Loewenstein removes image
Antony Loewenstein has removed an image from his web site which had been the subject of a complaint lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commission.
On his blog yesterday, Loewenstein wrote under the title ‘How not to discuss Israel and the Middle East’ : “I recently posted an image that was inappropriate and ill-advised and was not intended to cause offense by making comparisons between Israel and Nazism.
However, it expressed the sort of extreme views that are widely shared and growing worldwide but on reflection I realise that they should be not be given further oxygen and publicity.”
The offending image showed Prime Minister Julia Gillard wearing Star od David earrings, the Australian and Israeli flags, SS stormtroopers with Stars of David on their helmets and a message to fight Islam and terorism “with our Israeli allies”.
Executive Director of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Peter Wertheim lodged the complaint. He told J-Wire: “If Loewenstein is hoping to attract Jewish people to his anti-Israel perspective he has scored a spectacular own-goal. By publishing and apparently endorsing this racist sludge he has confirmed our worst suspicions about the real agenda behind uniformly anti-Israel commentary.”
In the interest of creating a full understanding of the issue involved, the original image is available here
I can’t help wondering if Mr.Loewenstein will admit the possibility that the band-wagon of Israel haters and bashers he seems to be so exultantly leading . might also include some really genuine ant-semites and Jew haters.As a Jew he must have on occasion had to listen to a few violently anti-semitic rants.Does he not feel just a tad uncomfortable when he finds himself included amongst these Jew-haters and occasional psychopaths.Whilst I don’t dispute the possibility that some Israel haters are not classic anti-semites I find it hard to imagine that the bash- Israel movement does not attract the occasional anti-semite and other assorted crazies.I also find it hard to imagine that Mr.Loewenstein does not experience the faintest discomfort when he finds himself aligned with this lot.Perhaps he is capable of shame, but I doubt it.
There has to be some wit,intellect and depth involved in the humour and John Safran does it well along with many other diaspora jews……
sadly some fall flat on their faces
Anti-semites and Israel bashers love nothing more than a Jew who turns upon his own people.
This is nothing more than attention-grabbing by Loewenstein.
I wonder if Austen Tayshus will do as good a job on Tony Abbott as he did on Lowenstein on John Safran vs God a couple of years ago…
I’d like to know what text, if any he had put in this post originally. If he thought it was pushing irony, well, it is an own goal. But, in the interests of promoting free speech frankly, I’d prefer that he offered a more detailed explanation and /or apology and go into hibernation for a while to reconsider how he presents his case (and this is not the first time. I have caught him out on another occasion for essentialist and offensive language and condemned him).
And in the interests of getting to the bottom of it all, I’d like to know who published the original image.
If it was an attempt to support the Palestinian case and oppose various lobby groups in Australia it is a vile piece of conspiracy theory propaganda and progressives who support Palestinian rights and ending the occupation need to condemn it outright and the individual or organization which ran it or circulated it originally.
However, for Wertheim to use this as a means of confirming what he claims are ” our worst suspicions about the real agenda behind uniformly anti-Israel commentary” is way over the mark and an oversimplification of the position taken, for example by other progressive Jews and non-Jews who don’t oppose Israel, or what appears in media reports about the occupation. Nazi-like propaganda from crazies and peaceful opposition to the occupation are completely separate things.
.