Decades of activism—including vocal support for a Palestinian state—apparently don’t matter to my academic colleagues, who have cut me off for being a Zionist BY PHILIP BERGER
I'll just say, whilst it is desirable for there to be peace in the area, until Islam changes to accept other religions and identities, nothing will change.
You can't make peace with people who want to kill you.
If this has been going on for at least twenty years, don’t you think it’s time to get over the ungrateful Commies? This attachment of Jewish intellectuals to a movement which has proven lethal to Jews is absurd. The Commies evicted and stole the property of the Jews of Harbin, a city founded by Russian Jews. The Soviets seduced the Jews with promises of freedom from the pogroms of the tsars only to humiliate and murder Jews who helped the state. The Left wants power and deconstruction of alternate power structures in their way. They are as ruthless as any fascist regime. How about less revolution and more civil society? The attachment to people who hate you is suicidal.
I wonder how many times we should be slapped into our faces before we say, "This time, I am not running away. I am going to stay and fight. I will loudly proclaim my Jewishness and my Zionism, both of which are inseparable from each other, and from my progressive value." I don't know though what exactly this progressive value means, Without specifics, it rings hollow to me.
Your pro Palestinian stance and your activism are of zero relevance. We must remember that as you stood in front of an open pit, about to be mowed down by Einsatzgruppen machine guns, no member of the death squad cared whether you were rich, poor, progressive, regressive, left wing, right wing, religious or an atheist, a resistor or even a supporter of the Nazis. They only saw one thing before them and one task. To kill the row of naked Jews and prepare to kill the next one.
And also, the idea (most likely dead by now) of the two state solution was an idea(l) of coexistence not the rejection of Jewish sovereignty. It might have been naive to believe in it but it was the only hope (for many) to stop the violence. I am NOT an Israeli to argue for or against it but I understand this desire.
Agreed! Sadly, very few of us understood the true nature and goals of the enemy (the exception being Menachem Begin) Rabin, Peres and Ben Gurion before them - the vast Israeli Labor movement - were all laboring under the tragic misapprehension that the Arabs (the Palestinians of today) **want** peace as much as we did. It's taken two generations to finally realize that you cannot have two countries because your "partner in peace" has NO desire to share the land. It's all of nothing for them. Consequently, as long as Israel is able to defend itself - they get nothing. You simply cannot negotiate from an "I want it all" position. Am Israel Chai 🇮🇱
This piece was by Dr. Philip Berger, an Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto. Mine were only limited comments. I do, however, have immense sympathy for anyone with this experience.
In my own situation, I feel very alienated, and observing SJP's actions right in front of the room I was teaching was distressing, to say the least. Also, seeing many of the faculty that I know (and used to respect) supporting encampments was sad, frustrating, and frightening. I am "slowly" preparing myself to give up teaching despite giving it all my time and love. I am learning to "find another love," and I know it will not be easy. But, I want to make sure that you do not give ME any credit that goes to Philip Berger. Thank you for your comments. Ilana
I’m truly shocked by the antisemitic experiences you describe and that you and your family went through. Your Uncle Jack’s story is especially poignant to me. I hope it could all go away by just hugging you now, but we both know reality doesn’t work that way. Your testimony is also very relevant because it shows again the nothingness of the Left. It’s also perhaps a call to evaluate the validity of some of our stances.
I'm sorry for what you are going through and respect you for your integrity. I too am from Winnipeg, my wife is a neurologist here, and I am a professor/lectuer who has been excommunicated and will likely be fired for hurting the feelings of the Vice Provost and her radical anti-semitic friend and professor. If hasn't been a lot of fun. They are not content to repeat what I actually said, meant and still endorse, but have introduced "Terminate Him Now!" petitions, (tens of thousands have seen them) plus outright lies accusing me of criminal actions. All because I accused a Pakistani ("academic" ) who was calling for the extermination of Israel of standing with Hamas (Nazis) and for saying I stood with Israel. My loast eight months have been hellish, PTSD, banishment, massive amounts of defamation . . crazy times. I'm supposed to shut up and not discuss it because they say so, I'm not good at keeping quiet in the face of injustice, and don't like being bullied. All the best to you sir, our stories have some similarities, I am a Zionist, but not Jewish but am still damned because I dare criticize Hamas (in a Human Rights Complaint signed by the Vice Provost and an unrepentant anti semitic prof who has been able to get a free ride on the his hundreds of anti-semitic posts. Welcome to the U of Guelph. https://www.freedomtoffend.com/p/copy-life-story-part-1-i-am-being?lli=1
We all know what happened to Jewish Nazi collaborators. Most of them were killed but some, like Soros, are still working hard to destroy the Western civilization.
The author of this article is a collaborator. He collaborated all his life with so called progressive activists. Modern Canadian progressives have the same agenda as Nazis did in 1930-ies. Their aim is to destroy the only Jewish state that exists.
Palestinians were just Arabs, fedayans, before KGB collaborated with Arafat and the Western progressives to create a palestinian cause.
I'll just say, whilst it is desirable for there to be peace in the area, until Islam changes to accept other religions and identities, nothing will change.
You can't make peace with people who want to kill you.
If this has been going on for at least twenty years, don’t you think it’s time to get over the ungrateful Commies? This attachment of Jewish intellectuals to a movement which has proven lethal to Jews is absurd. The Commies evicted and stole the property of the Jews of Harbin, a city founded by Russian Jews. The Soviets seduced the Jews with promises of freedom from the pogroms of the tsars only to humiliate and murder Jews who helped the state. The Left wants power and deconstruction of alternate power structures in their way. They are as ruthless as any fascist regime. How about less revolution and more civil society? The attachment to people who hate you is suicidal.
Am Yisrael Chai.
I wonder how many times we should be slapped into our faces before we say, "This time, I am not running away. I am going to stay and fight. I will loudly proclaim my Jewishness and my Zionism, both of which are inseparable from each other, and from my progressive value." I don't know though what exactly this progressive value means, Without specifics, it rings hollow to me.
The problem possibly is the lefts pro Palestinian and anti Israel stance, they can’t seem to hold both realities in their hands.
Your pro Palestinian stance and your activism are of zero relevance. We must remember that as you stood in front of an open pit, about to be mowed down by Einsatzgruppen machine guns, no member of the death squad cared whether you were rich, poor, progressive, regressive, left wing, right wing, religious or an atheist, a resistor or even a supporter of the Nazis. They only saw one thing before them and one task. To kill the row of naked Jews and prepare to kill the next one.
Who is “you”? The author of this piece?
And also, the idea (most likely dead by now) of the two state solution was an idea(l) of coexistence not the rejection of Jewish sovereignty. It might have been naive to believe in it but it was the only hope (for many) to stop the violence. I am NOT an Israeli to argue for or against it but I understand this desire.
Agreed! Sadly, very few of us understood the true nature and goals of the enemy (the exception being Menachem Begin) Rabin, Peres and Ben Gurion before them - the vast Israeli Labor movement - were all laboring under the tragic misapprehension that the Arabs (the Palestinians of today) **want** peace as much as we did. It's taken two generations to finally realize that you cannot have two countries because your "partner in peace" has NO desire to share the land. It's all of nothing for them. Consequently, as long as Israel is able to defend itself - they get nothing. You simply cannot negotiate from an "I want it all" position. Am Israel Chai 🇮🇱
Addressed to the author of "I Have Been Excommunicated"
This piece was by Dr. Philip Berger, an Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto. Mine were only limited comments. I do, however, have immense sympathy for anyone with this experience.
In my own situation, I feel very alienated, and observing SJP's actions right in front of the room I was teaching was distressing, to say the least. Also, seeing many of the faculty that I know (and used to respect) supporting encampments was sad, frustrating, and frightening. I am "slowly" preparing myself to give up teaching despite giving it all my time and love. I am learning to "find another love," and I know it will not be easy. But, I want to make sure that you do not give ME any credit that goes to Philip Berger. Thank you for your comments. Ilana
Soros is a mystery to me.
I’m truly shocked by the antisemitic experiences you describe and that you and your family went through. Your Uncle Jack’s story is especially poignant to me. I hope it could all go away by just hugging you now, but we both know reality doesn’t work that way. Your testimony is also very relevant because it shows again the nothingness of the Left. It’s also perhaps a call to evaluate the validity of some of our stances.
This is experience of Philip Berger.
I'm sorry that happened to you. But what a thought provoking well articulated piece.
As I mentioned before, it happen to Philip.
Ilana
Sorry it happened to him then.
I'm sorry for what you are going through and respect you for your integrity. I too am from Winnipeg, my wife is a neurologist here, and I am a professor/lectuer who has been excommunicated and will likely be fired for hurting the feelings of the Vice Provost and her radical anti-semitic friend and professor. If hasn't been a lot of fun. They are not content to repeat what I actually said, meant and still endorse, but have introduced "Terminate Him Now!" petitions, (tens of thousands have seen them) plus outright lies accusing me of criminal actions. All because I accused a Pakistani ("academic" ) who was calling for the extermination of Israel of standing with Hamas (Nazis) and for saying I stood with Israel. My loast eight months have been hellish, PTSD, banishment, massive amounts of defamation . . crazy times. I'm supposed to shut up and not discuss it because they say so, I'm not good at keeping quiet in the face of injustice, and don't like being bullied. All the best to you sir, our stories have some similarities, I am a Zionist, but not Jewish but am still damned because I dare criticize Hamas (in a Human Rights Complaint signed by the Vice Provost and an unrepentant anti semitic prof who has been able to get a free ride on the his hundreds of anti-semitic posts. Welcome to the U of Guelph. https://www.freedomtoffend.com/p/copy-life-story-part-1-i-am-being?lli=1
We all know what happened to Jewish Nazi collaborators. Most of them were killed but some, like Soros, are still working hard to destroy the Western civilization.
The author of this article is a collaborator. He collaborated all his life with so called progressive activists. Modern Canadian progressives have the same agenda as Nazis did in 1930-ies. Their aim is to destroy the only Jewish state that exists.
Palestinians were just Arabs, fedayans, before KGB collaborated with Arafat and the Western progressives to create a palestinian cause.
what does it mean? reference to?
I see...we focus on equality and fairness that somehow exclude us.