Never Again — Not for anyone, not just the Jews
JVL Introduction
Brought up in “in a home rooted in social justice” with grandparents who were Holocaust survivors, it was natural for Leta Hirschmann-Levy’s Jewishness to find expression in wholehearted support for the Palestinian struggle.
Here she charts her personal journey and her unwavering commitment to social justice.
Receiving her German citizenship in 2019 “owed to me for the displacement and atrocities done to my family during the Holocaust”, she looks forward to the day when all Palestinians, too, receive their right of return, their full equality.
As she says, “Remember the lesson clearly. Never again. To anyone.”
This article was originally published by Mondoweiss on Thu 24 Feb 2022. Read the original here.
Never Again — Not for anyone, not just the Jews
The first time I was called a “self-hating Jew” was almost 15 years ago by someone I considered a close friend. It stung and I felt confused. 15 years later I have never felt stronger in my stance as a self-loving anti-Zionist Jew.
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So pleased that JVL has posted this “from the heart” piece from Mondoweiss. When Mondoweiss publishes the words of the like of Leta Hirschmann-Levy, I am reminded of the words of Psalm 119v105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path…” If only the modern State of Israel followed the whole section (v105-112) let alone the guidence in the whole of the Tanach!
“Never again”, of course are the famous words of the late Elie Wiesel, survivor of Auschwitz, but who in Israel never stood up to be counted. Sad, very sad.
Sometimes in history, dictators have taken control using brute force they sprung out of the ground so to speak and vanish almost as quickly after a longer or shorter period. This cannot be said of the people who control Israel, power is passed down carefully, the system is the result of planning by learned people, what they do is measured, considered and very intentional these people are cognisant of the results of their actions. Leta thank you for showing us the results of their decisions. What are we going to change to get better representation?
Please explain how German citizenship can be owed to me for the displacement & atrocities done to my family during the Holocaust & how Zionism is intertwined with ‘white supremacy’?
Leta Hirschmann-Levy’s article was spell binding. until the final two paragraphs & even then just two sentences that I have problems comprehending. Why are Nazi atrocities a reason to believe that she is owed German citizenship & why is Zionism intertwined with white supremacy? Both statements may be true but I struggle to find the logic. Jews may define themselves as God’s chosen people & look to the old testament for proof, but is being Jewish Israeli a matter of race rather than religion? This begs many more questions.
Stephen Richards asks why Zionism is intertwined with white supremacy.
He could start by reading this Guardian article from 16 years ago about Pretoria’s links with Israel.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/feb/07/southafrica.israel
Other fruitful lines of investigation are the pro-Zionist views of America’s Evangelical Christians and right-wing figures like Viktor Orban, Donald Trump and Tommy Robinson, all of whom are regarded as allies by the Israeli right.
There’s now a new version of the Never Again debate in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many voices on the left are saying that if we are to condemn Putin for this act we also have to condemn Bush and Blair for the invasion of Iraq. Similarly many make the point that sections of the media are treating Ukraine and Ukranians as uniquely deserving of our sympathy, a stance which relieves them of the need to show sympathy for groups being oppressed by (or with the compliance of) the west, such as Palestinians and the people of the Yemen. For example Kier Starmer has warned those Labour figures who insist that the murder of Ukrainians and Palestinians be treated the same are guilty of using ‘false equivalency’ to make what he considers to be an invalid political point. This is to my mind a dishonest tactic which if taken seriously would mean that the case for deploring the oppression of any oppressed group necessarily depends on the nature and motivation of the oppressors. This it would be OK for Israel to murder a child by carpet-bombing in Gaza, but not for Russia to do the same in Ukraine – an argument used by warmongers throughout history, though rarely presented in such stark terms.
The real issue here is whether we consider ourselves to be partisans or internationals. One of the many admirable characteristics of the members of JVL is that they are firmly in the latter camp. Conversely, Keir Starmer has form in relying on the notion of ‘false equivalency’ to justify claiming a special status for those they consider to be on the same side as themselves – a tactic which strikes me as clearly and fundamentally dishonest. Of course Starmer would claim to feel sympathy for the women and children under bombardement in Gaza, but he would still affect a ‘neutral’ stance in relation to Israel’s culpability for that bombardment, on the grounds that such actions are (unfortunately) justified in the name of ‘security.’ A ‘moral’ position of this sort is not worthy of the name.