The Hidden Hand by Warren Kinsella

Jewish life after October 7th is sometimes unbearable. Israeli - no matter the age - abroad are literally hunted by rabid individuals accusing them of atrocities; Jewish institutions and events are guarded to teeth; visible Jewish symbols may turn you into a clear victim of verbal and physical aggressivity. Some people may believe in some misinterpreted ´social justice´. But the overwhelming majority is following, as Warren Kinsella remarks in his latest book The Hidden Hand, a seasoned agenda meticulously prepared by states and terrorist organisations with a clear agenda. 

Kinsella, who is not Jewish, analyses the details of the violent communication and public strategies implemented shortly after October 7th leave no doubt about the high level of planning of the operations per se, probably years in advance. The level of mediatic planning and protest strategies with well chosen actors and generous financing, explained in the book with examples, sets the reasons for the overwhelming propaganda war happening in the last three years.

Most of the things exposed in The Hidden Hand are clear and no secret for anyone carefully observing the media messaging and the structure of mass protests all over the world - just visit the regular ´Pro Palestinian´ protest in your nearest town few times and the patterns are obvious as well as the role distribution and the logistics. 

The questions I was left with at the end of the book - even after reading some lines of actions that may lay the ground for a possible challenge of the current situation were: It is too late to change something? Are we condamned to remain in the self-righteous bubble knowing the truth, but nevertheless unable to change anything while helplessly noticing how everything is just getting worse for the Jews - no matter where?

It is hard to be optimistic after the toxic roller coaster of the last three years. Democracies should be taken responsible for guaranteeing the safety of their citizens, no matter the religion. Media should  be reminded of its obligations to inform, and sanctioned when turns into activism. Facts needs to be explained and published smartly using the many social media tools available. 

It is no time to give up.

Let's Talk Moral Lows

For a long while I am trying as much as possible to keep myself away from the poisonous nonsense. Either in politics or personal affairs. It doesn't make me feel good and as long as I consider that my power stops in the front of other people's bad will. All shall pass, after all.

However, being active on social media - a serious sourse of yetzer hara both for the political and personal wellbeing - the ways in which some public intellectuals position towards certain sensitive topics cannot be ignored by someone so much into fine analysis of human goods and wrongs.

I know that the example I am about to mention is not new, doesn't have any chance of changing stances in the next decade or so. I also know that I personally cannot stop from being involved, even so randomly lately. I am still optimistic that my words can one day bring change, for me and other people. One word plus one word plus one word can make a strong outstanding sentence.

In one of my rare moments of procrastination, I was lately scrolling some Twitter and Instagram accounts, of people that at the first sight might look the kind of persons I would love to talk with about politics, Middle East, arts and science. PhD holders, with a good research position in European universities. Some of them do have a background from countries that say every couple of minutes that want to destroy Israel. But they go visit Holocaust memorials in Europe and are impressed about the extent of the annihilation that was planned by the Germans.

But they also have a steady obsession: Gaza. Free Gaza! Resistance! Take down that Wall! Resist! Are the short, from the bottom of the heart messages uttered by those civil vigilants. Poor Gazans! Cruel inhuman Israeli Army who is killing babies! Stop the war! Once in a while, when it is the case, the border their profile picture taken in sunny European places with a widget in support of those poor people from Gaza.

However, there is nothing on the profile of those brave public intellectuals about the children killed in Yemen, or those in Syria, or the girls kidnapped in Nigeria by the Islamic militants. Nothing about the horrors of ISIS in the Middle East or the way in which gay people are treated in Gaza by Hamas. They do not adorn their smiling pics with a ribbon and the moral outrage is completely absent. Of course, it might be they are too busy counting what they call the human rights violations of poor Gazans by Israel. 

Of course truth, especially when it comes to conflicts is not black and white and there are so many nuances and special circumstances to be taken under consideration. I am always ready to openly discuss Middle East politics and its interesting stage this part of the world is going through. But I prefer to have such discussions with people with an open mind, whose long years of intellectual dedication for science or humanities taught them how to use their mind to abhor any kind of propaganda and put themself outside their comfort zone and think, think, think. With their own mind. Those kinds of people I can't wait to have as friends.  

Strange times

I didn't read too many news lately, but as usual, when it happens I am overwhelmed by various kind of information. This time there were bad and worrying news, but not surprising in many ways. And at the end, it may be an optimistic conclusion as well.

I started my journey reading about the hate crimes in Brooklyn. Brooklyn, one of my favorite place on earth, where I will ever think with affection. How it is possible to be the scenery of such unthinkable actions? Couple of month ago, when we welcomed my American friends from Brooklyn in Europe, I envied their easiness to wear a kippah in Europe, and reminded how natural is there to freely express your identity. But, it doesn't mean is risk-free...

Maybe we'd forgot - or never knew about - the anti-Semitism of the earlier 20th century America, when Jews were running the pogroms and the Nazis - and weren't allowed to enter the country - and the other outbursts of extreme behavior in the 60s - the red left never was Jewish-friendly, by the way (maybe you ask yourself what about Occupy WS movement? I fully recommend to get rid of any hopes). For many of my friends, Brooklyn is safe, welcoming and more Jewish than any other places in the world. You can buy kosher, go to shuls and speak in Yiddish or Hebrew. But, overall, it's nothing but another artificial paradise of the galut where we aren't protected at all against violence and anti-Semitic aggression.

I continued my media wondering reading a lot about Hungary and Central Europe and realizing how far the far right went in one of the countries whose intellectuals I will always appreciate. Europe never been a safe and welcoming place for Jews and the latest official welcome of far right parties into the European Parliament and the daily political life of Europe didn't surprise me (Italy included). As an observation, many of those far-right parties are extremely worried about the fate of poor Palestinians, as their friends from Occupy WS.

9 November 2011 was the day celebrating the 73rd anniversary of Kristallnacht and the German media dedicated several media coverage, including a report regarding the anti-Semitic support within the population. But shortly after, more worrisome were the news that neo-Nazi cells operated and murdered for years across the country, including with the support of some representatives of the police. There were some arrests and some "calls" for creating a database on extremists, but it's never enough for considering the danger is gone.

And, if you listen to me, the danger was never gone. Anywhere. But since 1948, we have our place to go and live!

Book Review: Academics against Israel and the Jews

For a long time, for various reasons and from different angles I was watching the academic perspectives on the Middle East. As usual, I was expecting from the intellectuals a more delicate and subtle analysis than the usual street noise. But in most part of the cases, I was disappointed to observe a lot of passion and failures - at least - in identifiying the logical consequences of a very complicate situation.

Reading this collection of articles coordinated by Manfred Gerstenfeld I had first a very deep feeling of sadness: famous academic centers from US, UK or France are deeply infused with hate and narrow anti-Semitic mind settings, students - whatever their ethnic and national backgrounds - are preparing for a career in rather throwing stones than in building arguments respecting at least the possibility that in a conflict there are no doves. But there are so many examples offering inspiration for coordinate and focused intervention and Internet offers the possibility for coordinating people all over the world in countering the shameful attempts to shout us up.

In my opinion, this is not exclusively a question that should preoccupy Jews but all those close to the ideas of democracy and freedom of thinking. Those putting fire on flags and boycotting open discussions are against all those who represent open societies and the discussion should involve all those with a trace of responsibility towards the future.

After reading this book I am starting to think differently on the Israeli anti-boycott law.

Book Review: A new interpretation of Affaire Dreyfus

In a very stereotypical way, we - me included - use to consider Dreyfus' affair as the birth of the public intellectual, with doves on the one side, definitely against Anti-Semitism and any kind of obscurantism, and the black sheep - the representatives of the conservative and clerical mainstream condemning cpt. Dreyfus.

Ruth Harris, in his exhaustively documented book The Man on Devil's Island: Alfred Dreyfus and the affair that divided France is admirabily broking those myths, offering a nuanced picture of the intellectual ambiance of the France of the time. "During the Affair, intellectuals and anti-intellectuals struggled over the uses and abuses of history and science, and the place of religion in contemporary society. The national crisis also provoked a refinement of nationalist thinking that was one of its most significant legacies to French political culture" (p.201). In a similar way with the German Jewry at the beginning of the WWII, the French Jews were and wanted to be assimilated to the greater French culture, but more assimilated they pretended to be more counter-reaction from the part of the "traditional" elites.

The author discernes very carefully the deep roots of the pro- and counter-Dreyfus through the manifestations of popular pietisme, religiosity, psychological, sociological and historical basis of the intellectual roots of the local culture. Sometimes overcharged with data and information, the book represents a fascinating adventure of the mind through the hidden labyrinth of the history.