(Mrs.) Frida Schapiro
(Via E-Mail)
Anti-Semitism In Sterling Coverage
The condemnation with which virtually all of America responded to the racism expressed by NBA owner Donald Sterling reflects the extent to which anti-African-American sentiment and behavior is an anathema to the overwhelming majority of Americans.
But there was one disturbing byproduct that should not go unnoticed. A number of television commentators went out of their way to gratuitously mention that Mr. Sterling is a Jew.
CNN national correspondent Jason Carroll pointed out that Sterling is the son of Jewish immigrants – a fact wholly irrelevant to the story.
On “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart highlighted the racist comments of both cattle rancher Cliven Bundy and Donald Sterling, but then went on to observe that as racism has been resurrected in America it “quickly caught on with many Jews.”
Really! Donald Sterling’s comments reflect the fact that racism has “caught on with many Jews”? What evidence does Mr. Stewart have for this blatantly racist remark?
At the end of Stewart’s opening monologue, he made the point that while we have taught Americans to reject racism, we have failed to teach Americans what racism is.
Ironically, in a program highlighting the insidious subtleties of racist tendencies, Jon Stewart revealed how some Americans have yet to learn what anti-Semitic racism really is.
Mark S. Golub
President and Executive Producer
Shalom TV
Boycotters Aren’t Parade’s Only Problem
I am bemused by the flurry of attention given to the participation of groups such as New Israel Fund in the upcoming Celebrate Israel Parade (“Boycotters on Parade,” editorial, April 25).
I endorse the exclusion of groups that directly support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS). Further, I would agree that if a group is one step removed from BDS – that is, it does not directly support BDS, but it channels considerable financial aid to groups that do – a case may be made to likewise exclude that group. Whether NIF and the other organizations in question fit either of these criteria is a matter worthy of examination. (One possible distinction concerns groups that urge a boycott of products made in Judea and Samaria while opposing a boycott of items manufactured in Israel proper.)
My bemusement, though, stems from the fact that a much greater threat to Israel, exposed last year, remains unresolved. I refer to the inclusion of an openly gay group, Jewish Queer Youth, in the parade the past several years. Last year, I was part of a campaign that called upon Orthodox institutions to boycott the parade unless JQY were prohibited from marching under its own banner. (We had no issue with gays and lesbians marching among other groups.) We noted that according to the Torah, homosexual practice can cause the Land of Israel to spit out its inhabitants. How, then, we asked, could Orthodox groups march alongside JQY? How would this benefit our beloved Israel?
Our campaign gained traction only after repeated attempts were made to alert yeshivas and other Orthodox groups that they were, in effect, legitimizing homosexual behavior by marching. Eventually a meeting was called at which the Jewish Community Relations Council, which administers the parade, was instructed to prevent JQY from displaying blatantly offensive banners. (The prior year, JQY had marched with banners stating: “We are in every yeshiva.”)
While this was a victory for Torah morals, it was a partial one, because yeshivas refused to pull out of the parade, thus leaving the unfortunate impression that JQY represents a legitimate approach to Judaism. This inaction occurred despite the fact that many yeshiva principals privately agreed with our view that participating alongside an openly immoral group was wrong.