Presbyterian Peacemakers Promoting Antisemitism?

Sometimes a person's passion for a cause can lead them to completely ignore or even abandon values they once had - values that they may even claim to be pursuing as part of their cause. This seems to be the case far too often when it comes to debates about Israel: people who justifiably disagree with and oppose various actions taken by the Israeli government can end up lending credence and support to those who go much farther, promoting vicious and virulent antisemitism. That's what seems to be happening with the group "Presbyterian Peacemakers."

The Cleveland Jewish News reports on a presentation given by Samir Makhlouf at the Lowry Center at the College of Wooster. Makhlouf was invited by the Presbyterian Peacemakers:

During his presentation, he presented the fraudulent, antisemitic screed The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a factual book that "explains" how Zionists have been taking over the world's political, economic, religious and communication organizations. Makhlouf's 15-20 minute slide presentation was rife with dead Palestinian bodies "proving" Israeli war crimes. The slide show ended with a Star of David morphing into a swastika, and had frames equating Zionism with Nazism. The "equals" sign was then replaced by a "greater than" sign, suggesting that Zionism was even worse than Nazism.

No one disputes what was said and no one, including Gordon Shull, a Presbyterian and former professor at the College of Wooster who hosted the speaker in Wooster, is offering any apologies:

[Shull] is ... aware that non-Jewish students may have come away with erroneous and harmful information about the validity of the Protocols. However, he says, he "would not encourage them (Peacemaker organization) to issue an apology. I'm not into apologies or casting blame." Shull sent out e-mails to the College of Wooster faculty intimating that the speaker's presence at the college was actually the responsibility of the Israeli government because the Palestinian speaker he had initially tried to get was unable to secure a travel visa. ... In further deflecting responsibility from himself, Shull said, "I regret that the director of the Hillel Foundation (Professor Peter Pozefsky) chose to be offended by it, rather than take it as a teachable event."

David Bernstein, who originally pointed to this story, observes:

This lecture was presented twice, including during an ethics class. ... Gotta love those Presbyterian Peacemakers. I'd hate to see what the Presbyterian Racist Warmongers are like.

This is a pretty pathetic situation. Those complaining (and there aren't many - there are few Jews on the campus) aren't calling for censorship or anything like that. All they are asking for is an apology - an apology which, presumably, would include an acknowledgment that what the speaker said was wrong, that he really shouldn't have been invited in the first place, and that greater care will be taken in the future. None of that is unreasonable because, in an ethical and just environment, that's what would happen anyway.

And isn't that what critics of Israel are essentially calling for, a more ethical and just environment in that country? Their arguments, however justified, become hollow when they themselves prove unable to uphold the same standards they demand of others.

Read More:

• Palestine and Israel
• Recent Books on Palestine & Israel
• War on Terrorism
• Antisemitism