I offer here my two cents on the recent discussions regarding the GRALTA
events… I attended my first GRALTA Foundation meeting last month. Spurred by
the discussions in LincolnTalk, I decided to go and listen to the speakers
myself. It was a full house at Bemis that day and the speakers included an
American Jew and a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem. They talked about
their experiences and gave their perspectives, followed by a round of questions
and answers. If you were looking for something incendiary or bombastic, you
would have been disappointed. It was a staid but somber presentation. I
subsequently attended another GRALTA event – a film that focused on the
experience of two young American adults who had gone to Israel and came back
with a different perspective of what was going on in Israel. It was poignant
but I did not see or hear anything that remotely indicated incitement for
hatred of Jews. The events in the last year and a half have been
heart-wrenching and have brought to fore the tragic situation in the region.
Jews and Arabs both live with so much pain, fear and uncertainty. The barbaric
massacre and kidnapping by Hamas on October 7 unleashed a new wave of violence.
The names and faces of those still held captive are a constant reminder of that
tragic day. Among the captives is Bipin, a 23-year-old from my home country of
Nepal. I read about the agony of his family in the Nepali newspapers as they
await news of his fate and hope for his safe return. In the aftermath of this
attack, we have seen the relentless bombings unleashed by the Israeli
government. I am struck by the dehumanization of the Palestinian people and our
silence in the face of the seeming banality of the Israeli actions, as people
squabble about whether the death toll is 40,000 of if the reports are inflated
and the toll is only 30,000. Attempts to silence criticism of the Israeli
government’s actions and to prevent expression of different perspectives on the
conflict by demonizing them as antisemitic are troubling to me. The seam of
antisemitism runs deep in the American and European societal fabric. Trying to
drown out disagreeable views by labeling them as antisemitic trivializes the
seriousness of antisemitism and runs the risk diluting the cause - akin to the
boy who cried wolf. The rise in antisemitism in the US is real, as has been
documented over the last two decades by organizations like the Southern Poverty
Law Center. The real serious threats reside in the rise of the far-right
neo-Nazi groups, both in the U.S. and in Europe. The current unholy alliance of
the pro-Israel lobby with the far-right for the sake of political expediency
may lead to short-term gain but it will lead to indelible harm to the fight
against antisemitism in the long run. I am reminded of Martin Niemöller’s
refrain as I view the current situation with the far right along the lines of
“First they came for the Arabs…”. These are difficult and complex topics that
engender strong emotions and do not lend themselves to quick one-line answers.
Discussion in email and online boards often degenerate into acerbic language
and hurt feelings, as we ascribe tone and facial expressions to the words that
we read. In-person meetings present the opportunity for more civil and fruitful
discussions, even though that there will be differences in opinion. I firmly
believe that most of us, if not all of us, mean well and want to do good and
help alleviate the suffering of others, though we may have different ideas on
what to do and how to do it, I laud Steve and Barbara Low for their attempts
to give voice to the voiceless and provide a platform for perspectives of those
who are deeply involved in the Holy Land, as the Lows call it. There is a range
of opinions and perspectives on these issues among the Jewish people. I had not
met Steve and Barbara before, but I found them to be reasonable, thoughtful and
kind. The motto that the GRALTA Foundation highlights is "Equal Rights for
Equal People", as they clearly expound on their website
https://gralta.org/about-gralta/. Steve talked about how he visits Yad Vashem
during every trip to Israel and spends time in the section for the Righteous
Among the Nations, in honor of the non-Jews who took great risks to save Jews
from the Nazis. I see the Lows’ work along the same vein, as Jews trying to
lend their hands and voices to non-Jews who are suffering, in the hallowed
tradition of tikkun olam.
In peace,Rakesh
On Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 08:46:55 AM EST, Sara Mattes
<[email protected]> wrote:
Unless you have seen these films, you cannot make categorical statements as to
your interpretation.
I urge all to refrain from commentary unless they are prepared to make
conclusions.
Commentary and reviews include citing examples from the piece being critiqued.
We are savvy enough to do that, aren’t we?Sent from my iPad
On Jan 18, 2025, at 8:42 AM, Margo Fisher-Martin
<[email protected]> wrote:
My thoughts exactly. Why stop there? I bet we could think of many types of
films and presentations that people here in Lincoln would feel strongly about
not supporting. As Jonathon and others have stated, these films encourage the
hatred of Jews and promote antisemitism. I truly believe in freedom of speech,
but if these films were about any of the topics stated below (and I could name
many more), then I am sure people would feel differently about watching and
“drawing their own conclusions.”
Respectfully,
Margo Fisher-Martin14 Giles Rd
On Sat, Jan 18, 2025 at 8:03 AM Jonathan Sheffi <[email protected]> wrote:
If movies that promote hatred of Jews via conspiracy theory are worthy of our
town, why stop there? Are there any such movies that we would not encourage
people to attend? Movies that call for the resumption of human slavery for
black people in America? Movies that call for the slaughter of Native
Americans? Movies that call for the institutionalization or sterilization of
LGBTQ+ people? Movies that call for resuming limits on immigration of
Catholics? Movies that call for banning women from the workforce?
More plainly, where is our line? Are there any identity groups in Lincoln for
whom promoting hatred and bigotry is not ok?ᐧ
On Sat, Jan 18, 2025 at 7:20 AM Sara Mattes <[email protected]> wrote:
All,Watching films to determine their message and the underlying implications
has been important to understanding history.For me, I have watched more than a
few.I could not have understood the depth of deception or truth without doing
so.I am sure we are educated and intelligent enough to discern fact from
fiction, to process what is useful information…and maybe even learn something
new…to draw our own conclusions.
Sent from my iPad
On Jan 18, 2025, at 6:51 AM, Jonathan Sheffi <[email protected]> wrote:
I am familiar with the movies, including this one.
This particular movie has nothing to do with the people of Gaza at all. It's a
movie that promotes a conspiracy theory that the Jewish people "secretly
control" the US government. And Mr Low's flier for the film takes things a step
further, implying that Lincoln is also vulnerable to "secret Jewish control."
The movie's conclusion is that people should do what they can to prevent Jews
everywhere from seeking political power like other identity groups do.
Would Mr Low and Ms Mattes also encourage us to watch QAnon propaganda videos,
so we can "make up our own minds"? Those videos were also based on lies, though
I've heard that the filmography of them was quite convincing, leading a lot of
people to believe their nonsense.ᐧ
On Fri, Jan 17, 2025 at 4:59 PM Sara Mattes <[email protected]> wrote:
It is the responsibility of those who object to organize/ sponsor/ host what
you describe.
How can anyone condemn these films without seeing them?
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 17, 2025, at 4:49 PM, Jane Appell <[email protected]> wrote:
Thank you to all who are speaking out very articulately. It is valuable to
have views aired in the open. I particularly agree with the statement that
there is a difference between anti semitism and the criticizing of Israel's
political stance. This dilemma has caused a lot of grief inside the liberal
Jewish community as well as in the world. We all need to be able to think
critically, but it is too easy to revert to simplistic thinking.
My objection to the particular films that have been shown is that they give a
partial picture of the entire situation. They not inherently bad films, but
they miss perspective when shown separately to a group of people who may or may
not have a well-rounded historical, emotional and political perspective of the
situation. This is particularly the case since October 7 of last year. I
believe the films would be more valuable as part of a well rounded approach to
the Issues that present themselves in Israel and Palestine--perhaps a series of
films with a variety of viewpoints, followed by discussion that can examine all
aspects of what has been happening. Otherwise these films run the risk of
perpetuating a black-white view of the situation, which I believe is
potentially dangerous.
JaneJane Appell, Ph.D.781-259-1049www.janeappell.com
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On Fri, Jan 17, 2025 at 3:37 PM Jonathan Sheffi <[email protected]> wrote:
No, that's not what I'm saying at all. Definitely skip the "Zionist conspiracy
theory" movies.
On Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 15:11 Sara Mattes <[email protected]> wrote:
All,We have heard from a number of very articulate voices as to concerns over
the GRALTA seriesJonathan has told us what he thinks we need to alerted to
regarding this upcoming movie.As Rachel reminds us, this is one voice.
The only way to sort some of the statements out is to go view and critique the
movies ourselves.New aware and be sensitive.
I trust we are educated and sophisticated enough to reach informed conclusions
on our own.
On Jan 17, 2025, at 2:32 PM, Jonathan Sheffi <[email protected]> wrote:
I genuinely appreciate your earnestness, and you make a great point for why
anti-Zionism is inherently antisemitic: Criticism of Israel's actions is
different from criticizing Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, which is
typically leveled at it only because it is Jewish, as in these movies.
A nation is not required to be perfect in order to be legitimate (see: USA,
Canada, England, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, not to mention China,
Syria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc). This is what is so dangerous about these
movies and speakers. They criticize not only Israel's actions (in a highly
biased and inaccurate way), but also claim that the Jewish people therefore do
not deserve equal rights to political power or self-determination the way that
other people do. By creating a "Jews bad, Arabs good" narrative, not only do
the movies falsely demonize the Jewish people, they rob everyone of the
opportunity to take a broader perspective.
I think this is the healthiest back-and-forth we've had on this topic so far.
Thanks, Rachel.ᐧ
On Fri, Jan 17, 2025 at 2:18 PM Rachel Marie Schachter
<[email protected]> wrote:
I know you’re not calling for censorship. I do think that some other responses
on LincolnTalk were saying this series shouldn’t be allowed to take place.
To answer you directly — I believe, and work daily to live into the belief,
that any speech or actions against Jewish people based on being Jewish is
absolutely wrong, which isn’t anywhere near a strong enough word. I don’t know
you and you don’t know me, so I can’t convince you of that over email, and I’m
not trying to.
When people trying to criticize Israel, a political power, conflate that
criticism with demonization of all Jewish people, it delegitimizes any argument
being made. Period. There are people advocating for the people of Palestine who
are working hard to not do that, and to actively combat it. I was trying to
agree as someone who believes in a free Palestine that antisemitism isn’t
somehow suddenly fine, and you’re right, a lot of the loudest voices are acting
like it is. And I wanted to remind people that no one person is the voice of a
movement or viewpoint.
Thanks for taking me at face value and having a genuine conversation. That’s
all I’m trying to do.
Rachel
On Fri, Jan 17, 2025 at 9:15 AM Jonathan Sheffi <[email protected]> wrote:
Nobody is calling for censorship. However, these movies (with which I happen to
be familiar) each promote the delegitimization of equal rights for the Jewish
people in different ways, whether opposing their right to free speech, to
political power, or to self-determination. And so they are being called out for
promoting hatred against a minority group.
You say that calling out antisemitism in any movement is important, and I agree
with you, but you haven't yet said what that means to you. Which beliefs,
speech, or actions against the Jewish people do you oppose, and which beliefs,
speech, or actions against the Jewish people do you not oppose?ᐧ
On Thu, Jan 16, 2025 at 7:07 PM Rachel Marie Schachter
<[email protected]> wrote:
I apologize if this falls in the category of something that shouldn't be
continued on LincolnTalk, but I don't want to respond to you privately, Steve
(Brown), and have you think that I'm saying something privately that I wouldn't
be willing to say publicly. I've also had this general idea floating around my
brain for a while, and since I don't know you personally, I think it makes more
sense to respond on LincolnTalk.
I want to acknowledge your pain and trauma, your lived experience, and the very
true and real history and present rise in antisemitism in America, including in
our town and locally. I truly hope it doesn't make that seem insincere to say I
just want to remind people that Steve Low is just one person, GRALTA is just
one organization made up of more than one person who I assume don't all share
exactly the same viewpoints, and not everyone who believes in a free Palestine
(myself included, and I have for a long time) approaches their advocacy with
antisemitic rhetoric, by conflating Zionism (which I don't believe has a simple
cut-and-dry definition, but I'm also just one person) with the state of Israel
with Jewish people in general. Steve Low obviously doesn't believe he's doing
that, and I'm not here to argue that one way or the other. There is a ton of
antisemitic rhetoric within factions of movements advocating for a free
Palestine. It's not every person or every organization, but it absolutely
exists, and it shouldn't, and it detracts from everyone's goals because it's
deflective and misguided.
In my view, true liberation demands calling out antisemitism within any
movement, the same way it demands calling out any legitimately harmful
rhetoric. I don't believe in censoring the series (for transparency, I haven't
seen any of the films) because I don't believe in censorship in general. I just
hope it gives literally anyone comfort to be reminded that no one person or
group is the face of any movement or outlook, and the loudest voices are very
much not necessarily the voice of a majority, let alone a consensus.
Rachel
On Wed, Jan 15, 2025 at 10:23 PM S Brown <[email protected]> wrote:
As we ponder the implications of the question raised in the message below:
“Could this happen in Lincoln?”, we might also consider once again how
antisemitic rhetoric has become normalized in Lincoln. The implication is that
a Zionist conspiracy is encroaching dangerously upon our town, seeking to
control the media, the educational system, and the government.
For those who don’t see how disturbingly insensitive, offensive, inflammatory
and utterly frightening this sort of rhetoric is to so many Jews in this town,
I weep.
For those like my family, who have long had our children under armed guard at
their schools, camps, and places of worship, who have been so repeatedly
traumatized by events over the course of the last 15 monhts, and who feel so
deeply the pain of all those who have suffered in the war, I weep even more, as
I see this town we love, once a sanctuary, succumb to a venomous rhetoric that
is poisoning our community, and labels us as the enemy.
Steve Brown
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Stephen R. Low" <[email protected]>
Subject: [LincolnTalk] Reminder: GRALTA's Israel-Palestine Film Series
continues on Thursday (Jan 16) and Sunday (Jan 19)
Date: January 15, 2025 at 7:03:36 PM EST
To: "Lincoln Talk" <[email protected]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
The GRALTA Foundation screens the second film in our winter film seriesThe
Lobby-USA (Part 1), a 2017 documentary produced by Al Jazeera Investigations.
“A superb undercover investigation”~ Middle East Monitor ~ Two screenings in
Lincoln, MA—a weekday evening and a Sunday afternoon.
- Thursday, January 16 at 7 PM at Bemis Hall, 15 Bedford Road
- Sunday, January 19 at 2 PM at the Lincoln Public Library, 3 Bedford Road
| |
| | |
Regards,
Steve Low --
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