Jews insulate themselves from reality

The Australian Jewish News reports today on some utterly unsurprising news. God forbid the Jewish community establishment will allow their members to hear alternative perspectives on Israel/Palestine. Thankfully, such views are getting increasingly widely aired, against the woeful judgement of the Zionist cabal:

A Sydney synagogue has cancelled a March 23 appearance by an Israeli academic who described the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as “a countdown to apartheid”.

American-born Professor Jeff Halper, who condemned Israel as a country of “nefarious ideologies”, is coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolitions (ICAHD). The organisation was set up 12 years ago to oppose the practice of house demolitions.

Emanuel Synagogue executive director Allan Glazerman said on Thursday the decision to withdraw Prof Halper’s invitation was made at a special executive meeting on Tuesday this week.

The synagogue had planned to make a decision at its scheduled executive meeting on Thursday, but Glazerman said the shul’s management wanted an early resolution of the matter.

Prof Halper had been invited by Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins, Emanuel’s senior rabbi, to address a Torah class of about 12 people who study the weekly parshah and related issues.

“I guess people in that class who are maybe connected with [Prof] Halper … somehow wanted to open it up as a community forum. We never had any interest in that,” Glazerman said.

“Our rabbi thought that for a regular class to hear his views about the demolition of Palestinian homes was important. He certainly never intended it as a forum for the community.”

Jews against the Occupation spokesperson Vivienne Porzsolt said the synagogue’s reversal was due to “the noxious culture of silence, fear and suppression that dominates the organised Jewish community in relation to Israel” and said the organisation would set up an alternative meeting between Prof Halper and the Jewish community.

She also slammed a decision by The AJN not to publish an advertisement listing Prof Halper’s speaking engagements. The newspaper’s management said it acted within its legal right to refuse to publish the advertisment.

Prof Halper is on an Australian speaking tour. During his Sydney and Melbourne visits, he will speak at several universities, the title of one of his lectures is “Countdown to Apartheid in Israel/Palestine”.

Supporting his visit are Jews Against the Occupation, Independent Australian Jewish Voices, Australians for Palestine, and the Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine.

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