Im Tirtzu's onslaught / No to the thought police
If the face of Zionism resembles that of Im Tirzu and its funders, we should consider a face transplant.
By Yossi Sarid Tags: Israel newsA gang of hoodlums, whose names no one knows but whose political affiliations everyone knows, has succeeded in shaking up academia and deceiving the media. We're damned if we do respond to them and damned if we don't.
But apparently, we have no choice but to respond - not just because the little foxes are devouring the vineyards of higher education, but mainly because of who is hiding behind their backs and giving them direct and indirect support.
All those who have been asked to serve as these shadowy figures' mouthpieces, and have done so willingly, would do better to first request the list of Im Tirtzu's donors. Perhaps they will find dubious names and suspect addresses, people who are plotting to destroy yet another beautiful portion of Israel. Perhaps they will be surprised to discover the evangelical preacher John Hagee, whom even a conservative Republican like John McCain was forced to repudiate due to statements such as that Hitler was half-Jewish, that Hitler was doing God's will, and that the Holocaust happened because the Jews denied and rebelled against the true God.
But why should we complain about the hidden anti-Semites when prominent officials are openly jumping on the bandwagon - for instance, Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar?
Two months ago, he told the Knesset that while he had "not yet had time" to read Im Tirtzu's report on the universities' political science departments, he deemed it important, because it "is sparking public debate." And he added, "it's important to look into the issues it raises."
Does Sa'ar not read material before expressing an opinion on it? Is this how he would advise all Israeli students and teachers to behave - not to know what they are talking about?
Sa'ar was invited to Im Tirtzu's annual conference. He happily accepted the invitation and even addressed the gathering. And if he attended and spoke, it's a sign that he supports the group. "I want to praise you. I greatly admire your activity," he said. That is how the starling can fly safely among the crows - by becoming one of them.
Dedicated bureaucrats have a well-developed sense of smell that helps them meet their superiors' desires. Thus when the Institute for Zionist Strategies - the same hoodlums with the same values - published its report on the grade school civics curriculum and found it, too, tainted with post-Zionism, the head of the Education Ministry's pedagogical secretariat, Zvi Zameret, quickly agreed with its main findings.
And Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, who heads the Council for Higher Education's Planning and Budgeting Committee and is thus supposed to loyally serve academia, this week offered only a weak response to the onslaught: Im Tirtzu's threats against Ben-Gurion University, he said, are an "internal institutional matter." If that's an internal matter, one has to wonder what would constitute an external matter that Trajtenberg would deign to address.
Fear is doing its job. And after all, that was the main purpose of the report - to intimidate institutes of higher education, and not only them. And indeed, some have already been intimidated. The president of Tel Aviv University, Prof. Joseph Klafter, has asked to examine the syllabi of his university's sociology courses, lest they be stigmatized as anti-patriotic.
That is precisely what the destroyers are counting on - the fear they sow, and the calculations university presidents will make to prevent the flow of donations from suddenly drying up.
This is not a time for hesitant, stuttering responses; it's a time to stand up and speak clearly. And anyone who is afraid to say the following should go home, and not undermine his colleagues' courage:
* A thought police will not arise on college campuses.
Lecturers will be hired, or not, solely on the basis of their academic talents and achievements.
Quotas will not be established for lecturers based on their views, nor will there be an artificial and arbitrary balance between leftists and rightists.
No external political organization will be allowed to dictate course syllabi and reading lists.
The voice of the masses will not be the voice of academia; no views will be banned because they cannot pass the Knesset's electoral threshold. That is what we learned from our teachers and from history, and that is what we will continue to teach.
Like the Torah, Zionism has 70 faces, and each of us has the right to chose the face he prefers. If the face of Zionism resembles that of Im Tirtzu and its funders, we should consider a face transplant. And if the Ariel college, for example, claims exclusive ownership of modern-day Zionism, than we will be post-post-Zionists.
But in fairness, the warning must be given in time: When Israeli academia is besmirched and slandered, it is liable to capitulate and include the science of occupation on its syllabus. And only unabashed rightists, top patriots will teach this course - a supreme contribution to the glory of the State of Israel, its global legitimacy and the effort to prevent imposition of a boycott.
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surly right-wngers have as much right to voice their opinions and concerns as left- wingers ---who have castigated and reviled their homeland and gifted our enemies with a fig leaf and ammunition to delegitimize and destroy Israel ---whilst simultaneously undermining the loyalty of their students with their heinous propaganda
when you beilin et al were in control how come you FAILED to acheive peace??? You had your opportunity either you were incompetent or insincere or arafat and the pa did not want peace
When the extreme left-wing at BGU and TAU demand the world boycott Israel, that IDF personnel be evicted from classes, that the moderates and right wing be silenced, and push for the destruction of the Jewish State, Haaretz refers to it as "academic freedom"; when they are pushed back and calls to boycott them are sounded, the proponents are described by Haaretz as "fascists" and the "thought police." Sound familiar? Hitler in the 30s? Hezbullah? Obama and the House Jew in the 21st century?
As usual, an extremist demonstrating extreme hypocrisy. It's so predictable that it's almost endearing.
Calling people names is not going to solve your problem! Im Tirtzu is a wonderful emergence of Zionism on a very bleak scene of self interest!
Big Brother is watching..he is only watching because the curricula is way, why beyond his limited intellectual capacity.
The Left are finding it difficult accepting that they no longer will be allowed, by the majority, to have their way in dictating their one sided version of history by writing most of the school text books as well as trying to manipulate their agenda against the wishes of the masses (Oslo for example).
not hard to discover most are anti Israeli organizations and those jews who sold their souls for a buck hide behind "intellectual disguise of hate"
we have a saying-"man with pay is man with say".so,naturally tirzu c;laim that right."we donatte,ergo we dictate" the curriculum.natural as can be.
is simply the most interesting,intriguing and relevant information and knowledge about israel,from the book of genesis until now.the kind it takes courage to pursue.or rather,to publish.
There was a period in which the world held zionism in respect and had faith in its narrative, but the Six-Day War aftermath has changed that radically. Sarid knows that and tragically his party and those in alliance with it have never in the history of the State achieved a majority. It's version of zionism, as a ratiional, secular movement that had some concern for the minorities in Israel and allowed for a degree of self criticism has been utterly usurped by a version that makes the old style revisionism seem left. Since the time Levinger and his ilk moved into the Park Hotel in Hebron at Pesach 1968, a racist, arrogant triumphal form of zionism has been ascendent and it now controls all aspects of Israeli society. Zionism is no longer held in respect in the international community. Israel's propaganda is now so transparent that it can no longer pose to be something else. Individuals with the most excessive form of virulent ideology that can harbour no dissention hold the power and they are effective in cajoling and intimidating and their tactics will be more successful than the quiet voice of Sarid and those on the left. They will be not only sidelined but made out to be fifth columnists who are a danger to the purest forms, the only form of zionism and its history.Unfortunately, the voice for real social change in Israel has been made irrelevant. There is either rampant, self interest and materialism, or a toxic mixture of religious/nationalist extremeism to chose from and the former could care less and have given over the power into the hands of the haters whose version of zionism is almost identical to the serbian extremeism of mladic and karadzic.
I dont know where Yossi Sarid has been the last 30 years, but the left wing thought police have been working quite openly and successfully in most of the academic fields in the universities -- or is it totally by accident that the overwhelming majority of lecturers in tel aviv, beer sheva, jerusalem, and haifa have selected and created political clones to replicate their obviously logical political positions, while positions opposite to or even partially conflicting with their positions dont get hired, and if hired dont get tenure. It's an impressive mathematically improbable accident, a postmodern equivalent to a miracle that pro religious, or pro zionist (even the modern right wing versions of the ancient mapam settlements) get dismissed as beneath any consideration but charges of fanaticism, fascism, and 'thought police'? How can you have thought police where there is no thought to begin with? That is, if academic thought still presumes rational discourse with those who disagree with your conclusions, methods, and perhaps even premisses?
Could someone please explain to me the difference between university personnel who try to get Israeli universities, including their own, boycotted internationally; and people who try to get donors not to donate to universities with a preponderance of professors with whom they disagree politically.
The minority government has a full write to impose its will ( Oslo agreement) even if the majority of the Jewish population is against it. The government is legal and thereby its actions cannot be stopped ( "laazor" in original). P.S. "Im Tirzu" does not threat in doing anything illegal. Thus its actions cannot be stopped.
But Europe's influence is not felt only among writers. In social sciences, history, journalism, law etc., Europe is the international center. In all these topics it is impossible, and sometimes negative, to conceal private opinions about current events. In this way, there is an enormous influence of Europe on the kind of people in Israel who are able to climb the ladder in these fields. This is not necessarily explicit, but in the long run it is felt strongly. And the fact is that many of the reasons which induced a whole continent to try to exterminate Jews two generation ago are still in vigor. The main being the deicide accusation. I personally know very nice Europeans, who would go the extra mile to help anybody, yet think there is a sin in Jews, and would like to convert them. These are not "typically bad" antisemitic or racists people. These are good people who have been taught the fabricated story blaming the Jews for the murder committed by Romans of killing Jesus. It is very hard for such people to remain objective when dealing with Israel's issues. So long as these patterns remain, Israel will have a hard time finding the proper way to assess and counter-balance this influence. Probably, the best is to leave it as it is, suffering the post-whatever, because artificially monitoring it will have strong negative side effects. Actually, we are in a sense benefiting from the situation, because these post-ect. guys, try so hard to satisfy their European counter-parts, that their arguments often run into the ridiculous, whence harming the left-wing side.
This is vital not only for preserving a legitimate place on the world's academic map. The coercion of ideological limitations is incomparably more dangerous than lack of budgets and universities are expected to take a courageous, uncompromising stance and strongly oppose any attempt at hindering freedom of thought by any means. However, intellectuals, journalists and public activists too have to join in defense of this supreme value since, without it, our society as a whole would sink hopelessly into the darkest of times.
Well said Diana. And I look foward to Sarid et al standing up for the same principles in order to resist the vicious pressures applied to students and academics at US, UK, Australian etc universities who are sympathetic to Israel.
I really like Yossi Sarid. He is extremely intelligent, entertaining and straightforward. But like many hard core left ideologues, when convenient they ignore the hard issue. The question he does not answer is whether it is acceptable that hard core ideologue professors aggressively propagandize their students with their political views without providing the other side or even allowing the other voice to be heard. This includes intimidating students who do not agree and in some cases even punishing them for the disagreement (telling them they should not be in the class etc.). If this goes on (which from children of friends I know to be true) what does Yossi think should be done to protect the "pluralistic" open minded critical thinking environment that is stifled by professors with a Stalinist mentality. You don't like Im Tirstu then what would you propose. By the way for the sake of argument assume the professors ideology which we are talking about was that of the right wing and not the left. Yossi what would you say then. Just screaming McArthyism and not relating to the claimed grievance is not intellectually consistent or honest.
Sarid calling Im Tirtzu 'hoodlums' is the last drop. I made a generous contribution to Im Tirtzu already, but after reading this article I'm going right back to their website and DOUBLING IT!
Yossi Sarid just remember one thing it takes one HOODLUM to recognise another Hoodlum, so I wonder who the real HOODLUM is in this case, me thinks it is you.
Yossi please be real and admit that if 9 out of 11 leturers at the BG sociology department are political of the same extreme mind this is not a coincidence but rather policy of the head of the department to only select people with his or her same political agenda!! This has nothing to do with merit. The left and especially the extreme left finds it difficult to admit that they are themselves looking for people with the same set of mind and that support for freedom of speech and pluralism does not apply to them.
The problem is that such talents and achievenents cannot be independently confirmed. In political sciences ideology plays very important role and the theories cannot be experimentally verified, unlike in other sciences. Therefore, political orientation of the faculty influences the hiring and firing resulting in disproportionate numbers of the lectureres who think alike, lack any scientific credentials and receive hefty pay from the state which they bash at every opportunity. Worse yet, they brainwash the students...
of his opponents. Without ever reading Torah (nor being interested in it) would I venture to say Torah places Jerusalem in Israel ,and yet ,the Torah-scholar Sarid has previously hatefuly described those mentionning it as "people with priestly ambitions" and pledged to "dance together with palestinians once they declare East Jerusalem as theirs". He calls his opponnets "thugs" and "thought police" ,notwithstanding the fact thugs per definition can't be right ,ergo their thoughts are suspect-a perfect example of policing of thoughts.
of his opponents. Without ever reading Torah (nor being interested in it) would I venture to say Torah places Jerusalem in Israel ,and yet ,the Torah-scholar Sarid has previously hatefuly described those mentionning it as "people with priestly ambitions" and pledged to "dance together with palestinians once they declare East Jerusalem as theirs". He calls his opponnets "thugs" and "thought police" ,notwithstanding the fact thugs per definition can't be right ,ergo their thoughts are suspect-a perfect example of policing of thoughts.
I note with dismay that Sarid has nothing to say about the target of Im Tirzu - the radical leftist professors who call for the ban on academic freedom for Israeli universities. Sarid is not aging well in retirement if he has nothing to say about those academics who call for a worldwide boycott of Israel academia. It is a call against academic freedom, against the rights of all academics, and should be universally condemned and denounced - especially by Sarid. By ignoring the call for the boycott of Israel, Sarid simply lends credence to the radical professors who want to deny academic freedom to the entire university community in Israel. Shame on you, Yossi.
who seek to boycott, they are few-and-far-between and don't organize themselves into an international movement like the tirtzus... no comparison between the potential harm that a few such lefties may inflict, and the well-organized discrimination that the tirtzus are inflicting...
Oh yeah, they are discriminating against teachers who will give you a big fat F if you dont stand in front of the class and give an hour and a half speech about how bad the nakba was and how Israel never should have been created. Im Tirtzu is fighting academic fashion.
with their creed, by choking dissension at every level... at the moment tirtzus are livid with frustration, hitting out in all directions, even cutting-their-noses-to-spite-their-faces by persuading donors to stop supporting BGU... if tirtzus don't succeed in prevailing in Israel, they will bring in the diaspora to help them... that tells us a lot about their so-called 'allegiance' to Israel...
I prefer the diaspora to the NIF and NGO. They want nothing more than to destroy us with boycotts and cripple our rights to self defense.
Seems to me they come straight from North Korea, considering their obsessiins with enforcing a police of thought.
anti-NK creed ,Allegra. Are you sure you aren't South Korean ? And keep your racist comparisons of Israelis vs. North Koreans to yourself ,Allegra from Andes Mountains.
Theit attempts at turning the Israeli democracy intop a facist state cannot be tolerated.