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The Yale
Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism YIISA SEMINAR SERIES ANTISEMITISM IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE On March 1, Bassam Tibi, Professor International Relations, University of Gottingen, Germany, will speak on "Bringing Antisemitism Back to Europe: The Virus of Antisemitism in the European Diaspora of Islam." This seminar will be held in Linsly-Chittenden Hall, 63 High Street, room 101. On March 8, Ron Rosenbaum, Essayist, and Author of Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil, will speak on "Thinking the Unthinkable: The Rhetorical Strategies of Holocaust Deniers and the Prospect of a Second Holocaust." This seminar will be held in ISPS, 77 Prospect Street, room A002. Please see the seminar website for the Spring semester schedule. Please note that many of our seminars this semester will be held in room 101 at Linsly-Chittenden. YALE EVENTS Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 12:00 Judaic Studies Seminar: Human and Angelic Prayer in Jewish and Christian Traditions The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice: Earthy or Mystical Speaker, Esther Chazon, Jacob Perlow Visiting Associate Professor of Judaic Studies/Religious Studies WHC, 53 Wall Street, room 208 Sponsored by the Program in Judaic Studies EVENTS ELSEWHERE Sunday, March 4, 2007 26th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Conference March 1-8, 2007 The Holocaust: A 21st Century Perspective A Window on the Past and a Vision for the Future, Purdue University Keynote Speakers Professor Jan T. Gross Author of Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland The First Annual Rabbi Gedalyah Engel Lecturer "Reflections on the Frightening Legacy of the Holocaust" Professor Charles Small Director, President, and Founder of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, and Director of Yale's Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism "Understanding and Confronting Contemporary Genocidal Antisemitism" YOU TUBE, VIDEO, TV Secret Red Cross Archives Made Public (CBS News) For the first time, secrets of the Nazi Holocaust that have been hidden away for more than 60 years are finally being made available to the public. The storerooms are immense: 16 miles of shelves holding the stories of 17 million victims – not only Jews, but slave laborers, political prisoners and homosexuals. Click here to view CBS's report The Carter Talk at Brandeis For those who missed the Carter talk at Brandeis and the incisive response by Dershowitz broadcast on C-Span, the above link will connect you to those talks. Click here to view World Civilization or Clash of Civilization? A Debate in London: Daniel Pipes responds to London's Mayor Ken Livingston. Click here to view REPORTS The UN Report - The Middle East Quartet Statement Following 21 February Berlin Meeting Click here to view The International Implications of the Hamas-Fatah Mecca Agreement The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs statement on the recent Mecca Agreement. Click here to view The IAEA Report: Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and Relevant Provisions of Security Council Resolution 1737 (2006) in the Islamic Republic of Iran Click here to view ARTICLES OF INTEREST The News You Don't Read (Commentary) “Police thwart major suicide attack.” That’s not front-page news in America or Englandunless, that is, it happened in New York or London. If it happened in Tel Aviv, you need at least a bomb going off, and preferably a death or two, for anyone elsewhere to sit up and take notice. And this explains a certain paradox: the more successful Israel’s army and security services are in preventing deadly acts of Palestinian terror against Israelis, the more the world looks upon the means of prevention as vindictive and unnecessary harassment of Palestinians on Israel’s part. Click here to read Hezbollah Orders Bombings in Israel (Middle East Newsline) The Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah has ordered its Palestinian agents to launch mass-casualty attacks in Israel. Click here to read Shutting Hezbollah's "Construction Jihad" (The Washington Institute) The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Jihad al-Bina, Hezballah's construction company in Lebanon, effectively shutting the terrorist group's firm out of the international financial system. Click here to read Founder of Islamic Movements In Israel Slams Holocaust Denial (Ha'aretz) In an appearance before the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem, Sheikh Abdullah Nimr Darwish condemned Holocaust denial in the Muslim world on Sunday, rejecting statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Click here to read Mobilize Now, Save the World (Jerusalem Post) Natan Sharansky writes from the Fourth Global Forum on Antisemitism held in Israel last week about the "quantum leap anti-semitism has taken. It has leapfrogged from isolated attacks against Jews to incitement to genocide - the actual elimination of the Jewish state.” Click here to read Four Ways to Act Against Ahmadinejad (Telegraph - UK) Legal Editor, Joshua Rozenberg outlines Irwin Cotler's "Four ways in which legal action could be taken against Mr. Ahmadinejad. Click here to read Germany: Drop in anti-Semitic Attitudes (Jerusalem Post) A new study commissioned by the German Bertelsmann Foundation found that young Germans are moving farther from the anti-Semitic tendencies of previous generations. The study also examined the relations between Germans and US and Israeli Jews. Click here to read Diplomats Urged to Confront Antisemitism (YNet) At the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism, Irwin Cotler, former Canadian Justice Minister says, "When the Middle East has no room for Israel, not matter what her borders are, that is a true apartheid." Click here to read California: Elie Wiesel Is Attacked (New York Times) A Holocaust denier calling himself Eric Hunt had claimed credit on an anti-semitic website for accosting Mr. Wiesel. Click here to read Elie Wiesel Says "That Attack Shows Holocaust Deniers Are Getting Bold (YNet) The Holocaust scholar who was dragged from an elevator and roughed up while attending a peace conference says, "Until today they have used words; now they have switched to violence." Click here to read Our World: Telling Friend from Foe (Jerusalem Post) An editorial by Caroline Glick: Last week in Mecca, the Fatah terror group, which mixes the murder of Israelis with negotiations with Israelis, officially joined forces with the Hamas terror group, which murders Israelis while refusing to negotiate with us. Click here to read EU: New Palestinian Government Must Recognize Israel (Ha'aretz) German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday welcomed a proposed Palestinian coalition - but firmly underlined in talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas the European Union sance that any new government must recognize Israel. Click here to read Iran's Obsession with the Jews (Weekly Standard) Matthias Kuentzel, YIISA seminar speaker this Fall, writes an article about Teheran's Holocaust Denial Conference. Click here to read Iran Expanding Nuclear Effort (New York Times) In a mild surprise to outside experts, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran was now operating or about to switch on roughly 1,000 centrifuges, the high-speed devices that enrich uranium, at its nuclear facility at Natanz. Click here to read The Iranian Military Targets American Forces (New York Sun) The head of the ground forces of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Nur Ali Shushkari, told Iranian government news agencies earlier this week that one of its commando units had engraved its emblem into the side panel of an American warship stationed in the Persian Gulf. Click here to read Clashes Reported in Iranian City (BBC) Iranian’s state media reports that clashes between armed militants and police have erupted in the south-eastern city of Zahedan. Click here to read The War within Islam (Slate) Christopher Hitchens writes about the growing danger of the Sunni-Shiite rivalry. Click here to read Irshad Manji: Modern Israel is a Far Cry from Old South Africa (The Australian) It's absurd to apply the term apartheid to one of the most progressive states in the world, maintains Manji. Click here to read Making Emotional Sense Out of the Proposed Boycott against Israeli Academics and Intellectuals (Engage Journal) An essay by Catherine B. Silver examines the links between the personal and the political in the discourse that supports the cultural and academic boycott of Israel, and more particularly the most recent attempts (2002-2006). She also looks at the impact these attempts have had on the unity of the left. Click here to read Editorial: The "Israel Apartheid Week" Libel (Jerusalem Post) It is tempting to ignore "Israel Apartheid Week," an anti-Israel hate-fest taking place this week in Canada, England and the US. The organizers of such events, though they claim to be supporting Palestinian rights, will obviously not be satisfied unless the Jewish state ceases to exist. Click here to read UN Marks 15 Years Since Repeal of "Zionism equals Racism" (Jerusalem Post) Resolution 3379, adopted in 1975 and repealed in December 1991, declared that "Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination." It was one of countless resolutions reflecting a long-standing antagonism between the UN and Israel. Click here to read The New Anti-anti-semites/ Split Personality (The New Republic) John B. Judis writes about the charge a growing trend among American intellectuals (and former presidents) toward anti-Semitism. Click here to read Anti-anti-Semitism Defended (The New Republic) Bret Stephen's response to John Judis article above in TNR. "There aren't many anti-Semites today who will actually come out with it and say "I hate Jews." Even the Muslim Brotherhood's Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, who ministers to the Sunni masses via his pulpit on Al Jazeera, tends to be careful with his utterances about Jews. Spotting an anti-Semite therefore requires forensic skills, interpretive wits, and moral judgment." Click here to read Battle between Fatah, Hamas Scars Two Universities (Kansas City Star) Sitting in his office overlooking his damaged 25-acre campus, Western-trained Islamic University President Kamalain Shaath said the assault did more than damage buildings; it undermined the Palestinians' drive to end decades of stateless poverty and depression. Click here to read James Kirchick: Who Is Really Stifling Debate Honest Debate about the Middle East? (The Examiner) Is there an international issue that inspires more debate than the Arab-Israeli conflict? The voluminous number of daily newspaper articles, columns, television reports and Weblog commentary confirm this to the case. But, amazingly, according to many on the left, Jews prohibit honest debate by smearing those with whom they disagree as “anti-Semites.” Click here to read Emory Professors Protest Carter Visit (AJC) The controversy over Jimmy Carter's book will not go away: especially in the halls of academia. Carter is scheduled to speak on campus of Emory, but has refused again to debate. Click here to read Remember Al Qaeda? They're Baaack (LA Times) An Op-ed by Bruce Hoffman, author of Inside Terrorism: Defeating Osama Bin Laden's resurgent terrorist network requires far more than military might. Click here to read Hamas Has Not Delivered (Guardian) Emollient words count for nothing if they do not include a recognition of the state of Israel. Click here to read Far Left Historian Ilan Pappe Says He Is Good Friends with Haniyeh (Jerusalem Post) When asked if he was nervous that Hamas's Haniyeh could be elected prime minister in a bi-national state, Pappe replied "Haniyeh doesn't make me nervous at all. He is a good friend of mine." Click here to read Hamas’ Military Wing: Truce is Over (YNet) Following killing of Islamic Jihad commander, Qassam Brigades spokesman declares an end to a ceasefire with Israel and calls factions to unite and retaliate. Click here to read No Israel Solution with Hamas (UPI) Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signalled Wednesday that there would be no agreement with the Palestinians as long as the majority there supports the Islamic Hamas. Click here to read Briton Leads UN Mission to Train Fatah Militia (Telegraph - UK) A former Royal Marine is leading a highly sensitive United Nations operation to train the Palestinian Presidential Guard on a mission that has raised concerns about the impartiality of the UN. The project is jointly funded by Holland, Canada and Britain. All three emphasise that the Palestinian Guards are not receiving military equipment but training in border management. Click here to read Egypt Catches Palestinian with Suicide Belt (Reuters) A Palestinian man wearing a suicide belt who planned to attack Israeli tourists has been caught after entering Egypt through a tunnel on the Gaza border. Click here to read US Harden Line on Talks between Jerusalem, Damascus (Ha'aretz) The United States demanded that Israel desist from even exploratory contacts with Syria, of the sort that would test whether Damascus is serious in its declared intentions to hold peace talks with Israel. Click here to read Suspicion of UN Troops Grows in Southern Lebanon (Guardian - UK) International forces are favouring Israel, say locals. Fears of fresh conflict as Hizbullah's forces regroup. Click here to read Egypt Pursues Terrorists in Sinai (YNet) Egyptian state and military forces pursue two Palestinians believed to be planning suicide attacks against Israeli and others vacationing in southern Sinai. Click here to read Zundel Sentenced to Five Years in German Prison (Globe and Mail) The 67-year-old, who was deported from Canada in 2005, was accused of years of anti-Semitic activities, including denying the Holocaust a crime in Germany in documents and on the Internet. Mr. Zundel has been a prominent white supremacist and Holocaust denier since the 1970s. He ran Samisdat Publishers, a leading distributor of Nazi propaganda based in Canada. Click here to read Anne Frank's Family Sought US Visa (YNet) This is the first concrete evidence that he did actually pursue the possibility of escape from Holland," said David Engel, a New York University professor. Click here to read Polish MEP's anti-Semitic Booklet Sparks Outrage (YNet) The 32-page brochure by "Civilizations at war in Europe" by Maciej Giertych, says Jews "create their own ghettos" because they like to separate themselves from other communities. Giertych is a member of the ultra Catholic League of Polish Families, which is a junior partner in Poland's right-wing coalition government. Click here to read The Wayward Son (Ha'aretz) "It saddens me that such nonsense was put forward by my son of all people," says Elio Toaff, the former chief rabbi of Rome and the father of Professor Ariel Toaff. Click here to read QUOTES AND SHORT TAKES “America’s policies have failed in the region.”Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, criticizing the U.S. during a Feb. 17 meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Lebanon. Ahmadinejad accused the U.S. of backing the interests of Syria’s archenemy, Israel, at the expense of Muslim countries in the Middle East. “America claims that it wants to restore peace and stability in the region… But America’s aim is to strengthen the Zionist regime and its own position.” he said. Both Iran and Syria are at loggerheads with the U.S.: Syria over its alleged role in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, and Iran over its disputed atomic work. (New York Times, Feb. 18) “Iran sees enrichment…as a strategic goal because they feel that this will bring them power, prestige and influence. They feel that this will bring them into the company of some of the large and influential [states], the 12, 13 countries with enrichment processing, even if they don't have a weapon.” UN chief nuclear inspector Mohamed ElBaradei, speaking to the Financial Times ahead of his report on Iran's nuclear activities due this week. ElBaradei indicated that Teheran is stepping up its commitment to a nuclear programme, and that the country could be six months to a year away from operating an industrial-size cascade of 3,000 centrifuges. If 3,000 centrifuges ran smoothly for a year, they could produce enough material for a bomb. (Financial Times, Feb. 20) “We are seeing [this] in Iraq, where the Iranians continue to support destabilizing activities, including the transfer of technologies that are killing our soldiers. We see it in Lebanon; we see it in the Palestinian territories. Unfortunately, Syria has decided to be Iran’s sidecar in all of these activities… [And] of course, the Iranians are seeking nuclear technologies that could lead to a nuclear weapon. This, with a president in Iran who says things that should never be said by the president of any nation, that ‘Israel should be wiped off the face of the map.’”U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, lambasting Iranian aggression that she said was contrary to a peaceful Middle East, and that should be addressed “now, not later.” Rice did not endorse Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s assertion that Iran is comparable to Nazi Germany in 1938. “I am fond of historical analogies, but not that fond,” Rice said. (Ha’aretz, Feb. 20) “I haven’t seen anything to date that suggests that this is a government that’s going to meet the Quartet’s principles, but…we will see once the government is formed… We think [President Abbas] is an important figure in moving towards the [U.S.] President’s vision of two states.” U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, stating that the U.S. was committed to working with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and would wait until after a new Palestinian unity government was formed between Fatah and Hamas before deciding how to deal with it. Rice met with President Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert earlier this week, following the announcement of the Palestinian unity government which ended the violent power-struggle between Hamas and Fatah factions. (National Post; Jerusalem Post, Feb. 19) “You are placing pressure on me. I have internal pressurethe pressure is unbearable. The only alternative to this agreement is civil war.”Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, shouting at a U.S. official who warned him Feb. 17 that Washington would have no contact with Palestinian unity government ministers, including Fatah members, if the Quartet’s terms were not met. (National Post, Feb. 19) “This means recognizing Israel’s right to exist and halting resistance against occupation, and this is what we have repeatedly rejected.”Excerpt of a statement from the Palestinian terror group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, asserting that the peace deal between Fatah and Hamas reached a week earlier in Mecca is “not binding for us.” (Jer. Post, Feb. 20) “He killed her because she was not observing the Islamic code of dress. She was also campaigning for [the] emancipation of women. The suspect is an extremist and he has a history of targeting woman whom he believed to be immoral.”--Nazir Ahmad, a police officer, indicating the motive for yesterday’s assassination of Zilla Huma Usman, a provincial minister in Pakistan. Police said the bearded lone attacker, identified as Mohammad Sarwar, approached the Minister as party activists threw rose petals at her, took out his pistol and shot her in the head. Sarwar, a stonemason and former Islamic student in his forties, has been suspected in the murders of at least six women, but has been acquitted due to lack of evidence. (National Post, Feb. 21) “America needs to follow the policies it has introduced in Germany… We have to go through a certain de-Nazification process.”Billionaire Democrat philanthropist George Soros, telling a group of reporters recently that America’s future will be determined by “the extent it recognizes the mistake” that was made by waging war in Iraq, and purging those responsible. De-Nazification was the post-World War II process which sought to cleanse Germany and Austria were cleansed of any and all remnants of their Nazi past. (New York Post, Feb. 18) BRANDEIS FINDS ONE MILLION MORE U.S. JEWS(Washington) Between 6 million and 6.4 million Jews live in the U.S., about 1 million more than was previously thought, according to a study conducted by the Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University and released Feb. 7. The researchers said that if they had included Americans who have Jewish family backgrounds but are not Jewish “by religion,” the number would have reached 7.5 million. The study appears to indicate that the non-Orthodox segment of American Jewry is far larger than previously estimated. (Ha’aretz, Feb. 8) CONVICTED VICHY OFFICIAL IS DEAD(Paris) Maurice Papon, a prominent French Functionary convicted in 1998 of complicity in Nazi crimes against humanity during the German occupation in World War II, died Feb. 17 at a private clinic near Paris. He was 96. Papon served less than three years of his 10-year sentence for deporting hundreds of Jews to their deaths in German concentration camps from SW France, where he was an official of the Vichy government, which collaborated with the Germans. (New York Times, Feb. 18) ZUNDEL CONVICTION A LESSON TO HOLOCAUST DENIERS(Toronto) The Feb. 15 conviction in Germany of Ernst Zundel for inciting racial hatred and denying the Holocaust should be a lesson to all who would imitate him, says Frank Dimant, executive vice-president of B’nai Brith Canada. Zundel, who spent much of his life in Canada before being extradited to Germany to face the charges, was sentenced to five years in prison. He has been in a German jail since 2005. “Justice has finally been served,” Dimant said. “We’re very pleased that he’s finally convicted: this case is a warning to other hate mongers that they will not be tolerated.” (National Post, Feb. 16) Source - Canadian Institute for Jewish Research. Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism | ISPS | yiisa.program@yale.edu
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