The Jerusalem Post reports that, during the sad but risible “Israel Apartheid Week” held annually at Columbia University, left-wing flyers appeared showing Israeli soldiers as devils with horns. This equation of Jews with Satan, depicted with horns, hooves, and deformities, is, of course a medieval anti-Semitic trope of which the students must surely have been aware. Or perhaps not, given their profound ignorance of “apartheid” and their kneejerk anti-Zionism. Wikipedia says this:
The portrayal of Jews as historic enemies of Christianity and Christendom constitutes the most damaging anti-Jewish stereotype reflected in the literature of the late tenth through early twelfth centuries. Jews were often depicted as satanic consorts, or as devils themselves and “incarnation[s] of absolute evil.” Physically, Jews were portrayed as menacing, hirsute, with boils, warts and other deformities, and sometimes with horns, cloven hoofs and tails. Such imagery was used centuries later in Nazi propaganda of the 1930s and 1940s. This propaganda leaned on Jewish stereotypes to explain the claim that the Jewish people belong to an “inferior” race.
The Post reports:
Earlier this week, Students for Justice in Palestine, Columbia University Apartheid Divest and Jewish Voice for Peace disseminated a flyer around campus depicting an Israeli soldier with horns on his head to help promote Israel Apartheid Week.
. . . .The organization [SSI, or Students Supporting Israel] sent an official complaint to Columbia’s administration demanding “proper disciplinary actions.” It is also calling on others to “take a strong stance,” sharing the email of Columbia University’s president to whom people can protest: bollinger@columbbia.edu.
Here’s the poster (“Jewish Voice for Peace” does not wish for peace; it wishes, as do the BDS Movement and Students for Justice in Palestine, for the extirpation of Israel. That process will not be peaceful.)
I do not share SSI’s call for disciplinary action, for this is free speech. Students are free to write what they want and distort pictures of Jews as much as they want, and I don’t think they should be disciplined at all for such activity. But of course of course free speech also allows one to protest and create counterspeech. Here’s mine:
Remember that those students making the poster are not Palestinians, but American college students. These students apparently lack any idea of what an “apartheid state” is, for if they did they’d know that the Palestinian Territories—or, for that matter, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries—are true apartheid states with a state religion, bans against religious intermarriage, segregation and oppression of women, banning of homosexual activity and punishment for it, true apartheid (no Jew is allowed to live in Palestine), and severe punishments for blasphemy and apostasy.
I would guess that given a choice between living permanently in the apartheid state of Israel on the one hand (which gives its citizens the right to protest the policies of the Israeli government—something done quite often by Israelis and Israeli media), and on the other hand living in the true apartheid state of Palestine, where criticism of the government is suppressed and punished, they’d take the former. (And is there any doubt that in the Palestinian moiety of a two-state solution, conditions would be equally dire?)
But the funniest part of the article is this:
SJP is denying that the soldier has horns in the picture on the flyer, according to media reports.
“If they’re not horns, what the deuce are they?”
Actually, there’s only one, which would argue against it being a single horn. My take is that the artist (I use the term lightly) intended it to be a lump coming through the helmet as a result of the can hitting the soldier on the head. The stars would go along with this. If so, it’s just a bad drawing rather than an anti-Semitic slur. But perhaps I’m being too generous.
No, you might be right; I didn’t think of that.
Mirandaga surely has the correct interpretation of what is simply a poorly drawn attempt at a Charlie Hebdo-esque cartoon. The growing ‘lump’ on the head and spinning stars is almost universal in representing injury in cartoons of that type. The portrayal of Jews as devils is abhorrent, but we ought not cry ‘wolf!’ with something like this. It plays into the hands of those who accuse Jews of using accusations of anti-semitism as a means to shut down critics of Israel.
Let me add here, though, that “Israel apartheid week” is a bigger travesty than that cartoon–for reasons I gave in the post.
A bump wouldn’t pierce the helmet, but a pointed horn might.
I agree, it looks like a (badly drawn) classic Tom and Jerry head bump to me.
https://youtu.be/yu3rKUvX8rs?t=110
That’s what I also thought of upon seeing it… so it’s not medieval especially, but merely insanely stupid, vicious anti-Semitic racist ignorant hypocritical dangerous hateful propaganda that demonstrates how little these students have bothered about the issues and facts.
The fact that there’s only one doesn’t mean much. It’s a side view so it makes sense you’d only see one.
Bumps on the head are not usually depicted as coming to a point. I’m not ready to buy that the artist didn’t intend to at least suggest a horn.
I also think that this bump was deliberately drawn in a position and shape to resemble a horn.
I tend to see it Mirandaga’s way.
However, if they would acrually depict Isreli soldiers with horns, I’m sure it would fall under “given their profound ignorance of “apartheid” and their kneejerk anti-Zionism”.
As far as apartheid goes, and I fancy myself kinda knowledgeable, since living in South Africa: No, Israel is NOT an Apartheid state. If you think so you haven’t got a clue about what Apartheid was.
That was my thought when I saw the drawing: The soldier got a bump on his head from a thrown pop bottle.
I agree. As a bump, it’s a bit too pointy, but as a would-be horn, it’s pathetic.
So I’d go for ‘bump’.
From the headline, I’d expected proper big devilish horns. In which case I would have said, that was stoopid and just made a nonsense of the poster. But it wasn’t so it didn’t.
cr
sub.
Not so sure that’s a horn on the Israeli soldier. Looks like it might be a welt growing through his helmet from where he was conked on the noggin by the canister tossed by the character in keffiyeh.
Still a grossly offensive front cover on the Columbia flyer. But such is the price we pay for free expression.
Posted before I refreshed my screen and saw that the same point had been made by Gary Miranda above. Didn’t mean simply to repeat his.
Great minds think alike, Ken; some just think faster than others. 🤔
Gary
What I get for taking the dog for a walk, and picking up a bagel with a schmear at the corner deli, after opening Jerry’s post but before putting up a comment. 🙂
The whole ”Israel Apartheid Week” is antisemitic. Here is the explanation why: http://david-collier.com/israel-conflict-in-context/
Moreover, as one of pro-Israeli bloggers wrote: ’Ever notice that the “pro-Palestinian” crowd doesn’t make a “Palestine is awesome” week or “We love Palestinians” week on campus. No, they pour their efforts into “#IsraeliApartheidWeek.” Which proves again that their focus isn’t on building a nation – but on destroying one.’
And the interpretation of this cartoon is of secondary importance. In many Arab countries, where Jews are often depicted with horns, it may be interpreted as a horn.
It’s also notable that not one word of criticism against Hamas or the PA for torturing and executing Palestinians is to be heard from such ‘Pro-Palestinian campaigners’.
It’s actually very simple.
If you claim Israel is an apartheid state, you claim that one group of people in it are enshrining their oppression of another group of people in their law and institutions. Since the first group is implicitly the Jews and the statement is false and therefore slander, it’s clearly antisemitic to say Israel is an apartheid state.
That’s a good link, by the way. I may use it elsewhere.
“…their focus isn’t on building a nation – but on destroying one.” Yes Malgorzata, it could not have been put more succinctly.
Great data that blows holes in the many anti-Israel slanders.
Amazing link. Just the statistics and explanation of how the UN made up a special kind of “refugee” specifically for Palestinians that continues to this day, just to make up statistics, is remarkable. Thank you for this resource.
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It’s a bump, but the can was previously used to write an antisemitic graffiti. Insult and injury.
Also, it appears the soldier is double jointed.
I’d say he’s dislocated his knee with the butt of his rifle.
It’s not quite a rifle, but a blunderbuss.
First magazine fed blunderbuss I’ve ever seen. Also, the pistol grip appears to be in front of the trigger. A bizarre gun all round.
A repeating, bullpup, blunderbuss – incredible. There appears to be a very dangerous model of Slinky on the wall as well.
I think it is part of the drawing style, the Palestinian’s legs are also kinda suspect.
Exactement – the cartooning is just that. The message is obviously something different, but horns – nah.
Exactly who is the Jewish Voice for Peace? Are they actually Jewish? If so, why are they joining with anti-Semitic groups? (Google, here I come)
It’s a valid question, and one to which I’ve explained the answer many times before (not to you, so I don’t mind repeating myself).
In my college days, I was very left-wing and went to a liberal college. Multiple professors — to say nothing of campus groups — taught not only falsehoods, but even conspiracy theories about Israel in their classes as if they were facts. I had two professors who taught outright conspiracy theories, including that Israel kidnapped and tortured Palestinian children and that Israel poisoned Palestinian food and water to kill as many civilians as possible (among other conspiracies). These were stated as facts. Other professors left out the conspiracy theories, but taught complete lies about the history of Israel, about what was happening between Israel and Palestine, proffered false statistics, never mentioned Palestinian terrorism, etc (and remember, these were the days before Israel successfully increased their security and there were still constant bus and cafe bombings). Meanwhile, campus groups were constantly holding protests and “talks” (supported by faculty and, eventually, by the administration, which gave into their demands to divest all the school’s money from Israeli-owned businesses) where they spread the same lies and conspiracy theories.
So, I was anti-Israel, and vehemently so. I thought the Palestinians were just all good people fighting back against their oppressors. This was back in the late 90’s to early 2000’s, and these things have become far worse and far more common and open on campuses across the country, not to mention the Left generally, where one is supposed to oppose Israel and support Palestine if they want to be considered a proper “progressive.”
So, we have brainwashing and the constant pressure to support all this BS in order to keep one’s progressive credibility. Internet media has made it easier than ever to spread these lies as well, and people increasingly live in their social, media, and social media bubbles where they hear and read only lies and never find out that anything fishy might be going on.
Just about the free speech bit, I am all for it, but if only the “right speech” is allowed, then this isn’t free speech anymore, but propaganda.
Time and again, the freedom of expression of Jewish and pro-Israeli students is violated.
Also, similar expressions against any other minority’s group isn’t tolerated.
This double standard must end.
The Columbia University’s Israel Apartheid Week is clearly driven by a mixture of virtue signalling and antisemitism. It promotes hatred and doesn’t help to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It also causes opinion polarization. For instance, it causes the supporters of Israel among the moderate Left to get defensive and to disregard the instances of genuine Israel’s injustice towards Palestinians (I realize, of course, that this issue is way beyond the scope of Jerry’s post). It is a pity that the discussion of such instances is hijacked by the anti-Israeli propaganda that, it seems, really enjoys exposing them.
This all gets rather one-eyed. I am getting heartily sick of the continual conflation between being anti-zionist and anti-semitic. Which means that you are unable to criticize Israel Government’s behaviour without being accused of anti-semitism. This is total non-sense.I’m sure that this conflation is rather deliberately supported, as it blunts criticism of the sometimes quite terrible actions of the Israel government. I can think of a lot of Israelis (Jewish) who are horrified by their (increasingly right-wing) governments actions. Can we please start making the disconnection?
But anti-Zionism is anti-semitism. Zionism is the belief that Jews should have their own nation, which they now have with the state of Israel. To be anti-Zionist is to be against the belief that Jews should have their own nation and therefore to be in favor of destroying the state of Israel and the 6 million Jews there. Why should one believe that Jews as a people are not entitled to their own nation unless one is against Jews and therefore antisemitic?
Ha jinx! You beat me to it!
Sorry – you are caught in the conflation. Zionism is the belief that when ALL the Jews are in Israel, then the Second Coming will take place. Fundamentalist Christians (not all Jews) are a major group pushing “Zionist” policies – as the “Second Coming” is a major component of their belief structure. Unfortunately Israeli politics have made great play of this – why else did Trump declare that the USA consulate should move to Jerusalem? – to appease the Christian Right (his supporters!) and Bibi is too adroit a politician not to take advantage of this.
That is Christian Zionism, a flakey belief held by some Christians and nothing to do with Jewish Zionism which is the topic here. Look it up.
You may be conflating anti-Zionism with criticism of Israel – they are two separate things. Anti-Zionism is the belief that the state of Israel should not exist. Criticizing something the Israeli government does, is not automatically anti-Zionism. The thing that I consistently see with those who do not think that Israel should exist, is once you scratch just a bit below the surface, you see antisemitism. Further, if one thinks Israel shouldn’t exist, what does one think should be done with the Israelis? If there were a group of people who told me they didn’t think Canada should exist, I’d be very nervous about what they intended to do with me.
Just for completeness, there is a narrow sliver of possibility that someone could hold a great affection for the Jewish people, but that Jews should not have their own state, or that they should but that it aught not to be in the Middle East. Thus, they would be anti-Zionist yet not anti-Semitic. I have no idea if there are any who think that way. At least it is not an impossibility.
Couldn’t have said it better, fellow Canuck. In fact, I didn’t. It’s a canard for Israel-haters to say that all criticism of Israel is treated as antisemitism in order to nullify. There’s plenty of energetic criticism of Israel that does not deny its right to exist.
‘The thing that I consistently see with those who do not think that Israel should exist, is once you scratch just a bit below the surface, you see antisemitism.’
That is my experience as well.
There are many people who do not have a country of their own. Being against their fighting for a country of their own is not necessarily being against them as a people.
However, Israel exists; So there is a difference.
I was surprised by (non Muslim) antisemitism in the US.
Some Muslims I know, who are perfectly reasonable in other areas of their lives, change their attitude when talking about Jewish people and Israel. Some have a very sketchy knowledge of the history of the matter (I’m not even talking of the contentious issues). It seems that they have learned history of the region from hearsay.
You should certainly be able to criticize
Netanyahu without being called an anti-semite.
The membership in the named groups, about 1,000, is roughly 3% of the students, or 2% of the combined community of students, faculty, and staff. So not everybody at Columbia.
1. As a staunch supporter of Israel, I have been very critical of their current administration. Literally nobody thinks that criticizing Israeli government is antisemitic.
2. For all your talk of conflating arguments, you sure were quick to conflate the very rare (and completely irrelevant to this discussion) evangelical christian Zionism with the normal Zionism, the definition of which is “supporting the right of the state of Israel to exist as a Jewish homeland.” I think you know that, and I think that’s why you stopped responding when you were called out on it.
Just a wild guess here, but I’m thinking some student with a bit of artistic ability and a wild imagination took up some visual tropes to impress his colleagues. Now they feel they can’t back down, so they pretend the art is innocent. I can’t wait for these kids to grow out of it.
The solution is to yank the charters of those organizations and ban them from campus. Yes, students have freedom of speech — and therefore the right to say any stupid thing they want — but actions, including speech, also have consequences; organizations which lie in public and incite violence against groups of people deserve to lose their hostings on campus.
That’s the trick though – inciting violence has to be explicit enough to satisfy Supreme Court interpretations of the first amendment. Otherwise, you could make a case for silencing most any speech energetically critical of a group. I suspect the students generally imply violence but never explicitly incite others to engage. I could be wrnog.
I went to Columbia, and I’m glad to see that paper flyers are still the modus operandi for every fringe group with a presence in NYC who want to reach Columbia students. In the Marketplace of Ideas, Columbia is the Wall Street of NYC.
I am glad it was just a poorly illustrated “lump” comic. But:
“Israel Apartheid Week”.
I can’t even.