An Open Letter to Abe Foxman

Hey, Abe. Jordy Cummings here. How is the meeshpuchah? (ie., family) How was your Seder this year? We had an interesting one–Chomskyites on one side of the room, Zionists on the other side. Nevertheless, there was shalom babayi (ie., “peace in the house”). Even after the horrendous attack on a Seder in Tel Aviv and Israel’s subsequent murderous reprisal, we were able to have a decent gathering. We sang Dayeinu, indeed only the chorus, and ate brisket. We libated and joked. We knew we were safe.

I am on a tangent, Abe. See, the reason I am writing you is that you happen to be the head of the Anti-Defamation League, mandated to protect Jewish people from racism and prejudice. No doubt, with the obviously neo-nazi perpetrated attacks on synagogues in France and Manitoba, this is still a concern. But Abe, I am worried about a more serious defamation, that being practiced by a country that actually calls itself the Jewish state! I know that we can differ in our political thinkings, my good man, but it is obvious to everyone in our community that Israel’s actions are a defamation upon our people.

Did you know that Arik Sharon once told Amos Oz that he wanted to forment global antisemitism? That this was his trick–“no more sweetness and light”–to con Jews into leaving the diaspora and moving to “Israel.” Is this not the height of defamation? I believe, Abraham, that it is incumbent upon you, as someone who is mandated to protect us against defamation, to speak out against such chicanery.

Of course, your organization has never been too worried about the community it claims to represent, much less even the concept of racism. We are all well aware of the ADL’s dealings with Apartheid South Africa. We are also well aware that instead of focusing its resources on the undoubtedly scary White-Power movement, the ADL is far more concerned with acting as a freelance spook agency for crypto-fascists and corporations.

What is more, we are well aware of your recent statement that “Jewish people are in more peril now than the 1930s.” As someone with close connections with those killed in the Holocaust, I think this is not only nonsensical, but the height of defamation and fear-mongering. At the risk of humoring your conspiracy theorizing, I can say that from George Soros to Noam Chomsky, from Arlen Spector to Beck, I believe that we occupy far too prominent a position in Western society to be at risk of another Shoah.

Of course, the Zionist response to this concept is that “assimilation” into German society was a mistake, that we “learned our lesson” in the holocaust, thus rejecting the enlightenment. Is this not more defamation? It is well known that in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, Jews and Moors from Spain planted the seeds of deism and illuminism in Europe’s Masonic lodges, thus creating a catalyst for what is now commonly known as secular humanism. It is not as if we are sailing in a sea without a compass.

So I write you, Abe, to complain of horrible defamation of the Jewish people, as perpetrated by the likes of Sharon, American neo-cons and organizations such as yours. Though I know that your knee-jerk reflex reaction to such ideas would have me tarred, like Chomsky and Finkelstien, as a “self hating Jew.” I ask you, though, Abraham, are you a self-loving Jew?

Jordy Cummings is a graduate student at Concordia University and may be reached at yorgos33ca@yahoo.ca.