Sunday, May 28, 2023

Censorship

 I posted on Facebook about Roger Waters' anti-Semitic comments and behavior. A Facebook friend remarked that if Waters made similar comments about Muslims as he makes about Jews Waters would be condemned. The Facebook friend said that Muslims are protected but Jews are not. 

I attempted to reply. I said that "protection" depends on context. Yes, the world allows Waters to make anti-Semitic comments. But when I, a Polish Catholic, attempted to publish a responsible book like Bieganski -- that is not at all anti-Semitic, publisher after publisher, after initially expressing interest, backed out. They were afraid, and yes they told me this in so many words, that since I am Polish and Catholic (I'm really American and not the world's greatest Catholic) the book had to be suppressed. 

In other words, it's identity Bingo. 

That's all I said. 

I clicked "post" and *instantaneously* I got a notification from Facebook warning me to take down the post.

I screen-capped the post and scribbled out my message because if saying what I said, as I said it, is going to get me censored, I would prefer it not be seen. 

BTW I was chatting with three good Facebook friends who happen to be Jewish, and two live in Israel and one has lived in Israel. 



Thursday, May 4, 2023

Poles, Jews, and the Holocaust; Filip Mazurczak, Barbara Engelking, Roman Solecki

 


On May 1, 2023, scholar, author, and translator Filip Mazurczak posted this on Facebook. I repeat it here with his permission.
 
At the end, I add a comment.

Sunday, April 23, 2023

"This country felt different."

 



"A generation ago, before I became a rabbi, Jewish communities did not expect or plan for synagogue attacks, assaults against Jews walking down the street, or swastikas painted on local playgrounds. When they happened, the events were outliers, aberrations. My great-grandparents who fled pogroms in Europe may have expected that, but this country felt different. 

Now we too have come to anticipate violence and hate. The fear of these potential threats has become a mainstay within the psyche of modern American Jewish life. It is exhausting."

Yes, being hated and lied about is exhausting. 

Rabbi Marc Katz of Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield NJ which was recently attacked with a Molotov cocktail. 

Source: New York Times

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Israeli Student Holocaust Trips to Poland: Controversial New Agreement

You can read the full article at Haaretz here . The screencaps below are out of order and I don't have time to fix them. Thanks to Jerzy for sending this in.