Stark raving meshugge?


By Yvetta
May 2, 2010
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Professor Shlomo Sand's "The Invention of the Jewish People" is reportedly one of the quartet of books shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Literary Prize. Isn't the inclusion of this highly contentious polemical work that has obvious highly deleterious ramifications for Jews and Israel at a time when we are being assailed by more antisemitism than we have seen since the Second World War a mischievously meshugge one? I've often suspected Jewish Book Week of being slanted towards the left, incidentally, but this apparent anointing with legitimacy of Sand's propagandistic exercise (how the CiF Guardianistas, among others, will chortle if it wins!) surely takes the bagel!

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Jonathan Hoffman

2 May, 2010 - 23:18

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http://cifwatch.com/2009/11/10/shlomo-the-sandlout/

Yvetta, it is lunatic. If it looks like winning Naomi Gryn should resign as a Hudge and the Wingate Foudation should withdraw funding.

One of the Judges is signed up to IJV, I wonder if this is one of their infinitely tedious narcissistic gestures...

Jonathan Hoffman

2 May, 2010 - 23:19

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Judge not Hudge

Oh for a 'preview' screen

Jon_i_Cohen

2 May, 2010 - 23:28

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Unbelievable!!
I shall be writing to the Wingate Foundation.
The funding must be withdrawn.

Stanley Walinets

4 May, 2010 - 09:19

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"... I've often suspected Jewish Book Week of being slanted towards the left, incidentally,..."

Yvetta -- your phrase speaks as if anyone "slanted towards the left" is by definition wrong, beyond reason, automatically to be dismissed.

Would the phrase "slanted towards the right" ever occur to you? I doubt it. I think to your mind, "right" people are by definition correct in their opinions, absolutely and beyond question . Anyone who disagrees with "the right" is beneath contempt, their opinions are of no value. "Never mind facts, WE have the truth, we can do no wrong. You disagree? You must be a Lefty".

This is so much the endlessly beligerent attitude of Israel, which cannot tolerate criticism. "You disagree with Israel? You're a self-hater ! End of discussion".

Point of interest. Did you know that in pre-War Germany, any citizen who criticised the persecution of Jews was called a 'Self-hater'. Does that ring any bells for you, about people who criticise a prevailing orthodoxy?

Stanley Walinets

4 May, 2010 - 09:32

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"This is so much the endlessly belligerent attitude of Israel, which cannot tolerate criticism. "You disagree with Israel? You're a self-hater ! End of discussion".

Mr Hoffman -- for once I agree with you, in your cry "Oh for a 'preview' screen" !

If there'd been one, instead of my word 'Israel' above, I think I'd have substituted 'Zionism'. For indeed, many Israelis are not happy with their "slanted towards the right" Government...
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Abtalyon

4 May, 2010 - 11:01

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I think Sand's book is worthy of inclusion in the shortlist but only in the Fiction category.

Yvetta

4 May, 2010 - 11:17

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Stanley, I think Jewish Book Week is not balanced enough - I don't object to leftist material so long as rightwing material isn't deliberately eclipsed. I have no evidence that it is; just an impression ...

Akiva

4 May, 2010 - 11:36

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Stanley, you may be right about that self-hater thing, I have my doubts you are even Jewish.

Kevin Brook

5 May, 2010 - 03:10

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My book "The Jews of Khazaria" is a better alternative to Sand's polemic. Favourably reviewed in Jewish Quarterly by Mark Glanville, "The Jews of Khazaria" examines many of the same issues about Jewish ancestry as Sand but comes to different conclusions.

Stanley Walinets

5 May, 2010 - 11:15

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"Stanley, you may be right about that self-hater thing, I have my doubts you are even Jewish."

Akiva -- presumably you doubt I'm Jewish because I disagree with you?

Do you really want the society you belong to be one which does not tolerate any opinion but your own?

Is that your picture of the ideal society?

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