Wow, talk about spectacularly missing the point. Having attended a previous GRALTA event with an open mind and hearing the speaker trivialize the Holocaust — am I now being told to go back for a second helping? No thank you.
If anyone wants to host a constructive lecture about any contentious topic, I’ll bring the popcorn. But I don’t see how an avowedly anti-Zionist event contributes to the “edification and education” of Lincolnites. Who is booked at Bemis for the following week?… Nick Fuentes? When women protest society’s indifference to assault, we support them. No one doubts why Black Americans tense up around the police, and agonize over when to give their kids “the talk.” We proudly march for the rights of our LGBTQ+ loved ones. When Asians are being randomly attacked after our idiot president refers to covid as the “kung flu," we lock arms and stand vigilant. And when Muslims get unfairly profiled after 9/11, we loudly demand change. So when Jews in your community tell you that the neocolonialist-fascist-genocidal rhetoric sounds uncomfortably close to incitement? Pay attention. We’re not being sensitive. We’re not being alarmist. And we’re not hypochondriacs. (Okay we might be hypochondriacs but that’s not the point.) No one is trying to silence criticism of Israeli actions and policies. But there is a clear difference between addressing vital political issues, and engaging in inflammatory rhetoric. Railing against Zionism falls into the latter category. Instead of recommending I bring an open mind to yet another Low Production, join me in urging others to skip it. Jonathan > On Dec 4, 2024, at 7:37 PM, Sara Mattes <samat...@gmail.com> wrote: > > All, > As I have said in the past, Bemis Hall is available to ALL. > It was built to provide a venue to host lectures for the education and > edification of the citizens of Lincoln, in addition to offer a venue for > entertainment and dance. > > The scheduler is not a gatekeeper, only a scheduler. > Any applicant who meets the conditions of the Hall for its rental are able to > use it. > I have posted the town website multiple times to make clear who, how and when > it can be used/rented. > Town/municipal organizations (official town bodies) have free use. > Others play a deposit and a fee. > > Please educate yourselves, regarding Bemis Hall : > https://www.lincolntown.org/facilities/facility/details/Bemis-Hall-3 > > Again, I am confident that Lincoln can parse out what is being presented, as > you have done regarding a presentation you attended. > Perhaps others would have interpreted the presentation in another way. > > I do have some special sensitivity to many of these issues. > > I am in a family of Holocaust survivors. > > I find it offensive to anyone suggest that anyone holds anger at the current > Jewish state, accountable for horrific acts against innocent Palestinians, > is antisemitic. > > As to divisiveness-we are often divided over politics-witness our last Town > Meeting. > > We can rise to the challenge-listen to speakers and (attempt to) have civil > discussion. > > . > > > > > >> On Dec 4, 2024, at 5:29 PM, Jonathan Rapaport <mistasna...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Sara, it was with an open mind that I attended one of Stephen and Barbara >> Low’s GRALTA events at the library some years ago. The speaker was a college >> professor and member of Jewish Voice for Peace, which is a big player in the >> anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement (BDS). (It’s hard to >> understand how peace will be achieved through an international ban on >> Israeli academics, artists, athletes, and hummus. But that’s a separate >> topic.) >> >> The speaker gave a grossly misleading account of Israel’s modern history, as >> is consistent with someone wanting to delegitimize the Jewish state. Then >> she made a joke about the Holocaust. It is to my everlasting shame that I >> didn’t speak up in the moment. >> >> Discussions around difficult issues require nuance, balance, knowledge, and >> empathy. There are important discussions to be had about the war and >> suffering in Gaza, and conflict in the Middle East. But as Rosa Elena >> eloquently inferred from the flyer, the upcoming event will serve as a >> platform for propaganda and bias. Accusing Israel of neocolonialism, >> fascism, and genocide are examples of Holocaust inversion. >> >> It saddens me to see our town’s public spaces used to perpetuate >> divisiveness. Perhaps things would be different if someone other than >> Barbara Low were in charge of booking Bemis Hall. Lincoln deserves better. >> >> Jonathan Rapaport >
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