On 12/30/2024 5:37 PM EST Roy Katz <katz....@gmail.com> wrote:Thank you Jonathan for this detailed and important response.Once again, a biased anti-Israeli, anti-zionist event is masquerading itself as 'balanced' and 'educational'. Disappointedly, this bigoted event is sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library.Pretending that this highly complex problem can be solved by blaming the Jews is both sad and dangerous. In this 5-part 'educational' series there is not even one discussion about the role of nationalistic and islamic terrorism (first Fatah, then Hamas and other Islamic organizations) in executing hundreds of terror attacks, murdering thousands and as a result stopping any effort for a peaceful resolution in its tracks. There is not even one discussion how Jews, Muslims, and Christians CAN and actually DO live together with equal rights as Israeli citizens. There is no discussion how Hamas is terrorizing not just Israelis, but also Palestinians within Gaza and the West Bank, murdering and torturing 'sinners' and political dissenters. And most shockingly, there is not even a mention of the October 7th massacre, the single deadliest day for Jews since the holocaust and how it ignited the current ongoing war.Not to say that everything that Israel does should be celebrated - there are many things to say about what the Israeli government is doing horribly wrong. However, without understanding that the islamic terrorist organizations, which are terrorizing Israeli and Palestinians alike, prevent any hope for peace in the region, there will be no solution.But, my biggest disappointment is that this video-series event is sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library. The event's purpose is at best misguided and at worst harmful to its pretended cause. I hope this is an oversight by the Library's trustees and they will reassess the library sponsorship of this biased and harmful event.I lived in Israel for many years, have marched in numerous pro-peace protests there, and consider myself both pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli. I believe there COULD be a solution, but only if people are willing to accept the complete reality, however complex it may be.Thank you,Roy
--On Sun, Dec 29, 2024 at 12:37 PM Jonathan Sheffi <jshe...@gmail.com> wrote:I'm sad to see Lincolnites continuing to promote hatred and bigotry against minorities in our town. These movies do nothing to promote mutual understanding of the conflict in the Middle East. Unfortunately, they deliberately obscure it.
Israelism
The movie's claims of apartheid against Arabs are factually inaccurate: Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs possess equal rights, which are specifically enshrined in the Israeli Declaration of Independence: "We appeal... to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions."
Israeli Arabs have always been, and continue to be, an important part of Israel: Masad Bahoum manages the largest hospital in North Israel. Dr. Samer Haj-Yehia was the chairman of Israel's second-largest bank. Lucy Aharish is the anchor for the largest TV station in Israel. Mansour Abbas leads the United Arab List party in Israel, and his party was part of the governing coalition of Israel in 2021. Salim Joubran served on the Supreme Court of Israel until his death in March, and most notably was part of the panel that sent Moshe Katsav, a former Israeli president, to jail.
Also, this movie claims that Judaism is separable from Israel, which is factually inaccurate. A common misconception is that Judaism is only a set of religious practices. In fact, Judaism predates the concept of a religion. It is the cultural practices, history, and, yes, religion, of the people of ancient Judea. The words "Jew" and "Judaism" come straight from the name for the land, because Jewish cultural and religious practices were developed there thousands of years ago, and have referenced the land ever since. The movie's idea that the Jewish people "colonized" a place to which they are indigenous is inaccurate and harmful, as it serves to delegitimize the existence of Israel.
The Lobby
The Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs leads efforts to combat hatred of the Jewish people and of the Jewish homeland. It is not covert. It is not a secret. It is not "black ops." Its aim is to work with people around the world to promote understanding of Israel and of the Jewish people. If you want to call it a government media relations office, sure. It's no different from what every other country does to promote its image and interests internationally. The USA has the Global Engagement Center, Canada has Global Affairs Canada, the UK has the Public Diplomacy department, and so on.
Israel has the right to teach people who they are, and to promote their interests abroad, like every other nation. Denigrating Jews alone for a practice employed by virtually all nations shows prejudice against the Jewish people, and promotes an ugly conspiracy theory that Jews "run the media" or "run other governments."
Furthermore, the choice to screen a film on the topic of propaganda from the nation of Qatar is especially ironic. Qatar itself is an autocracy that has engaged in significant propaganda and public diplomacy efforts to promote its image internationally and advance its geopolitical interests. Qatar has supported various Islamist movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, as part of its foreign policy strategy and through its news network, Al Jazeera.
Finally, the film uses the word "Zionist" as a slur. Zionism has always had exactly one meaning: the belief in the right of the Jewish people to self-determine in their ancestral homeland. Those who believe that the Jewish people do not deserve this right are accurately termed "anti-Zionists." The word "Zionist" is no more a slur than "feminist."
Tantura
The provided definition of the Nakba is factually inaccurate. The term Nakba was coined in 1948 by Constantin al-Zureiq in his book Ma'na an-Nakba ("The Meaning of the Nakba"). The Nakba has nothing to do with Arabs who left the British Mandate of Palestine, and in fact, he barely references them in his book at all. The Nakba ("catastrophe") refers to the outcome of the Arab invasion of Israel in 1948.
In his book, Al-Zureiq specifically defines the Nakba as the Arabs' failure to win the war in 1948 and destroy the Jews. He goes on to address the need for Arabs to accept responsibility for their defeat, learn from their mistakes, and adopt a rational and pragmatic approach going forward. This movie, on the other hand, alters the definition of the Nakba in order to demonize Jews and place all blame for the conflict with Jews alone.
The War Around Us
This movie implies that Israel attacked Gaza unprovoked in 2008. This is also factually inaccurate. In 2008, Hamas was firing hundreds of rockets into Israel, as it has been off and on since Israel withdrew its presence from Gaza in 2005. In June 2008, Hamas and Israel agreed to a six-month ceasefire: Hamas stopped firing rockets into Israel, and Israel eased the naval blockade designed to intercept the importation of weapons into Gaza.
In November 2008, the Israeli military discovered that Hamas had built a tunnel near Dayr al-Balah, about 250 meters from the border, in order to kidnap Israelis [a finding that turned out to be rather prescient given the kidnapping of over 200 Israelis on October 7th 2023]. Israel subsequently conducted an operation to destroy that tunnel, and only that tunnel. That operation led to rocketfire by Hamas against Israeli civilians, and from there to a resumption of the conflict.
In conclusion:
The conflict in the Middle East is extraordinarily complicated. We could spend days discussing the mistakes made by Israelis, Arabs, Egyptians, Syrians, Iranians, Saudis, Lebanese, Jordanians, Americans, Europeans, the United Nations, and so on, each of whom have furthered this conflict in many ways. However, these movies and speakers promote simplistic narratives that blame Jews, and Jews alone, for all problems in the region, and then use those narratives to delegitimize equal rights for the Jewish people. These movies do not promote mutual understanding. They do not promote peace. They promote hatred and bigotry.
I hope that, as with the October 7th apologist who spoke a few weeks ago, Lincolnites will stand together against hatred and skip these movies.
Thank you,
Jonathan
ᐧ
--On Mon, Dec 23, 2024 at 6:29 PM Stephen R. Low <steve....@gordianconcepts.com> wrote:--Beginning in January, the GRALTA Foundation continues its documentary film series that brings balance and expands our understanding of “The Holy Land Problem.”
Each film is shown twice:
- First on Thursday evenings at Bemis Hall (January 2 and 16; February 6 and 20; March 6) at 7 PM
- Repeated on Sunday afternoons at the Lincoln Public Library (January 5 and 19; February 9 and 23; March 9) at 2 PM
If parking at the “Stone Church” (14 Bedford Road), as you face the church,
please park in spaces to the left of the building.
Series Opener
Israelism (2023|US). January 2 (Bemis Hall) and January 5 (Lincoln Library). When two young American Jews raised to unconditionally love Israel witness the way Israel treats Palestinians, they join a movement of young American Jews battling the old guard to redefine Judaism’s relationship with Israel. Runtime: 84 minutes Trailer: https://youtu.be/bondvm3hvGM
“Eye-opening…an essential exploration of the dramatic shift in Jewish attitudes toward Israel” (Variety)
Dual Award Winner
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary
Audience Award (Feature Documentary)Winner
Brooklyn International Film Festival
Board of Director’s Spirit Award
Following each screening, there will be time for discussion and questions for those who wish to stay.
Remaining Films in the Series
- The Lobby–Part 1 (2017|Qatar) January 16 (Bemis Hall) and January 19 (Lincoln Library). An undercover investigation reveals Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs, a semi-covert black-ops agency, collusion with an extensive network of US-based organizations—not registered as foreign agents as the law requires—to smear, sabotage, and repress Americans’ free speech rights. Suppressed by Zionist pressure, but ultimately leaked. Runtime: 48 minutes. Trailer: none available
- My Tree (2021|Canada) February 6 (Bemis Hall) and February 9 (Lincoln Library). My Tree follows Jason Sherman's journey to find the tree that was planted in his name in Israel many years earlier. When he discovers that it stands on the remains of a Palestinian village that was destroyed in 1967, he embarks on another journey—to determine his responsibility in helping to cover up the destruction. Runtime: 102 minutes. Trailer: https://youtu.be/FdU4QiUE4gg
· Tantura (2022|Israel) February 20 (Bemis Hall) and February 23 (Lincoln Library). In the war of 1948, hundreds of Palestinian villages were depopulated. Israelis call it “The War of Independence.” Palestinians call it 'Nakba"'. The film examines one village- Tantura and why discussion of the "Nakba" is taboo in Israeli schools and society. Runtime: 94 minutes. Trailer: https://youtu.be/HNtrUjUNkJw
· The War Around Us (2014|US) March 6 (Bemis Hall) and March 9 (Lincoln Library). This riveting, introspective film focuses on Ayman Mohyeldin (now an MSNBC anchor) and Sherine Tadros, the only two international journalists in Gaza when Israel bombarded and invaded in 2008. A story of friendship under stress, conflict-journalism ethics, and the catastrophic experience that Gazans lived through during that and in subsequent wars. Runtime: 77 minutes. Trailer: https://youtu.be/Un2rzydURWc
Regards,
Steve Low
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