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Sunday, January 16, 2011

Hannah Rosenthal and US efforts to combat anti-Semitism

Jennifer Rubin does a very thorough interview with Hannah Rosenthal, the State Department's special envoy to combat anti-Semitism. I had the sense that Jennifer was biting her tongue throughout this interview to avoid nasty comments. But here is the bottom line:
One can't help but wonder if she wouldn't be more valuable back in her advocacy role. Certainly, she'd be demanding results and decrying equivalence between Islamaphobia and anti-Semitism. I was struck by her passion, her energy and her travel schedule (rivaling George Mitchell in frequent flyer miles). And still, it seems the White House isn't terribly engaged on the issue. For if the president is not raising the issue with leaders, not giving speeches in the countries where problem exists, and not employing tangible carrots and sticks to impact the conduct of governments, the U.S. really has no effective policy to combat anti-Semitism.
Read the whole thing.

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2 Comments:

At 12:16 AM, Blogger biorabbi said...

I view anti-semitism as a neuropathology, a disease. Mentally weak people, or put down people must attach themselves to racism towards the other. The eternal 'other' is, of course, the Jew. Now a religious Jew or Christian might describe it as evil, and of course it is. So, a rationale that defines anti-semitism in religious and secular components would be 'an ancient, evil neuropathology.'

I view her office as a joke. Thank god the US is very philo-semitic, but, even it were not, how could an office or a person sitting in an office fight what's in one heart. Now, I do have respect for the ADL and what Abe Foxman does against anti-semitism, but the best one can do is to shine a bright light on anti-semites. 'You hate Jews or your a racist well smile for the camera." This was done with the disgraceful Helen Thomas with success.

In short, a person has every right to be a Jew hater or a racist. But that jerk has every right to be photographed and shamed forever. Freedom of speech works in both ways.

But this Hannah Rosenthal appears wedded to a far-left agenda. That's fine with me, but she has no experience or expertise in the subject. He should have nominated somebody like Eli Weisel or somebody of that ilk who is above petty politics or ideology. Abe Foxman, for all the criticism against him, manages to piss off the left and the right at different times on a wide variety of issues but he is not wedded to a secular political agenda on the right or left. She, Rosenthal, should focus on anti-semitism since that's her job title and let somebody else focus on Darfur(another worthy cause), treatment of Christians abroad or in arab lands and the like.

It would appear to this observer there is enough 'business' in the anti-semitic universe to keep her busy.

 
At 12:37 AM, Blogger Daniel said...

She married a goy and thus has forfeited any any ability to be an authority of anything Jewish

 

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