Bomb A Ghetto, Raise A Cheer -- The Video

On January 11, an estimated 10,000 people rallied in front of the Israeli consulate in midtown New York in support of Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip. The rally, which was organized by UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York in cooperation with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, featured speeches by New York's most senior lawmakers. While the crowd was riled to righteous anger by speeches about Hamas evildoers, the event was a festive affair that began and ended with singing and joyous dancing.

Sen. Chuck Schumer highlighted Israel's supposed humanitarian methods of warfare by pointing to its text messaging of certain Gaza Strip residents urging them to vacate their homes before Israeli forces bombed them. "What other country would do that?" Schumer shouted from the podium. Gov. David Paterson appeared on stage wearing one of the red hats distributed to demonstrators as symbols of the red alerts some residents of Israel endure when Palestinian groups fire rockets their way. Paterson cited the many Qasam rockets that have fallen on Israel as a justification for the country's operations in Gaza, a military assault that has resulted in over 800 casualties and thousands of injuries.

Then Paterson highlighted the anti-Semitism that has followed in the wake of Israel's attack on Gaza, highlighting the beating of a teen-age girl in France. "This kind of anger and hatred spreads like a disease," Paterson said, "and one thing I've always pointed out is there's no place for hate in the Empire State."

But hatred was plentiful at the rally Paterson addressed. Right in front of the stage, a man held a banner reading, "Islam Is A Death Cult." Rally attendees described the people of Gaza to me as a "cancer," called for Israel to "wipe them all out," insisting, "They are forcing us to kill their children in order to defend our own children." A young woman told me, "Those who die are suffering God's wrath." "They are not distinguishing between civilians and military, so why should we?" said a member of the group of messianic Orthodox Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch group that flocked to the rally.

No one I spoke to could seem to find any circumstance in which they would begin to question Israel's war. No number of civilian deaths, no displays of human suffering -- nothing could deter their enthusiasm for attacking one of the most vulnerable populations in the world with the world's most advanced weaponry. There are no limits, no matter what Israel does, no matter how it does it.

The rally reminded me of a passage from "The Holocaust Is Over, We Must Rise From Its Ashes," a powerful new book by former Israeli Knesset speaker and ex-Jewish National Fund chairman Avraham Burg:

"If you are a bad person, a whining enemy or a strong-arm occupier, you are not my brother, even if you are circumcised, observe the Sabbath, and do mitzvahs. If your scarf covers every hair on your head for modesty, you give alms and do charity, but what is under your scarf is dedicated to the sanctity of Jewish land, taking precedence over the sanctity of human life, whosever life that is, then your are not my sister. You might be my enemy. A good Arab or a righteous gentile will be a brother or sister to me. A wicked man, even of Jewish descent, is my adversary, and I would stand on the other side of the barricade and fight him to the end."

Comments

[AmeriGus]

I just think it's great Max is representing a voice of Jewish Americans who are against pretty much any unnecessary aggression anywhere. Jon Stewart capped it up nicely by framing the Gaza incursion as a nasty "last licks", given one last pass during the dwindling days of Bush/Cheney's cowboy adventures.

We see a changing of the guard here in Lieberman country, where 42,000 J Street petitioners asked ol' Joe not to go to Rev. Hagee's "bash Iran" bash, but he went anyway to pal around with the sleaziest of the defense contractor set, saying he prefers Hagee. He then tied the Gazan rocket attackers to the Tehran-backed insurgents killing our boys in Iraq - but he left any evidence proving this behind.

Max should keep up the good work, reporting the reasoning of the hawks and exposing the Israeli mobilization as another election-season stunt and a nice ch-ching for privatized arms manufacturers. With persistence, we can cleanse the U.S. Congress of pro-war Democrats.

[jeanrenoir]

Whom the gods (or God) would destroy, they first make mad. And arrogance is always the form the blinding madness takes. Lieberman, AIPAC, Likud Israel, and the crazy Jews Max blasts in this piece are all simply politically self-destructive. The idea that the American public, in the age of the Net, can be endlessly conned by the Hagees and Liebermans of the world into helping Israel brutalize the Palestinians is literally insane, literally Madoffesque. Thank God for all the Jews of goodwill, like Max, in America and Israel who stand with all people of good will against the insane injustices of Likud Israel and their American neocon henchmen in both parties. Obama won, so can justice in the Middle East.

[paulcanning]

Really, really, really ... AlJajerra English has the best coverage

http://uk.youtube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish

[paulcanning]

"You cannot look at endless (18 minutes) pictures of dead children and not be affected - and not be politically affected. I'm sure - I know - there are some diehards out there but I sincerely doubt they're actually seeing these pictures."

These are those 'diehards'.

I have posted the video of dead children here:
http://paulcanning.blogspot.com/2009/01/hamas-hits-web.html

[Parducci]

Any thoughts on the Hamas supporters' chant of "Jews to the Ovens"?

[ab73]

Probably the same thoughts I have about the Hebron settlers who graffiti "Arabs to the gas chambers" on the walls of Palestinian houses.

[chaos4700]

Thank you for sharing this. It's almost stupefying how diametrically opposite the pro-occupation rallies are to the anti-occupation ones in tone and compassion. I've participated in two of the latter and isn't a single word of anti-Semitism -- just calls for Israel to stop killing innocents and start adhering to international law.

[BEHM777]

I've said it before--I completely understand protecting Israeli citizens. What I do not understand is the massive Devvil-may-care response of the Israeli government in regards to their prosocution of this operation. The last number of dead Palestinians I heard was 940, MOST OF THEM CIVILIANS.

Hamas SHOULD HAVE NEVER lobbed one single rocket into southern Israel--only an idiot would disagree. Still, Israel's response, while predictible and even expected to a certain degree, is WAY overboard. Hamas needs to suffer the consequences of its actions, no doubt. My concern is with the truly innocent. You know, the victims of collateral damage.

[BEHM777]

That should be "Devil-may-care" and "prosecuti­on"--sorry­. Blame it on the lack of caffiene. I do!

[RationalRadioJack]

I can only imagine the amount of curt and vicious emails you will recieve over this excellent article.

[Johnz52]

At least there's an opposing viewpoint from mainstream media.

[hallelujahanyway]

Bravo, Mr. Blumenthal. When humanity trumps national and/or religious interest, we might all thrive.

Have appreciated your courage and wit through many of your harrowing (tragicomic) interviews. Thank you for continuing to shine a light on the blinkered scourge of fundamentalism, wherever it lives. Peace.

[johnnycmlately]

These folks are some over zealous zionist and don't have anything to do with real "Jewishnes­s." They hide their hideous acts behind the notion of being Jews when in fact that's just a smoke screen to cover their real agenda of total genocide of a people. It's sad to watch the attitudes of the idiots in that clip. When i watched it i wondered how can anybody have any sympathy for what the Eastern Europeans, calling themselves Jews, have gone through when they turn around and do the same thing to another people. they have learned nothing form their past. They say "never again" but look at what they do. I have no sympathy anymore for what they've gone through. Sad, very sad.

[yappnmutt]

a bit ironic that the one side advocates for harming their "opponents" while the other side characterized by the media and public relations as the party wanting to harm, indeed end, their opponents existence only wants the harm to end. no one seems to know that since their protests haven't been able to attract fawning politicians or big media.

[Pearlswan]

The cycle is complete--the oppressed people have become the oppressors of another group of people. When the children of Gaza grow up, if they grow up, they will seek to become oppressors too. In their stressed and oppressed minds, it is likely to be seen as their only way out of the oppression they experience daily. This is how the cycle works. If we want peace, we must end this cycle between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

How to end the cycle? Education. Food. Health care. Jobs. Put the money toward these human services rather than bombs and bullets. There are many compassionate and wise Israeli's but they are obviously not in charge of their own government. We had the same problem in the US while we endured the Bush government. Israeli's must take a page from our book and vote for a compassionate and wise leadership to guide their nation toward peace and justice. The only way out is through.

If you want to know another person, look inside your own heart. Discover your own compassion. It is the only way. Both sides need to see each other as they see themselves. Forget the adults. Look to the children. That is where compassion is born.

[cherry33]

WERE THE GAZANS ABLE TO LEAVE AFTER THEY GOT THE FLYERS?

[Jelperman]

I call BS in the text message story. Such a scheme would be useless even if Israel did it. The people getting the calls would almost certainly warn others, giving them a chance to get out, too. Even if they didn't, surely the "terrorists" would notice their neighbors fleeing the building and do likewise.

[chaos4700]

Also? Would kind of suck for those who can't afford to have a phone or an internet connection.

[amirs180]

This is very good reporting but my issue is with the Burg quote. It is implying that Israel's attacks in Gaza are motivated by a desire to preserve the sanctity of Jewish land. By the definition of sanctity, it seems to me that Israel is here and the purpose of Israel is a homeland for the sanctity of Jewish lives and to prevent Jewish existence from being wiped out. I'll listen to the argument that there is no military solution to preserving the sanctity of Israelis lives and that perhaps this military operation even if it is in the name defending your own citizens will not work. And in the process innocent Palestinian civilians will die in the crossfires. But I find it hard to understand the thought process that give the motive of this Israeli operation a religious basis as far as the sanctity of the land goes. Thank you for sharing your opinions Max.

[angler]

I believe in the concept of universal justice. Whenever someone or some entity commits a big enough crime, it comes back on them in ways unimagined at the time. This has been recognized throughout human history and has given rise to expressions such as "Whatever a man shall soweth, that shall he also reap" . "What goes around, comes around". I think he Israelis should take this concept into consideration as they continue their atrocities in Gaza.