Not Much Time Remains for Israel- A Film Review by Gilad Atzmon

May 05, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Film Review, Israel, Jewishness, Palestine, Philosophy, identity

The London Palestinian Film Festival opened this year with Elia Suleiman’s latest feature “The Time that Remains” (105min), a monumental reflective and poetic take on Palestine since 1948.

To a certain extent Suleiman’s latest film reminded me of Ramzy Baroud’s book My Father Was a Freedom Fighter. Both works chart a personal and devastating expedition into hopelessness. Both accounts are saturated with repeated failures and betrayals, both Baroud and Suleiman are courageous enough to criticise their collective narrative and yet, both pepper their story with some staggering wit, hope and humour. They make you smile just when you are about to sob.

To watch trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUPHXAC3Lk

The Complete Manual for The British Jewish Voter by Gilad Atzmon

April 30, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Politiks, Zionism

With Britain’s three-way race for prime minister entering the final lap, many Brits are still wondering who to vote for. As if it makes any difference. However, if you are interested in my take on the subject, I would suggest you opt for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. If you want to know why, it is pretty simple - just because the Jews don’t like Clegg at all. This is at least the impression I gathered after reading the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA).

Welcome to the Jewish Comedy Club by Gilad Atzmon

April 27, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Politiks, identity

Last weekend the American National Security Adviser, General James Jones, spoke at the 25-year anniversary gala of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy*. Mindful that the crowd consisted of many Jews, General Jones believed would be an appropriate, friendly gesture to launch his speech with a Jewish Joke. He was obviously wrong.

Holocaust Tax Allowance by Gilad Atzmon

April 24, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Cultural Criticism, Jewishness, Satire, Shoa/Holocaust

I do think that taking Tax from Jews is nothing less than Anti Semitism in practice. After the Holocaust and 2000 years of Jewish suffering we should accept that Jews have the right to hide some money from the tax authorities, just in case the horror repeats itself.

The BBC reported today that A US watchmaker told the American court that he “hid $10,000,000 in a Swiss bank account because of ‘survival behaviour’ learned from the Holocaust”. The 65 year-old watchmaker, Jack Barouh, argued his secretive behaviour was motivated by his “fear as a Jew of persecution and sudden loss.” Indeed with 10 million dollars Barouh could barely survive; he could for instance, hire a private jet that would fly him anywhere in the world, he could settle in 5 star hotels in the most beautiful sea resorts, yet, no one could guarantee Barouh a constant supply of matzo balls and gefilte fish and this may well be the true meaning of Jewish fear.

Symbolic Identifiers and Jewish Stereotypes by Gilad Atzmon

April 18, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Zionism, identity

Jews are usually proud to define themselves as Jews. Some Jews may, for instance, proudly carry the Jewish banner (Jews for Peace, Jews for Justice, Jews for Jesus and so on) as if they believe that the ‘J’ word contains special righteous attributions. However, they also will be gravely offended if they are called a ‘Jew’ by others. Suggesting to a Jew that “he is a Jew” or “behaves like a Jew” can be regarded as a serious ‘racist’ offence.

It is linguistically noticeable that the symbolic identifier ‘Jew’ or ‘Jewish’ operates as both noun and as an adjective. As much as the term points to a ‘thing’ it is also descriptive. However, I assume that symbolic identifiers associated with ideological and identity politics tend to function in a dual grammatical mode. The words ‘feminist’, ‘socialist’, ‘Nazi’ and ‘white supremacist’ can point to a human subject but they can also be descriptive. I guess, for instance, that a feminist who proudly carries the feminist flag may also accept that being called ‘a feminist’ will also assign some particular characteristics and ideological beliefs. Crucially, we also accept that being a feminist, a socialist, a Nazi or a white supremacist are matters of political choice. People are not born feminists or as socialists. They adopt those ideologies or identities later in life.

The Boomerang Effect By Gilad Atzmon

April 13, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Politiks, Satire, Shoa/Holocaust, Zionism

In case you didn’t know, in Britain the Holocaust is part of the National Curriculum. Thanks to the ‘The Holocaust Educational Trust’ our children are guaranteed to learn how bad the Nazis were. This is probably much easier for our kids to acknowledge than to look into the ways in which the embarrassing legacy of the British Empire reverberates throughout almost every contemporary disastrous conflict on this planet. It is deemed far easier for our kids to learn about Anne Frank than to absorb the fact that Britain is directly responsible for the robbery of Palestine and the Palestinian ordeal. Learning about Auschwitz is also far easier than accepting the devastating reality created by Britain’s latest illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a colossal crime which has cost more than 1.5 million innocent lives so far. Thanks to The Holocaust Educational Trust we can brush history and our current crimes aside. Learning about the bad Nazis is far easier on our children than learning about the complicity of Britain in the holocaust. I guess that toughening British immigration laws to stop Jews escaping to Britain in the 1930s is not a prominent chapter in our kids’ text books.

The Shylocks meet the Fagins by Gilad Atzmon

April 08, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewishness, identity

Western cultural heritage provides us with a few interesting fictional characters who may be able to throw light on the current moral state of Israel and the latest organ trafficking affair in particular.

In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice Shylock is a Jewish moneylender, a character who has become a name of the ultimate heartless usurer. In the play Shylock lends money to his Christian rival, Antonio, setting the bond at a pound of Antonio's flesh. Once Antonio fails to pay his loan back, Shylock demands the pound of flesh in return. Though Shylock is just a fictional character, the willingness to attach a price tag to blood or human flesh is rather revealing.

Samson and the 2nd Nakba - A Short Study of the Jewish Hercules By Gilad Atzmon

March 27, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Politiks, Zionism, identity

As much as many of us enjoyed watching the humiliation of Israel and PM Netanyahu in Washington this week, I am reluctant to suggest that the emerging crisis between America and Israel may also be a red light warning for all of us. The current crisis may lead to some devastating consequences as far as Palestine, Iran and the Middle East are concerned.

Judea declares War on Obama by Gilad Atzmon

March 25, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Lebanon, Zionism, identity, revision

Last week we read about AIPAC’s assault against President Obama. It was reported that the Jewish Lobby in America took its gloves off. In the open, AIPAC decided to mount pressure on the American leadership and President Obama in particular.

Who is the British Dog? By Gilad Atzmon

March 23, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Britain, Cultural Criticism, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Zionism, identity

Israeli officials and politicians sharply criticized the intention of the UK government to expel an ‘unnamed’ Israeli ‘diplomat’ in response to its passports being used in the Dubai assassination of Hamas Freedom Fighter Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

MK Aryeh Eldad (Israel National Union) doesn’t show much respect to the Brits whom he compares to dogs: "I think [the] British are behaving hypocritically and I don't want to offend dogs on this issue, since some dogs are utterly loyal," Eldad told Sky News.

Madoff in Jerusalem by Gilad Atzmon

March 19, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Israel, Jewishness, Zionism

Zionism, at least in its early days was premised on the belief that once back in their ‘homeland’, Jews would mature into ethical beings. For early Zionists it was the Diaspora conditions that corrupted the Jews. Ber Borchov blamed it on the difference between ‘the socio-economic structure of the Jewish people’ and other nations (Ber Borochov- The Economic Development of the Jewish People 1917). Max Nordau repelled the “Jewish lack of notion of honour, morality, patriotism and idealism…." (Max Nordau - Address at the 1st Zionist Congress 1897).

It is transparently evident that Zionism failed to erect a modern ethical collective. Considering the Zionist agenda to celebrate a Jewish national aspiration at the expense of the indigenous people of Palestine, it shouldn’t take us by surprise that Zionism evolved into an unethical morbid entity. As we read in a poll in Haaretz today. The Israelis themselves are coming to terms with their non-ethical setting. More than half of the Israelis are convinced that the leadership of their Jewish State is corrupted.

Jewish Accessories by Gilad Atzmon

March 17, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Cultural Criticism, Israel, Jewishness, Satire, Zionism, identity

Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to the wonderful word of modern Jewish accessories.

If you want to know what contemporary Jewish identity is, you may like to check out what products are available for Jewish consumption.

They Love it from Behind

Nationalist Jews do love it from behind, at least as far as their cars are concerned.

The Banality of Jewish Symbolism by Gilad Atzmon

March 09, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Shoa/Holocaust, Zionism, identity

In a remarkable exposé of the Mossad operation in Dubai, The Times happens to refer to Meir Dagan’s (the Mossad chief) ‘philosophy’. “The tone of Dagan’s directorship is set by a photograph on the wall of his modest office in the Tel Aviv headquarters. It shows an old Jew standing on the edge of a trench. An SS officer is aiming his rifle at the old man’s head. ‘This old Jew was my grandfather’ Dagan tells visitors”. According to The Times, the picture reflects Dagan’s belief: “We should be strong, use our brain, and defend ourselves so that the Holocaust will never be repeated,”

Why it takes so many Mossad agents to kill a Palestinian with a Pillow? by Gilad Atzmon

March 01, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Satire, Shoa/Holocaust, Zionism, identity

While in Britain, France, USA and Argentina the Mossad enjoys the support of thousands of local Sayanim, Jews who are happy to betray their neighbours for their beloved Jewish state, when operating in Arab countries the Mossad has to schlep its very many assassins and their assistants using different fraudulent methods.

Yet one may wonder why does it take 26 Mossad agents to carry out a single murder of an unarmed Palestinian freedom fighter with a pillow*. I will try to throw some light on the puzzling question.

Big Story-The Jewish Lobby in Britain..

February 23, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Britain, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Zionism

Press TV's journalist Amina Taylor, searches for the truth behind the headlines of the most important stories in the UK. This time it is the Jewish Lobby.

http://www.presstv.ir/programs/detail.aspx?sectionid=3510540

In case one cannot access the Press TV video. Here is the Youtube version.

Pt 1

Pt 2

Pt 3

To Believe or not to Believe

February 21, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Britain, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Zionism

Daily Telegraph’s Andrew Gilligan doesn’t believe the British Foreign Office:

“The (British) Foreign Office denied claims that it had been tipped off about the use of British passports before the hit, insisting: “We only received details of the British passports a few hours before the [February 15] press conference held by the police in Dubai.”

But the Irish foreign ministry has confirmed that it knew Irish passports had been used by the hit squad as early as February 4 – and it would seem surprising if Britain did not know at least that soon too. The use of “European” passports in the hit was being claimed by the Dubai authorities as early as January 29. Not for the first time, the British government may not be being wholly frank about what it knew and when it knew it.

The fact that Britain may have waited to get angry until the story got on TV tends to support the view of one Israeli government source that the UK is merely “going through the motions of outrage to mollify the media”. According to one former intelligence source, MI6 has been reassuring Mossad that everything ‘would blow over’”.

The angriest Brit this week was our Foreign Secretary David Miliband. Any abuse by Israel would be an “outrage”, he said. I see the the duty to remind you all. David Miliband is listed on an Israeli propaganda site as an “Israeli Hasbara Author”. Miliband is also an interventionist. Bearing this in mind, should we believe him? Was he outraged for real?

A New Jewish Goal by Gilad Atzmon

February 16, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Palestine, Shoa/Holocaust, Zionism, identity

The following email was passed to me by a Jewish supporter:

“Re: Holocaust Remembrance Day - May 2,

Please wait 20 Seconds before you close this e-mail.

This message asks you to do one small act to remember the six million

(6,000,000) Jewish lives that were lost during the Holocaust.

Send this message to everyone you know who is Jewish.

Dreyfus, The Protocols and Goldstone by Gilad Atzmon

February 13, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Politiks, Zionism, identity

Alan Dershowitz on Judge Goldstone: “But now I see him as a traitor… It’s as if they would have taken a Jew to edit the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. He uses his Jewish last name to kosher his slander of the Jewish People.”

For those who still cannot make their minds up about Jewish nationalism and the Zionist violent abuse of Western academic culture (tolerance, academic freedom, pluralism etc) Rabbi Shmully Hecht of Yale’s University Jewish society, gives an exemplary opportunity to see it all. Rabbi Hecht confronted Judge Goldstone last week while Goldstone was delivering an address at Yale University. Rabbi Hecht and his supporters held up a sign at the back of the conference room equating the Goldstone report with the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the Dreyfus affair.

The Shoa Must Go On by Gilad Atzmon

January 25, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Shoa/Holocaust, identity

Last week saw Holocaust survivor Thomas Blatt, 82 give testimony at the trial of John Demjanjuk. Blatt stated that he still has nightmares about his time at the camp at Sobibor, "I go there in my dreams, they are so real. In them I am still there. I can't get it out of my head. This is the price I paid for getting out."

Ukrainian born John Demjanjuk, 89, is accused by the Munich court of being an ‘accessory’* in the death of 27,900 Jews at the Sobibor camp while being a German POW. As it happens, the German Justice system is now chasing ‘accessories’ to the Nazi crime. Embarrassingly enough it doesn’t do very well in the current case. Demjanjuk denies anything to do with the crime referred to him and furthermore, the German prosecution lacks any evidence whatsoever that supports or links Demjanjuk personally with murder or any other holocaust related criminal event.

Netanyahu, Hegel and the Jewish Spirit by Gilad Atzmon

January 19, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Ideology, Israel, Jewishness, Philosophy, Zionism, identity

“Spirit does not toss itself about in the external play of chance occurrences; on the contrary, it is that which determines history absolutely, and it stands firm against the chance occurrences which it dominates and exploits for its own purpose”. (Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 1770 – 1831)

PM Netanyahu was quoted by the Israeli Ynet last week saying that the “whole of Israel would be surrounded by a fence eventually”. According to another report he said “there will be no choice but to fence Israel in on all directions”. What Netanyahu means by ‘fence’ and ‘all directions’ may be left open for the time being. However, PM Netanyahu has managed to bring to light an Hegelian interpretation of the notion of ‘Jewish spirit’ as a relentless inclination towards segregation and isolation. It is the tendency to keep oneself apart that determines and shapes Jewish collectivism. Whether it is the Zionists and their walls, the Orthodox and their Kosher universe or even Jewish anti Zionists and their racially segregated miniature activist cells, somehow every form of Jewish political engagement is there to set the Jews apart.