Mr Berkman does not and cannot speak for "Judaism" or for Jewish History.
Teaching at Oberlin has become a mark of total radical and often irrational off the wall partisanship in this last generation, and the scholarship of University professors at large has also degenerated, especially those who profess Anti-US and Anti-Israel political adherence. Berkman is admitted activist with an agenda, and that is inimical to reliable and sound scholarship
The fact that Berkman has married another Jew proves nothing.
Did the 50,000 German Jews who under special Nazi dispensation from Hitler, serve in the Nazi army as soldiers have some sort of imprimature to represent Judaism??
Jewish Voice for Peace, is not even a Jewish Organization, being composed of supposed Jews, Atheists, Christians, Muslims Communists, and are united by their attack on the very existence of Israel. The titles that Political Groups call themselves means nothing, just as The last Federal "Anti-Inflation Bill" was not about inflation, Antifa is not about Liberty, etc, etc.
Judaism is an anarchy. There are Jews to be found around the world who claim that they alone speak for Judaism can decide on the existence or not of Israel.
Some of them make the most outrageous claims, but they don't represent Judaism, any more than American Neo-Nazi's represent The United States.
Mr Berkman represents only himself, and his anti-Israel and Anti-American partisanship disqualifies him from teaching anything about Jews, Israel, or the US. There are too many "activist" charlatans with politcial agendas teaching in our Universities in the 21st century.
The fantasy the author here buys into that Jews cannot possibly be anti-semites, when thre have historically been Jews who attack the very substance of other Jews and Judaism. Resistence to the journey to the promised and land was already displayed by the Jews of Egypt who turned back to return to Egypt, rebelling against Moses.
George Soros, comes prominently to mind, Finkelstein, Shahak et al, whole careers are based on their anti-Semitism.
They are found in any Jewish division,"Reform Judaism and some Hasidic Movements have had sections that were virulently anti-Zionist, even for the last 2 hundred years, but for completely different reasons. And yet Today some of those movements are totally wedded in support of Zionism and Israel.
Judaism and Jews and Israel are not a monolithic unity. Judaism is actually an anarchy, and to me, "Professor" Berkman is part of a nihilist movement of some flying under the banner of "Jews".
I disagree that professors should be free to teach whatever they like. Like all institutions, schools are the standard bearers and must uphold those standards. Otherwise, a degree from university X means nothing, if the school has no standards for what can be taught. Imagine a hospital where doctors are allowed to practice medicine however they like. OK what about academic freedom? That should NOT be used as an excuse for bad education (though it frequently is)
So who should decide what schools can teach? You? These types of comments are exactly what the people you're supposedly opposing say to justify the bigotry and hate they spew, which makes you about as bad as they are.
Wrong, not me. I have never argued that anyone should listen to me about anything. What I said is that the SCHOOL must decide what values it stands for, and take responsibility for it. It is a total cop-out for a school to take no responsibility for what they are teaching. If your school wants to teach DEI, or Critical Race Theory, or whatever, be honest and admit that these are what your school stands for, and face the consequences.
Why should anyone care about death threats against a supporter of terrorism?
A token Jew who rallies for the destruction of Israel is an antisemite, and isn’t qualified to teach a class about antisemitism. Progressive Jews are useful idiots of antizionist Jews like Berkman, who are fully aligned with Hamas and its goal of a genocide and ethnic cleansing for 7.7 million Jews.
Because many others categorize *us* as ‘terrorists’ simply for supporting Israel and if we validate the notion that it’s ok to target people in this way, we are also validating those who target us under that rubric.
Honestly, I am so disappointed when someone I agree with on so much goes over the line since it only serves to discredit everything else they’ve said to anyone I might use that material to try to persuade
In 16 months I have run out of empathy for the genocide loving Palestinians and their supporters. I don’t have anything in the tank for them, when I read the news daily of their horrific sadism, and when during Hezbollah’s one year chest beating Islamist campaign I had to check on the safety of my mom, sister, nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins twice a day. Sorry, nobody had empathy for Nazis, Germans during WW2 and Nazi sympathizers and I have zero for professional pro Hamas grifters. I’d rather they die slowly or cancer, but I couldn’t care less about death threats to those who wish terrorism and Holocaust level treatment of abducted Israelis on Jews. Fuck them.
Today, lives being "threatened" on the Internet is more common than human poop on the streets of San Francisco. Changing sides because some anonymous person has made another of the millions of threats on the Internet, is an intellectually defective stance.
Oberlin is a very liberal school and I have been told is very anti-zionist in general. ( to the point of being told years ago not to send my kids there because my kids would be ostracized if they supported Israel). It sounds like he’s was trying to thread the needle of being Jewish and still being anti zionist. The internet doesn’t get nuance. The death threats were probably just a result of the internet knee jerk reaction to being Jewish and having a strong opinion about Israel.
I don’t know the professor or his opinions, but I take exception to the idea that being married to a Jew, with or without Mikveh, and writing about it would somehow be relevant to whether or not that person is Antisemitic. Just as we not suggest that people married to women (with or without writing about it) cannot be considered male-chauvinist or misogynistic. Jews can be antisemitics, so definitely people married to them, or associated with them in any other way, can.
Mr Berkman does not and cannot speak for "Judaism" or for Jewish History.
Teaching at Oberlin has become a mark of total radical and often irrational off the wall partisanship in this last generation, and the scholarship of University professors at large has also degenerated, especially those who profess Anti-US and Anti-Israel political adherence. Berkman is admitted activist with an agenda, and that is inimical to reliable and sound scholarship
The fact that Berkman has married another Jew proves nothing.
Did the 50,000 German Jews who under special Nazi dispensation from Hitler, serve in the Nazi army as soldiers have some sort of imprimature to represent Judaism??
Jewish Voice for Peace, is not even a Jewish Organization, being composed of supposed Jews, Atheists, Christians, Muslims Communists, and are united by their attack on the very existence of Israel. The titles that Political Groups call themselves means nothing, just as The last Federal "Anti-Inflation Bill" was not about inflation, Antifa is not about Liberty, etc, etc.
Judaism is an anarchy. There are Jews to be found around the world who claim that they alone speak for Judaism can decide on the existence or not of Israel.
Some of them make the most outrageous claims, but they don't represent Judaism, any more than American Neo-Nazi's represent The United States.
Mr Berkman represents only himself, and his anti-Israel and Anti-American partisanship disqualifies him from teaching anything about Jews, Israel, or the US. There are too many "activist" charlatans with politcial agendas teaching in our Universities in the 21st century.
The fantasy the author here buys into that Jews cannot possibly be anti-semites, when thre have historically been Jews who attack the very substance of other Jews and Judaism. Resistence to the journey to the promised and land was already displayed by the Jews of Egypt who turned back to return to Egypt, rebelling against Moses.
George Soros, comes prominently to mind, Finkelstein, Shahak et al, whole careers are based on their anti-Semitism.
They are found in any Jewish division,"Reform Judaism and some Hasidic Movements have had sections that were virulently anti-Zionist, even for the last 2 hundred years, but for completely different reasons. And yet Today some of those movements are totally wedded in support of Zionism and Israel.
Judaism and Jews and Israel are not a monolithic unity. Judaism is actually an anarchy, and to me, "Professor" Berkman is part of a nihilist movement of some flying under the banner of "Jews".
You speak the truth
wish I could yank my grandfather's endowment to this college!
Thanks, again, Your articles are always worth reading.
Thank you!
I disagree that professors should be free to teach whatever they like. Like all institutions, schools are the standard bearers and must uphold those standards. Otherwise, a degree from university X means nothing, if the school has no standards for what can be taught. Imagine a hospital where doctors are allowed to practice medicine however they like. OK what about academic freedom? That should NOT be used as an excuse for bad education (though it frequently is)
So who should decide what schools can teach? You? These types of comments are exactly what the people you're supposedly opposing say to justify the bigotry and hate they spew, which makes you about as bad as they are.
Wrong, not me. I have never argued that anyone should listen to me about anything. What I said is that the SCHOOL must decide what values it stands for, and take responsibility for it. It is a total cop-out for a school to take no responsibility for what they are teaching. If your school wants to teach DEI, or Critical Race Theory, or whatever, be honest and admit that these are what your school stands for, and face the consequences.
Why should anyone care about death threats against a supporter of terrorism?
A token Jew who rallies for the destruction of Israel is an antisemite, and isn’t qualified to teach a class about antisemitism. Progressive Jews are useful idiots of antizionist Jews like Berkman, who are fully aligned with Hamas and its goal of a genocide and ethnic cleansing for 7.7 million Jews.
Because many others categorize *us* as ‘terrorists’ simply for supporting Israel and if we validate the notion that it’s ok to target people in this way, we are also validating those who target us under that rubric.
Honestly, I am so disappointed when someone I agree with on so much goes over the line since it only serves to discredit everything else they’ve said to anyone I might use that material to try to persuade
In 16 months I have run out of empathy for the genocide loving Palestinians and their supporters. I don’t have anything in the tank for them, when I read the news daily of their horrific sadism, and when during Hezbollah’s one year chest beating Islamist campaign I had to check on the safety of my mom, sister, nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins twice a day. Sorry, nobody had empathy for Nazis, Germans during WW2 and Nazi sympathizers and I have zero for professional pro Hamas grifters. I’d rather they die slowly or cancer, but I couldn’t care less about death threats to those who wish terrorism and Holocaust level treatment of abducted Israelis on Jews. Fuck them.
Can’t say I don’t agree with you for the most part
Today, lives being "threatened" on the Internet is more common than human poop on the streets of San Francisco. Changing sides because some anonymous person has made another of the millions of threats on the Internet, is an intellectually defective stance.
Oberlin is a very liberal school and I have been told is very anti-zionist in general. ( to the point of being told years ago not to send my kids there because my kids would be ostracized if they supported Israel). It sounds like he’s was trying to thread the needle of being Jewish and still being anti zionist. The internet doesn’t get nuance. The death threats were probably just a result of the internet knee jerk reaction to being Jewish and having a strong opinion about Israel.
Bds is not nuanced when it comes to Israel!
This is institutionalized Jew Hatred. There can be no sympathy for him. Leo Terrell has to show up and investigate him. Or Oberlin has to fire his ass
I thought this was satire at first.
I don’t know the professor or his opinions, but I take exception to the idea that being married to a Jew, with or without Mikveh, and writing about it would somehow be relevant to whether or not that person is Antisemitic. Just as we not suggest that people married to women (with or without writing about it) cannot be considered male-chauvinist or misogynistic. Jews can be antisemitics, so definitely people married to them, or associated with them in any other way, can.