When some Jews only want to shut down debate

During a fund-raiser in New York last night for the NGO 3 Generations – tasked to raise awareness of genocide – guest speaker New York Times columnist Roger Cohen told me that he was amused and frustrated when Jewish critics of his work could solely accuse him of “self-hatred”.

I said it was because his work challenged the core belief of blind, Zionist nationalism. He was, in my view, questioning the very idea of Israeli morality and the nation’s increasingly slim chances of a viable future. Occupation can be ignored for only so long.

Cohen spoke movingly about the recent Iranian uprising and his belief that what the world witnessed was the birth of a very public challenge to the Islamic Republic. He almost begged for other stories, such as the death of Michael Jackson, not to overwhelm far more important struggles around the world.

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