Jewish publisher is an idiot - but his hatred is shared by many
Andrew Adler’s suggestion in the Atlanta Jewish Times that Israel assassinate President Obama is a blot both on Israel and on American Jews.
By Chemi Shalev Tags: Barack Obama Benjamin Netanyahu US JewsLike most of you, I have never met Andrew B. Adler, owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times, but I think we can all agree that the man is spectacularly stupid. In his contorted apologies he has described himself, after all, as “an idiot.”
The three or four infantile paragraphs of vile text that Adler published in his obscure Atlanta newspaper last week, in which he suggested that Israel consider assassinating President Obama, almost slipped under the radar, but was picked up yesterday by Gawker.com, and is now going viral. “A fool may throw a stone into a well which even a hundred wise men cannot pull out”, the saying goes, and it will indeed take a long time and a great effort to undo the damage that Adler has wrought, in one fell swoop, in defaming Israel by implying that it might, in anyone’s wildest dreams, consider such a kooky conspiracy; in staining American Jews by appearing to supposedly represent their twisted way of thinking; and even by undermining the institution of Jewish journalism by exposing that it harbors such birdbrained bozos in its midst.
It is ironic that Adler’s despicable diatribe comes against the backdrop of a fierce blogosphere debate that flared up yesterday about the term “Israel-firsters” and whether it is a legitimate critique or an anti-Semitic slur. Adler, for his part, has provided an example of a sub-specie of “Israel-firsters” that have not only lost track of where their loyalties lie, they have gone off the tracks altogether. He has pleased anti-Zionists and delighted anti-Semites by giving them the kind of “proof” they relish for accusing American supporters of Israel not of “double loyalty” but of one-sided treachery, plain and simple.
 |
The op-ed in Atlanta Jewish Times. |
Under Israeli law, Adler could be prosecuted for inciting to violence and could be sentenced to five years in jail. I do not purport to know much about the Georgian penal code, but I note that it contains the offense of “criminal solicitation” which occurs “when, with intent that another person engage in conduct constituting a felony, he solicits, requests, commands, importunes, or otherwise attempts to cause the other person to engage in such conduct.” Adler’s column of January 13 might arguably fit the bill.
There is something eerily familiar in all this, of course, for anyone who was present 16 years ago at Tel Aviv’s Kikar Malchei Yisrael, as it was then known, on the night that Yitzhak Rabin was murdered. One can already envisage how Adler will be disowned, described as a “wild weed,” depicted as a lone wolf who does not represent anyone in his or in anyone else’s community and used as a springboard for a righteously indignant, preemptive counteroffensive that will show how his solitary case is being exploited to score points against anyone who legitimately criticizes Obama.
And while we might all stipulate that there is no Jew anywhere in the world who is currently contemplating any act of violence against President Obama, I know, and most of you know, that Adler’s crazy and criminal suggestions are not the ranting of some loony-tune individual and were not taken out of thin air - but are the inevitable result of the inordinate volume of repugnant venom that some of Obama’s political rivals, Jews and non-Jews included, have been spewing for the last three years.
Anyone who has spent any time talking to some of the more vociferous detractors of Obama, Jewish or otherwise, has inevitably encountered those nasty nutters, and they are many, who still believe he is a Muslim, who are utterly convinced that he wants to destroy Israel, and who seriously debate whether he is more like Ahmadinejad than Arafat or – and I heard this one with my own ears – more like Hitler than Haman.
Anyone who reads some of the opinion articles and blogs posted on the Internet by the more extreme Obama-hating writers and pundits – again, many of them Jews - cannot deny the wanton and inflammatory nature of much of their anti-Obama invective.
And anyone who lived through the Israeli right-wing’s days of rage against Rabin and the Oslo Accords can never forget that this deluge of deadly toxins need trigger just one homicidal chemical reaction in just one fanatic brain for history to be changed forever.
The book of Deuteronomy commands the elders of the city nearest a field where a murdered corpse has been found to wash their hands over an axed heifer and to swear, “our hands have not spilled this blood and our eyes did not see.” Rashi explains that even though it is clear that they had nothing to do with the murder, the responsibility of the leaders is such that they will be held liable even if they simply denied the victim food or escort.
One wonders how many of today’s anti-Obama politicians and opinion-makers, the latter-day elders of yore, will be able to read Adler’s crazed counsel to Benjamin Netanyahu, and, may that day never come, take a good look in the mirror, wash their hands of the whole affair and declare with a clear conscience that their otherwise sharp and probing eyes didn’t see a thing.
Follow me on Twitter @ChemiShalev
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
How many of us realize that Obama just stationed 9,000 troops plus assorted armaments including an aircraft carrier in Israel? That's not pro-Israel enough? http://www.debka.com/article/21629/ And as far as the private overheard conversation that's been publicized recently between Obama and Sarkozy goes, the two presidents are probably right. Truth hurts. Dump BiBi.
Let us face it, nobody can be THAT stupid. Adler wrote what he wrote because of his well-ingrained Jewish paranoia, not because of stupidity. Viewing Obama as anti-Israel is itself the result of paranoia, because there is no evidence to support this, quite the contrary. But what can you do? Jews were subjected to horrid persecution over the ages, and it made them sick, literally. I hope that in a couple of generations the paranoia will subside, but this is not going to go away overnight.
His malice aforethought is being shaired by many Israeli zionist to get rid of the president by any means.
He committed a federal crime and US law, not Georgia law applies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threatening_the_President_of_the_United_States EXAMPLE: In 2007, Purdue University student Vikram Buddhi was convicted of posting messages to Yahoo Finance criticizing the Iraq War and stating, "Call for the assassination of GW Bush" and "Rape and Kill Laura Bush." The defense had argued that the defendant never explicitly threatened anyone. He was located despite efforts to disguise where the messages were coming from.[19]
I have always supported the State of Israel's right to exist peacefully. NO MORE and I am calling my elected officials. Please do the same. It is outrageous that a US citizen, calls for such a terrorist against our good president.
Other Americans have been prosecuted for remarks like this made in an off hand manner in the presence of people who then reported them. This fool is in print. Will he be prosecuted for his violation of the law, or will he receive special treatment?
thats what his name should be. I wonder if this threat was directed toward a white president ,would it be any different? . Keep up the Good workextreme and criminal Israeli lovers because the end of your support will start with the president.
Haaretz does exactly the same by selecting from the rich, little world Israel is, the dark and negative realities, producing a blood-within-sharks headline, and violà: a hundred global Jew-hating posters get their "Protocols of the Sages of Zion 2.0" published gleefully at Haaretz. You can be intelligent and a fool at the same time, Haaretz. Not to speak of incurably snob. Will you publish this post?
the number of idiots is innumerable
He is not a blight on all Jews. He is a blight unto himself. Nobody died and Obama isn't on any Jew's hit list. Never has beeen, never will be.
Immediately after Rabin's assassination, some prominent rabbis who advocated the act previously, were officially denied entry to Israel. I know that in one case, soon thereafter the synagogue which such a rabbi led, forced him to retire. This is what Israel should do to Adler, the Interior Ministry should announce that he is barred from entering Israel. With such a rebuke from Israel, Adler might be induced to get out of the Jewish newspaper business./ Unfortunately, because of the Constitutional freedom of speech in the US, Adler will not suffer any legal consequences, unless some other Jewish idiot commits the recommended act and blames his inspiration on Adler.
This guy is in the minority of American Jews. 1. First he's a Republican (about 25% of Jews) 2. He's Stupid, clearly which most of us aren't 3. The large majority of American Jews will be voting for President Obama in 2012.
Why is this story not on the frontpage of every American newspaper? That's really amazing that someone advocates the murder of the US President and it doesnt even get a mention. That's is truly scary.
Mr. Adler and the right wingers in israel are exposing the true face of Israel , which is a very ugly face....
Palestine belongs to the palestinian people!
In Natasha Mozgovaya's recent article in Ha'aretz, "Washington's ultimatum to Israel", she wote: "The President of the United States, haunted by troubles home and abroad, finally decides to forge a breakthrough on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - at any price. He separately summons Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and presents them with an ultimatum: for Israel, lack of agreement means no more aid and no more vetoes at the UN Security Council. In "The President's Ultimatum," the first novel penned by the former Citicorp executive John Cavaiuolo - who writes under the pen name John Cavi - reality is mixed with fiction, but many characters are easily recognizable. The 43rd U.S. President is Gerald W. Burke, there is an Israeli prime minister called "Ehud Colmert," a right-wing leader called Bibi Nathane, and Palestinian leaders Habbas and Qurei. Ariel Sharon goes by his own name, and his reaction to the ultimatum is not at all positive. He tries to buy time, says he'll be ready when terror is defeated, complains about political strains and "Israeli people that wouldn't accept it." The President brushes aside all excuses and presses harder. Recalling their conversation, Burke thinks to himself: "Threatening Sharon with an embargo and a cessation of $8 billion dollars in aid was probably too harsh and perhaps counterproductive", adding later that, "the arrogant son of a bitch deserved to be humiliated. President Burke is warned of the Congress and the pro-Israeli organizations; harsh reactions of Evangelicals and the Jewish community - and even of a possible assassination attempt. The rest is a quickly developing plot, focused less on the peace process and more on Al-Qaida, the Mossad, and numerous assassination attempts, some of them successful. The saddest point, however, is that even in this work of fiction, the historical agreement is soon jeopardized. Burke finishes his term with his Secretary of State Samantha Robins predicting "dragging feet" if Bibi Nathane will become Prime Minister, stating "we are back to square one."
Read the thousands of vile, hate filled posts Israelis and right wing American Jews on Israeli internet sites every day. They call Obama a Muslim (he is NOT and never was), call him an anti-semite (He is NOT and never was), call him an enemy of Israel (He is NOT and never was) and claim he is out to destroy Israel. (He is NOT). These are the facts: The Obama adminstration has INCREASED aid to Israel, military and intelligence cooperation between America and Israel is at its highest level EVER, and Obama has protected Israel in the United Nations EVERY TIME. What the right wing Jews refuse to accept is that Obama called the settlements illegal. They ARE illegal and there is not one country on this planet who disagrees with that. He said the Palestinians have suffered too and that caused the right wing to go ballistic. Having the experience of a war America should never have started with Iraq that took the lives of 5,000 Americans and badly wounded more than 35.000 and with the economy teetering, Obama is not eager to start a war with Iran - and neither is any other country on this planet except the current right wing government in Israel. Because Obama will not grovel before Netanyahu he is called a Muslim, the enemy, and an anti semite. Nothing could be further from the truth and there is a sickness in Israel and among right wing American Jews that unless you agree with everything Israel demands you are an enemy. That sickness is what will, in the end, harm Israel more than anyone else. I am a Jewish American who voted for Obama in 2008 and will do so again in 2012 and all of my Jewish friends here will be doing the same. We are Americans and are first loyalty is to our own country.
I am another American Jew who agrees.
However, as stupid as this jerk is, the fact of the matter is that this Israeli government and various American Jews have been calling for the release of Johnathan Pollard, treasonous, convicted Israeli spy, even affirming his place as a citizen of Israel. Don't you think that deifying an American traitor causes SOME FOLKS - even American Jews - to question whose side are you really on, not to mention the various ways that AIPAC and its ilk influence US foreign policy to favor Israel (not unique) but in ways which may not always be in the best interests of the US. Easy to scream anti-semitism. However many Americans have stopped listening and are turning off to the current rightist racist Israeli government.
More an American Jew who put Israeli interests ahead of American interests. If it were already in Israel would be arrested and charged with treason, incitement to crime. Even when od real Americans will tolerate this situation.
... or the Secret Service be called "SS" or "Gestapo"? Here one sees the very REAL roots of "anti-Semitism"! QED
The man is an idiot. He is a danger to society. All it takes is one other idiot to read such rubbish and try to actually assassinate Obama. The chances are slim and none but who ever knows. This is a another example of free speech gone awry. He deserves to be put on trial and incarcerated if found guilty.
This is nothing new. Every Jewish person in my circle hates Obama. But my (Jewish) parents worked tirelessly for civil rights; I am proud of their work and adore the idea of a black family liivng in the White House.
How generous.
Surely, you can fnd a new bunch of friends.
No, he is calling for Obama's murder. He should be arrested!
the venom that Obama awakens ( just read some of Caroline Glick's opinions or try Arutz Sheva and the likes) is quite astounding. I cannot help but wonder whether him being black is a factor in all of the mistrust and hateful comments. Yes he's a little bit more critical of Israel than most of his predecessors, no he probably does not like Nethanyahu that much, but come on...the US is still Israel's main befeficior.....It is really puzzling and, I find quite alarming.
what do you think would happen if someone from Nablus would write an article about the need to kill Nethanyahu, or Lieberman for that matter. Don't you think that pretty soon after this publication he would find himself in an Israeli jail? For a considerable amount of time?
This guy should be deported from the US he is loved by all the enemies of Israel any Jew who thinks like him is not a real person, or is not a Jew he needs to be sent away from the US
no wonder.
Shame, shame, shame on you Mr. Adler for your terrible lapse in judgement! We're very very sorry, Mr. President, it won't ever happen again!
Also, the anti-Zionists and anti-Semites will write their nonsense regardless of what idiotic Jews like this man say.
How is it completely wrong? An hour before the Rabin assassination, people probably would have scoffed at it happening. But it did.
How is it completely wrong? An hour before the Rabin assassination, people probably would have scoffed at it happening. But it did.
He should be arrested and tried, just as is everyone else who seeks to incite violence against the U.S. President.
and it is amazing that Adler actually thought that it was alright to publish what amounts to a request for the Israeli Government to make official policy the assassination of the President of the United States if he does not do what he is told. HWonder if the American News networks will pick up on the story once Adler is arrested for threatening the President?
Having read the venom in Israeli papers against Obama, I blame Israel for his comments. This idiot is clearly an Israel Firster that should be deported to join the other crazed, religious fanatics in Israel.
Obama's a disater who must be defeated in November. Being the reincarnation of Jimmy Carter and his failed bankrupt policies makes him a deserved ex-pres. Israel is but one area that he has failed.
... this so-called Jew shames all of us.
He most likely agrees with Mr. Adler 100%.
If I were to make that list, you'd be in the first ten names. But you already knew that, didn't you?
All critics are hypocrites: the author in no way supports the idea. He only pointed to the almost certain reality that high ranking people in Israel's officials hierarchy have had more or less seriously thought about this so attractive dream of theirs. Quote: " ... don’t you think that this almost unfathomable idea has been discussed in Israel’s most inner circles?” " This is all. He just assumes that the Israeli inner circles are used to don't let anything imaginable out of their war games ... And let me add: After leaving the Grand Synagogue on Yom Kippur, men stopped to talk to each other in front of it. And ... one started by saying that he just was in Israel and heard more than once that "with help of Hashem we maybe will get rid of Hussein". They meant "Hussein" Obama. And some of the people in front of the synagogue agreed...
he would be locked up in Guatanamo, tortured with waterboarding to find out who are his colleagues from the anti-defamation league and AIPAC ... and then locked up for life. p.s. Of course, his mistake (and the writer's too) is to assume that Obama is "soft" on Iran, after all, his sanctions are like a declaration of war, and his aircraft carriers at the Persian Gulf can trigger a war any moment. Beside, no president gave Israel so much of our tax money, military aid and a cover at the UN, as Obama did.
All Muslims would be said to believe as he does - and it would be many Jews leading the charge.
Writing about how to deal with diverging U.S.- Israeli views on the threat from Iran, Adelson discusses 'option three:' "Three, give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice president to take his place, and forcefully dictate that the United States' policy includes its helping the Jewish state obliterate its enemies. Yes, you read "three" correctly. Order a hit on a president in order to preserve Israel's existence. Think about it. If I have thought of this Tom Clancy-type scenario, don't you think that this almost unfathomable idea has been discussed in Israel's most inner circles? Another way of putting "three" in perspective goes something like this: How far would you go to save a nation comprised of seven million lives...Jews, Christians and Arabs alike? You have got to believe, like I do, that all options are on the table." This does not sound the least bit tongue in cheek to me.
can't you for once accept that one of your own is an idiot? A dangerous idiot? Don't give us that agent provaceur b***s***
"Protecting" Israel justifies any means. Bombing, harassing, humiliating, extrajudicial killings, land theft, threats to all neighbouring states. Wake up, smell the coffee, Cipora.
you make us look ridiculous with your nutty ravings
...that if a USA Pres who feeds us and tends us and bears with our medhugasin, should not have some sort of veto when we go-off-the-rails completely?
Why be surprised when every day he can read politicians and journalists saying that Obama is an enemy to Israel, antisemite etc. etc. He reads and hears this and believes he has reached a logical conclusion.
I completely agree. There are, tragically, quite a number of extremists within the Jewish community, so we shouldn't pretend that he is alone either.
where his ideas come from.