try to unconfuse

09.02.2010 12:50

"If the Orthodox don't believe Jews should be in Israel, why are there some many orthodox Jews in Israel?"
Who told you "Orthodox Jews don't believe Jews should be in Israel" and why did you believe them? Even if this person from Neturai Karta said something like "WE (our little subsect) are the only true Orthodox Jews" why would you beleive that? Any more than if somebody from some tiny fringe sect of Pratestantism said "WE are the only Chrisitians".

"And why would people assume by looking at this person that he had one political ideology and not the other? In eitehr case, the implication is that people were judging him by his appearence, which is always wrong."
And that was wrong in a different way too. All you could tell by his appearance was that he was a "Black Hat" (from one of the Hassidic sects). Could conclude from that he was Orthodox but not the other way around (the Hassidim are a minority of the Orthodox). Could NOT predict politics or whether Zionist or not. Even among the Hassidim some of the sects are quite Zionist. In other words, not just wrong because a wrong thing to do (judge by appearance) but FACTUALLY wrong. Except at an event like this a "Black Hat" you see on the street is much more likely to belong to a sect like Chabbad (the one that interacts* the most with outsiders).

"And this comment is off the wall "Shocking. Absolutely disgusting, but bears out what the anti-zionist jewish historian Norman Finklestein has been saying about Israeli treatment of holocaust survivors for decades now.
As far as I can tell, there were no Israelis involved. All Brits."
Nor does it bear out how British Jews treat holocaust survivors in general.

* Most of the ultra Orthodox Hassidim have little to do with the outside world and that includes Jews who are less observant (who do not observe each and every commandment). Chabbad is very different in that regard. To call them a "missionary" movement would give you the wrong idea but they are on a magical mission. They will approach non-observant Jews with a message of "won't you please try and observe ONE more commandment than you do now" (and will offer to aid you to do so). Think of the Chinese saying "A journey of a thousand li begins with a single step".

MDN


Don't believe all you read or not on Wikipedia

09.02.2010 13:48

Neturei Karta don't mind carrying placards and banners on the Sabbath, which most Orthodox Jews would say is an obvious breach of the Sabbath. It would be fair to say, therefore, that Neturei Karta are not Orthodox Jews, which incidentally, has nothing to do with whether you wear the 'traditional Jewish garb'.that would have been seen.

onlyme


Anti-Israel Thugs disrupt talk

09.02.2010 17:10

Its wrong when eitehr side does it. And if we do it to them, we have no right to complain when they do it to us. Civility has to be a two way street

Arab students heckle Oren at Irvine speech
February 9, 2010

Arab students interrupted a lecture by Israel's U.S. ambassador at a university that has been at the center of campus wars over Israel.

The hecklers interrupted Michael Oren more than 10 times Monday night during his speech at the University of California, Irvine, shouting "Israel is a murderer" and "how many Palestinians did you kill?"

Eleven students were arrested following the presentation.

Oren was removed from the stage for a period because of the outbursts, prompting a university faculty member to take the podium and admonish the crowd, calling the incident "embarrassing."

Oren returned to finish his speech but did not take questions from the audience, as was scheduled, Haaretz reported.

The university's Muslim Student Union organized the protest.

In a statement received by the Orange County Register, the union said that "We condemn and oppose the presence of Michael Oren, the ambassador of Israel to the United States, on our campus today."

"We resent that the Law School and the Political Science Department on our campus have agreed to cosponsor a public figure who represents a state that continues to break international and humanitarian law and is condemned by more UN Human Rights Council resolutions than all other countries in the world combined."

Irvine has the second largest concentration of Arabs in the United States, according to Ynet.





Anti-Israel Thugs disrupt talk


What other Jews think of the nuteuri karta

09.02.2010 17:18

Nuteuri karta
Nuteuri karta

Even the extremist Jews have reject the Nuteuri Karta- apparently they've been excommunicated by Jewish groups for participating in Holocaust denial and other affronts to Judaism. And apparently their main source of income is speaking at anti-Israel events.
Its a bizarre group- its almost a cult- actually, it is a cult

The nuteuri karta from dry bones
- Homepage: http://drybonesblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/neturei-karta-enough-already.html


Sure about that?

09.02.2010 17:57

"Neturei Karta don't mind carrying placards and banners on the Sabbath, which most Orthodox Jews would say is an obvious breach of the Sabbath."

I would find that VERY strange because AFAIK they are Orthodox (very much so).

But the Jewish laws, especially as observed by the ultra Orthodox, are very technical and there are a number of ways i might seem to you to be an obvious violation of "carrying something in a public domain" but would not be. Might technically be "clothing" (fastened to them) and might technically not be a "public domain" (there is a ceremony they can do before the Sabbath which can temporarily transform a limited area from a "public domain" to a (community shared) "private domain" inside of which carrying is permitted --- look up "eruv")

Over here setting up an "eruv" not always easy as there are technical requirements about what is allowed to serve as the boundary. But for any place that is (or was) a "walled town" establishing an "eruv" is easy.

MDN


Sad story of Kosher Confusion and the only answer

18.12.2010 21:55

When the London East End Jewish Workers Circle, which included the non jewish Anarchist Rocker, sent bread to support a Dock Strike, it was feared a bosses plot and refused until a Rabbi "in full fig" came to assure the Dockers that it was genuine wholesome Jewish bread.

Is there a precise meaning to full fig in that context?

That support grew and eventually was repaid in the battle of Cable Street many years later.

Ilyan