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September 08, 2004
The Jewish Carnival of the Protestors
Culture Festival Week? Not too bad, according to the Forward.UPJ's ascent to the leadership of the biggest protest this year was seen by many Jewish observers as connected to a larger sensitivity among progressive groups toward the concerns of Jewish groups in their coalition. Just two weeks ago, a non-Jewish academic hosted a three-day conference for progressive activists in Oakland, Calif., to address the issue of antisemitism among leftist activists. "It's something the progressive groups are really beginning to deal with," said Martin Schwartz, who helped organize the participation of the Workmen's Circle, a Jewish labor organization, in both the Oakland event and Sunday's march.Thank the Lord for small favors. UFPJ's national co-ordinator, Leslie Cagan - who has an impressive leftist heritage and resume - has put a friendly (nominally) Jewish face on a movement that has never been shy to scapegoat Jews.
Cagan said her Jewish identity is not "the main motor force of my activism, but I certainly don't shy away from it either." Last year, at a Washington rally commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, Cagan, speaking as a representative of UPJ, pointedly introduced herself as "part of a community of Jews who have never broken with the civil-rights movement . . "She has good things to say about Castro and is "noncommittal" on the Iraqi insurgents. Never broken with the civil-rights movement, Leslie?
But Leslie sounds more cogent, if not more wrong-headed, than this motley assortment of Jewish anarchists planning their RNC activities. (There are also a few paragraphs about Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, which achieved notoriety a few years ago by giving an award to ISM founder Adam Shapiro).
Previous Carnival of the Protestors here, and follow the links back for all the others.
Judith | 09/08/04 at 05:35 PM | Categories: - Useful idiots
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Comments
The litmus test would seem to me to be the issue of Palestinian terrorism. That is, do these activists see the slaughter of twenty-odd Jews on a bus as egregious a violation of human rights as the demolishing of a Palestinian house or the building of the security wall? If not, I don't see much hope for them.
benjamin | September 9, 2004 04:26 AM
