Dear Norman,
I attended a lecture last night by Erik Fosse, who worked alongside Mads Gilbert at Shifa hospital in Gaza during the Israeli attacks. It was heart-wrenching stuff, and he showed photos and told stories which both saddened and infurieted everybody in attendance. He told us how he had worked at that hospital several times before, and the fact that he was a westerner was not something that anybody cared about, or even noticed. When they arrived during the attacks, however, everybody greeted them like rock stars. And the reason, obviously, was that he and Gilbert were the only westerners there, and the Palestineans realized that they might at least serve as witnesses to their destuction.
Fosse also described how they could hear those unmanned drones circling the city constantly, so the IDF clearly knew who they were killing. It’s pretty hard to contrast Israeli statements bragging about how they hit 90% of their targets with the number of children killed. He emphazised how Gilbert and himself were lucky enough to have their family safe back in Norway, while the Palestinians working at the hospital knew that their families were in constant danger (everybody had portable radios in their ears to keep updated on which neighbourhoods were being bombed). One time the wife and two kids of one doctor arrived seriously injured, while the doctor was on duty. Luckily the both survived. The doctor’s cousin, pregnant wife and two other kids weren’t so lucky, though. It just went on and on.
On Tuesday a documentart was aired on Norwegian tv which revelaed how Norway sold weapons to Israel in the months leading up to the attack. Since it’s illegal for Norway to sell weapons directly to Israel while they are at war, it sold them indirectly through the U.S (through a corporation called NAMMO). It’s been three days since it aired, and not a single word of discussion has been raised about this appalling fact. We have a leftist coalition government at the moment, so the opposition obviously aren’t going to raise a word of protest. It’s a disgrace.
Just wanted to let you know that the Norwegian state’s image as a friend of the Palestinians is a blatant lie.
Best,
Dag Sørås (Oslo, Norway)
|
Gaza witness
SHARE THIS POST:    
From a Lebanese friend
Hi Norm ,
I just came back from the South ….What a scenery !!! What nature !!!!and definitely what people … Will tell you one story : A man had a daughter from a previous marriage and 3 children from a 2nd marriage . Anyways,during the 2006 War the daughter left her mom to be with her dad …to cut the long story short the father lost all of his children during the Israeli invasion …The father then remarried and again had children from his new wife …when asked how could he remarry and have children …His answer was ” I will not allow Israel to kill my hope in Life …I will not allow it to overpower me ….I will not allow it to steal life away from me …I am giving birth to children who will fight Israel” … My dearest Norm, don’t worry ….This time Israel will pay the biggest price ever …. I met so many freedom fighters in the South …God bless them ….Such peaceful souls …full of courage and kindness …We were laughing all the whole time …Such hope ….Such faith …Such pride ….I felt so small…. The only thing that was bitter about my trip was the news of the bombardment of Gaza…I am in so much pain that I can’t even write about it now ….But believe me Israel is digging its own grave …you can’t abolish 1.5 million people ….NO ONE CAN ABOLISH THEIR EXISTENCE ….NO ONE I am back in Beirut now …will resume my work 2omorrow ….Wish me luck … Take care , SHARE THIS POST:
Worthy cause
Dear Friends,
“When I see 1.4 million trapped in a situation of collective punishment, without rights, I have to raise that, and I will go on raising it.”
These are the words of Mary Robinson, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former president of Ireland, who was one of the few outsiders permitted to enter the Gaza Strip in November. She told the BBC on November 4th that it was “almost unbelievable that the world doesn’t care while this is happening…Their whole civilization has been destroyed, I’m not exaggerating.”
Since Israel tightened its closure of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, eighty percent of Gaza’s residents have been pushed beneath the poverty line. More than 50,000 children are seriously malnourished, with half of those under the age of two suffering from anemia. Gaza’s only power plant has been functioning at less than 50 percent of its capacity due to fuel cuts, water is polluted, the sewage system has broken down, medications are in short supply and more than a million people have been dependent on daily emergency assistance. More than 250 patients had died after being denied permits to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment.
Conditions deteriorated still further in early November when Israel slammed the door shut on even emergency fuel and food supplies. On November 14, the UN announced it had to suspend the distribution of food to 750,000 people in Gaza’s refugee camps because “our warehouses are effectively empty.”
The Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip is not just killing the spirit and sometimes the lives of Gazans, half of whom are children. It is also destroying all hopes for a peaceful future in the region.
Studies carried out by the Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP), founded by Dr. Eyad el-Sarraj in 1990, show a frightening rise in trauma, as children fall victim to night terrors, loss of appetite, insomnia, and symptoms of panic and aggression. Adults are suffering from panic disorders, depression and psychosomatic disorders as they struggle to cope with the deeply inhuman situation. Former US president Jimmy Carter was right to call the siege “an atrocity, a crime, an abomination.”
The staff of GCMHP has moved into high gear in its efforts to help the people of Gaza overcome the psychological effects of the violence that surrounds them, and confront the all-pervasive despair and depression.
Please let them know they are not alone. You can help the GCMHP alleviate the psychological suffering of the Palestinian people by writing a check to the Gaza Mental Health Foundation, and sending it and your contact information to the Gaza Mental Health Foundation, PO Box 495, Boston, MA 02112.
The Gaza Mental Health Foundation, Inc. was established in 2001 to raise funds in the United States to support the critically important work being carried out by the Gaza Community Mental Health Program. Your donations, which are fully tax-deductible to the extent provided by the IRS Code, are forwarded in their entirety to the GCMHP. You can find out more about the Gaza Mental Health Foundation by visiting our website, www.gazamentalhealth.org/
This moving YouTube video will give you a closer look at what the people of the Gaza Strip are facing while much of the world is standing silently by.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=DSzn7XLLM7c
Thank you for your generosity and for choosing to take a stand against the collective punishment of the people of the Gaza Strip.
Sincerely,
Dr. Nancy Murray
President
Gaza Mental Health Foundation, Inc.
SHARE THIS POST:
Worth pondering What if the presidential candidates exchanged race? Think about it. Would the country’s collective point of view be different? 10.27.2008
Ponder the following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was divorced?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after she was severely disfigured in a car accident?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain had graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five? (The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn’t read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes? [Was it really as many as that? Thought it was five. Still a bunch -- VG]
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama’s family had made their money from beer distribution?
What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?
You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are? This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
So let’s consider some other stuff like educational backgrounds:
Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University, College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism
Education isn’t everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world.
SHARE THIS POST:
No comment
From: r.alsukhni[at]hotmail.com
To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: FW: [Fwd: SHAME ON U ARABS !!!!]. Thanks to the jew supporters of Palestinians Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:04:39 -0300     
SHARE THIS POST:
Family Values Denied the Right to go Home
From: “Ramzi & Zeina”
zeina_ramzi[at]yahoo.com Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 2:42:14 AM Subject: Denied the right to go home (text in e-mail) June 21, 2008 I am Palestinian – born and raised – and my Palestinian roots go back centuries. No one can change that even if they tell me that Jerusalem, my birth place, is not Palestine, even if they tell me that Palestine doesn’t exist, even if they take away all my papers and deny me entry to my own home, even if they humiliate me and take away my rights. I AM PALESTINIAN. Name: Zeina Emile Sam’an Ashrawi; Date of Birth: July 30, 1981; Ethnicity: Arab. This is what was written on my Jerusalem ID card. An ID card to a Palestinian is much more than just a piece of paper; it is my only legal documented relationship to Palestine. Born in Jerusalem, I was given a Jerusalem ID card (the blue ID), an Israeli Travel Document and a Jordanian Passport stamped Palestinian (I have no legal rights in Jordan). I do not have an Israeli Passport, a Palestinian Passport or an American Passport. Here is my story: I came to the United States as a 17 year old to finish high school in Pennsylvania and went on to college and graduate school and subsequently got married and we are currently living in Northern Virginia. I have gone home every year at least once to see my parents, my family and my friends and to renew my Travel Document as I was only able to extend its validity once a year from Washington DC. My father and I would stand in line at the Israeli Ministry of Interior in Jerusalem, along with many other Palestinians, from 4:30 in the morning to try our luck at making it through the revolving metal doors of the Ministry before noon – when the Ministry closed its doors - to try and renew the Travel Document. We did that year after year. As a people living under an occupation, being faced with constant humiliation by an occupier was the norm but we did what we had to do to insure our identity was not stolen from us. In August of 2007 I went to the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC to try and extend my travel document and get the usual “Returning Resident” VISA that the Israelis issue to Palestinians holding an Israeli Travel Document. After watching a few Americans and others being told that their visas would be ready in a couple of weeks my turn came. I walked up to the bulletproof glass window shielding the lady working behind it and under a massive picture of the Dome of the Rock and the Walls of Jerusalem that hangs on the wall in the Israeli consulate, I handed her my papers through a little slot at the bottom of the window. “Shalom” she said with a smile. “Hi” I responded, apprehensive and scared. As soon as she saw my Travel Document her demeanor immediately changed. The smile was no longer there and there was very little small talk between us, as usual. After sifting through the paperwork I gave her she said: “where is your American Passport?” I explained to her that I did not have one and that my only Travel Document is the one she has in her hands. She was quiet for a few seconds and then said: “you don’t have an American Passport?” suspicious that I was hiding information from her. “No!” I said. She was quiet for a little longer and then said: “Well, I am not sure we’ll be able to extend your Travel Document.” I felt the blood rushing to my head as this is my only means to get home! I asked her what she meant by that and she went on to tell me that since I had been living in the US and because I had a Green Card they would not extend my Travel Document. After taking a deep breath to try and control my temper I explained to her that a Green Card is not a Passport and I cannot use it to travel outside the US. My voice was shaky and I was getting more and more upset (and a mini shouting match ensued) so I asked her to explain to me what I needed to do. She told me to leave my paperwork and we would see what happens. A couple of weeks later I received a phone call from the lady telling me that she was able to extended my Travel Document but I would no longer be getting the “Returning Resident” VISA. Instead, I was given a 3 month tourist VISA. Initially I was happy to hear that the Travel Document was extended but then I realized that she said “tourist VISA”. Why am I getting a tourist VISA to go home? Not wanting to argue with her about the 3 month VISA at the time so as not to jeopardize the extension of my Travel Document, I simply put that bit of information on the back burner and went on to explain to her that I wasn’t going home in the next 3 months. She instructed me to come back and apply for another VISA when I did intend on going. She didn’t add much and just told me that it was ready for pick-up. So I went to the Embassy and got my Travel Document and the tourist VISA that was stamped in it. My husband, my son and I were planning on going home to Palestine this summer. So a month before we were set to leave (July 8, 2008) I went to the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC, papers in hand, to ask for a VISA to go home. I, again, stood in line and watched others get VISAs to go to my home. When my turn came I walked up to the window; “Shalom” she said with a smile on her face, “Hi” I replied. I slipped the paperwork in the little slot under the bulletproof glass and waited for the usual reaction. I told her that I needed a returning resident VISA to go home. She took the paperwork and I gave her a check for the amount she requested and left the Embassy without incident. A few days ago I got a phone call from Dina at the Israeli Embassy telling me that she needed the expiration date of my Jordanian Passport and my Green Card. I had given them all the paperwork they needed time and time again and I thought it was a good way on their part to waste time so that I didn’t get my VISA in time. Regardless, I called over and over again only to get their voice mail. I left a message with the information they needed but kept called every 10 minutes hoping to speak to someone to make sure that they received the information in an effort to expedite the tedious process. I finally got a hold of someone. I told her that I wanted to make sure they received the information I left on their voice mail and that I wanted to make sure that my paperwork was in order. She said, after consulting with someone in the background (I assume it was Dina), that I needed to fax copies of both my Jordanian Passport and my Green Card and that giving them the information over the phone wasn’t acceptable. So I immediately made copies and faxed them to Dina. A few hours later my cell phone rang. “Zeina?” she said. “Yes” I replied, knowing exactly who it was and immediately asked her if she received the fax I sent. She said: “ehhh, I was not looking at your file when you called earlier but your Visa was denied and your ID and Travel Document are no longer valid.” “Excuse me?” I said in disbelief. “Sorry, I cannot give you a visa and your ID and Travel Document are no longer valid. This decision came from Israel not from me.” I cannot describe the feeling I got in the pit of my stomach. “Why?” I asked and Dina went on to tell me that it was because I had a Green Card. I tried to reason with Dina and to explain to her that they could not do that as this is my only means of travel home and that I wanted to see my parents, but to no avail. Dina held her ground and told me that I wouldn’t be given the VISA and then said: “Let the Americans give you a Travel Document”. I have always been a strong person and not one to show weakness but at that moment I lost all control and started crying while Dina was on the other end of the line holding my only legal documents linking me to my home. I began to plead with her to try and get the VISA and not revoke my documents; “put yourself in my shoes, what would you do? You want to go see your family and someone is telling you that you can’t! What would you do? Forget that you’re Israeli and that I’m Palestinian and think about this for a minute!” “Sorry” she said,”I know but I can’t do anything, the decision came from Israel”. I tried to explain to her over and over again that I could not travel without my Travel Document and that they could not do that – knowing that they could, and they had! This has been happening to many Palestinians who have a Jerusalem ID card. The Israeli government has been practicing and perfecting the art of ethnic cleansing since 1948 right under the nose of the world and no one has the power or the guts to do anything about it. Where else in the world does one have to beg to go to one’s own home? Where else in the world does one have to give up their identity for the sole reason of living somewhere else for a period of time? Imagine if an American living in Spain for a few years wanted to go home only to be told by the American government that their American Passport was revoked and that they wouldn’t be able to come back! If I were a Jew living anywhere around the world and had no ties to the area and had never set foot there, I would have the right to go any time I wanted and get an Israeli Passport. In fact, the Israelis encourage that. I however, am not Jewish but I was born and raised there, my parents, family and friends still live there and I cannot go back! I am neither a criminal nor a threat to one of the most power countries in the world, yet I am alienated and expelled from my own home. As it stands right now, I will be unable to go home – I am one of many. SHARE THIS POST:
To Ehud "a Jew with a gun, a land that i made my own..."
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 15:28:03 -0400
From: ghossein[at]optonline.net Subject: a Jew with a gun ! To: normangf[at]hotmail.com To Ehud, “a Jew with a gun, a land that i made my own…” On May 27th, Haaretz published an editorial titled: “Who’s Afraid of Norman Finkelstein”? Why should a scholar, an “old style Jew without a grip in a firm land” be feared at all? Could it be that he has a weapon more powerful than yours? A weapon, no gun, no bulldozer, no F-16, no Apache helicopter, no bulldozer, no cluster bomb could possibly silence? A weapon he carries with him wherever he goes, even on airplanes ! One of the major lessons of the Holocaust has to be: never forget what racism can do to a people, your own or any other. In the case of Norman Finkelstein, his passion for justice can be traced to what racism did to his beloved parents, in the Maidanek and Auschwitz concentration camps, a memory he vowed “to never forget or forgive”. For over 20 years, he has been defending the rights of victims, Jews and Palestinians alike. But if he never held a gun to do it, does it mean he didn’t have to “face killers”? Isn’t time.,Ehud, to face the truth? For one, you might be able to fight Dr. Finkelstein more effectively, using his own weapon. The land you made your own was Palestinian land. How did it become your own ? Listen to Moshe Dayan, a war hero: “Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of Arab villages and I do not blame you because geography books no longer exist” (Address to the Technion, quoted in Haaretz, April 4, 1969). 419 Palestinian villages were destroyed. Add to this 35 massacres, thousands of Palestinians killed, 750.000 driven from their homes and you have your answer. It happened in 1947-48 and has since remained your favorite modus operandi: violence and the smothering of the truth. Unless you start burning books (or shooting them) Norman Finkelstein and the likes of him will keep upholding the truth, with plenty of factual evidence. No matter how long it takes, they will win this struggle. That much history has taught us. I could go on and on but you have no time to read, you are busy “protecting” yourself. Let me just add this : 64% of Israelis would like their government to talk to Hamas. And guess who refused to march in the Israel Day Parade, yesterday, in New York City? Israelis ! Although the organizers made a special effort to reach out to them. They must know that 60 years later there is nothing to celebrate. They must know that occupation, settlements, a wall, checkpoints and collective punishment are nothing to brag about and in no way should become the new style Jewish values. Give us the old ones any time. They are the human values we all can share. Mirene (an atheist, with no grip on any land and no gun for sure) . SHARE THIS POST:
Anyone for Nazi ditties?
Date: Sun, 25 May 2008 12:37:46 -0700
From: privetcontact-local[at]yahoo.com Subject: Dear former Jew. please stopusing my people for your promotion. gey yourself a life without us.. To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Mr. Finkelstein you might have been a jew at birth. your mom could be a jew. yet, as one who never held a gun to face killers you blame us for protecting our self from your present friends. a bunch of humanoid who wish to place your nation under water. so. a Jew you are not. as an American who plays with the people who wish its death - in the U.S. you are not wanted so you are left being the lowest form of being. the old style Jew without a grip in a firm land. not a Jew, Not anything. could You please make a living malicing another nation? a Jew. (with a gun, land that i made my own. with a Jewish pure sole.) Ehud Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 05:35:43 -0700 SHARE THIS POST:
Something we can do Children Ready for Israel's High Court - Pls Call Your Senators Now 04.16.2008 | www.RebuildingAlliance.org
By Donna Baranski-Walker
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:48:41 -0700 From: dbw[at]RebuildingAlliance.org To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Children Ready for Israel’s High Court - Pls Call Your Senators Now Dear Friends of the Rebuilding Alliance, Friends of Al Aqabah, Just one day remains before the Village of Al Aqabah presents its petition to the Israeli High Court. I urge you to make your call to the senior staffer for foreign policy who works for your senators and congressperson. Ask them to call the State Department and the Israeli Embassy on your behalf to ask why a village with so much American and European investement is slated for demolition. Please call today — tell them it is urgent - and watch what happens. They will call you back in a day or two to report that the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem just visited Al Aqabah and will likely attend the Israeli High Court proceedings on Thursday! Here’s an article in the Guardian providing additional background about this upswing in demolitions in Area C of the West Bank: Area C strikes fear into the heart of Palestinians as homes are destroyed: Israelis defend rules that reject 94% of non-Jewish building applications. To get ready for the High Court on Thursday, the teachers and children at the Al Aqabah Kindergarten have been making huge signs and ” Pinwheels for Peace” A school in Nevada City California is making pinwheels for peace for them too, and a girl scout troup in Woodside, CA joined in as well. The instructions are simple — and there’s even a Quicktime movie that shows you how: “Write your thoughts about war and peace, tolerance, living in harmony with others on one side of the pinwheel. and on the other side, paint, collage or draw to visually express your feelings.” Here’s what has been happening at the Al Aqabah Kindergarten and village as they get ready to present their petition to the Israeli High Court this coming Thursday. Last week, the children at the Al Aqabah Kindergarten made their Pinwheels for Peace:  Kindergarteners with their Pinwheels for Peace And on this past Saturday, the children and their parents were joined by Israeli and Palestinian peace activists who helped them make signs to hold up before the Israeli High Court this Thursday, and to make Pinwheels for Peace.  The Sign to Take to Court Constructing Pinwheels for Peace  And the Governor of the Jenin Governorate along with the Minister of Tourism helped make the signs for Court too:  Dignitaries from the Government helped More Pinwheels for Peace  Two Little Girls with their Pinwheel for Peace And afterwards, a lot of dancing!  Lots of dancing! You may ask why I care so much about this kindergarten. Well, I helped rebuild it. As many of you know, I founded and direct the Rebuilding Alliance, a nonprofit that rebuilds communities in conflict zones and works to make them safe. In 2003, when we were just getting our 501c3 nonprofit status, we received a grant from a family foundation to build a school that would not be destroyed. We chose Al Aqabah, because it is far away from settlements, borders, no security concerns, the Israeli High Court had just ruled in favor of the village, and they needed a new roof for their kindergarten. I brought my board members, Cindy and Craig Corrie, to visit to finalize arrangements for construction. Fred Schlomka and Huwaida Arraf joined us there too. The project was bigger than we thought (a new roof meant new walls and foundation) so hundreds of Americans and people around the world donated to raise the funds needed. Here is the location of Al Aqabah:  Location of the village of Al Aqabah in the Palestinian West Bank Just recently I learned that 130 children attend our kindergarten — and I was surprised to see that the Japanese Embassy, the Belgian Embassy and the Norwegian People all helped build a 2nd floor on the building we made! It is beautiful, yes?  The 2 floor kindergarten in Al Aqabah As we were building, the kindergarten and the whole town received demolition orders from the Israeli Civil Authority, for “lack of a building permit” — but the Civil Administration rarely issues building permits in Area C even through the villagers own clear title to their land. They did not lose hope — they just kept on building and parents everywhere sent their children to the kindergarten, the best and only kindergarten in the area. USAID helped them build a road, the British helped build a medical center, the Canadians, UNICEF, and UNDP helped too — and all of that infrastructure will be lost if the Israeli Army acts on the Civil Administration’s orders. There are now 35 demolition orders issued against the town. We hoped to add the newer demolition orders to our existing petition, but a due process is required for each, starting with registration at the Beit El Civil Administration level. Please note our current petition has been in process for nearly 4 years now.  I hope you will join the children of Al Aqabah and take a moment to write down your thoughts about war and peace, living in harmony, tolerance, and then use color to create your own Pinwheel for Peace. Please do all you can to spread the word - please call your Senators and Congress person and get them to help you express your concern to the Israeli Embassy and State Department. Please call me as you hear back from your Representative and Senators — or call if you need help, advice, or links to others in your area who can join a meeting. I’ve now moved my office to a tent in front of the Palo Alto City Hall (fully networked!) where we’re making Pinwheels for Peace, calling news media, and calling congressional staffers. Let’s do all we can to help one another and win this one. Sincerely, Donna Baranski-Walker 650 325 4663 P.S. You can also stay in touch by posting to our “Save the Kindergarten and Village of Al Aqabah from Demolition” group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16655035154 ______________________________ The Rebuilding Alliance is a 501c3 nonprofit organization (EIN 56-239 h2452). Donations are tax deductible in the U.S. The Rebuilding Alliance 457 Kingsley Avenue Palo Alto, California 94301 United States phone: 650 325-4663 fax: 650 325-4667 email: contact@RebuildingAlliance.org www.RebuildingAlliance.org SHARE THIS POST:
From a friend and comrade, whose judgment I trust "I look forward to your impressions of Lebanon."
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:24:32 -0400
Subject: Impressions of Lebanon. To: normangf[at]hotmail.com It was a mistake to believe I was returning to a country I knew. Seven years had elapsed since my last visit, they were bound to change country and people, considering how disruptive they had been. The first sign came as soon as I left the airport : “What happened to the palm trees that lined the street”? My first impression was visual, the divide between rich and poor more flagrant than I remembered. Then came other divides, chief among them the political/sectarian one. A great number of luxury buildings are sprouting all over the city. How does one explain that building frenzy in a politically unstable country? Did Big Business know that US ships would show up if necessary? And within walking distance from the luxury, a reminder that 9% of Lebanese are poor and 12% unemployed (I would say more). The few beautiful traditional houses are being destroyed, the trees look unhealthy. What follows focuses on Hizbullah’s contribution to the political/sectarian divide. You can look at it as the other face of Hizbullah, the one you did not mention, because you are not Lebanese, because you needed a “PhD in Lebanese Politics”. I don’t think the two faces can be separated, they inform each other. I don’t even have a high school diploma in Lebanese politics, but remembered Talleyrand who said that war was much too important a business to be left to the military. Politics shouldn’t be left to politicians either, considering the mess that is Lebanon. At Moghnieh’s funeral, Nasrallah’s fiery speech revolved around “martyrs” and “martyrdom”, stressing the Shia aspect of “the Islamic Resistance”. When thousands of men raise their outstretched arms in approval, when kids (10-12) in dark suits, file in front of Moghnieh’s coffin, stop and salute, when condolences are presented to Hizbullah and Shiite leaders, when the shroud covering the coffin has a single name on it, Hizbullah, when a Sheik can’t pray before brushing off a modest bouquet of flowers laid on the coffin, when Nasrallah says that since he was a kid Imad dreamed of becoming a martyr and that his dream finally came true…one HAS to wonder. Nasrallah is still using “martyrdom” as a rallying cri de guerre, an echo of his “divine victory” speech: “Our dignity is derived from the martyrdom God grants us”. “Martyrdom”, a powerful connection, central to the Shia narrative, a reference to Imam Hussein, “Chief of Martyrs”, son of Imam Ali and Fatima (daughter of the prophet) legitimate heir to Muhammad, according to Shiites. Hussein was cheated by Yazid (the Umayyad caliph) of his right to succession. Yazid’s father, Muawiyah, had broken away from the established Muslim tradition of choosing a leader by consulting the elders and prominent men in the community. Hence Hussein’s refusal to acknowledge Yazid as the legitimate successor to his father. Hussein who traveled to Kufa (where his father still had many supporters) to raise an army, was intercepted by Yazid’s forces. He fought a suicidal battle at Karbala, (92 men vs. 4.000) and was killed, along with his men and his male children (except for one). It happened on October (Moharram) 10th, 680, the tragic date forever engraved in Shiites’s memory. Sorry for the history lesson, but I feel that this dimension of Hizbullah’s 2006 victory is significant albeit overlooked. July 2006 can be seen as a reenactment of the Karbala battle, with the right outcome. A small number of dedicated and courageous men, way outnumbered by the enemy, have avenged their beloved Imam and martyr, redressing, at last, History’s deviation. They have regained their place in the sun. The intoxicating feeling has spurred a Shia revival, in Lebanon and across the Arab World, as well as an upset in the political/religious dynamics of the region. Old wounds came wide open. Do you remember writing that Palestinian society would have disintegrated, like the Caracas barrios, were it not for Islam? Nasrallah has used Islam to mobilize the Shiite community and keep it united, but it is only one “faction” of Islam he had in mind, the followers of Ali (Shia). The 2006 “historic victory” is a Shiite one. It connects with a tragic past yet promises a brighter future. Even secular Shiites feel proud and vindicated, I saw it clearly in conversations with family members and friends, and they don’t even like Nasrallah. How is one to accept the monolithic character of a “Party of God” only Shiites can join? And is Allah “the most merciful, the most …and most…” supposed to have a party? In his February 14th speech, Nasrallah added “God of Martyrs” to God’s 99 attributes. A Shiite God, who bestowed on Moghnieh “a most splendid medal”. May I borrow the first five words of your comment “O my God: not another Light unto the Nations”! and say: “Oh my God: not another Chosen People” ! “WE planted the fields…brought electricity to villages…opened schools…rebuilt villages etc..” tens of placards punctuate the roads in South Lebanon, spelling out Hizbullah’s achievements. “WE”? The money for reconstruction came from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Iran and others. The “we” business started in the 80ies.according to Lebanese communists. Hizballah has yet to acknowledge the help of the Lebanese Left in fighting the Israeli occupation or that of the 60 Lebanese soldiers who died in the July 2006 war. I wished Hizbullah had added one more placard to the many : “We have cleaned…”. The tiny piece of ground surrounding the monument commemorating the first Qana massacre was so filthy, I had to clean up. The strange part is that a big garbage can stood a few meters away, in full view and half empty. I gave a garbage bag to the Saudi friend who accompanied me “Yalla” (come on) and got a smile in return. I understand the feeling of a newly found religious/political Shia identity, free to express itself. I understand the pride of the family member, a medical student, who started wearing the hijab after July 2006 to the dismay of her grandmother : ” are we going backward or what?” Still, by playing the Shiite card, Nasrallah is bowing to an archaic sectarian system (the Lebanese Constitution) which, he would like to change, which needs to be changed. Will he summon the courage to speak of a secular state, following the example of Turkey and Yemen, if only to alleviate the fears of the 40% Lebanese who aren’t Muslim ? Can one be against a “Jewish” state and for an Islamic one? In Lebanon, the fear of an Islamic Republic is real. Although Nasrallah hasn’t mentioned it since the 80ies, the charged sectarian/political atmosphere, the barely veiled threats / “we have other means of fighting at our disposal” , the continuous praise for the Iranian revolution on al-Manar TV, do not help to dispel the fear. (And if I keep referring to people’s sectarian background, it is simply because Lebanese did as well) . Syria, Nasrallah’s other connection, is seen by half the country through the “occupation” Lebanon could not have ended without Washington’s help / “the devil…so be it”. Syria, like Israel, will not forget the humiliation. The present political impasse, is but one example of its meddling in Lebanese politics, to which Hizbullah is a party. In both cases the perception by half the Lebanese, is that Iran and Syria are fighting Israel and the US in Lebanon, through Hizbullah. “Syria didn’t fire a single shot when its nuclear ? site was bombarded , they have Nasrallah for that”. “The Golan is the quietest area in the Arab World”. Needless to say, my point of view, not very different from yours, just more inclusive ! was usually dismissed : ” come and live here then you can talk…”. “We don’t want to raise our kids so he (Nasrallah) can martyr them” (literal translation) is a complaint I often heard. Hizbullah’s schools do not promote free thinking, according to Shiites who live in the Bekaa. What you called “discipline” in your Future TV interview, they call “brainwashing”. It starts at an early age. If History remembers those who resisted, mothers don’t give a damn, they’d rather keep their kids. (The choice between resistance and life is for Lebanese to make, you are right.) But don’t you think that perspective should be part of one’s understanding in any given situation? One of the things my visit taught me is that perspective (unlike principles) changes depending on where you stand. Looking at Lebanon from the US one tends to focus on the Arab/Israeli conflict. From within, the Lebanese dimension becomes an equally important part of the equation. I had to reassess my own views, in the light of the difficulties and tensions Lebanese face everyday, an important dimension we often overlook. A Lebanese poet friend of mine used to say “Lebanon is a bastard” country. It still is, I thought, unable to find a common identity. Another divide to be added to those tearing the country apart. But is a “bastard country” better or worse than pure pedigree, I don’t know. It is. A reality one cannot ignore. As a reaction to Hizbullah’s visibility an power, the Sunnis are busy outbidding the Shiites. The divide between the two communities is the worst in the country, reflecting regional and international ones. In West Beirut, where I stayed and where Sunnis are a majority, many more women are now wearing the hijab and some restaurants do not serve alcohol (a Shiite woman told me that after the 2006 war, Iran/Hizbullah paid women to wear the hijab). You can get a religious education on TV, (Christian and Muslim), and Saudi Arabia, declared Valentine “un-Islamic”! “Le ridicule ne tue pas” ! The Sunni are training “thousands of men” in North Lebanon, according to a recent article in Le Monde Diplomatique (February 2008). One of bin-Laden’s sons, who entered the country under a false name, settling in Nahr-el-Bared, told the Lebanese journalist who interviewed him that his goal was not to disrupt Lebanon’s political system, just to establish al-Qaeda training camps ! ( Adding oil to the fire Shaker al-Absi, of Fath al-Islam, had ignited, when he implied the same). The journalist’s conclusion : whether al-Qaeda will be disruptive or not, it is well established in Lebanon, as a counterbalance to Hizbullah. Both Hariri and Syria are implicated in this mess, go figure out political alliances. Depression must be one of the few common denominators among Lebanese. This is only part of the stuff that contributes to the palpable tension I felt for three weeks. You focused on Hizbullah/Resistance as if it existed in a vacuum. People have to feed their kids and protect them. They need jobs and stability. One of the recurrent complaints was the inability to pay for a child’s tuition, not even for books, sometimes. The general perception is that until Lebanon can elect a president (the election was deferred 15 times) nothing will change. True Hizbullah’s victory has connected modern Arab History to its “glorious past”, building and expandeding on Nasser’s defiant gesture (nationalizing the suez canal) .True, by standing up to Israel , Nasrallah won where Arab armies and rulers have failed. True, he has become a symbol of resistance for people fighting occupation everywhere, for people standing up to hegemony. Chapeau ! But Nasrallah’s military victory has yet to be matched by a political one. If anything, Lebanese are more dependent than before on their leaders. In a tribal society, the absence of functioning governmental institutions, forces the citizen to seek help elsewhere. Nothing gets done without interference from someone “powerful” or if the citizen is willing to pay a price. Leaders are consciously keeping their respective communities dependent on them, a useful and necessary base, ready to respond to their calls. But Unless Nasrallah manages to rally the whole of Lebanon, the way he did in July of 2006 (80% of Lebanese backed him) his victory will remain incomplete. I so wish the “divine victory” had brought with it the vision and creativity of past Arab victories. Nasrallah’s defiant attitude against Israel isn’t helping the political leader. Lebanon is a fragmented country in need of mending. Unless Nasrallah addresses constructively this number one priority, outside powers will continue to play their divisive role. Besides, Lebanon might not be there for him, next time Israel attacks. Hizbullah’s tents are still pitched in downtown Beirut, empty, exacerbating an already acute economic crisis Hizbullah has helped create. Nasrallah’s political discourse is matching that of his enemies’ .” If they aren’t happy here, let them go live with their masters”. Is half the country to immigrate to the US, to Israel or to Saudi Arabia ? Can Nasrallah survive without Iran and Syria, (call them what you will). Rafiq Ali Ahmad, a well-known Lebanese stand-up comic, put it this way : ” They all get orders and pass them on to us”. Israel must be gloating. The Arabs are actively helping the old Zionist dream of fragmenting the Arab and Muslim World. Every Arab leader, is contributing to the effort. Two down (Palestine and Iraq) twenty to go. I often wondered if Lebanon would be next. The only slim hope is that the people are not as “crazy” as their leaders. “They all lie” is the only complaint I can quote (others, too indecent). It was made by an older woman who sold me a soap bar, presumably made with olive oil. “Don’t you believe it, they all lie, like our leaders”. Next to the woman’s shop, (on my street) one of the few images that used to bring a smile. A man had opened a shop on the top and hood of his car . Every morning he would park it in the same spot and display his merchandise. Mostly flowers and plants, some toys. When I asked him if I could take a photo of his “boutique” he smiled and said “Ya sitt (madam) the boutique is well known, how about a photo of me”? It is because Nasrallah has more stature than any Lebanese or Arab leader that he is more to blame, I feel. “The mistake of the bright is worth 1.000 mistakes” (Arabic saying). I guess I’m more disappointed with Nasrallah then “very critical of Hizbullah”, as you assumed in one of your emails. Like W (sorry!) he has squandered, on the political scene, the capital he accumulated during the Israeli occupation and the 2006 war. One would think, hope, that a victorious leader, would be magnanimous or admit to a mistake. Surely no one would perceive it as a sign of weakness. Instead Nasrallah has not budged, insisting his political demands be met. And while Lebanese leaders are bickering and threatening each other, US ships arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean adding to the existing tensions. I don’t think the Lebanese can take more tension without breaking. Pity the People. I did not see anyone laugh in the streets of Beirut, in public places. People discuss politics, most of the time, no laughing matter. But I did meet a few persons who made up for the general gloom. Among them a little girl in Maroon al-Rass, who made fun of me, her eyes twinkling and twinkling. And one girl (13-14), just one among fifteen kids at Shatila, who wasn’t sure how to answer my question…all the others knew, with certainty, regurgitating what they were told. The family and a few friends were worth the trip, the country too much to bear. I tried to convince my sister and my two brothers to meet me in Europe next year. Are you still looking forward to my impressions of Lebanon ? SHARE THIS POST:
“Prostitutes aren’t victims — they’re getting paid a thousand dollars an hour” - Alan Dershowitz, New York Times, 11 March Reader responses
Alan Dershowitz again ignores the essential truth of what he states; most prostitutes have been forced unwillingly into the sex industry by brutal necessity or mostly by ruthless men who possess no moral compass and destroy many tens of thousands of women and children’s lives.
Perhaps some UN report/s on prostitution has annoyed the silly man. If so his xenophobia against the non-Israeli flagwaving independent minded states within the UN has provoked his irrational tirade. But Dershowitz himself has no moral compass and what can one expect from a pig but a grunt. Nigel McNamee “And intellectual prostitutes, especially really good ones like Alan Dershowitz, get much more!” “Do I look victimized?” “You can’t blame Dershowitz for defending the dignity of his chosen profession.” Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:55:30 -0400 From: bravo45 [at] gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: “Is that how much Israel pays him per hour?” Response. “Plagiarists are the real victims!!!!! (when held to scrutiny by the likes of Norman Finkelstein) Oh no wait…. how much are they paid when employed at Harvard??” May you prosper sir.. Aameen! Writing the first time to you, Jawad Usman. “Prostitutes are not victims” (A.D. New York Times) “Lebanon is not a victim” (A.D., The Huffington Post) “Damn straight WE are victims” (A.D.’s neighbors after hearing his “opera”) Get off your knees Dersh… You’re blowing the case. Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:24:07 -0400 From: jakerhess[at]gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Prostitution and victimhood “Prostitutes aren’t victims - they’re getting paid a thousand dollars an hour,” celebrated prostitute Alan Dershowitz said today. “No; Israel is a victim. Shooting those stone-throwing teenagers, and thwarting those diplomatic overtures, really requires a lot of energy.” Prostitutes are victims Mr. Dershowitz, there are things you can’t measure by dollars. How can you measure bruises to the soul? Prostitutes, at least, are victims of a culture that you are contributing to … a prostitution culture. A prostitute that sells her body merely to make a living deserves more respect than “intellectuals” prostituting their knowledge to defend petty crimes and massive crimes. Taking this stand you seem to be preparing a defense in advance for yourself for the same “victimless” crime. How about if you divide 1,000 dollars by sperm count, will that make a prostitute a victim? With lack of respect, outraged man Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:44:51 -0400 From: david.johnson.2 [at] ulaval.ca To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Ali D Poor Al. He really ought to cite a(another) prostitute. But how the unfortunate ladies must cruelly suffer knowing that it’s him ringing at their door — even if he does come bearing gifts from Leviev. Too bad he’s not better-looking, younger and hotter, then he could have gone into the same line of work, made just as much and in a more honest and cleaner way in contrast to that that academic and law career of his. “…and bear in mind, at my age the going rate is $700/hour and I don’t complain.” From: karimguy [at] hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: The final mistery is solved Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:46:53 +0300 A thousand dollars an hour? Now we finally know how much Dershowitz pays his research assistants! From: harth [at] cox.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:37:22 -0500 “I have to put in an hour and a half of back-breaking plagiarism to make that kind of dough!,” he added. “It’s outrageous! A lot of these prostitutes haven’t even passed the bar exam!” “I would still like to hear the opinion of the last dozen under him.” “Is that how much Israel pays him per hour?”… SHARE THIS POST:
In Praise of Finkelstein… dead. Fox News letters
Editor’s note: See also the related Fox News article At least they didn’t accuse me of having an affair with a lobbyist 10 years ago
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:11:26 -0800 From: jeffretouch-business@yahoo.com Subject: YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF! To: normangf[at]hotmail.com WATCH YOUR BACK! Grand Prints http://www.grandprints.com/ (818) 763-5743 Dr. Finkelstein, Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:34:31 -0800 From: jeffmoormeier@yahoo.com Subject: Debate with Dershowitz To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Norman, I just listened to your debate from 2003 with Alan Dershowitz and I have come to the conclusion that you are completely out to lunch. You didn’t even look Alan Dershowitz in the eye. You lost all credibility and I will never listen to you - ever. jgm From: maxillagardens1118[at]hotmail.co.uk From: david[at]smallbonemanagement.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:39:55 -0800 Subject: Very disappointed Dear sir. I am very disappointed with your support of terrorists. I feel you should leave America and show your true commitment to these murderers, many times of innocent people, and live with the terrorists who challenge freedom wherever they live. I can’t see how you should be allowed to enjoy the privilege of freedom when you don’t support it. Regards. David Smallbone From: maxillagardens1118[at]hotmail.co.uk From: dp8212@msn.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Responses to the Fox News Article Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:30:33 -0500 It was interesting reading through the numerous e-mails you received in response to the Fox News article about your TV interview in Lebanon regarding Hezbollah. Many of the respondents see you as a traitor to the U.S., as well as a self-hating Jew. And most of them aren’t even Jewish! Many of them would like to see you leave the U.S. permanently and move to Lebanon or another Arab country. Who can blame them? Perhaps it has to do with the fact that you’re embracing a terrorist group that was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans in Lebanon back in the 1980s, as well as for the deaths of dozens of innocent Jewish civilians in a bombing at a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994 ordered by Iran. Perhaps your call for Israel to be defeated left a bad taste in people’s mouths. Yes, it is a shame that MEMRI didn’t include the reasons why you feel that Israel must be defeated, but we get the idea from the remainder of the interview. The unfortunate reality is that you are a self-hating Jew. I would suggest following the advice of the Israeli military psychologist who e-mailed you who recommended therapy. Maybe it’s not too late to get to the bottom of your self-hate problem. DP To: normangf[at]hotmail.com From: cboylan@nyc.rr.com Subject: Hey cum breath, here’s some really good news Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:59:10 -0500 http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=38629 Six rabid Hezbollah dogs killed in one fell swoop. I only wish you had been riding with them in the car that got hit. Oh well, I guess you can’t have anything. Don’t forget to check for lumps. You’re definitely looking a bit pre- cancerous lately. To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Tragic Tripe…. From: rvfisher@excite.com Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:27:07 -0500 Have just wasted several hours in an attempt to find something of meaningful value in your diatribes… A conversation with you would be a battle of wits with the unarmed…. However, should you ever have the inclination to be so humiliated, I would be happy to provide an adequate supper… Palestine is a myth… Always has been.. always will be… Subject: Hate Mail I couldn’t help but notice all the hillbilly hate-mail you received after Fox-uh-Goebbels news article from people who called Cuba a “liberal” country. I deeply respect the classical republican ideals America was founded on. Thanks to these fools, American ideals have been bastardized. Most of the people who emailed you are so ignorant, that it would be funny if it weren’t downright frightening. They can’t even see that Liberalism built their country and allows them the right to be dumb as hell. They probably don’t even know the historical comparisons you’re making; they probably think WW2 is the codename for a deep fried burger with extra cheese wrapped in bacon. It is because of these people that great nations get destroyed. I couldn’t really understand how Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy happened…well now it’s crystal clear. They are so afraid of the truth of your positions that they have to doctor your interviews and misrepresent what you say: who are the cowards?! So afraid to let you speak! You are a true American patriot: speaking out against real tyranny and fighting for truth and justice. And this is what America was built on. These people are so deluded that they think Palestinians are the tyrants when Israel’s state-of-the-art killing weaponry is brutalizing defenseless people every day and stealing their land. Finkelstein, true patriotism in turbulent times is hard, but the hillbillies were beaten back by Enlightened ideals in the American Civil War and after that. They’ll be beaten back again, the tide is totally in your favor. GOD BLESS YOU, you courageous man. Please feel free to post this, so the yokels can read it, if they can that is, they will surely be distracted by shiny objects along the way. Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:22:14 -0500 From: brian@hauntedprs.org To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: TRAITOR Traitor… filthy, disgusting TRAITOR Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:36:12 -0600 From: rmcblust@verizon.net Subject: Israel To: normangf[at]hotmail.com You lousy no good TRAITOR!!! It’s time you were held criminally responsible for the “High Crime of Treason”. Wishing you nothing but the worst, you little democrat!!! John A. Blust Framingham, MA From: wairdog@sbcglobal.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Hey Norman! Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:21:55 -0600 Get a real education you sorry shit for brains!!! I hope you move out of the United States because you don’t deserve to live here you simple-minded fink!! I wish nothing but the worst for you!!!!!!!!! Coward!! Come see me some time big boy and you’ll see what a “TRUE” American is like!!! Warren Arends Jonesboro, AR Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:12:31 -0500 From: shbernie@gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: CC: midabe@aol.com Mr Finkelstein: I am outraged and appalled by your comments about Hezbollah. I was in Israel at the time of the war, and witnessed first hand the impact that these terrorists had on the Israelis. How can you support an organization which supports the murder of innocent people? There is absolutely no reason. Israel is so small compared to all the other countries in the Middle East. How can you possibly say that their destruction is the key to peace? They are leaders by example, they have the only Democracy in the entire region. I am ashamed that a person who knows so much about the Holocaust and the ordeals that the Jewish people have been though would support such a thing. What you are supporting Mr. Finkelstein is the murder of innocent people who only want to live their life freely. You should take some time to reconsider your stance on this issue, as you are clearly in the wrong. SB Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:32:42 -0500 From: ertorres@optonline.net Subject: You R a self-hater To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Dear Norman, You, just like most Liberals, are a self-hater. Like other Liberals you are uncomfortable with the success and opportunities that our great country provides you and other Liberals. You are offended that others don’t have the same opportunities as us and the citizens of Israel. To compensate for what others can’t have, because of tyrannical governments, you and other Liberals attempt to destroy the opportunities that we enjoy. The sad reality is if you lived in Cuba or some other bastion of Liberal celebration, you would come to appreciate the greatness that you take for granted. As a “Academic” you must have traveled to Cuba or other degenerate society. The experience you were exposed to in their effort to fill your scull full of mush was their contrived version of propaganda. The real truth to those of us that have relatives in such lands is that What You Saw Ain’t What You Should Have Seen. These places are horrific Hell holes. Israel stands as a bulwark against such societies. Israel is a model society that stands against tyranny. America is the world’s superpower. Thank God for that! Evil must be destroyed or it will strengthen to battle Good. Israel battles evil everyday. Palestinians are the tools of evil. The Muslim religion is a hate-filled religion that hates among other thing YOU! If they were to conquer the Lilly–spined among us, like you, will be the first to be destroyed. Too bad you hate yourself. Too bad you do not choose to challenge those systems that would destroy liberty and freedom. Thank God you no longer have an opportunity to miss-teach college kids. Get a grip you twit! Be a man and defend all that is good in the world and battle Evil. You are a sad example of a man. Rick Torres From: normyoung@earthlink.net Subject: Spelling Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:48:47 -0700 To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Hello Professor: So, is it Finkelstein or Frankenstein? Bigget or biggot? Cow herd or coward? I’m trying to brush up on my spelling here. Could you help? Thanks, Norm Young Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:40:45 -0800 From: grappsg@yahoo.com Subject: Your thoughts and ideas To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Have you ever seen that movie “One flew over the coocoo nest?” Your a nut job pal. Go to Hezbollah. I hope you do because I look forward to the video of them cutting your head off while they scream “ala akbar”. Thats going to be classic. Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:15:41 -0500 From: simonkogan@gmail.com To: normangf[at]HOTMAIL.COM Subject: dear Norman Dear Norman, I’m just a simple Jewish emigrant from Ukraine.PROUD Citizen of our(but not yours) US of America. Just would like voice my 5cents worth of an opinion, by using sorry for that, far from perfect English. In MY opinion you’re just Anti-American, and your hatred toward our country blinds your judgment. You, Jewish liberals, just don’t get it. If radical Islam wins. You’re gonna be first ones , who will be, best case scenario a slave or hung on the nearest tree. It will be the same as communism in former USSR. Jews couldn’t get education, that we deserved,couldn’t be professors like you in universities, etc, etc. So, open your eyes, and use your G_d given brain to join Israel and US in fight against ISLAMO-Fascists. Best Regards, – Simon Kogan From: thewrights55@hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:11:32 -0800 You would have sided with the nazis just before your slaughter had USA and the allies not freed europe from evil, coward. Hezbollah is the same kind of evil you are going to bed with, asshole! Wake up! Just like you apologists, can’t ever admit your dead wrong till it’s too late. Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:34:21 -0800 From: tobster718@yahoo.com Subject: You are scum!!!! To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Hezbollah would kill you just as Hitler tried to kill your family - just do us all a favor and either kill yourself without risking the death iof Jews in Israel and around the world or shut the hell up!!! Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:13:21 -0800 From: jwkh2002@yahoo.com Subject: As to your speech … To: normangf[at]hotmail.com … I think it repulsive. You should be in GITMO as a terrorist. Unfortunately for freedom, you have more rights than you deserve. Your parents ARE ashamed of you. Move to the country you support more than the country your parents would support. jwkh Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:08:34 +0900 From: mafcocinco[at]gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Dershowitz on FoxNews Dear Norman, I just read your post about Dershowitz’s appearance on FoxNews and I must say it made me laugh out loud. “Anti-American”? Really? Are Dershowitz and the ‘Fair and Balanced’ network so desperate and so unimaginative that they did not even take the time to disguise their propaganda in some high-brow rhetoric? I guess on FoxNews, screaming anti-American still carries some moral force. After listening to some of your recent talks in England and the States, you seem genuinely hopeful and I have to say I feel the same. The work that you and others have done and continue to do has had a tremendous affect. We never hear about it in the mainstream media, (well, almost never: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4h8c2_comic_news) but that does not make it any less true. I believe that many others were laughing along with me, that people are becoming more and more skeptical of what they see on T.V. and are waking up to the realities of the world and the role that we as U.S. citizens play in it. Keep up the great work! - Marcus Oladell P.S. Feel free to add this to your letters section if you like. From: gs717@hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:31:12 -0500 Some would say you are a traitor to your country. Some would say you are a traitor to your faith and heritage. I would not presume to know which is true or either is true. It is possible that you are a very brilliant man who has lost his way. There is no rational or sane explanation for you positions and actions. What a waste. To: normangf[at]hotmail.com From: cboylan@nyc.rr.com Subject: Fuck you, asswipe Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:11:38 -0500 Fuck you, fuck Hamas, fuck Hezbollah, fuck Nasrallah, fuck your entire existence. I hope you get a massive, long-lasting, painfully fatal case of cancer. Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:06:48 -0800 From: wncmountain@yahoo.com Subject: Response to your interview To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Sir I nothing about you except for an aritcle I just read on Fox News and if fucking disgusted me. Why dont you get the fuck out of OUR country and go support those dirty fucking terroist muslims. You are an embarassment to the American people and your family. Go support Hezbollah you fucking moron. Get out of our country you piece of shit. From: st_murphy@cox.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: So you support Hezbollah huh? Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:06:21 -0600 Isn’t that special, a faux jew who supports a terrorist organization who’s singular purpose in life is to exterminate real Jews, the Israelis. How do you sleep at night? Why don’t you pack your bags and go to Lebanon, I am sure they would love to see you, until they lop off your head and toss your lifeless body into the street to rot. What a sad, pathetic twisted person you are and a traitor to your Faith. Scott Murphy To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:01:21 -0500 From: jbfeil@aol.com You are a real low life. The historical revisionism you engage in is unforgivable. I would love to see you publically debate Alan Dershowitz - would be a joke how bad he would make you look. Actually, more than that, I would enjoy seeing you deported to live amongst the tolerant, peace-loving animals you so vocieferously support. G-d bless America and Israel! From: will2go@hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: time to add some balance to your ‘LETTERS’ Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:58:38 +0000 Norman, Only the reasoning capacities of the common garden slug - with equal measure of moral conviction - could enable an individual to enjoy the liberties of life ‘under’ the American system of government while, at the same time, rallying others to resist at all costs “becoming slaves” to the Americans and Jews (you enjoy quoting, “better to die on your feet, than live on your knees”). It is time to rise from the slime of your slug-ness, Norman, and BE A MAN… join your Hizbollah kindred in Lebonon to participate directly in freeing them (and yourself) from this diabolical threat posed by a western system of democracy. At the same time, you will spare us lesser intellects - us “slaves” - the pain of recognizing the myriad wonders of life under a system governed by Hizbollah and its mullahs that evades us. Will Dyer Everett, WA Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:32:44 -0800 From: bradquicksall@yahoo.com Subject: please… To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Please do us all a favor and move to Lebanon if you love the Hizbollah so much. Brad Quicksall From: cjlewis1@bellsouth.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Hezbollah Support Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:22:08 +0000 God listens to you. Do you listen to yourself? Think more about what you are saying. – Thank you Chris J Lewis Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:02:23 -0700 From: tim.c.milke@lmco.com Subject: INTERESTING To: normangf[at]hotmail.com I’m neither Jew nor overtly religious but you my fellow are a freak. You must really hate being a Jew! May you find peace in a Syrian jail some day! From: mmqs@xbcx.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: About being a traitor.. Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:54:08 -0600 I would love to get a sissy like you alone in a small empty room. While in there, I would be more than happy to show you the errors of your ways & thoughts. Much in the way Hezbollah tries to with their enemies. Only it’d be just you & me…. Think about it, you having to learn the hard way about how those savages treat people. Better yet…I just hope I get to run into you on a dark street someday…….. “Commodore” From: rodriguezr44@hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: you are a piece of shit Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:00:00 +0000 Why don’t you just move to Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran? you are a self hating jew and over all a piece of sub human excrement. Let’s see how long you last if you went to any one of those countries and spewed anti goverment garbage. Oh, wait, that’s right, people like you don’t hav the courage to do that. You only do it here because you know no one is coming after you. You’re a sorry excuse for human flesh. You fucking traitor bastard. To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: amazing person From: Jason_Pennington@agfinance.com Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:56:01 -0600 You are an amazing person. Amazingly disgusting to your country, and your people. I hope hezbollah fixed you some good food over there, and gave you some foot baths. How could you turn your back on your own people? I dont understand it. Jason Z. Pennington MorEquity Loan Originator 800-278-5496 ext. 7208 Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:54:19 -0800 From: jimchi73@yahoo.com Subject: Hey!!! To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Please do us all a favor and let the Israelis know when you will be meeting again with Nasrallah so they can take both that devil and yourself out with a beautiful guided missle from one of their F-14’s, you fucking traitor scumbag. From: RickBergPhD@aol.com Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:52:00 -0500 Subject: Just a short question, please To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Have you considered going into therapy? Perhaps it would help. Richard A. Berg, Ph.D. Military and Investigative Psychology Rehov Tzevoni #4 P.O. Box 106 Nofim 44841 ISRAEL 32 09 17.02 N latitude, 36 05 53.42 E longitude, Elev. 1219 ft. telephone # 09 792 8301 mobile # 054 202 9864 international tel # 972 9 792 8301 international mobile # 972 54 202 9864 If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. From: mstate_dawg@hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Your views on Hezbollah and Israel Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:41:51 -0600 Mr. Finkelstein: You are a traitor to your heritage, to the Jews, and to the United States. Your support of a terrorist organization should land you in jail. You should be prosecuted for treason against the United States, and you belong with Hezbollah. Sincerely, A Patriotic American Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:41:54 -0800 From: mailmoat-greg@yahoo.com Subject: comment on your recent visit to the mideast To: normangf[at]hotmail.com YOU MAKE ME SICK, YOU ANTI-AMERICAN SHIT-FOR-BRAINS. I HOPE THEY KEEP YOU AND DECIDE TO SHOW YOU SOME HEZBOLLAH HOSPITALITY, WHICH WILL MOST LIKELY INVOLVE THE RAPID EXPANSION OF YOUR PATHETIC CARCASS INTO MANY SMALL BITS. ENJOY THE MOMENT. Go to hell. Sincerely, America Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:37:50 -0800 From: srleff@yahoo.com Subject: Opinion To: normangf[at]hotmail.com I just recently saw an a article about your interview in Lebanon I am an educated adult and I respect that everyone is entitled to their opinions…however, as a fellow Jew who myself have experienced loss during WW2 Holocaust within my family and during the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers, I find it a disgrace and an embarrassment, that above all…. your parents suffered at the hands of the Nazis and to find that an educated person like yourself can be used as a spokesman for this terrorist effort…..Usually, the opportunity and gift of a higher education promotes an insight and enlightenment as to the different world views and experiences that are out there beyond our own back yards and horizons….teaches us to understand and respect the voices of others but to see a fellow Jew and American who is willingly allowing himself to be used as pawn in this political terrorist platform embarrasses me and hurts me…. All I can say is how could you…..the bible teaches us to honor or mother and father….and you sir by your actions are slapping your parents and your religion right in the face…. I am appalled…… Susan in Florida From: kyleedmt@lycos.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Support of Hezbollah Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:29:09 -0500 With all due respect sir, kindly renounce both your Jewish and American heritage and just move to and live in Lebanon. Please. You are nothing more than low life pond scum. As a matter of fact, if Americans did this sort of thing, we should put out a fatwah on you, you piece of garbage. From: t.tollefson@comcast.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Hezbollah and your Views Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:30:01 -0800 Dear Mr. Finkelstein, I read the article about you in Fox News today in disbelief. I was going to send my son DePaul University, but now I have my doubts. The only reason I may still send him there is because you are gone. I sincerely hope that someone puts a price on your head so YOU may experience what others have suffered at the hands of Hezbollah . You should probably leave the U.S. and move to the Gaza Strip and enjoy the fruits of your belief. Ted Tollefson From: beauchamp27@msn.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Ignorance Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:26:10 -0500 It’s sad that such a smart, educated man does not see the full picture. I’m sure your family is real proud of you. If you want peace in the world you need to try something else…. From: dapper98@hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:24:32 +0000 When my late father was freed from Dachau in 1945, wearing his Auschwitz number on his arm, he would have never imagined that a Jew would incite for the destruction of the Jewish State, yet to rise from the ashes of the second temple destroyed by the Romans. Your ravings are those of an ignoramus, although you are supposed to be an intellectual. I wonder who wronged you so much that you decided to hate your own people. Dan Subject: You are a Sad Man Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:34:39 -0800 From: jramirez@rutan.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Your comments regarding hezbollah reflect that you are a troubled man. You are probably enraged about some non-issue 24/7; its a sad but fitting commentary that someone with your views now passes muster as a college professor. Thankfully, now that AM radio and Fox News and internet outlets have broken the stranglehold on the media, clowns like you are being exposed for what they are. John A. Ramirez Rutan & Tucker, LLP 611 Anton Boulevard, 14th Floor Costa Mesa, CA 92626 714-662-4610 Direct 714-546-9035 Fax jramirez@rutan.com www.rutan.com Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:20:15 -0800 From: petedodge2000@yahoo.com Subject: Question… To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Hello Mr. Finkelstein, I find it fascinating that you, as an American, have aligned yourself with Hezbollah and have called for the defeat of Israel. While I am 100% opposed to your views and those of Hezbollah, I do respect your opinions (we’re all entitled to them, as God gives all of us the capacity to think and reason for ourselves). Although, that having been said, it seems ironic to me that Muslims (at least a lot of Muslims) want to remove the freedom of choice from us and force Islam upon societies around the globe. They love the freedoms they enjoy in the west — the freedom to practice their Muslim faith without persecution in non-Muslim countries, the freedom to build mosques and reach out to try and create converts to Islam… yet once a a country “goes Muslim” and Islamic law is imposed, the very freedoms those Muslims enjoyed that enabled them to gain a foothold are no longer available to the people in that country who wish to freely practice a religion other than Islam. We just read about the woman at Starbucks in Saudi Arabia who was arrested for mingling with men in public… and the school teacher from England who was put on trial for allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad… daughters murdered by their own fathers in “honor killings” because they “offended Islam”… suicide bombers murdering innocent people because “Allah is great”… rioting in the streets, violence and death threats because of a silly cartoon… every day we read about people having to walk on eggshells to avoid the outrage that results for offending a Muslim (God forbid anybody offend a Muslim!!), but Christians are persecuted and killed every day around the world simply for being Christians and we see no worldwide outrage for that. But I digress… My question for you, sir, is this: Are you a Muslim yourself? More specifically, do you personally believe that Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary and Joseph, was crucified and died on the cross? I’m not asking if you believe He was the Son of God as Christians do ~ I’m only asking whether or not you believe He was crucified and died on the cross. Please don’t say it doesn’t matter or that it’s irrelevant, because it DOES matter. I’m interested in knowing your belief regarding that one very specific historical event. Thanks ~ I look forward to your reply. Pete From: chatin@cytanet.com.cy To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Cyprus Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:18:08 +0200 Sir, you are not only a traitor to the USA, but you are a traitor to your own people. Shame on you! From: lwillens@msn.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:31:23 -0700 ASSHOLE! Len Willens 277 North Via La Castellana Green Valley, AZ 85614 520-393-0881 Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:06:48 -0800 From: wncmountain@yahoo.com Subject: Response to your interview To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Sir I nothing about you except for an aritcle I just read on Fox News and if fucking disgusted me. Why dont you get the fuck out of OUR country and go support those dirty fucking terroist muslims. You are an embarassment to the American people and your family. Go support Hezbollah you fucking moron. Get out of our country you piece of shit. SHARE THIS POST:
See also:
MEMRI Nazis (How MEMRI doctored Finkelstein’s 06.21.2006 interview on Lebanese TV) American Political Scientist Norman Finkelstein: “Israel Has to Suffer a Defeat” Clip #1676 Broadcast: January 20, 2008 | FUTURE TV (Lebanese TV station; edited & put online by MEMRI TV (their video clips work on Windows PC only)) | YouTube.com (for all users) To view this video, please download Flash player.
MEMRI transcript: Following are excerpts from an interview with American Political Scientist Norman Finkelstein, which aired on Future TV on January 20, 2008. The questions were posed in Arabic, and Finkelstein’s responses are in English. Norman Finkelstein: I was of course happy to meet the Hizbullah people, because it is a point of view that is rarely heard in the United States. I have no problem saying that I do want to express solidarity with them, and I am not going to be a coward of a hypocrite about it. I don’t care about Hizbullah as a political organization. I don’t know much about their politics, and anyhow, it’s irrelevant. I don’t live in Lebanon. It’s a choice that the Lebanese have to make: Who they want to be their leaders, who they want to represent them. But there is a fundamental principle. People have the right to defend their country from foreign occupiers, and people have the right to defend their country from invaders who are destroying their country. That to me is a very basic, elementary and uncomplicated question. My parents went through World War II. Now, Stalin’s regime was not exactly a bed of roses. It was a ruthless and brutal regime, and many people perished. But who didn’t support the Soviet Union when they defeated the Nazis? Who didn’t support the Red Army? In all the countries of Europe which were occupied – who gets all the honors? The resistance. The Communist resistance – it was brutal, it was ruthless. The Communists were not… It wasn’t a bed of roses, but you respect them. You respect them because they resisted the foreign occupiers of their country. If I am going to honor the Communists during World War II, even through I probably would not have done very well under their regimes… If I’m going to honor them, I am going to honor the Hizbullah. They show courage, and they show discipline. I respect that. Interviewer: That is an accurate description of the situation before 2000, but after 2000, the Israelis withdrew from South Lebanon. There was a rift within Lebanon between the Lebanese political players on the issue of the future of the weapons and the issue of the resistance. This rift, which has taken place… You are now taking sides. After all, you are saying that you are only visiting Lebanon, but you don’t see the ramification of the July war for the people. Norman Finkelstein: Listen, if you want to close your eyes and believe it was all over in May 2000, you can do so. You can play that game. But the reality was – and everyone understood it – that the Israeli attitude was: We are going to knock out Hizbullah. They began planning for a new war right after they were forced to leave in 2000. They found their excuse, their pretext, in July 2006, but there is no question among rational people that Israel was never going to let the Hizbullah victory go by. They were determined to teach their… Interviewer: The war could have been avoided. Norman Finkelstein: It could not have been avoided. There is no way that the United States and Israel are going to tolerate any resistance in the Arab world. If you want to pretend it can be avoided, you can play that game. But serious people, clear-headed people, knew there was going to be a war sooner or later. [...] Do you think there is not going to be another war? Do you think Israel is going to allow that defeat in July 2006? Do you want to pretend it is Hizbullah that is causing the trouble? No, there will be another war, and the destruction will probably be ten times worse – maybe even more – than July 2006, because Israel is determined, with the United States, to put the Arabs in their place and to keep them in their place. Now, how can I not respect those who say no to that?  You know, during the Spanish Civil War there was a famous woman – they called her “La Pasionaria” – Dolores Ibárruri, from the Spanish Republic. She famously said: “It’s better to die on your feet than to walk crawling on your knees.”Interviewer: But that is up to the Lebanese people in its entirety. Norman Finkelstein: I totally agree. I am not telling you what to do with your lives, and if you’d rather live crawling on your feet, I could respect that. I could respect that. People want to live. How can I deny you that right? But then, how can I not respect those who say they would rather die on their feet? How can I not respect that? [...] Israel and the United States are attacking, because they will not allow any military resistance to their control of the region. That’s the problem. If Hizbullah laid down its arms, and said: “We will do whatever the Americans say,” you wouldn’t have a war – that’s true, but you would also be the slaves of the Americans. I have to respect those who refuse to be slaves. Interviewer: Is there no other way than military resistance? Norman Finkelstein: I don’t believe there is another way. I wish there were another way. Who wants war? Who wants destruction? Even Hitler didn’t want war. He would much prefer to have accomplished his aims peacefully, if he could. So I am not saying that I want it, but I honestly don’t see another way, unless you choose to be their slaves – and many people here have chosen that. I can’t really say… I can understand it – you want to live. I can’t really say I respect it. You know, so many dead, so much destruction… Before the bodies are even buried, before the buildings are even rebuilt, the person who is responsible for it all – you can’t wait to welcome him. You can’t wait to roll out the red carpet. I can’t respect that. In that respect, I like the Jews much more. I like their attitude. Do you know what the Jewish attitude is? Never to forgive, never to forget. I agree with that. Who roll out the red carpet less than two years after your whole country was destroyed by them? The Secretary of State said it was the birth pangs of a new Middle East. That’s the statement of a freak. A human freak would compare the birth of a child with the destruction of a country, and yet, there are people here who are so anxious to welcome her. They are trying to figure out what the Americans are thinking. They can’t wait for their banquets. How can anyone respect that? I respect the Jews a thousand times more - never to forgive, never to forget. All the death and all the destruction – and you can’t wait to welcome him. Interviewer: Norman… Norman Finkelstein: It’s disgusting! [...] Who the hell cares if Bush is coming? Interviewer: But you say there will be another war. Norman Finkelstein: You should have declared him persona non grata. He’s not welcome here. He destroyed your country. He was responsible for the war. You know full well that resolution could have been passed three weeks earlier. He destroys your country, and you can’t wait to greet him. You have no self-respect. How can you expect other people to respect Arabs, if you show no respect for yourselves? [...] If the Lebanese people overwhelmingly vote to let the Americans and Israelis have their way, I guess you have to accept that. I could see that. I couldn’t possibly say that they don’t have the right to make that choice. Listen, in Nazi-occupied Europe, you have to remember, most of the populations made the choice to live under the Nazis. All this talk about a French Resistance is just a joke – it never happened. The French Resistance… About 20% of the French population read the Resistance’s newspaper. There were maybe 10% of the French who resisted. The rest said: “Don’t resist,” because the Nazis were ruthless. You resist – four hundred are killed for each soldier who’s killed. That’s how the Nazis operated. So most of the French said, like you: “We want to live.” “Don’t resist.” But now I have to ask you, in retrospect: Who do we honor? Do we honor those who say: “Let us live,” or do we honor those who said: “Let’s resist”? [...] Leaders come last. There will be a leader who comes to power in Israel, who is willing to make the concessions, after the conditions have been created – namely, Israel has to suffer a defeat. [Editor's note: on why "Israel has to suffer a defeat," see part 6 of Breaking Down the Wall (Jousor interview)] Reader letters Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 14:09:34 -0700 To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: La Pasionaria didn’t say that - It’s better to die upon your feet than to live upon your knees! *Dear Prof. Finkelstein, I am one of your fans. Thank you for all you courage when debating the topic of Israel/Palestine. I was just listening to your youtube discussion on Hezbollah, when you misquoted La pasionaria. * * *It’s better to die upon your feet than to live upon your knees!* /¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado! belongs to Emilio Zapata, not La Pasionaria./ * http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emiliano_Zapata I also made the mistake once of attributing this to El Che - I did indeed enjoy your interview, but just thought I would let you know about the quote. Take care. and, hasta la victoria…. Linda  From: ilya[at]msur.org (Corrected version:) Dear Norman It may be late to go back to the polemics about your visit to Lebanon and your defense of “solidarity with Hizbullah”, but I feel compelled to do so. Let me start by telling you that I disagree with you on the support Hizbullah deserves. After several trips to Lebanon, I understand the admiration many people feel for Hizbullah and why its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is the most valued leader in the ‘Arab World’ (1), but personally I feel myself more inclined to the opinion of that Lebanese peasant who told me, back in 1999, when Southern Lebanon was still occupied by the Israeli Army: “Hizbullah is provoking Israel’s attacks and thus brings more suffering to the people, they gain power by the confrontation but it would be better to resist in a peaceful way”. Of course this is a feature that Hizbullah shares with any other armed movement in history. That being said, I think it should be explained why nearly all insults directed at you, including the Fox News article But has Hizbullah really engaged formerly in armed activities outside Lebanese territory? This is not clear. The organisation denies it. There are only three foreign-based actions which are described often as “linked to Hizbullah” (6): the skyjacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985, one attack against the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentine, and another against the Jewish association AMIA in the same city, in 1994. Hizbullah denies any involvement (7) and the case has never been solved (8). It is quite usual to attribute Hizbullah the responsibility of the terror attack against the US embassy and the attack against the American military barracks, both in Beirut in 1983, but Hizbullah proper did not exist at this stage, not being founded officially until 1985 (9). It is supposed that the groups which carried out the attack had close links to those who established Hizbullah two years later, but this is a very open subject. Even if it was true, it would not qualify Hizbullah for being called terrorist today, much as Israel does not qualify for being called terrorist for having been run between 1977 and 1992 by Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, former leaders of the armed zionist group Irgun which is commonly described as terrorist (10). As opposed to Israeli politicians, Hizbullah renounces today any credit for its possible early-days attacks (11). Usually, any terrorist organisation in the world does proudly claim responsibility of the attacks they carry out (if they didn’t, their attacks wouldn’t be useful to show their strength and to bargain for their goals). So Hizbullah’s denial of involvement is not a typical feature for a terrorist organisation and could well be true. Another hint ist that Hizbullah is not carrying out terrorist attacks inside Israel, which we must assume they could do if they wished, given that they are far better organised, trained and equipped than any Palestinian organisation. Taking prisoners among the soldiers of an enemy country, being at war, is clearly not a terrorist act. Hizbullah violated Israeli sovereignty when stepping over its frontier to capture the soldiers in July, 2006, but prior to that there were “persistent and provocative Israeli air incursions (…). The air incursions violate Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, according to United Nations (12). The second accusation is that of Hizbullah trying to establish a strictly islamic state in Lebanon, where people like you or your supporters wouldn’t wish to live. I’m strongly against any use of religion in politics but I must admit that, unlike Hamas, Hizbullah shows great respect for the opinions of non-religious citizens and explicitly renounce to impose by force the islamic Sharia law in Lebanon, saying that there is no way you could enforce Sharia, except if chosen freely by the people (13, 14). Hizbullah did strongly condemn the publication of the Danish Muhammad-cartoons –as did Christian authorities– , but was not involved in the protests that set the Danish embassy on fire in Beirut and condemned that kind of turmoil as “dangerous for the unity of the people” (15). The leaders of the Lebanese Gay Rights movement Helem – the only one existing in the Arab world, being homosexuality prosecuted and heavily punished in American-friendly countries as Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Kuwait - acknowledge that Hizbullah never has tried to interfere with their campaign for their rights and that Hizbullah’s Al Manar TV station even > adopted a more respectful wording when speaking about homosexuals, avoiding the term ‘perverted’ which is used in the biggest part of the Arab press worldwide (16). In short, I cannot agree with Hizbullah’s vision nor can I support its actions, but among all armed groups in the Middle East it is clearly the one which a) refrains from terrorist acts and b) is tolerant on religious issues even if contrary to its own beliefs. Best wishes Ilya U. Topper 1) Haaretz 2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah 3) AFP, quoted in www.lebanon.com/news/local/2003/3/20.htm 4) Robin Wright in The Washington Post 5) Nabil Qawuq, personal interview, 1999. 6) Council on Foreign Relations http://www.cfr.org/publication/9155/#6. 7) AFP, quoted in www.lebanon.com/news/local/2003/3/20.htm 8) BBC 9) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hezbollah 10) The Times 11) Hizbullah spokesperson, personal interview, 1999. 12) Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, S/2006/560 - http://daccess-ods.un.org/TMP/6867256.html 13) Nabil Qawuq, 1999. 14) Hussein Naboulsi, spokesperson for Hizbullah, personal interview, 2005 15) Hussein Naboulsi, published in La Clave, 8.2.2006 16) George Azzi, personal interview, published in La Clave, 29.2.2008 Dear Norman, I saw your interview on memritv July 20 2008, and disagree with justifying violence; it is far better to promote boycotts and other forms of non-violent resistance. Gandhi defeated the British with a boycott of salt, today, now that corporations are global, the most vulnerable product to a boycott is Coca-Cola, attacking their share price will give a clear signal that activists have monetized dissent, just as Muslims had monetized their dissent with the boycott Danish produce after the publication of those cartoons of the prophet Mohamed in Danish newspapers. Coca-Cola is part of the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio which had invested $4 billion in the Israeli company ISCAR (a precision engineering firm) just before the July 2006 war in Lebanon, ISCAR supply Pratt and Whitney who in turn do business with Lockheed Martin and Lockheed Martin, as you know have a joint venture with Israel building the SUFA F16 fighter jet. Yours Sincerely, Philip Scott Fox News letters I would like to assure for you that you are a hero in all what the word means and you were very courage on future tv ( the telivision that is made for attacking Hizbolla) and you said what you thinks without any hesitation . I really think you must teach some people braveness and about she accusing you to be on a side I think that she was the one desperately defending USA friends or slaves as you like to call them and I assure to you that the people suportin Hizola are more than them but thier cheating on hezbolla especially Waleed Jumblat let the took the parlement and I just wanted to tell you that your expression were great going out of a great person . With my regards, Mohamed Dear Mr.Finkelstein, I also respect Hizballah however I feel in your interview on Future TV you oversimplified matters which is not where I believe the Lebanese situation currently lies. For one thing, I believe you ignored that there are people from the ‘other side’ who are willing to die for what they believe in. In your framework of analysis it would mean ‘they are willing to die standing’ in order to ‘grovel at their feet’ which would mean a contradiction in terms. And you also ignored that there are people willing to be Syria and Iran’s slave. I think you put the nail on the head when you said it was ‘disgusting’ that Rice (as well as Blair) were invited a few weeks after the war ended. However I don’t think you were as precise with the Nazi analogy and the French Resistance. In the Lebanese case, the French Resistance (in a country the size of Luxembourg) have kicked out the Nazis from their land, but the Nazis however remain as strong as ever on the borders and the French Resistance’s two main allies, one of whom actually borders Nazi Germany in this analogy, are pushing the Resistance to liberate all of Germany (through Luxembourg!) while only willing to supply arms and political support - and possibly fire a missile in the distant future - for the cause. Despite all that, I still personally think the Resistance in Lebanon should stay, I think it should stay and it should be given full defensive autonomy in the case of an Israeli attack. However when it comes to offensive measures, such as those that sparked the July War, I think such measures should be under the command and decision making orders of the Lebanese Army. I personally think pretexts can be avoided and therefore I believe the war could have been avoided. Then we come to the issue of Syria, which is Lebanon’s other big problem and which I don’t think can be ignored in any debate on Lebanese policy towards Israel - because both Israel and Syria use Lebanon to play each other off. In the case of Syria I frankly think we should simply not recognize it as a state until they set up an embassy in Lebanon. For me that seems to be the only policy for Lebanon I can fathom that will give it an opportunity to avoid the two dreaded options of slavery (to the Americans/Israelis or the Syrians) or civil war while also give it an opportunity for independent peace and stability. My point about all this is that despite what I may think about the Future TV lady who interviewed you, I think she was right in saying you have taken a side in the Lebanese case, because (at least according to MEMRI TV :) you completely ignored the Syrian aspect of the debate, which I repeat cannot be ignored because Israel and Syria use Lebanon to play each other off. Lastly another point I would like to make based on the above explanation is that if somebody cares about the interest of the Lebanese people as a whole they have to combine aspects from both sides of the political equation. As a Lebanese, taking one aspect only - though it may be good - is a recipe for civil war. Best Regards Sulaiman Beydoun Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:46:08 +0100 From: newsletter[at]j-korte.de To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Your remarks concerning Hisbollah Hello, I just read a transcript from your interview on Future TV and have to admit, that I’m more then astonished. Even if you don’t agree with Israels policies you shouldn’t subscribe to terrorism. And, I may add, I’m so fed up with this liberation movements in the arab world, because they don’t give a damn for the people they pretend to “liberate” (btw. a kind of freedom I definetly don’t want to enjoy) from imperialismen, zionismen or whatever. Israel is the only country in that part of the world with decent livingstandards, they have build up a country very successfull. And I guess that is the true reason for all this liberation talk: envy, being poor and unable to anything proper (apart from killing each other and foreign people). And finally I add, your life span would be very limited in “Hisbollah-Country”. Joachim Korte-Bernard Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:29:41 +0000 From: ejbarbaro20[at]optonline.net Subject: Hezbollah To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Mr. Finkelstein, I saw your rant on a video on the subject of the “noble” Hezbollah in Lebanon. Your disdain, no, hate, for Bush is so virulent, I was waiting for the drool from your mouth. You need professional care, Mr. Finkelstein. But what do I know? I’m not a professional. But I believe I’m old enough to recognize a fool when I see one. So, Mr. Finkelstein, from your mouth to the tush of Hezbollah. Fortunately, with “useful idiots” like you on the side of Hezbollah, Hezbollah doen’t have a chance. From: maxillagardens1118[at]hotmail.co.uk SHARE THIS POST:
Finkelstein on Hezbollah television (live transmission)
From: zeinabsaffar[at]hotmail.com
To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2008 20:40:18 +0000 Salam please note that u can tune to the www.manartv.com.lb (live transmission; [streaming seems to only work on Windows browsers]) and watch Norman Finkelstein editionn on Almanar TV this Tuesday [February 5, 2008] at 7 pm beirut time with rerun on Sunday [February 10, 2008] at 4 pm Beirut time. waiting for ur comments thanx Zeinab Dr. Zeinab al-Saffar, Manar TV Channel, News and political programs author, host and producer (intheireyes[at]manartv.com.lb) Lebanese State University Professor (ESP-EFL-ESP) SHARE THIS POST:
A couple of Finkelsteins in Palestine (but no relation, except in spirit) Dear Mr. Finkelstein
We were already appalled by the University of DePaul not granting you tenure, no doubt also for your stand against the Israeli inhumane occupation of Palestine, now we are disgusted by the campaign against you concerning your last visit to Lebanon.
You may remember us, we wrote to you last year concerning our appreciation (and admiration) of your article on the shameful HRW press release, and your work in general. We now would like you to know that we fully agree with your statement: ” After the horror and after the shame and after the anger there still remains a hope, and I know that I can get in a lot of trouble for what I am about to say, but I think that the Hezbollah represents the hope. They are fighting to defend their homeland”. We, ourselves, deplore that the Hamas, democratically elected by the Palestinian People in 2006, is excluded from all peace negotiations. In our opinion all parties should be around the table as no peace agreement will last without the Hamas being involved. If someone is working for peace in the Middle East, it is undoubtedly yourself and we will support you in any manner we can. We returned from Palestine last November when we helped during the olive harvest. We thought that you might be interested in reading our latest experience in occupied Palestine, where the situation is much worse than when we were there in 2006 (we had also sent you our report covering our mission to Palestine in June 2006 “Returning from Palestine…through Israel“). With our very best regards Caroline and Nathan Finkelstein Tannay - Switzerland Chronicle of a Planned Death Picnic under an Olive Tree in Palestine 12.03.2007 By Caroline and Nathan Finkelstein It is still possible to spend lovely moments in occupied Palestine. Admittedly they are rare but, therefore, all the more intense. When we arrived at Deir Istiya, a small village in the Salfit region just south of Nablus, we admired the beauty of the olive groves extending as far as the eye could see, sharing the hills with small villages whose sparkling whiteness was dazzling. It was evening but it was still quite warm and the luminosity gave the olive tree leaves a velvety purple colour. We immediately understood why the Palestinians loved these legendary trees that are the symbol of their attachment to their land. It was November and we were again in Palestine. This time we were part of a pan European civil mission for the olive harvest under the aegis of the Palestinian Agriculture Relief Committee (PARC). Our objective was to accompany Palestinian families so that they could pick their olives without being attacked by the Israeli settlers or harassed by the army. The families possessing olive trees, whatever the number, must obtain Israeli civil administration authorisation to pick their own olives - whether their land is on the “good” side of the Separation Wall in the West Bank or located on the other side. These authorisations are delivered in extremely small quantities or not at all depending on … neither we nor the Palestinians could figure out exactly what. The authorisations do not relate only to the harvest itself but also to the number of people allowed to pick the olives. For example, one of the families had 50 trees for which one authorisation was given. Another family had about 140 trees and received two authorisations. In a group of villages close to Zababdeh, in the Jenin area, 600 families having olive trees were allotted 30 authorisations in 2006 and none at all in 2007. These authorisations seem to be granted arbitrarily with certain families receiving some and others not. It is not difficult to imagine the climate of suspicion that this could create, but the Palestinians know the situation and the result is a reinforced solidarity. When one knows the very tiring work of picking olives and when it is known that these families depend on olives to live, the occupier’s objective cannot be any clearer. Moreover, this olive picking must be done by Israeli authority edict during a specified time frame and daily schedules. It is obvious that it is absolutely impossible for only one person to pick the olives from 50 olive trees during the limited amount of time. Deir Istiya is a small village of 4000 inhabitants. It is surrounded by nine settlements. Between the 2.800 hectares of land confiscated for these settlements and that for the construction of the Wall, there only remains about 700 hectares that the villagers can cultivate out of the original 3.500 hectares belonging to the village and its vicinity. 200 hectares of the arable land left to the Palestinians are devoted to the olive orchards. In order to assist a maximum number of families, the mission was divided into two groups. In this way we were able to help eight families during six days. Olive picking is certainly tiring but the atmosphere was so pleasant that we forgot our back-pains and aching joints, the heat (the temperature was 36 C at midday!), the dust and even the constant threat of the surrounding settlements and military patrols. In the evenings we returned to Deir Istyia, exhausted, but happy to have been able to share this time with the local Palestinians. The two large storage rooms that were converted to dormitories for us were rudimentary, but splendid because they were situated in the Town Hall that is located in an old Ottoman building that the village inhabitants are proudly gradually restoring. To sleep within such a setting - even with just a mattress on the floor - was magic. As the Town Hall was next to a mosque, the muezzin’s call woke us at 05:00 every morning. We tried to sleep afterwards for the hour that remained before getting ready to leave for the olive orchards. Depending upon the field in which we were to work, either a small bus came to fetch us or we went on foot for about an hour walking through rocky terrain and briar (that the Palestinians are prohibited from clearing under the ridiculous pretext of the need to preserve the biodiversity of the land!). This enchanting landscape with the early morning sun shining on the red soil of the olive orchard covered hills is still engraved in our memories over a month after our return. When we reached our destination large tarpaulins were immediately spread around the base of the trees and the olive picking started. The olives are mostly picked individually but when there are several of them on a small branch, wrapping your hand around the branch and sliding it toward you allows getting several olives at the same time. The team members share various tasks. Some climb the tree to pick the olives on the higher branches and drop them onto the tarpaulin below; others use sticks to knock as many olives as possible off the less accessible branches; some take care of the olives from the lower branches and the rest removes the fallen leaves and twigs before putting the olives in 50 Kg burlap sacks. In the final phase of sorting, the contents of all tarpaulins are concentrated on a single one so that the team can take the others to spread under the next tree and the process starts over. Towards 09:30 the families make a fire between two large stones and prepare tea including wild sage that grows nearby. This fifteen minute pause to savour the scented tea is more than welcome for the neophytes like us. The work then continues until midday when the families prepare a picnic in the shade of a large olive tree. Hummus, olive oil, tomatoes, cucumber salad, sardines, eggs, pita bread, etc. are shared by everyone. The meal which lasts 30-45 minutes was a moment when time stood still. We laughed and joked with the family members. Some of us spoke English quite comfortably while others had more difficulty but whatever the level of comprehension we managed to understand each other and enjoy our conversations. These were lovely, unforgettable moments for us. After lunch the picking continued until 16:00-17:00 with another tea pause in between. We then returned to the village on foot or sitting on olive bags stacked in a trailer pulled by a tractor. This was yet another enjoyable moment, with a slight apprehension however, that, considering the obstacles of boulder and ground mounds set up by the settlers and even sometimes by the army, we may not arrive in one piece at the village! Settlers observed us from behind the barbed wire fences protecting the settlement, but we did not have any confrontation with them or with the army. This was not the case for other internationals who helped with the olive harvest in Hebron that we met at a demonstration. They were violently driven out of the olive orchards by settlers under the benevolent surveillance of the army. On Sunday, November 4 we were fortunate to be able to attend the youth festival of Deir Istiya organised in the courtyard of the Ottoman building being restored. It was a very moving celebration. The Palestinian dances were beautiful and the young people of the village, in local costumes of Palestinian colours, performed them to perfection. It was the same for the other entertainment comprising short, humoristic plays, songs, etc. The will and endurance of this people who, in spite of unbearable living conditions, do not give up and continue to fight for their land while acting as if the occupation did not exist is quite simply admirable - there is no other word! A particularly significant but also amusing anecdote demonstrates the character of the Palestinians. Julie, one of the mission members, and Caroline were sorting olives to remove excess leaves and twigs. Ahmed, one of the two Palestinians, came to help them. After a few minutes he leaned towards them and whispered “I would like to share a secret with you but you must not tell anyone else. You are not afraid?” Curious, they nodded their heads and listened. Ahmed whispered “I am a member of Hamas.”. “It is good that you can choose the political party you prefer. That is democracy.” answered Caroline. A little while later Caroline said to Ahmed “I also have a secret that I will tell you. You are not afraid?” Ahmed was also curious and wanted to know the secret. Caroline said “Nathan and I are Jewish.” Ahmed seemed somewhat stunned and Caroline wondered if she should have shared her “secret” with him. The three continued sorting the olives in a deafening silence. After a short while Ahmed raised his head with a broad smile. Our differences were not an obstacle and our friendship was untouched. Unfortunately life in Palestine is far from being as idyllic as the moments we spent picking olives. One afternoon when we had finished all the trees for the day we were asked to accompany two of the family members we had helped that day to go to an olive orchard belonging to a family whose husband had recently died. The mother was alone with several infants and could not pick the olives. The olive orchard was between a settlement on the other side of the Wall and an extension of that settlement on our side of the Wall. We had to cross the road the settlers and soldiers used to travel between the two. Our Palestinian friends were visibly afraid and we went to this orchard carrying no material except two empty burlap bags for the olives. We walked for nearly one hour to reach the olive trees. We picked quickly and only spoke when necessary and then only in whispers. It was 13:00, the sun was shining brightly and it was very hot. From the olive orchard we noticed a green football field near the settlement extension that was being abundantly watered during this hottest part of the day when most of the water was wasted through evaporation. Palestinians have very little water since Israel diverted the majority of the rivers to provide water to the settlements. We found the contrast of the Palestinian needs and the settlement waste of the water appalling. On the way back, after having filled the two 50 Kg sacks, we saw settlers walking on the connecting road that we needed to cross. We waited behind some bushes until they were some distance from us before we crossed the road. Back in Deir Istiya that evening we asked the villagers about the present water situation and we were stunned by the answer. The town actually has several springs but they are now controlled by the Israelis who sell the water back to the municipality - Deir Istiya must pay Israel a high price to use its own water! We were to spend two days with a family living in Azzun, in the region of Qalquilya, whose olive orchard is almost completely surrounded by the settlement of Alfe Menashe. The evening of the first day, after an attack on a settler’s automobile near Qalquilya, soldiers entered our host’s brother’s house in Azzun. The attack had not happened near Azzun and our host’s brother was not involved in anyway. The soldiers smashed two doors of the house, his wife and their four children were in the house at the time, and tossed in three teargas grenades. The soldiers then shot holes in the water tanks on the roof of the house which entailed that the family would be without water for several days. After dinner we were invited for coffee at the brother’s house that had been thoroughly ventilated all afternoon. But even four hours after the soldiers left we could not remain in the living room for more than a few minutes because our eyes and throats were so irritated by the residue of the toxic gas. The children who were coughing a lot had been sent to a neighbour’s home. This is an example of collective punishment that is forbidden by article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We had to leave the following day because the army had declared a curfew on Azzun and it was possible that we would not be able to leave the village for several days. We could not help this family for a second day as originally planned. After six days of olive picking in the Salfit area, we wanted to re-visit Nablus, a city that we visited in June 2006 and that we like very much. Nablus is a city where resistance to occupation is strong. Consequently it is a frequent target of the Israeli army. There are military incursions every night during which they shoot indiscriminately and cause considerable destruction in the old city. The mayor of Nablus, whom we met during our previous mission and who has a well earned reputation for probity, had been arrested by the Israeli authorities. Although he is not a formal member of Hamas, he had chosen to run for mayor on their party list because of their integrity. His imprisonment is totally illegal by international law, much like that of other members of the Palestinian government democratically elected in January 2006. He is held in an Israeli prison without the possibility of visits from any member of his family. This is called “administrative detention” meaning that he can be held for an unlimited time without being charged or having a trial. The refugee camp Number 1, Ein Beit El-Mal’, the first camp established in Nablus after the creation of Israel in 1948, is one of four camps built just outside the city. Initially there were 1′700 refugees; there are now over 8′000 but they do not have the right to increase the size of the camp. They can only build vertically leaving small alleys hardly a meter wide to make maximum use of the available land surface. We saw many dynamited apartments with gaping holes in kitchen and bedroom Walls. The buildings were barely remaining upright with no glass left in the windows, water tanks destroyed, etc. The inhabitants have no choice but to remain in their half destroyed homes because they do not have the means to rebuild them. The army makes regular incursions into this camp (as well as in the other three) using the pretext of searching for resistance fighters. People with whom we spoke told us that the army had blown up all the water pipelines a few months ago and the camp was without water for 5 days. Without the solidarity of the inhabitants of Nablus the situation would have been catastrophic. The army arbitrarily arrests people, including children, almost on a daily basis. Since there is an 80% unemployment rate in the camps poverty is visible everywhere but their hope to have their country and a just peace remains intact. The PARC organised a visit for us to show their agricultural projects. We visited Zababdeh and the nearby villages that are dramatically economically affected by the Wall that fragments their land and the settlements established on the surrounding hills. Two small colonies had been dismantled during the relocation of the settlers from the Gaza strip in 2005. The local people were happy to get their land back and began cultivating it again. The army quickly stopped them telling them that the land did not belong to them any more and that they would be arrested if they tried to plant on it. We saw this land and it lay fallow! Before our departure we decided to support a small village to the south of Bethlehem, Um Salomoneh that regularly demonstrates against the Wall and the settlements of the village’s environs. We were only about 40 demonstrators (there were few Palestinians from the village because many of them are in prison). The group, perfectly peaceful, was comprised of local Palestinians, members of our civil mission, some other internationals from Belgium & France as well as a religious group from the United States. About thirty Israeli soldiers, in full battle dress, and six armoured vehicles were dispatched to police our activity. There were no casualties but we were pushed, shoved and insulted by the soldiers. Before departing from Palestine we spent some time in East Jerusalem. Comparing the situation with our visit one year earlier we noted additional settlements in the old city and the increased efforts of the Israeli authorities to exclude the Arab population from it. We were in Israel & Palestine during the preparation of the Annapolis conference but in the region everything continued as if there were no International conference being organized to stop this inhumane occupation and so that finally the Palestinians would have a viable state. The construction of the Wall, the expansion of the settlements and the construction of a tramway, on illegally confiscated land, linking Jerusalem to the surrounding settlements all continued unabashed. The army’s arbitrary arrests, acts of violence, restrictions and controls continue and the living conditions of the Palestinian people only worsen. We did not observe any sign of easing the situation or any act of goodwill by Israel. Under these conditions how can we believe in the good faith of the negotiations in Annapolis? We would like to conclude our article with a quotation from Dr. Ali Qleibo, a Palestinian writer: “Land confiscation escalates, settlements increase in number and size, but against all odds Palestinians survive in a state of grace in their homeland.” Caroline and Nathan Finkelstein Tannay, 3 December 2007 SHARE THIS POST:
Genuinely funny Jewish haiku. My favorite -
A lovely nose ring,
excuse me while I put my head in the oven. Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 23:31:27 -0500 Subject: A little humor for you Thought I’d forward these along… JEWISH HAIKU: Lacking fins or tail the gefilte fish swims with great difficulty. Beyond Valium, peace is knowing one’s child is an internist. On Passover we opened the door for Elijah. Now our cat is gone. After the warm rain the sweet smell of camellias. Did you wipe your feet? Her lips near my ear, Aunt Sadie whispers the name of her friend’s disease. Today I am a man. Tomorrow I will return to the seventh grade. Testing the warm milk on her wrist, she sighs softly. But her son is forty. The sparkling blue sea reminds me to wait an hour after my sandwich. Like a bonsai tree, is your terrible posture at my dinner table. Jews on safari – map, compass, elephant gun, hard sucking candies. The same kimono the top geishas are wearing: I got it at Loehmann’s. The shivah visit: so sorry about your loss. Now back to my problems. Mom, please! There is no need to put that dinner roll in your pocketbook. Seven-foot Jews in the NBA slam-dunking! My alarm clock rings. Sorry I’m not home to take your call. At the tone please state your bad news. Is one Nobel Prize so much to ask from a child after all I’ve done? Today, mild shvitzing. Tomorrow, so hot you’ll plotz. Five-day forecast: feh Yenta. Shmeer. Gevalt. Shlemiel. Shlimazl. Meshuganah Oy! To be fluent! Quietly murmured at Saturday Synagogue services, Yanks 5, Red Sox 3. A lovely nose ring, excuse me while I put my head in the oven. Hard to tell under the lights. White Yarmulke or male-pattern baldness. SHARE THIS POST:
Arnis writes again 12.16.2007
But if we get back to the topic - why i should hate jews? Nonsenss! But you know - happenings around - there are like water in the cups - and sometime they get over. May be you know - there are such Visental [[Simon Wiesenthal - ed.]] center in the Israel. Every year they make in latvia some public statement - that latvians ar jew killers, latvians are SS suporters, latvians are antisemits, and so one… Every year in latvia we hear - that he Jews was most opressed. Jews are hated, Jews are suffered like no one… This Visental center has done so much damage to the collective consciousness of latvians, that…. You know - and why? Cuz this Visental center NEVER wrote - “you know, we know, Latvian situation during the last war was not so easy, you was between two Totalitarian regimes, you lost 3d of population, you fight cuz actually you have no choice - but you know, there is some limits - and for us its very important, that the real war criminals should be punished. we also know - that there are many Jews from the side of USSR who has war crimes against latvians - we will help you to judge them, but for us its important - tah the jew killers should also be punished with proper understanding…”. NEVER!!!! And thats the most annoing and damaging thing… no even one step to understand others - only dictate…
Or - there was some time ago one article in one Journal - KAPITALS. The article was - JEWS CONTROLL THE WORLD (and this article was not about politic - just analise of economical situation in the world). After this article the chef redactor of this journal was immediately punished, kicked out and so on… And you know what the peoples thinking about that? That if the Jews was not controlling the world, than no one even will take care in gods forgotten latvia about writing on them. But becouse of such quick and nasty reactions - thats REALLY MEAN THAT JEWS CONTROLL THE WORLD!!!! Like - if someone in the NEW YORK TIMES will write, that LATVIANS CONTROLL THE WORLD - all latvia will be proud and no one will be punished! So - peoples thinking like that after… Or we have one cartoon from the times of Soviet Union - that in the northern woods animals get big new year packung from Africa with sign - FOR THE MOST UNPROTECTED ANIMAL! And animals get over this and decide - looks its for some of the little’s in the woods. But then there came Wolf and he angry asks - WHO IS MOST UNPROTECTED IN THE WOODS????? And all animals from the fear says - You Wolf, You wolf…. We loughing about that - and then there come Visental center and asks -WHO IS MOST UNPROTECTED IN THE WORLD???? and everyone from the fear answer - You Jews, You Jews…. And they say this not because they think like that - but from fear …. And from this fear and hoplessnes peoples start to hate ALL JEWS! Cuz this “most unprotected” organisations acting like Wolfs in this cartoon towards other animals in the name of all Jews… and this is not normal…. I think - this is criminal… What we can do - simple peoples messed up between different totalitarian organisations and groups, who do not care about anything in theyr greed and madness? What? Just to try to understand TRUTH, and not get in the hatred and wars - cuz hatred and wars is so good business and method, how to controll peoples… But its so hard, if you alone… Arnis’ previous emails here (Subject: From Latvia.) SHARE THIS POST:
An important new web site
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 04:37:05 -0800
From: Charles Glass Subject: Gaza To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Dear Noam and Norman, Thought you might like to see this site, which has just opened to raise awareness about Gaza. Seems pretty good. Hope all well with you both. Warmest wishes, Charlie http://www.end-gaza-siege.ps SHARE THIS POST:
What really happened at Oxford Insofar as the lies about what happened at the Oxford Union are getting more and more appalling, I have very reluctantly decided to post the email from the President of the Oxford Union disinviting me.
From: Luke.Tryl[at]magd.ox.ac.uk
To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Re: Debate Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:38:31 +0100 Dear Dr Finkelstein, I hope that you are well, I’m so sorry for the confusion about the debate. There was an organisational difficulty at my end and my secretary hadn’t seen your emails. I would appreciate it if you could keep this bit between you and I. Many people expressed concern that the debate as it stood was imbalanced and people felt that as someone who had apparently expressed anti-zionist sentiments that you might not be appropriate for this debate. I tried to convince them otherwise but was accused of putting forward an imbalanced debate and various groups put pressure on me. I received numerous emails attacking the debate and Alan Dershowitz threatened to write an Oped attacking the Union. What is more he apparently attacked me personally in a televised lecture to Yale. I hope that you understand my position, this is not ideal and I would be happy to welcome you as an individual speaker to the Union in a forthcoming term. I know that the President-Elect Emily Partington would be keen to host you in Hilary. I just did not want to see the debate compromised and given the Irving Griffin Controversy I couldn’t fight a battle on all fronts. Best wishes Luke. From: Norman Finkelstein Reader letters Dear Professor Finkelstein, I found it strange when reading the exchanged between Mr. Stannard and Dr. Simms that the main reasons for disinviting you from the event at the Oxford Union seemed to be based on your apparent, ‘repugnant’ anti-semitism. I found it stranger still that according to the BBC ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/7110758.stm ) that the Oxford Union has just voted to extend an invitation to Nick Griffin (of the BNP, a notorious anti-semite and all-round racist) and will, on top of that, be inviting David Irving to speak. Nick Griffin was jailed for inciting racial hatred (involving Holocaust Denial) and Irving, of course, was jailed in Austria for Holocaust denial. I don’t quite understand why a man whose family suffered the Nazi Holocaust and who has never denied the existance of such a genocide should be refused an invitation on the most ridiculous of pretexts, while clear anti-semites should be invited to speak. I think you might find Mr. Tryl’s opinion on this amusing: ‘Luke Tryl, president of the society, said: “The men were not being given a platform to extol their views, but were coming to talk about the limits for free speech.’ Please keep up the good work! Regards, Hamid Sirhan It is well known that the position of president of the Oxford Union is often a stepping stone to a political career. By caving in to Dershowitz and co., I am afraid you have revealed yourself as the right sort of political trimmer. A glittering career awaits you, therefore, as a politician in either the Conservative Party, or in “New Labour”. You have the appropriate spinelessness for this. Good Luck with it! P.J. Devon, England. Dear Mr. Tryl, I have read your letter to Dr. Finkelstein today, where you state that “Alan Dershowitz threatened to write an Oped attacking the Union”. Did you really believe you could escape bullies like D by caving in? Wrong idea. D did write a piece in his favourite press “frontpage magazine” titled Oxford Union Is Dead and ending “The Oxford Union: may it rest in peace…” So you have proof that to cave in to such bullies does not spare your person and neither the institution. And of course noone can believe that any other discussion with Dr. Finkelstein or any other critic of neocons/militarism at any other time will spare you the next attack. The only way is to stand up to bullies and warmongers. As of his own admission in the same piece you did invite Alan Dershowitz to take part in this discussion and speak for his side– and HE declined. This should be the utmost stretch of fairness, from now on you should ignore D and his ilk. I trust you are intelligent enough to learn from this experience. The problem is: do you also have the courage to do this? I have followed the socalled “Dershowitz-Finkelstein-affair for a long time, using the videos for testing technical network functions, and cannot stop myself from giving you a hint: Dershowitz is so afraid that Dr Finkelstein will make him look very bad again that D will NEVER agree to debating Finkelstein again – no matter how much spectators would like some more! But without kidding: Middle-east-situation merits serious discussion of several aspects of solutions; to discuss whether Israel and the Occupied Palestinensian Territories should be formed into one or two states and with exactly the people scheduled in the first place was a good idea. To allow warmongers/Dershowitzes silence dissent and stifle debate is not. Yours sincerely Rune C. Olwen P.S.: And please do not mix up the scholar Dr. Norman Finkelstein with the likes of David Irving, David Horowitz etc. I personally would find it ironic to put each of the one-idea-in-a-sea-of-warmongering Davids against one-half-truth-in-each-book Alan, because all three deserve the right of free speech just because all three are so adverse to it, and as characters they also deserve each other, but that´s the personal taste of an old cynic, voiced on All Hallows´ Eve. From: verminlardicle[at]hotmail.com To: president[at]oxford-union.org Subject: Norman Finkelstein Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:03:04 +0000 Dear Luke Tryl, Further to your decision not to allow Professor Finkelstein to speak at the Oxford Union, I must register my abject displeasure at your surrender to the likes of Alan Dershowitz. Macmillan’s comment that the Union is “the last bastion of free speech in the Western world” is clearly obselete, since all it requires for you to cancel a speaker is strong-arm tactics from Dershowitz, whose own integrity regarding facts and historical analysis is demonstrably lacking. To act in accordance with his wishes is academically surprising, because while Dershowitz is powerful, he is not viewed as a serious commentator with regard to the Middle East. On the other hand, Finkelstein is regarded as an expert. In your disinvitation to Finkelstein, You said: “I received numerous emails attacking the debate and Alan Dershowitz threatened to write an Oped attacking the Union. What is more he apparently attacked me personally in a televised lecture to Yale…” It would be naive to imagine that such attacks are not inevitable: let’s not forget that there are powerful political and economic interests with a vested interest in continuing the condition of apartheid within the State of Israel. With this in mind, to use Mr Dershowitz’ attacks to justify your cancellation is off base. You fell at the first fence. You then said: “I just did not want to see the debate compromised and given the Irving Griffin Controversy I couldn’t fight a battle on all fronts.” Your parallels are highly disturbing. The Irving issue was quite different. Using the furore around a pseudo-historian and proven liar such as Irving to justify your censorship of a real Professor with an international reputation is even further off base than bowing down to a mountebank such as Dershowitz. Can we expect you to apologise to Professor Finkelstein on his website, per Ronen Berelovich’s request of the 24th of this month? Can we expect you to develop some intellectual determination in this matter? Can you rescue the reputation of the Oxford Union by doing the right thing in standing up for freedom of speech? Please respond; Yours, E. Stratton, London UK Hi, Norman, Sorry about the debacle over the Oxford Union debate. I read the letters by Luke Tryl and Alan Mendoza at your site. The syntax of the first was barely coherent, and the lies of the second were criminal, and should lead to some kind of criticism from Cambridge, which I believe houses the institution he belongs to. Tryl is a coward. Understandable, but he should know better. The more that people take a stand against Dershowitz, the less effective his tactics will be. The think tank Mendoza belongs to is named after Scoop Jackson, the senator responsible for giving us Perle and Wolfowitz. That tells you all you need to know about Mendoza. Jackson is probably even more responsible than Leo Strauss for unleashing on the world neoconservatism, which seems to be gaining adherents in Britain. In the 19th century, Oxford and Cambridge formed the academic model that the US sought to emulate, even to the point of building gothic buildings on her campuses. It could be that they are now following our lead not only into the decline of freedom of thought and the life of the mind but also toward the destruction of civilization. ** More on the Oxford Union
SHARE THIS POST:
Yara G. Chiara Speaks!
Editor’s note: See also Why my hope in humanity never wavers: A most remarkable seventeen year old writes Professor Dershowitz (10.19.2007).
From: yaraginzburg[at]gmail.com To: NormanGF[at]hotmail.com Subject: sorry & answer to vicious mail Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:53:02 -0300 Professor Finkelstein, I got a letter whose authors try to discredit your work and defame you, but I answered it point by point, including the remarks they do about the “content” of your book in the end of their message (I nummerated this chunk of the e-mail in order to make it more clear). There’s some irony in it, especially in the beginning where I play their game to see what’s the result; if you think it can be helpful to you and won’t harm your work, feel free to post it on the website, as well as their message, which is just below mine. The answer, sorry, is lenghty - I hope you won’t sleep as you go through it. (laughs) As a matter of fact, my mails are so boring and stupid - no one could expect anything different from an idiotic, dumb and mentally handicapped 17 year old - that I shouldn’t keep sending them to you. I just sent you this one because it concerns you in some way. It’s a message which is probably being spread throughout the web. Sorry for writing you once again. I have to learn stop doing this and respect both your time and your patience. Best regards and I wish you good, Yara G. Chiara. From: “charles edgbaston” cedgbaston@hotmail.com From: Yara G. Chiara yaraginzburg@gmail.com SHARE THIS POST:
Israeli soldier writes President of Oxford Union
Ronen Berelovich
Israel Luke Tryl President of Oxford Union Oxford University, UK Dear Luke, In spite of our differences, it was a pleasure to talk to you on the phone today, 23-10-07. Thank you for your openness and honesty. I am now following up with a letter to register my official complaint about the decision you took to remove Professor Norman Finkelstein from the “One state is the only solution for Israel” debate that was to be hold in 23\10\07 at Oxford Union. I am registering my complaint as a private individual living in Israel i am a film-maker and a reserve soldier in the Israeli Army. There are a few points that arose in our conversation, which I believe would be of wider interest than just to the two of us, so I’d like to highlight them and to share this letter with Professor Finkelstein and anyone else interested. To reiterate our conversation, you told me that the reason for the removal of Professor Finkelstein from the debate was the intervention of certain interest parties and people pressuring Oxford Union. You identified Alan Dershowitz as one of those people and you said that he had personally demanded that Professor Finkelstein should be removed from the debate. The reason being that with Finkelstein on the “two-state” side, the debate would be too “anti Israel” and “not balanced”. I replied that this debate was about a one-state solution versus a two-state solution; the two parties were to argue which of the two solutions might be best for Israel and the Palestinians. It was NOT to be a debate about being “pro” or “anti” Israel; therefore, whether Finkelstein was “pro” or “against” Israel was irrelevant. Finkelstein, like everyone else, has a right to be pro or against Israel and it should NOT be enough to exclude him from a debate at a place like Oxford Union. You agreed with me and you stated that this was what you thought as well. However, you were forced to drop Finkelstein due to the pressure exerted on you. Unfortunately, with that decision you have demonstrated that “freedom of speech” in Oxford debating society is liable to be censored. You have also revealed a sad fact that even such an established and prestigious institution as Oxford, which is supposed to represent the highest ideals of the western culture, such as freedom of expression, bows down to demands of interest groups i.e. the Israeli lobby and Alan Dershowitz. I suggest that the only honorable way for you to restore your academic integrity is to officially apologize to Professor Finkelstein on his website, explaining what really happened. I am not asking you lightly to stand up to what you believe in. I used to be in the Israeli elite paratroopers, but after what I saw and was forced to do, I vowed that I would never go back to the Army and act as a tool for enslaving 3.5 million people in their own land without any basic human rights. As a soldier refusing to go to the reserve duty (I am a member of the Courage to Refuse group of IDF officers), I live with the constant threat of imprisonment. You can appreciate therefore that I do understand ‘outside pressure’. I just wish you the courage to follow your own ideals and integrity, because as a president of the Oxford Union, your fellow students and intellectuals world over expect nothing less of you. I wish you the best, Ronen Berelovich More on the Oxford Union
SHARE THIS POST:
Why my hope in humanity never wavers: A most remarkable seventeen year old writes Professor Dershowitz
From: Yara G. Chiara
To: dersh[at]law.harvard.edu Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 9:58 PM Subject: Dear Professor Dershowitz Dear Professor Dershowitz, How are you? I hope you’re doing fine. :))) Let me first introduce myself: I’m a 17 years old Jewish girl and have been living in Brazil for about 10 years now. I was born to a Jewish immigrant family and from early on I had to learn to survive in a strange, sometimes scaring environment which included not only the country where I was brought to, but even my own family: at first, I couldn’t really relate to anyone in my family because they were all people who came from all sorts of different backgrounds. Having to speak German, Yiddish, Hebrew, Italian and French - and then Portuguese - from very early on was a heavy price I had to pay at that time as a result of a real, not staged, problem to craft my identity and avoid the sense of alienation, distance, strangeness and otherness which had already taken hold of me. I simply didn’t know what the hell I was, and I had to struggle from early on with very serious brain-related diseases which harm until this very day my cognitive skills most of the time despite all the dreadful surgeries and treatments I’ve been through. My family parted ways - I won’t go into the details - and I ended up living alone in a tiny apartment with my 3 years old little daughter. She’s actually daughter of my mother’s sister and her parents both died and I’ve been taking care of her since she arrived here. She takes me for her mother and calls me “mom”, not because she came out of me, but because I got inside her and she got inside me. She’s actually a pearl, not a daughter: too smart, too cute, too sweet. We live in a very poor condition, as you could expect: I work as a janitor at the local university (a job I still am able to do) and engage in various humanitarian activities when I’m not studying to make it to the University and graduate in Physics. That’s my dream. Here I confess: I don’t know almost anything about any topic. I often study very hard, but things escape from my mind much easier than they come into it. Reading Finkelstein’s memoir, though, I didn’t reach the same conclusions as you, maybe because we have different backgrounds. I can tell you, Professor, that I don’t have to go back as far as to the Nazi holocaust to understand that for some people surviving means constantly and systematically fighting against all kinds of odds, circumstances and threats - that doesn’t mean that people like myself or the people whom I take care of in hospitals or schools are moral monsters. For me, it means that earning the minimum wage here in Brazil, as I do, I can’t, for example, lend the money my aunt needs to pay her debt; I can’t also bring her to my home, because there’s simply no room for anyone else and I have to take care of my daughter. People could say to me: well, you’re selfish, why don’t you cut your expenditures and lend part of the money to your aunt? Why don’t you let her live with you? People do accuse me of such things, and much more actually. Well, the answer happens to be very simple: it’s me and my daughter or her. If I gave a third of my salary for her, my daughter and I would simply starve to death. Let me tell you about an incident which occured in a Hospital I work in as volunteer. It was already deep into the night, and the Hospital ran out of antibiotics and other medicines needed to treat diseases as serious as bacterial meningitis. Some patients were on the brink of death and had seething fever. We just didn’t have the structure to put all patients on antibiotics, let alone on intravenous antibiotics. I managed to get some medicine and as soon as I brought them to the hospital, we began selecting, sometimes randomly, to whom we’d give them. Patients were in urgent need of treatment, some more than other, but all under great risk and needing intensive care. To make a long story short, a patient, in a very serious condition and with a boiling fever, but who unfortunately wasn’t selected for treatment with antibiotics, in a desperate and risky move, afforded to pass unnoticed by the staff and caught another’s patient medicine. He held so hysterically and steadfastly to it, that I couldn’t do anything other than put him immediatly on antibiotics before he died, because we told him he was not allowed even to move, let alone shout and making strenuous efforts. It saved his life, which was great, but the other patient, for whom the medicine was earmarked, unfortunately died. Now, for the life of me, how could I condemn him? There were people in the staff who frowned at him after he recovered. I talked to him and didn’t share the same feeling towards the man. I was happy he was alive. He had children too, just like myself. With time, I came to admire this man because I realized that what I witnessed at the hospital was an incredible will and desire to live; his life was so valuable to him that he would risk lose it in the process of saving it! Would it be fair to condemn him for saving his life when there was no other reasonable way to do it? He fought against the odds, he did cause damage to another patient; but would it be morally right to say that this man acted like or is a bad person, a moral monster? We just can’t. In fact, I got furious when the man took the medicine, but it was just after he silently took it for days and did get better that I realized that HE saved his life! I can’t for the life of me condemn this man. I talked to him later on. He had children too. How could I blame him for saving his own life when there was no other way of doing it or, even if there were, it’d mean an increased threat to his already fragile life? Let me give you another example: I work in poor communities and schools. Some youngsters happen to steal people’s money sometimes; some of them, I won’t deny it, are even violent to the point of making threats or scaring people. There were several occasions, however, when I saw the boys making their threats, taking the money and going straight to the supermarket to buy food. When they left and I got sure they were not armed, I approached them. What could I do? Would I condemn them for bringing food to their homes? Two of them were clearly suffering from malnutrition. I told them that what they did was wrong and that they shouldn’t steal other people’s money; not only because they stealed from people who were badly in need of it too, althought not as they were; but simply because there are people who earn their money honestly and they shouldn’t be subjected neither to violence nor to threat. Having said that, however, I stressed, and I really considered important to do it, that I had the utmost respect for their courage to bring food to their homes, their solidarity towards their parents or brothers and their will to live and keep on living: that’s the whole issue. I saw many of these boys die from malnutrition. Well, this time, they happened to save their lives, at least two of them - the next day they were at school and delivered me their papers - I had assigned a homework to the class - and they were terrific. I saw in it not only the result of our job as volunteers, but primarily the result of their seriousness and commitment to a decent and honest life, even if circumstances were all against them - financially, racially, politically and “healthly” speaking. Would I call them immoral? Would I say they were bad persons? Moral monsters? No! Again, I can’t for the life of me condemn their atitude towards their own lives which were at stake. Can I tell you with 100 % of certainty that they are “good people”, whatever that means? No, of course not. Can I tell you that, based on what I had seen and have seen up until now, that they are bad persons? No! Are we moral monsters or bad persons? I think that’s the complex, often not very clear line that distinguishes a decent person, a normal person, even neutral person, if there’s such a thing, from a morally repugnant one. For someone with such a background as mine, it was far too obvious that Maryla, whom I really identified with from what I could know about her, wasn’t implying by her phrase that every survivor was a kapo! What she might have wanted to say is that the most corageous people, those who maybe took much more risk than others to reverse not only their own situation, but that of their peers, and therefore were the “best”, morally speaking, obviouslly didn’t survive. It doesn’t cast any shadow on Maryla - she was, exactly as I am and, frankly, don’t know for how much time I’ll be, a survivor; not a bad person, but someone who very likely had to be always on guard and with the eyes wide, wide open to save her own life. A minute of diversion or feeling of defeat could have meant her death. Finkelstein, by referring to the Hobbesian imagery, which by the way the philosopher borrowed from Thucydides’ description of the plague in Athens (he translated Thucydides’ work), was simply saying that, in some circumstances, we’re only able to care for our own lives because, if we wanted also to act like heroes, we would simply be smashed and likely bring havoc even to those we pretended to help. Sure, of course, I can relief my aunt: I give her my whole salary, all my savings, and that’s it, she’s fine. OK, and then my daughter and I just wait to die and perish. You know why? Because, despite not being a bad person, I’m also not the BEST, I wouldn’t have the GUTS to say: “Here, dear aunt, you’ve been through a hell; take the money, bring this hell to an end and I’ll do whatever I can to raise more money for me and my daughter.” I’m not the best; maybe that’s because I’m alive, but I’m also not a monster. I thought that was obvious from my reading of Professor Finkelstein’s memoir, but now I see, for some reason, that it isn’t. I had a hard time learning all the languages I mentioned to you, so it’s just natural that my English is sufferable at best; but I think that the word “assume” expresses exactly Finkelstein’s faith and loyalty to her mother: he “assumes” she’s telling the truth, that is, she accepts the true of it even if there were not a jot of evidence that she was not a collaborator. He assumes - from latin “assumo”, simply “take to oneself”, “receive” - that she speaks the truth. It’s NOT A MATTER OF DEBATE TO HIM such is his trust in eveything his mother told him. That is, I think, what “assume” means there, but I can be wrong; maybe in English the word doesn’t have this meaning, but I couldn’t find any other which would make sense of the text. Finally, I think you’re too smart a person and too resourceful a person - for you own merits, I don’t doubt it for a minute - to act towards Finkelstein as if you couldn’t chose to act in another way: as a moral actor in a moral universe, even if you believe that he’s the devil himself, I just don’t think it’s fair to use his personal memoir and such a delicate issue as his relation to her mother who was a Holocaust survivor - can you imagine anything more terrifying than being in Auschwitz or Majdanek? - and the very experiences of his mother to demorilize or attack him, for whatever the purpose. We have to separate issues. One thing is Finkelstein’s criticisms of what you write and the harsh terms he uses to refer to you based on your academic and scholarly atitude; another thing, much more different, it’d be for Finkelstein to explore your inner and personal life and on this basis launch an assault against you, which he never did; again, I think he portrays you, despite all the dispute, in a very favorable light: he even admires your performance at school and at the College and your high grades. He says that, he says that your record on this is pretty impressive; he’s probably been too fair when he, facing a bad piece of scholarship, just “assumed” - remember the term? - that you couldn’t have written it - that was partially a compliment. He was saying: “Well, you didn’t actually wrote this; you were wrong to put and invest your name on it, but you didn’t really produce it because you’re too intelligent a person to do it”. He’ll only use harsh terms to describe you and your work based on what you’ve written about a topic which is not a personal one, but a much more broader issue which generates both academic and moral interest to tons of people. It’s too transparent that probably there’s no other person on earth who helped more to shape his character and personality than his mother - you’d probably say that it was Noam Chomsky and that’d be great, but I think Noam features there at the second or maybe third place - and no one he loved so much; it’s there, just take a look at all he said and wrote about his mother, not only the memoir. And try to take a look at the memoir from another perspective. Best regards and I do wish that you step back from your claim that Finkelstein believes that his mother was a Nazi collaborator. I do hope you do that and you’d make me and am certain lots of people really happy because your remarks sound pretty offensive not only to him, but also to a lot of people out there. In fact, in your heart, deep in your heart, I know that you don’t believe Finkelstein would entertain nowadays for a moment the thought of his mother being a Nazi collaborator. You know that. When we’re young, when we still don’t know much what this life is about, we try to sort out things in our minds which seem impossible to explain; understanding what at first seemed a total mistery is part of growing up, of becoming an adult, of seeing what life is really about and much more complex than we used to think. I wish you good and long-life to both the state of Israel and the Palestinians, and I’d love to be able to see in the course of my own life both people living in peace and in decent conditions. Yara G. Chiara. About the author. From: yara_chiara[at]yahoo.de To: NormanGF[at]hotmail.com Subject: little huge remark Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:40:18 -0300 Dear Norm, It’s me, Yara. Sorry for bothering you again. I have just one little question: has anyone commented on google’s description of your website? Whenever we type your name in google’s tool bar and get the results, it’s your website the one which comes up first. It’d be good if it were not for the description below the name of the website: “Leon Wieseltier put it best when he referred to Norman Finkelstein–the hysterical, Hezbollah-loving, soon-to-be-late-of DePaul University political science …” Is there any way your web designer can change it? I met some people to whom I recommended your website and they were already biased before getting into it!!! I know it’s unlikely I’ll ever tell anything you don’t know or do anything meaningful for you, but you have been very important in my life, even though I don’t know how long it will last anymore after what I’ve been through these days and what doctors said about my brain. Morally speaking, I think your work is too important and I care about it and do my best to get people to approach it with an open-mind and an open heart too. Though my activism is most humanitarian and local - related to things that happen in my city, my state - and I don’t have much time to read 1% of what’s written on the topic you deal with (I work as a janitor at the local University and also study very hard to get a chair in the Physics department, first as a graduate student and then as a teacher; meanwhile all I have been able to do is cleaning the “chair” (laughs) and the floors on which the carriers of my dream drag their feet - I think most of them don’t like the job very much…they’re often so angry! Maybe it’s because how Academia works, maybe it’s because physics can be very frustrating as you may very likely spend your whole life studying it without adding nothing new to the field). Today (I slept in my parents home) I woke up speaking Hebrew with my father, German with my mother, Italian with my older brother and French with my little sister - she’s not really genetically my sister but my uncle, a French Jewish, died and, since her mother died during the delivery, we took care of her and brought her to Brazil, much to her frustration (she’s so cute and so naive as compared to the children here…but she’s making her way…her only problem, which is causing a little “silent uproar” in the family, is that she prefers to live with me at the tiny apartment my grandpa left me “just in case” - he was smart, because living alone is better for me and for my parents who don’t have to deal daily with my descent - than living with my Parents!!!). My home…I can’t bring anyone home because I spared some money to buy her a little swimming pool made of plastic I think and she loves it - the pool stays just in the middle of the living (main) room and the floor is usually wet. My Parents fear that she’ll grow too close to - and dependent on - me while no one knows if I’ll be alive next month. The MRI’s of my brain are progressively revealing a deterioration which I don’t know if it’ll stop, and as I told you, there are many (all too many) days when I’m unable to speak or understand a jot, so they think I can’t take care of her, even if I wanted to. My family is very poor in general and what I get at the University is enough to pay her a good school and a medical insurance, but very little is left to me and I myself, who have aphasia and am starting developing a kind of schizophrenia - I see - and listen to - things which aren’t there - don’t have any medical insurance. So I have to count on the public health system which, needless to say, is horrendous. I have to wait more than 6 months to be examined, and that’s not much here, as I’m considered an urgent case which demands constant checks. But then there’s Yara…who’s as stubborn as Don Quijote de la Mancha, my favorite book bar none, and thinks she’s not only able to take care of her sister, but also able to live to be a hundred and to make it to the University as a student and, then, a teacher. More than that I don’t want to live (laughs). The good news are that teachers at school refused to remove me to another institution, as a government inspector ordered, because, I’m quoting the director who “hates me in a good way” (because of the problems I cause him and all the endeavors he has to make to keep me there) but is very fair: “it’s seems the way she talks, dresses, and looks have a very positive effect on both teachers and students alike and she’s often regarded as the one who’s able to create bonds between students who otherwise wouldn’t look at each other faces, and people here, though sometimes not being able to deal properly with her illnesses, won’t simply let her go”. So, Norm, I’m useful there too! A teacher told me that I’d never get married. I asked him why (I was expecting a dire answer), and he answered: because you talk too much! (laughs). Another teacher told me that an aphasiac who talks too much, speaks many languages and is still able to get good grades is not a person, but a walking curiosity. Doctors say that too: they look at the MRI’s, and then comes that curious gaze (if she were dead or a rat and I could bring her to the medical school(laughs). I’m always with a bright face because I’m never shaken in my belief that I’ll overcome all my obstacles - all the diseases, the low wages, so on and so forth. I always tell people not to pitty me when they discover, some way or another, that I’m a half. I’m 1/2. Not Fellini’s half-movie, no! I’m 1/2 because I’m 50 % of the time off, just like an unplugged tv set (though tv sets don’t suffer when they’re off, that’s the difference; they rather like to be silent and relaxed). As being half is better than being 1/4, I keep going! I help people everyday who are at a far worse condition than me, and I envy their struggle, so… And now I say I deserve more respect because I read Shakespeare in English! It took some effort, a very long time, but I did it, and I can - when I’m able to - tell the plot from start to finish. Now I have this credential which will make its way into my curriculum. (laughs) I love you, Norm. Take care.Sincerely (is that a good way to say goodbye? Next time I’ll say farewell - I love this word; for me, it doesn’t mean just “I wish you good” or anything like that; it’s much more; when I realized that English fare and German fahren were too similar not to come from the same root, I looked out to the etimology and found out that both words are indeed related and mean in older texts “to travel”, “to move some meaningful distance”; so, when I hear “farewell”, it’s just like if people were saying: “that changes - symbolized by traveling - take the pace and content that your life demands”. It can be a simple exchange of places - going home from work or a deeper change which means a good turning point in one’s life), Yara. SHARE THIS POST:
Useful information
From: bdoumani[at]berkeley.edu
To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Re: Tutu/Pluto Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:26:45 -0400 Dear Friends, The open season on academic freedom started a bit early this year. You have probably heard about the terrible treatment of Norman Finkelstein: He was denied tenure for non-academic reasons (style over substance), was denied due process of a tenure decision review, and then denied the right to teach a terminal year! At the last minute and without warning, DePaul university president cancelled his classes and pulled out his assigned books from the bookstore. NF has since settled with DePaul. The terms are not public, but Finkelstein will no longer be teaching at that institution. Nadia Abu El-Haj, an anthropologist up for tenure at Barnard College, Columbia, has come under attack by groups including some alumni that want the university to deny her tenure. It is amusing (and scary) that one of the leaders of the campaign made the argument that Abu El-Haj identifies herself as Palestinian. Since there is no such country, the self-identification is considered proof that Abu El-Haj is an academically unqualified and politically motivated person who calls for the destruction of Israel. After yet another pressure campaign, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs cancelled a forum, scheduled for September 27, 2007, in which John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt, were to speak about their new book, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. So far, the two authors have greatly benefited from this attention. Three recent issues: 1. The president of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota cancelled a scheduled talk by Nobel prize winner and a key symbol of public morality, Archbishop Desmond Tuto, due to pressure on the university. He now joins former president Jimmy Carter and many other figures of moral and/or academic stature who have been labeled as anti-Semites for daring to speak about the unspeakable. An assault designed to make him radioactive and unwelcome on university campuses, if successful, means that no target is out of reach. I note with some concern that only a few of this country’s intellectuals defended Carter’s right to speak. Barring Tutu would further chip away at our freedoms. Fortunately, the president of the University of St. Thomas reversed himself yesterday and said that he made a mistake. Archbishop Tutu will be speaking after all. 2. ME anthropologists are being recruited to work for US military in Iraq. Those who accept the lucrative contracts may, if they do not live up to the ethics of the profession, endangering the whole field in much the same way as happened during Vietnam war. See following petition by Network of Concerned Anthropologists: http://concerned.anthropologists.googlepages.com/home 3. The University of Michigan, the US distributor of Pluto Press, suspended distribution of a book, Overcoming Zionism, by Joel Kovel and withdrew it from the market after coming under attack by a Zionist group called Stand With Us. When faced with a response that is even larger than the one that caused its panicked response in the first place, University of Michigan Press re-released the book but went on to threaten a worse offense than violating the academic freedom of an individual author: Punishing the smaller independent press (Pluto) that published the book. On October 19, UMP is scheduled to decide on whether to sever its relationship with Pluto. SHARE THIS POST:
DePaul’s latest outrage 08.27.2007
From: elorendo[at.]gmail.com
To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: I am sorry to hear about the cancellation Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2007 19:33:17 -0500 Prof. Finkelstein, From: elorendo[at.]gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: I am sorry to hear about the cancellation Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2007 19:33:17 -0500 Prof. Finkelstein, I am sorry to hear about the class cancellation. Even though the school has been threatening this action all summer, it still does not make it right when they actually do it. I received your email on Friday as well as an email from the Assistant Dean [Honold]. As soon as I got his email I called him to tell him that I, as a student, felt that my well being was never considered. During our conversation he said a few interesting things; first he found it ironic that they would cancel the class entitled Freedom and Empowerment because the teacher shows dissent and even said “when I wrote the email, that was the first thing that jumped out at me”. He also did not want for me to think of him as “a good German. Just because I am told to do this, does not mean that it is me making the decisions.” He then told me since it was above his head to email Dean Suchar, so I did. After four hours and eight emails, Dean Suchar basically informed me that he would not meet with me even though it was not a scheduling conflict, he did not find it ironic that he canceled a class called Freedom and Empowerment and instead of asking him questions that I should direct them to you as it is your fault for dissenting, and even though he would not meet with me that I should continue to email him my concerns [what a coward]. We are meeting tomorrow night as a group to discuss the upcoming week. We are planning something for Friday at the convocation, as there will be lots of faculty there. If there is anything that you would like me to tell the group, let me know and I will relay the message. Also, Matthew Abraham has offered his office for your use, McGaw 312 and says that you may use it any day at any time. I know that you were supposed to be back in town in the next few days and if there is anything that I or the group can help you with, please let me know. Let us know how we can help you. Also, if there is any type of meeting that you would like a representative from the group to be a part of, please let me know and we will make sure we get someone there. Thank you for everything and know that we are behind you through all of this. The next few weeks will be especially tough on DePaul. Evan Lorendo…   More articles on tenure denial:
We are meeting tomorrow night as a group to discuss the upcoming week. We are planning something for Friday at the convocation, as there will be lots of faculty there. If there is anything that you would like me to tell the group, let me know and I will relay the message. Also, Matthew Abraham has offered his office for your use, McGaw 312 and says that you may use it any day at any time. I know that you were supposed to be back in town in the next few days and if there is anything that I or the group can help you with, please let me know. Let us know how we can help you. Also, if there is any type of meeting that you would like a representative from the group to be a part of, please let me know and we will make sure we get someone there. Thank you for everything and know that we are behind you through all of this. The next few weeks will be especially tough on DePaul. Evan Lorendo… More articles on tenure denial:
SHARE THIS POST:
How DePaul practices Vincentian values 08.24.2007
Prof. Finkelstein - Professor Budde has informed me that you have asked
for office space for your books. We do not have office space assigned
to you for the coming academic year. I will look into whether we can
make space available for you and either I or Professor Budde will get in
touch with you next week with more information.
In the meantime, you will not have access to your old office space. To the extent that you left personal belongings in your old office space, we can discuss a plan for their return to you when I get in touch with you next week. You should not plan on moving into any office space tomorrow, as that option is not available to you. I will contact you next week with more information. Dr. Charles (Chuck) Suchar Professor and Dean College of Liberal Arts and Sciences DePaul University Vincent dePaul Professor Office of the Dean 990 W. Fullerton Ave. Office#4207 Chicago, IL. 60614-3298 Phones: (773) 325-7305 (773) 325-1858 fax: (773) 325-7304 e-mail: csuchar@depaul.edu DePaul’s latest perfidy: A student writes the President From: ariplinger[at]mac.com To: “Fr. Dennis Holtschneider” president@depaul.edu CC: NormanGF[at]hotmail.com Subject: Fwd: course cancellation: PSC 235 Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:05:00 -0500 Fr. Holtschneider, I wrote you an e-mail last week about this very thing, and got no response from you about it. It has now become apparent that your silence was because you knew what you planned to do and despite the outcry from students and faculty you went ahead and did it anyways. I am in my graduating year at DePaul. You have taken my favorite Professor away from me before I could finish my final year. You have taken one of the greatest faculty members at DePaul away from the University. And most importantly, you have taken one of the most important scholars of the Israel-Palestinian debate away from academia. And now you have even deprived the students of DePaul one final academic year with Professor Finkelstein. I have had nothing bad to say about DePaul until all of this happened. I often told everyone my decision to come to DePaul was the best decision that I ever made. I have always been proud to be a member of the DePaul community. I am extremely involved around campus as the President of the DePaul Student Peace Alliance and Secretary of the DePaul Democrats I have worked as an Honors Program student mentor, an Honors Program peer mentor, a Discover Chicago student leader two years running, and as a research assistant and volunteer for the Adolescent Community Health Research Group. I am also proud to say that I have been doing great in school and have maintained a 3.81 GPA. All of this now means absolutely nothing to me. I have had all of these things that I was once so proud of taken away from me, and it is because of your decisions. I really believed that DePaul was unlike other schools, that it was not afraid to take a stand for social justice. St. Vincent DePaul was an incredible man that stood up for what was right, regardless of what the powers that be told him to do. I really thought that DePaul University would help prepare me for a life dedicated to social justice and my plans to join the Peace Corps. I now realize that it is nothing but a facade. When you and the other University administrators had a chance to take a stance on social justice and tenure a Professor that has dedicated his life to these values in one of the most dangerous conflicts of our time you turned your backs on social justice and fired him. You have now barred him from coming back to teach his students about Equality and Social Justice and Freedom and Empowerment (the classes I was enrolled in and you cancelled). I believe that as the President of my University that you owe it to me, personally, to tell me why this was done. Why did you do this? How could you let this happen? And how am I supposed to go next week during Immersion Week and tell my students all these wonderful things about DePaul? How am I supposed to run a Common Hour session about DePaul’s Mission and Values when you have proven to me that they do not exist? What am I supposed to do? Sincerely, Andrew Riplinger Begin forwarded message: From: RHONOLD[at]depaul.edu Date: August 24, 2007 11:41:30 AM CDT To: RHONOLD[at]depaul.edu Subject: course cancellation: PSC 235 Political Science 235, section 101, “Equality and Social Justice,” for the autumn quarter 2007-8, has been cancelled. You have been dropped from the course. I will work with you to make sure that your academic progress is not impeded in any way by this regrettable development. Please contact me directly if you need assistance getting rescheduled for a suitable substitute course. Sincerely, Randall Honold, Ph.D. Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Instructor of Philosophy Institute for Nature & Culture College of Liberal Arts and Sciences DePaul University 990 West Fullerton Avenue Suite 4400 Chicago, Illinois 60614 773-325-4928 (phone) 773-325-4781 (fax) rhonold@depaul.edu More articles on tenure denial:
SHARE THIS POST:
Tenure Denial letters, June - September, 2007
Editor’s Note: Most recent tenure denial letters are at the top. See also Finkelstein: Tenure Denied.
From: gillianfg[at]hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Absolute disappointment Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:00:17 -0600 Dear Professor Finkelstein: I am writing you today after reading an article that sent me on a virtual wild goose chase regarding your denial of tenure from DePaul University. As a former student of yours at DePaul, I must say that I am truly disappointed with the decision of the university. You will have to excuse my tardiness, I have been living in Paris for the past two years and I was completely unaware of your difficulties. I know that you have many supporters, but I must tell you on a personal level, there were many days that your lectures were the only thing I looked forward to. You made a small, not always known school great and I am sincerely hoping that you will continue to spread truth and knowledge in a way that very few ever have. My best regards, Gillian Grant Dear Mr Finkelstein I would just like to say how much I appreciated your book, “Beyond Chutzpah”. I don’t know whether your life has become more difficult or whether it has become simpler following the fiasco surrounding your tenure at de Paul university. But I sincerely hope you find a way to continue your good work, and that you never allow the humanity that shines through it to be eroded by bitterness and cynicism. Please take heart from this message of support. With best wishes. Ravi Low-Beer London, UK To: president@depaul.edu CC: info[at]academicfreedomchicago.org, normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Academic freedom Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:23:35 +0200 Sir, It is difficult for me, as a physician with a double specialty in neurology and pathology to comprehend the utterly unacceptable treatment meted out to an outstanding academic, Dr Norman Finkelstein. Sir, you have totally destroyed the integrity of De Paul. While nearly all the faculties involved have strongly endorsed Dr Finkelstein, it was YOUR fiat, and yours alone that has not only refused tenure to a highly respected academic, but has now threatened him with arrest should he step onto the university campus. The title of “Reverend” ill befits you and I shall not use it. What you have done to Dr Finkelstein reflects, not on him, but on your own personal integrity or lack thereof. You have debased yourself in obeisance to pressure groups, and you have my pity. Peter John Kirsch, MD. Dear Professor Finkelstein: I have followed the news of the witch-hunt against you at DePaul University through a series of postings from our esteemed colleague Beshara Doumani and several others. I am sickened by the campaign to silence you and I hope that you know that there are many of us who feel you are working bravely and diligently to support the real issues (social justice, free speech, the right to historical information that is hidden, censored or suppressed) in the service of ….. well, so much that is wrong. I want to thank you for speaking up and speaking out. I am at a university where I see increasingly the attempts to silence those who defend, support or educate around the Palestinian issue and it frightens me how much academic freedom has been compromised in recent years. I hope you find a better job where people appreciate the scholarship, courage, and devotion you have given to DePaul and to many who want to hear the truth, however, painful it may be. Thank you, Persis Karim “. . . Don’t live in the world as if you were renting or here only for the summer, but act as if it was your father’s house. . .Believe in seeds, earth, and the sea, but people above all. Love clouds, machines, and books, but people above all.” Nazim Hikmet, 20th century Turkish poet Persis M. Karim, Ph.D. English Dept., San Jose State University Dear Mr. Finkelstein, Just a short e-mail to let you know I admire your courage in standing up to the Jewish Lobby in the USA and to express my deep concern over the actions taken by DePaul university to terminate your tenure there. A blow for academic freedom. I wish you strength and good luck, Best wishes, Dr. Roel Burgler From: cthf.degroot[at]quicknet.nl To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: DePaul/Dershowitz Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2007 13:05:19 +0200 Dear Dr. Finkelstein, After I read the interview Dutch reporter Meeus had with you as published in this weekends NRC Newspaper in Holland on the Dershowitz/DePaul debate I feel I must share with you my deep respect for your attitude towards DePaul in this awkward situation. Further your answers on Meeus questions reveal a mind sharp and focussed on the basic issues of the wonderfull US society. Not seen that since “The minority of one” and “In Search” from Menachem Arnoni, survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau, way back in the sixties and seventies with, inter alia, his sharp critics on the Vietnam war, presidential election, Us economics (The biggest fraud of all times), Zionist Israel and of course the Jewish Convention at Elk Grove. When he died in Holland I feared never to read articles like his again. After having emigrated to the US, he had to move back to Holland, because he experienced what you are going through. As a professor and a scholar he was unable to function anymore and compared the methods used against him in the US with those the Nazi’s used. Only with this difference, the Nazi’s didn’t conceal their real intentions, the likes of Dershowitz come as a man of peace. From this you can understand I am not as young as you are. Born in 1944, barely surviving the famin in the cold winter of the last year of the war, I grew up with stories my father told me. Stories further untold and disappearing after the war generation will have died. About how the Jewish Council betrayed and sold out their fellow Jewish citizens of Holland to be deported to the gas chambers. How he, living opposite the station where the wagons stood with the deportees, with Sudeten-German Leo Preidel and neighbour Ep van der Beld and his wife, managed to save a few of them, in the most deplorable state of health. This with the help of the Austrian Max, who served as a permanent guard of the Wehrmacht on the station, under the pretext of a “sanitaets Inspektion.” But they are all gone now end their stories will fade away. What remains is the holocaust hoax for another purpose, as vile and depraved as itself. As a small boy I always wondered why my father referred to civil servants and policemen as murderers and thieves. Later I understood: Because of their role during the holocaust. If placed there in that frame of time, it does not require a great imagination to picture what Dershowitz’s role would have been. We will all sing “El maleh rachamiem” for ourselves and the living will envy the dead. Menachem Arnoni I wish you strength and wisdom in your stance against the holocaust industry, but do not let it destroy you. Cornelius de Groot Amsterdam/Holland Dear Professor Finkelstein, As a Jewish American who had to work through the illogic of a somewhat religious upbringing in New York, I want to thank you for the outstanding scholarship, honesty, and courage that characterizes your work. Your ritings have been a tremendous resource for me in developing my own thinking. I believe that it is impossible to follow current issues related to Jewish identity, the fight against anti-Semitism, and the catastrophe of Zionism without reading your books and articles. I consider myself fortunate in having grown up with the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, and the anti-Vietnam war movement. I studied the works of radical thinkers, including Jewish thinkers like Isaac Deutscher, and eventually embraced historical materialism, Marxism, and socialism. I am currently a member of the Freedom Socialist Party. We supported your fight for tenure at De Paul, and tried to help our supporters understand your case. I read with interest your assessment of Jimmy Carter’s book. If I may offer an alternative viewpoint, I think Carter belongs to a new group of critics of Zionism whose real concern is the damage being done to U.S. “national interests” in the Middle East by an overzealous U.S. support of Israel. Such “interests” fundamentally involve the suppression of the interests of the ordinary masses of Arab people, as well as ordinary Jewish workers in Israel. I believe that neither Carter nor Mearsheimer and Walt nor the Council for the National Interest would hesitate to support an Israeli strike against a popular uprising of a segment of the Arab world if that uprising threatened to transfer control of oil and strategic ports and other sites to the local working class. In other words, if it was a revolution that threatened U.S. national interests by creating a truly democratic regime in the region. I also have a problem with the apartheid analogy. I do not feel it goes far enough. Unlike South Africa, Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians is not driven by the sole aim of controlling a superexploitable supply of cheap labor. It is also genocidal, as the recent sad events in Gaza demonstrate. I think the more accurate analogy must include reference to the Nuremberg laws, which were aimed at ethnically cleansing Germany of Jews. Just as the Nazis had categories of Jewishness based on how many grandparents were Jewish, so too does Israel categorize Palestinians. Those who are most Palestinian(the ones they have the most trouble getting rid of) are the ones who live in Israel proper. Israel officially calls them “Israeli Arabs,” not Palestinians, as you certainly know. The Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza are Palestinians. These divisions correspond to differences in social and material rights — water, home demolitions, money for education, etc. The more wretched Israel can make the conditions, the more the area will be ultimately cleansed. I have attached a short article I wrote for our newspaper, the Freedom Socialist. I would be most grateful for your reaction. I of course understand that you are extremely busy, and your time is valuable. Again, good luck to you in the future. Thank you for your magnificent work and your courage to fight the neo-McCarthyites. Sincerely, Steven L. Strauss, M.D., Ph.D. To President Robert N. Shelton University of Arizona August 27, 2007 Dear President Shelton, I have noticed that one of the hallmarks of your presidency of the University of Arizona has been a firm commitment to academic freedom. For example, you early on spoke firmly against David Horowitz’s so-called Academic Bill of Rights. In keeping with that spirit, I would like to draw your attention to a particularly egregious and dangerous violation of academic freedom. This is happening, not across the ocean, but here in the US – and it is being done by a president of a US university, Reverend Holtschneider of DePaul to a widely acclaimed scholar of Palestine and Israel, Dr. Norman Finkelstein. Dr. Finkelstein was judged by his department and his college to have met, and in some areas surpassed, the requirements for tenure. But the president of DePaul over-ruled them and denied tenure, in violation of guidelines put forward by the American Association of University Professors. This came after a mean-spirited and completely inappropriate campaign against him, spearheaded by Harvard law professor and torture advocate Alan Dershowitz. There is widespread recognition among academics that the denial was due to the content of Dr. Finkelstein’s scholarship (as one person put it, “Keep the CV, change the subject, and Norman Finkelstein has tenure.”). Dr. Mehrene Larudee, another DePaul professor who had organized support for Finkelstein as he came under attack, was denied tenure at the same time. If this were not enough, DePaul has refused to let Dr. Finkelstein teach his terminal year, again in violation of AAUP guidelines, and cancelled his classes (ironically, on “Equality and Social Justice,” and “Freedom and Empowerment”). It has locked him out his office, placed him on academic leave and is evidently even threatening to arrest him if he comes on campus. Through all of this, Dr. Finkelstein has been denied procedural protections which are supposed to be afforded to him. The situation at DePaul has moved beyond violations of academic freedom to vindictive and arbitrary punishment of kafkaesque dimensions. DePaul Philosophy professor Bill Martin has noted that if this ongoing injustice is not reversed, “DePaul will be destroyed as a place deserving of respect in the intellectual and academic worlds, and, if this happens, academic freedom will be under attack everywhere.” I earnestly urge you to use whatever means at your disposal to weigh in on the side of academic freedom and help reverse a grievous injustice. As a fellow university president, your voice would add compelling weight to the many hundreds of academics around the country who have called on President Holtscheider to do the right thing, reverse the horrendous course DePaul is on and grant tenure to Dr Finkelstein and Dr. Larudee. At stake is not just the career and reputation of an honest and important scholar beloved by his students, but the integrity of a great university and the future of academic freedom and critical thinking in the United States. Thank you for your time. Greg Knehans PhD, Political Science, University of Arizona, 2007 Hello Professor Finkelstein, I was very disheartened when I heard last year that DePaul was considering to deny you tenure. As a previous student of yours at DePaul, I always looked forward to your class more than any other. You made me think and challenge my own preconceived notions that may not have been the most open-minded. Yes, it was you, one of Horowitz’s “100 Most Dangerous” that taught me what was dangerous; that it is not the necessarily all the opinions we hold, but how obstinate we might be towards all the others–I’m sure Dershowitz scored rather low on “open-mindedness.” Although, I only took one class from you, it has definitely stuck with me (even the lovely serenade of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” - Remember? It was definitely an amusing moment for both myself and for the rest of the class I’m sure). Considering I transferred out of DePaul, I’m don’t feel as quite as deprived as I would have if I was still a student, but the disappointment in DePaul’s lack of support for academic freedom is still pronounced. Thank you for being an amazing teacher and I hope that others will be able to learn much from you for some time to come. All the best, Whitney Taylor From: nijim[at]cfu.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: St. Thomas cancellation of Bishop Tutu Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:44:41 -0500 Norman, I am horrified at the action St. Thomas has taken. The Catholic Church in general has lost all credibility and integrity. Catholic institutions put us to shame. I was raised Catholic, but that was when I did not know any better. Please do add my name to your letter. Thanks. Germana Nijim Cedar Falls, Iowa Hello Professor! I do not go to DePaul, but I have seen some of your interviews on Democracy Now and CSPAN (I have yet to read one of your books, but I will definitely do so). I just want to say, I am sorry for the decision DePaul decided to take regarding your tenure, because I think this world needs thinkers and academics like you who are not afraid to question the status quo I know that this is not the last we will see/hear from you, because any sane institution will hire a brilliant mind like yours in a heartbeat (and if they don’t, they are depriving themselves from being educated). Keep up the work you’re doing, and you will prevail :) (as they say in my school, Virginia Tech, “we will prevail” :) ) Norman I offer you my moral support during this arduous alignment with truth, which is inspirational. If truth is not a universal reality then we are in unimaginably and infinitely deeper trouble than that which is already patently obvious to all but the extremely unaware. Sincerely Jeffrey Muller P.S. My formative years were spent in South Africa and I emigrated in 1980 after completion of my tertiary education and compulsory national service. The English speaking community I grew up in had a large jewish component. This contact indelibly impressed on me the reverence for and joy of life and truth. Also demonstrated was the willing level of sacrifice in upholding this principle. I thus recognize the continuation of the tradition. (I am also familiar with the far reaching consequences of a fanatical minority having power over the majority). To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: I’m sorry for what happened to you. Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:54:53 -0700 Hi Norman, I’ve been following your story about the tenure thing through the months. I just wanted to say that I admire your courage and your intellect. I believe that only through people like you the human kind advances towards that place where we are one with the universe. I wish you health, people around you and the best of luck. With you sincerely, Francisco From: J. Ramze R. To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 3:15 PM Subject: In solidarity Dear Dr. Finkelstein, We are terribly disturbed and distressed by your forced departure from DePaul. Surely, this event is emblematic of the stifling academic climate of intolerance, intimidation and dishonesy, and a cause of great concern to professors and students alike. As a public academic and scholar, you are entrusted with the voice of the people. Thank you for representing the voiceless, and also, our own views as well. We commend you for your honesty — your unrelenting spirit to speak the truth — and we extend our full support to you. Hopefully, history will rectify this situation. In the mean time, if there is anything we can do to help, don’t hestitate to contact us. In solidarity, Jasmine R. Rezaee, Vancouver, BC, Canada; and, Geoff Doyle, Columbia, MO. USA. “the favored Few…luxuriate in the toil of the tortured many” - Du Bois From: wjferrari[at]comcast.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 4:36 AM Subject: Avraham Burg Dear Professor Finkelstein, I thought of you this morning as I read an article in the July 20 issue of The New Yorker. The article by David Remnick focusses on Avraham Burg, the former speaker of the Knesset and the former head of the World Zionist Organisation. Like you, he suffers from independence of mind and has a hard case of Seeking (and Saying ) the Truth Syndrome. One of his Israeli critics has said that he should not be buried in the special place reserved for leaders of Israel and even said that he should find another country to be buried in. His sin–pointing out the terrible state of Israeli democracy and intellectual honesty. He has turned away from justifying domination and proposes justice. For this he is widely reviled in his country. He says he has a French passport and is proud of it and suggests that less than 50 percent of Israeli parents would say they are sure their children will stay in Israel. Take heart, Professor Finkelstein. I am sure Dershowitz and his ilk will not allow you to receive the Medal of Freedom from bush. But then–would you want such a fool’s cap? You are in great company among the truth-tellers.As for me, I am going out to buy a copy of the Walt-Mearsheimer book if it is not against the law here in Europe. Very truly yours, Bill Ferrari From: Erin Davren To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2007 5:25 PM Subject: Thank you Dear Professor Finkelstein, First, I’d like to say that I was really sorry to hear about your departure from DePaul and the manner in which it happened. I have no doubt that that this is one of hundreds of letters that you’ve received telling you what an influential teacher you have been, but I feel you deserve one more. The political science classes that I took with you actually had nothing to do with the path that I chose, but nonetheless they were perhaps the most life-impacting times I’ve spent in a classroom. Not only did I look forward to attending your classes (and at 8:30 am), but I looked forward to writing the papers you assigned and reading your responses. I spent a great deal of time on the papers I wrote for you, not because I wanted an A but because I truly valued your opinion and frankly, sought to impress you. While I’ve always been a pretty hard worker, you inspired me to seek academic excellence. Because of you, I became proud of my intellect and my voice, and it has made me into the successful med student I am today. In addition to making me a better student, you played a direct role in helping me to get into med school with the letter of recommendation you wrote for me. I never saw the letter but particular mention of it was made in several of the interviews I went on during the admissions process. I am eternally grateful for that. While it’s unfortunate that DePaul students will no longer have the privilege of learning from you, I’m sure that another university will not make the same mistake DePaul has made and you can go on inspiring (and even entertaining) many students in the future. Due to the endless flow of letters and e-mails coming your way right now, I understand if you don’t have the opportunity to respond but I just wanted you to know that you were the most significant and memorable part of my DePaul education. Thank you, Professor Finkelstein. Sincerely, Erin Davren Subject: As an Israeli - I respect and support your position Dear Professor Finkelstein, The abuse of anti-Semitism and the holocaust by formal Israel to extract the guilt feelings of “the world” only in order to carry on with the atrocities of the occupation is openly discussed here in Israel, both in the academia and also in essays mainly in Ha’aretz. The way I see it, is that humiliation and dehumanization of the Palestinians had become a major asset in subjugating the collective agreement here (perhaps still fixated by the fantasy of fighting back the Nazis — now embodied by the Palestinians - as Avraham Burg the former Knesset chairman had described in his recent book “Winning Over Hitler”). This is to my view a great distortion that happened on the path of this state along the formative process of defining its collective spirit. So if there is a support here in Israel for your views by honorable academics and notable essayists, why do your fellow Americans such as in DePaul University believe they own the right to hunt you down? As for me I agree entirely with your views and believe that deriving corrective measures from them it is in fact very much Pro Israel, a sane Israel, and I hope the injustice they are trying to overwhelm you with in DePaul shall be reversed. Best wishes, Dr. David Nir Tel Aviv, Israel First, I cannot begin to express to you how ashamed I am of the political science department at DePaul. Many of us stood and watched while others participated in a scheme of lies and deception. Without much of a fight, we lost not only a decent human being and a good colleague, but we lost part of our morals and principles. We stood by while members of our department claimed expertise in areas of academia they knew nothing about—often confusing facts and interpretation. We stood there while members abused their power and unjustly evaluated your teaching and scholarship. We witnessed personal vindictiveness and hidden agendas that should have forced abstention when votes were taken. We allowed the corruption of our departmental procedures both explicit and implicit. We allowed a minority report full of unfounded and unsubstantiated claims to be used as rationalization for the administration. In short, we failed to act as a coherent body and therefore allowed the higher ups to successfully use us as pawns in their end game. Ironically, it was some of the junior faculty that had the most to lose who acted honorably throughout the ordeal. The final blow with the July letter calling for an administrative leave, contributed to further injustice for we treated a decent human being as a criminal. We took personal verbal confrontations, blew them up to magnificent proportions, without contextualizing behavior. We judged you and sentenced you without having the decency to consult you. I am ashamed that because of personal ambitions, jealousy, hidden ideological agendas, and the possible disturbance to our comfortable lives, we chose not to practice what we preach or claim to believe in. What we have here is no less than a moral catastrophe. I will not be able to look straight in my colleagues’ eyes without feeling shame for us and pity for the students of DePaul who will not have the privilege of taking your classes. You left us with your head held high, with your principles and morals intact. It is us who failed. It is us who are and will continue to be judged as lacking in courage and moral standing. You said to the students your mission in life is to leave it better than when you entered it. Well, you left many of us better human beings. Azza Layton From: jderango[at]chicagolandchamber.org To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: My Support Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 12:18:49 -0500 Hello Dr. Finkelstein- I’m not sure if you remember me, but I participated in two of your Philosophy classes in 2006. My name is John DeRango, but you referred to me as, “Mr. Bo Jangles”, much to my and the class’ laughter. I graduated from DePaul in 2006. To preface this message I want to say that you were by far the best teacher I’ve ever had in all levels of my education. Your classes and teaching methods changed the way I view myself and the world. I couldn’t have asked for a more intellectual, informed educator; one who was not afraid to share his views, no matter how controversial. I only hope these recent struggles in no way sway your methods of educating, for the students will ultimately be the ones who suffer. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me and I will support you every step of the way. I’m not sure if I can help you at all, but please do not hesitate to contact me if you ever need anything. I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you, John From: robincol[at]gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: all the news there is, apparently Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:55:46 -0400 Best wishes Professor Finkelstein for continuation of the tenacity and endurance you have shown in your academic pursuits, an inspiration for many people. Maybe others have noted this already, but the entire “in the news” section of Alan Dershowitz’s webpage is devoted to quotes by and comments about Norman FInkelstein! http://www.alandershowitz.com/news.php (Added comic relief: note that two sections on the Dershowitz web page are actually repeated, one with a different title. Perhaps that makes the list look longer? More likely just a sloppy mistake…) Robin Collins Ottawa Dear Dr. Finkelstein, DePaul made an vulgar and sinister decision to cave into pressures against truth telling and objective analysis. As has been common with Catholic Church officials, dearly held principles or at least the rhetoric of dearly held principles vanish, and are replaced by seedy, predatory behavior, in this case the object being honest, truthful investigation of reality. I cannot see how DePaul’s real standing within the academic community will not take a serious hit based on the actions of it academic hierarchy and executive decisions. I want to thank you for your courage and compassion, your intellectual honesty and your brilliance in discovering and presenting objective facts and relationships, telling truths and showing realities which are usually suppressed in the service of ideology. Your work is in the very best traditions of academic scholarship and in the very best traditions of Jewish culture and values as I know and admire them. We live in a difficult time when the assault on facts, truth, objectivity, and rationality has become an industry driven by greed, hubris, indifference to others, and primitive, vulgar minds in high places. Thank you for all that you have done… .I know it would have been much easier to comply with deceptions and take the money… Your courage leads the way. Joe Chiara From : raven2017[at]yahoo.com Sent : Monday, September 10, 2007 11:21 AM To : normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject : Another Letter of Support Hey, Professor Finkelstein, this is Brendan Diamond. I had you as a professor a couple of years ago, and you really turned me on to a lot of ideas about which I’d never heard before. Obviously, I’m writing you because I think what’s gone down with respect to DePaul has been a great injustice (and has robbed my brother of one of the professors I’d hoped he’d have), but frankly, that’s only secondary to what I really came to believe, especially through your class: academic freedom is key to academic survival. If you may recall, you and I butted heads on any number of issues, you often playing the devil’s advocate to my then-staunchly liberal stances. I didn’t know, back then, just what a mainstreamer I was, nor how far outside the bubble I was to go. Thanks to you, I was able to see the arguments of many, and also just how those arguments could be deflated. For an argument to be truly legitimate, it must first be based on some sort of solid footing. If one can do that, one can debate everything from the merits of the Iraq war (if we may differentiate it from the war that has been waged against he Iraqi people since the first Bush Administration, and the two subsequent ones, went after the Iraqi people rather than any sort of despot) to whether or not man has ever landed on the moon. I can also say to you, now that you are no longer employed by DePaul, that their ideas of what qualifies academic scholarship and merit must be irrecoverably screwed up. As I said earlier, one may make any argument he wishes, provided that the argument is based on some sort of truth. I had a professor — a tenured professor — in my chosen field of Literature who tried to convince our class that Mark Twain was a racist. I thought this an interesting, if race-baiting, point, so I examined him further. This professor, however, based everything he was teaching about Twain on a faulty precept: Twain’s racism, he said, is apparent because Huck Finn and Jim the Slave speak different dialects of English. In the professor’s mind, Huck and Jim should speak the same, as they are both from a lower class; but the fact that Jim was black and Huck was white should have no effect whatsoever. I, along with a few other students in the class, challenged him on such. Jim, we argued, was automatically from a lower class, since, as a slave, he was far poorer than Huck would ever be. In addition, the cultural heritage did indeed play a role in his dialect, as he was of black-French decent but Huck was obviously of British or Irish decent — two different language systems that would create singular dialects. I bring this up not just to paint the picture of a professor who obviously knew absolutely nothing about that which he taught, nor simply to explain the strangeness of a fool like this receiving tenure but not you. I bring this up because this class came for me during the same term in which I took your class. Being in that class aided me in being able to challenge his argument, to the point where he had absolutely no idea how to argue against me. I continued to challenge him, saying, “Professor, the fact that Jim was black absolutely meant he was from a lower class than even the lowest class of white; in the mid-1800s, blacks were considered inferior to whites.” He argued with me, but then cut off the argument, saying he did not want to take up a whole class arguing over his own teaching. I took that as a moral victory; he was not able to defend what he taught. This convinced many in our class that the man’s beliefs were meritless, and he was simply attempting to say something controversial for the sake of saying something controversial. Professor, I wanted to thank you for that; and also, for one other thing: Because of professors like you, I have made a decision on my future after whoring for a corporation for the last year. I am going back to school in pursuit of a PhD in English, which is what one needs if one wants to become a Literature professor. I have to give you at least part of the credit for that: Thinking back to your class truly helped me realize that I don’t want to be outside the academic classroom anymore. Whether learning or teaching (and the two oftentimes go hand-in-hand), that’s where I feel at home, and were it not for your class, I might not feel the same way. So, thank you. Oh, and one more thing: John Stuart Mill still rocks my world. Take care, and best of luck with everything. Brendan Diamond From : raven2017[at]yahoo.com Prof. Finkelstein, (b/c to me you will always be) I read the articles….I’m shocked that they’ve done it again; let another great pillar of the political science department go unrecognized. I know you probably won’t remember me with all of the students who’ve flocked to your classes over the years, but I took literally every single class that I could with you, and consider myself the better for it. I graduated and honestly wouldn’t have considered that piece of paper as anything had it not been for your classes and your call to intellectual consciousness and basic human dignity in the face of fear, and lies. I’m not even a student of DePaul anymore, and I honestly feel the loss. Like I said, you always were too cool for that school! So I hope you get a in a few more jogs along the lake (cold as it maybe!) before going onto enrich others! Stand strong, you are loved and will be missed…including the way you botched up the pronunciation of my name with that NY accent of yours! Saddened but optimistic, Joëlle Allonce ‘05 p.s. I made one of those “smart-tees” with my favorite quote from Nietzsche, and now I will wear it with more pride! From: sly-893[at]nifty.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: the execution of intellectual integrity Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:28:21 +0900 (JST) Norman Is there anything more to say to add to this outrageous situation. Your resign ation is a blow to academic & intellectual uprightness, yet they cannot silenc e nor dismiss your contribution to the integrity of historical scholarship. Yo u are and shall remains a model for all of those whose lives are dedicated to the research, learning and teaching of truth. You are a giant walking among me n, a colosse among mouses. You may be an outcast among your peers today, but h istory will judge you for what you really are, a monument of intellectual inte grity and moral courage. And in regard to Harvard academic fungus Alan Dershow itz, the vile, worthless, spineless lying little worm, who’s life is a monumen t to forgery, fraud and deception, i have my best Voodoo doll working on him. The roads of academia are built on the bones of moral midgets. All the best, and in solidarity. Do i need to say,” don’t stop being what you are and who you are”. Stephane. Tokyo. Japan If you wish to publish this mail on your site, please do so. Sent via Sullivan’s website: Mr. Sullivan: In addition to demonstrating profound ignorance and antipathy for the truth, your recent tirade against Professor Finkelstein (a result of his criticism of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians and the exploitation of Jewish suffering for economic gain) betrays a calculated mean-spiritedness with the obvious intent to defame. Given that it is more readily acceptable within society to criticize one’s spouse, the president, the nation, or even one’s chosen god, it is telling in the extreme that criticism of Zionistic endeavors is followed by poorly scripted attempts at character assassination. Why, above all else, is this unacceptable? Notwithstanding your lack of writing ability, or perhaps in concert with it, your position in the debate betrays your obligations to those who have allowed you a voice in the first place. Indeed, the fact that you are willing to shill for an ignoble cause is more desirable to them than any semblance of literary talent. That you serve a purpose— their purpose— is why they keep you on the payroll. That said, it is regrettable and deeply ironic that (from what I have been able to discern from a quick perusal of your website) you appear to be an animal lover—or at least a lover of dogs. If you like, I can direct you to a website showing Israeli chemical testing on one of these trusting and noble creatures. It is horrific and beyond forgiveness. Rest assured, our own government does these things too in order to further the profitable “industry” of war. Then again, as long as they are someone else’s dogs, and not your own, I suspect all this is sanctioned by you. Should you anytime in the future develop a conscience, you would do well to explore the facts along with their associated ethical considerations before you lend your voice to the wrong side of a fight. Every innocent, human or otherwise, deserves at least this much. Sincerely, Andrew Kole CC: Professor Finkelstein From: cjrsirio[at]optonline.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Tenure Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2007 23:34:52 -0500 Dear Dr. Finkelstein, I just wanted to commend you on your courage and intellect for fighting a fight that apparently very few people have the decency of fighting. In some sense your like the toughest kid on the block who got tired of listening to the liars and phonies who make absurd claims, i.e. Alan Dershowitz. I guess they thought that nobody would have the courage to speak up. Boy were they wrong! Your perseverance is truly inspiring. For God’s sake you deserve a lot more than tenure! I’m sure one day you’ll be running the place! Though the irony of life is such that if and when that day actually comes you may receive on your desk a job application form from Alan Dershowitz along with a copy of his resume. Word of advice; make sure you check his references! Kind regards, Lee Sirio From: asif_khan_niazi[at]hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Just to show my appreciation Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:13:25 +0000 Dear Mr. Finkelstein, My name is Asif Khan and I am a Pakistani student in Paris, doing my PhD in anthropology from Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales. I write this email to communicate my support for you and to appreciate your honesty, academic scholarship and courage. I think though knowledge is an asset claimed by many scholars and common people alike, it is knowledge with moral integrity and honesty that makes a scholar an agent of change in this world. For knowledge alone without this moral component can become corrupted, and can be distorted as half truths with vested interests and injustice. I salut you for maintaining this excellence of moral and academic genres. I just finished reading your latest book, ” beyond Chutzpah: on the misuse of anti-semitism and abuse of history”, and I hope to read many more books by you in future. It was an honor for me to share the excellent academic experience with you as a reader. May God bless and protect you and all the people you care about. Amin! With best wishes, Muhammad Asif Khan Dear Norman Finkelstein, Good for you, getting this settlement. I do hope you can focus on your writings now, and have a sane life. It must have been crazy, at Du Paul over the past months. It is obvious that you love teaching, and that your students really benefited from your teaching, and you from them. So I do hope that teaching is in your future. Perhaps there is a brave administrator somewhere, who will stand down the Dershowitz storm… I do hope so. In any case, while you and I disagree about a number of political and intellectual issues, I have learned from reading your work and very strongly believe the academic freedom issues Alan Dershowitz raised by his deplorable attacks on you are important for all us. Perhaps we will actually meet some time, and be able to discuss, debate and explore the issues we disagree about. But I will leave these disagreements for another time. For now, I will wish you luck. Take good care. Neil McLaughlin From: binghamrs[at]gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Encouragement Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:50:27 -0400 Professor Finkelstein: You have my thanks and respect for communicating the truth and letting the chips fall where they may, even though it cost you a great deal in terms of outward benefits. Rest assured that having a settled conscience that you have done right is worth a lot more than anything DePaul could have given you. I have nothing but the utmost disdain and contempt for Alan Dershowitz. He is a pitiful excuse for a professor. Every accusation he has leveled is totally accurate when applied to himself. Best regards for your future endeavors. Sincerely, Bob From: rdywrsl[at]charter.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: best of luck to you! Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:26:08 -0700 Hello Mr. Finkelstein, just another voice here, speaking out in support of you. I haven’t had the time to dig out the facts pertaining to your tenure debacle, but it infuriates me nonetheless. The conservative Israeli lobby in this country is remarkably unified and strong. It’s amazing how a few voices planting vile seeds in select media outlets can gather enough momentum to “bring a house down”. I’m really scared for the future of this country, and it occurs to me that the media, or lack thereof, is right at the core of the problem. How is it that there are forces (APAC?) so great in this country that the horrific plight of the Palestinians has been completely buried. Does America really not want to know about these atrocities? Anyway, I truly enjoy your take, and clarification, on all of the policies, current affairs, and history of the greater middle east region. Best of luck in all of your future endeavors, keep up the great work! Hopefully I’ll be able to catch you at one of your appearances out here on the west coast in the near future. yours in iniquity, Kelly St. John Castroville, CA Dear Norm, I am glad that the nightmare is over for your sake too. I could tell that it was taking its toll on you and the fact that you managed to withstand it for such a long period of time leaves me in awe. I am certain you don’t remember this but I first met you when I was a student at the University of Toronto with a group called the Middle East Forum (not the Pipes organization). We invited you to speak on campus - it was during the early phases of the first intifada. At the time, you had just finished your doctorate and told me about the difficult time you had with your supervisors and readers (including a proclaimed pro-Palestinian one). I was a second year student and your tenacity amazed me. You left an indelible impression and I realized how formidible a person you really are. I had an odd feeling at the time that your opponents would doggedly pursue you: your ability to speak the truth is threatening to many. Later, when I was in law school, we invited you to campus (Queen’s University) and the campaign against you had begun. I remember having to talk to administrator after administrator at the university, before we were allowed to bring you to campus. At one point, a student stood up - in defence of Israel - and stated that his relatives were killed in the Holocaust (in effect justifying Israel’s acts against the Palestinians). Thirteen years later, I still remember your response and the power with which you conveyed it. Norm, our first encounter was almost 20 years ago and your lecture at Queen’s was 13 years ago. I still remember them both and remember how empowered I felt after both lectures. Please, don’t ever underestimate the effect that you have had on thousands of people. Norm, take time to recoup, gather your thoughts and write. Please please do not despair. Please please do not give up hope. Something good will come of all of this horror - I know it. I look forward to the next chapter of your life. No matter what you do, you will continue to affect many for generations to come. All the best, diana Just read about it on Democracy Now, but don’t have time to get the details. Presume you WILL teach the controversial class somewhere else in Chicago? How I wish I was there to play student. Bravo, young man. I’m indeed proud of you, sorry for what you’ve been through, but relieved that you did go through it to preserve a modicum of academic integrity and freedom in my Old Country. I hope to see you soon teaching in an institution worthy of you. eileen From: AM7129[at]haileybury.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: To Professor Norman Finkelstein Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:59:20 +0100 Dear Dr. Finkelstein I am writing to express my most profound sympathy for and solidarity with you following the appalling injustices you have suffered of late. I know you will recover and continue to work with the same dedication, wisdom and moral responsibility that I have grown to admire in the past few years. My thanks to you for inspiring those of us who easily lose hope, for remembering what others have chosen to forget and for making the world a slightly better place. Sincerely, Alexander Fayne Hertfordshire, England To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Congratulations Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2007 15:51:12 +0100 Hello Norman, Congratulations for standing up to De Paul and the “lobby for lies” and for sticking up for truth and justice. I am sure the settlement you reached with DePaul has left you feeling relieved that this affair is over. I hope the compensation you agreed with them was satisfactory. The record shows you did the right thing and argued the morally correct and politically truthful case in relation to all that you have written and spoken about. Their record shows that as usual Catholic institutions are most often merely businesses and power centers. It must have been a great comfort to you during this time to have the support of people like Chomsky and Hilberg. When history recalls this difficult time that we live in the administrators at De Paul will be seen as those who sold out for NeoCons, the TheoCons and 30 pieces of silver but your name and writings will be remembered, well regarded and you will rank amongst the likes of Said, Hilberg, and Chomsky. Once again my congratulations. Regards, Tim Hello Norman, From: mhughes[at]bostonhughes.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Any Precedent? Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 18:42:16 -0500 Have you set a precedent in American academics that you can be too truthful to obtain tenure? I wonder if any academic has ever been denied tenure for criticizing British policy in Ireland, Australian government policy towards the Aborigines, or Japanese actions in Manchuria? I mention these examples because these nations are certainly friends of the United States. In America you certainly have “academic freedom” to criticize their policies, past and present. This applies to all of America’s allies, except, it seems, Israel. Matthew From: buttrey[at]usc.edu Sent: None To: Professor Norman Finkelstein Subject: Settlement and resignation Dear Norman, Was anxious to hear what would transpire today. Though there is still very little detail provided, the reports are that a settlement between you and the university has been reached and that you have resigned “without incident” (as if they expected some sort of terrorist act rather than the possibility of peaceful civil disobedience). I hope that whatever options were available that you were able to choose one that would ultimately be beneficial to you. Regardless, I have no doubt that you will continue to have opportunities to share your unique understanding of Middle East issues. It is my hope is that this unfortunate showdown increases your ability to teach others in the future. Your students, though surely disappointed, are smart enough to realize this as well. You continue to have my support and admiration though as I have written before, you are steadfast in your mission no matter who else signs on for it. That more than anything else to me, is a true indication of your character. As always, my sincere best regards. Your friend, Bill Buttrey Dear Norman Finkelstein, Although it is a hopelessly small gesture, I just wanted to express my solidarity. Your research and writing have been very important to many for years, especially in the United States where the level of frank discussion about Israel and Palestine is so dismally low. One of the unexpected consequences of the tenure battle at DePaul is that it has helped broadcast your positive impact as a teacher, not only as an author (a welcome side-effect of a rotten business). Like others I have written the president of DePaul, but wanted now (as you attempted to teach your canceled classes) to know that at least one more person stood with you, and agreed with your demand that you be allowed to inquire freely. It is a harsh time, but not one without hope, and I would like to join those who are working to stop the recriminations. It will probably sound romantic to political “realists,” but you exemplify intellectual integrity, and apart from your work’s strong international reception, that work also sets the gold standard for courage under fire. We are with you. Best wishes, Dear Professor Finkelstein, This is just to congratulate your brave stand, and to wish you luck with your classes. Martin Bernal PS I have written to protest to your president. From: Skanaan245[at]aol.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Our Hearts and Thoughts are With you Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 22:03:35 EDT Dear Norman: Our family and friends in Kalamazoo, Michigan, would like to extend our most sincere support to you at this difficult time. We have been following up closely the unfortunate turn of events at DePaul. What a tragedy for the students there and for academic freedom everywhere. The forces of evil are winning on many fronts these days, but we will hold on to each other and to our ideals of integrity and justice. You are an inspiration to so many, young and old. Bless you and I hope that we can arrange for you to visit us in Kalamazoo again. With love and great admiration. Shadia Kanaan From: AAR[at]statoil.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Thank you! Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:06:17 +0200 Dear Dr. Finkelstein, I have for several years been interested in European history (especially Germany and Central Europe, the Holocoust), I have with much interest read your articles in magazines and newspapers. I understand there are many critical voices to your work. I am not a historian by education, but have found your work well documented. I have learned to trust your writing, to me you seem to carry forward the best from the tradition of the Western thinking. I look forward to read more from you, and want to show my gratitude for your writing. Regards,Torstein Aartun Norway Dear Professor, I was more than disappointed with DePaul’s decision to deny you tenure. Your Holocaust Industry, Beyond Chutzpah and Swisher’s The Truth about Camp David II are, in my opinion, signal works in the effort to bring light to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. DePaul’s decision is simply an outrage. But, as you know, or will surely learn , there is life after such miscarriages. I hope you connect with a real university and I hope you make a fortune in royalties. Robert D. Brooks, Ph. D. Senior Consultant for Research and Publications IPCC-Jerusalem From: klausvonheilbronn[at]yahoo.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Your resignation Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2007 11:39:57 -0700 (PDT) Dear Professor Finkelstein, I have been following your struggle for months. Reading the respectful, rational comments of your many supporters and the rabid, mean-spirited rantings of a few haters. In the large and lasting scheme of things, you have won. Your faithfulness to truth and your willingness to bravely sacrifice for that truth places you among histories great scholars. What DePaul University has done out of fear of the Zionists reveals it’s shallowness and disingenuousness. It has ceased to be a centre of higher learning and is now nothing more than a pathetic servant to those who will do any evil to keep their myths alive. You, Sir, are a brave, honest, and noble man. No doubt He who loves truth has much more for you to do in her service. With utmost respect, Klaus From: Yondanesq[at]aol.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Tut, tut Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:01:42 EDT Well, Mr. Finkelstein, I see you got your comeuppance. I heard you speak about this terminal development in your academic life and it’s very sad that you still use your pedigree as the child of Holocaust survivors to peddle your self-destructive views. Don’t you understand that you are encouraging people to hate your co-religionists? In the mind of an anti-Semite there is no distinction between Zionists and Jews. This is where I take issue with what you are doing. You have no self-respect. But of course this is a rhetorical question. The fact that you apparently don’t understand this suggests that your claim to academic tenure rested on a rather shaky foundation. I don’t personally like Dershowitz but you have to admit you’re not in the same league. Each man to his trade, I suppose. Perhaps you’ll find something more suited to your abilities. As your toadies have suggested, pseudo-intellectualism is pathetic. My suggestion is to pack up your bat and ball and slink away into obscurity. From: matthew.schuld[at]wmich.edu To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: My Support NOT Waning Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2007 08:14:30 -0400 Dr. Finkelstein, Your work is criticized for personal attacks? Those speaking out against you use much gentler language to legitimate tourcher, legislated racism, and murder. Your case illuminates the depressing state of the social sciences and humanities in the country (world?). Please keep fighting; it is to the benefit of every student that you do. I noticed at our bookstore and am happy to tell you that Professor Andrew Carlson is using “A Nation on Trial” in his undergraduate class at this university (Western Michigan). In Solidarity, Matthew Schuld Norman, I’m sorry about the continued B.S. I would like to echo a recent e-mailer to your site. You are absolutely too valuable as an intellectual guardian to engage in a protracted struggle with DePaul. In a way, you’ve won a victory through losing tenure by illustrating the corrupt nature of the power structure at the academy. lease consider engaging your resources otherwise. You are needed. Best, Rajive Das From: trainspotter2[at]hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Date: Mon, 03 Sep 2007 04:23:32 +0000 Hello Mr. Finkelstein, I have been reading about your recent conflict in the papers, and I wish to express my hope that you will be successful in your conflict. If anything should come out this that you mind find useful in knowing, it is through your actions, that I have seen the light in FOX news bias. I never thought I would express this to anyone because I was so hopeful that someone will bring neutrality in reporting, and I was wrong. After witnessing your debates and interviews, you and I do disagree on many things. FOX news portrayed you as a blatent sympathizer in Hezbollah, and gave the impression you encourage some acts they hav done which have ben labled ‘terrorism’. The press release of your dismissal, at least tells the reader you have gained sympathy through your students. Given what I have read in your books, I can get a decent grasp as to where you stand. In their villification of you, they labled you part of the group that subscribes to the Protocals of Zion. I believe this to be false and I can’t believe I was so gulliable in taking everything they said for granted, not questioning it. Again I wish you well, and offer support in any way possible. Regards, Joshua N. McColm From: nselmuti[at]eiu.edu To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Keep you head up! Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2007 10:30:04 -0500 Professor Finkelstein! Please keep your head up and stand your grounds, there are lot of people behind you. People like you give me the hope that this world has some good in it to offer to man kind. As a Palesinian American, I couldn’t agree with you more! Alan Dershowitz and his kind are distoring history, and in the long run will lead to the destruction of Israel. They exploite the Holocost to the maximum, but the sad realty they are inflecting more horors on the palestinian people. Sincerly Nida Sehweil-Elmuti Hello Prof. Finkelstein, I am near tears as I write this…you stood firm, your bravery and courage will always inspire me. I thank God for you, you are a blessing made of steel. Congratulations,. Well done!! One door closes, another opens. Hope your next move is productive. Though I suspect you will be shunned as were the refugees from the Univ. of Calif’s loyalty oath period. It will be a brave uni that will take you on. The monetary cost of hiring you will have to take into account the amount of donation monies they will lose. I trust you have diarised the persecution and get a book out of it. Are you going to apply to Brandeis? Or CCNY? In the 60’s Rutgers, Newark campus took on Arthur Kinoy despite the blacklist. My guess is you’ll do best in the UK. Best of luck, Henry di Suvero PS If I can help on your Australia trip, let me know. Don’t suggest you think about teaching in Oz— we’re pretty much out of the loop downundah—and it’s a very conservative country where academics are expected to be uncontroversial. Dear Sirs It is a very sad day when seats of learning, like yours, become like ostriches burying their heads in the sand. And why? Because of the utter fear of the Jewish lobby. Some freedom of thought!!!! If this is the democracy that America wants to export to the Middle East at a very heavy price, I have some news for you. We have it by the bucketful and you can have for free. Dr B Shetewi, Ph.D. Residing in U.K. From: silviamarsans[at]sbcglobal.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: RE: Hope you are well Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 20:24:57 -0700 (PDT) With great sadness I heard you today on NPR as you announced your resignation. I hope this ordeal has not broken your spirit or silenced you; hope that the attempt to marginalize you has not made you feel like a pariah. I actually made the trip to DePaul yesterday to support you in your cause. I’d never been to the campus and was surprised to see your picture everywhere –even in a restaurant supposedly endorsing a sandwich. (I would say that’s near rock-star status…and in the academy??!! ) Can’t say you have not made a difference or ignited in young people a passion for justice. Most teachers would love to leave such a legacy. Your students at DePaul fought a brave battle. Kudos to them. I have rarely seen such dedication and devotion. That, more than anything, should really inspire you and give you cause for hope. (I’d always felt that at NYU we the students let you go too easily and without a fight.) This is truly DePaul’s loss. As for me, I just wanted to thank you for the example, for demonstrating integrity and courage, refusing to be silent, and for being a voice of conscience when most others would have sold out or buckled under the pressure a long time ago. Take good care of yourself, Silvia PS I heard you have a speaking engagement at the University of Chicago in October. I intend to come and shake your hand. From: silviamarsans[at]sbcglobal.net From: chrisrushlau[at]msn.com To: NormanGF[at]hotmail.com Subject: update on your tenure situation? Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 09:48:15 -0400 I’ve got a degree from Saint Joseph’s College in Maine, so know how catholic institutions can adopt an Inquisitional (shall we say) attitude at the best of times, but firing you seems like they’re refuting Fr. Nargai’s plaintive boast about bishops: “they’re not dummies”. I assume you didn’t try to burn down the administration building. I’m looking for their official explanation. Good luck. Christopher C. Rushlau Portland ME From: rrmcintosh[at]mmm.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: My support to you Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 22:20:41 -0400 Dr. Finkelstein and DePaul Students, I hope you guys get lots of support from others besides myself but I fear most Americans are sleeping. Good luck! Here is a copy of the brief e-mail I sent to Holtschneider. I hope it helps. Dear Mr. Holtschneider, I have no affiliation to DePaul University. The action that you and Charles Suchar have taken against Dr. Finkelstein, Dr. Mehrene Larudee, and the students of DePaul University is censorship. You seek to silence those who wish to research, debate, or discuss topics which you consider controversial. I suppose you would also deny tenure to a DePaul professor who chose to research and publish material claiming that the Armenian holocaust was exaggerated, as the ADL has recently done… right? Randy McIntosh Please forgive this email. I am composing it on a cell phone, which is not conducive to good writing. I know that expressions of support may mean little during this difficult time. But words are all I have to offer you. You are in my thoughts and the thoughts of thousands of people around the world. Please try to remember this in the day’s ahead. Peace and blessings. Margaret From: mpillischer[at]yahoo.com To: info[at]academicfreedomchicago.org, normangf[at]hotmail.com, criticalxthinking[at]yahoo.com Subject: I support Norman Finkelstein Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2007 14:09:35 -0700 (PDT) TO ______________, I have been following the acitivites in regard to Norman Finkelstein’s tenure and subsequent “ejection” from teaching classes and coming onto campus. I wholeheartedly support Norman Finkelstein for tenure, and support any action of civil disobedience he may take against your university’s egregious actions. The stance and actions of your university are a severe threat to academic freedom, and freedom of speech on campuses. It should and will be resisted in various ways by students and teachers on campus there, as well as solidarity actions elsewhere. As a current law student and believer in academic freedom and free speech, I will be actively resisting your university until it reverses its actions regarding Norman Finkelstein, allowing academic freedom. Matthew Pillischer Philadelphia, PA Temple University Prof. Finkelstein, I have the utmost respect for your intelligence and your scholarly ability. If only 5% of the United States university faculty had your thoroughness and your ability to not allow personal agendas (such as those of Alan Dershowitz) to interfere with academic honesty, this country would not be in the mess it is now. You are a tough man, and can easily cause havoc at DePaul bringing them to their rational knees, however, they do not deserve you. I worry about the academic future in this country (I earned a Ph.D. in chemistry about 2 years ago) knowing how stifled debate can become at the higher levels of education. You are a hope in a long list of subordinate, ass-kissing, and selfish academics. Only zionists and Alan Dershowitz agree with DePaul’s actions, and I wonder why. How dare someone have the “chutzpah” to go against them? I wish you luck with this silly process that you should never have been exposed to in the first place. van de Graaf P.S. The President of DePaul is one hell of a politician, he does not care about his school, rather about his political ambitions. What nonsense! From: andre.brochu[at]skola.trelleborg.se To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Got the news! Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2007 21:51:08 +0200 Just got the news about your resignation. I guess you got some good legal advice. You seemed pleased with the statement by DePaul. You will be moving on, not fading out. It will be interesting to see where you’ll find an academic position. You’ll continue writing of course. As always thank you for your civil courage. Good luck! Maybe we’ll see you during a lecture tour on this side of the duckpond sometime, people like Ramsey Clark and Tom Nagy have been here among others. Sincerely yours, André Brochu To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 14:28:41 -0500 (CDT) Professor Finkelstein, I took Freedom and Empowerment with you my sophomore year. I watched the protest in front of 990 W Fullerton a few days ago and I just want to say that even if you are not teaching at DePaul anymore, do not forget that you really have changed lives. You are an amazing professor and your class changed my life. Because of you, I’m going into education myself and I just can’t say enough to thank you. I wish you the best in your future. If you teach a class in Chicago again, please let me know. I’d love to take it. R From: jonathanh.08[at]gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Solidarity Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 23:50:04 -0500 Professor Finkelstein As a current DePaul student, I am completely disgusted with the actions of the Universtiy leadership regarding the tenure denial of both, you, and Professor Larudee. The more one reads the details of the situation, the more it screams SCANDAL! It is the opinion of many students that the tenure denial has severely damaged DePaul’s reputation in academia. If the Universitys reputation has in fact been damaged, I hope the payout they likely recieved was worth it. In fact, they’re already putting it to use with DePaul’s new world class PR firm Rubenstein & Associates(they also represent Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and ABC among many others) I wonder which way the “free” press will lean in their reporting of DePaul V. Finkelstein. I think it takes a lot of courage to challenge the status quo, and stand up for what is right. In your case, its been a battle right out of the gate going back to your days at Princeton. Despite all the adversity staring you in the face, despite all of the vicious slanders that have unjustly been said about you and even your late mother, you’ve found it in you to somehow endure. I think that what you are doing is heroic in every sense. Keep fighting the good fight! I support you 110% Jonathan From: tanweer_akram[at]hotmail.com To: president@depaul.edu, hepp@depaul.edu, csuchar@depaul.edu Subject: Values Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2007 02:45:25 +0000 Dear learned professors: I am curious to know if throwing a distinguished scholar out of his office and preventing him from teaching are part of the values espoused by DePaul University? I rather think such actions are not really endorsed by what is best in Catholic and Western and universal traditions of education and scholarship. As you know, while the Catholic church has done some remarkable things and often worked for the cause of good, there is also an ugly side: from persecuting heathens and atheistic and rationalizing genocide and oppressing scholars. It would seem to me that DePaul’s treatment of Professor Finkelstein will confirm that the ugly side of church-related education is still thriving. I suppose Pope Urban VIII, who denounced Galileo for his views, would be proud of you! But I would have thought that Catholic education today is better than that of the 17th century. Please note that I reserve the right to post this letter in the web. I would hence appreciate your reply. Sincerely, Tanweer Akram From: sa.bal[at]hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: message of support Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:13:25 +0000 Dear Norman, We are glad that people like you walk on this earth. No professorship or smear campaign, no matter how poweful your foes are, could ever be successful in face of your strength of character. I wish you every success in future. Kind regards, Shabeeh. From: chh[at]math.uic.edu To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: DePaul taking a page out of Rove’s playbook Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 15:37:03 -0500 (CDT) Dear Norman, I, too, want to add my voice of support. Reading the Tribune article today, it seems the DePaul administration has taken a page out of Karl Rove’s playbook. Leak smearing memos to the press: check. Once the press asks for comment, claim the memos are internal, no comment possible: check. Be protected from being called out by reporter’s need to protect sources: check. Hang in there - while I’m not so naive as to believe that justice always wins out, I think in this case the DePaul administration is smearing no one but themselves. best regards, Christian Dear Norman, I was immediately impressed the first time I saw you on Democracy Now, the way that you patiently present facts encourages a lay person like myself to become interested in your methodical logic. It seems the world is full of people who seek shelter by choosing propaganda to give reassurance and to defend their daily lives from the uncomfortable realities or alternative views. One of the most poignant observations you have made was that of moral judgments being something that people could agree to disagree but facts, are, in the main incontrovertible. You have the capacity to concede an argument were others might be defensive, preferring dogma, I think we can all understand that beliefs that are tested would be disconcerting to anyone, especially those who have made a career from promoting a particular theory, but in the best interests of humanity thoughts must be tested if we are to progress. There is no doubt that a talent such as yours will find a new arena where it will flourish; it’s a shame that your students at DePaul will no longer benefit from your inspirational teaching. Yours sincerely, Philip Scott Good Evening Prof. Finkelstein: I am sorry to hear about your resignation, a huge loss for the DePaul community, Academia and the Freedom of Speech. In CommonDreams and Haaretz sites, there was news of your resignation; and I joined the many people who made comment in your support for justice and fairness. I will continue to recommend your books to family, friends and others. I will also give them as gifts. I wish you good health, tremendous happiness and success on the challenging road ahead. Regards, Amir H. Ladan From: akardat[at]ksu.edu.sa To: president@depaul.edu CC: normangf[at]hotmail.com Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 09:55:42 -0700 Fr. Dennis Holtschneider, President DePaul University Dear Sir, It’s clear now that you have helped or succumbed to pressure from partial academics such as Professor Alan Dershowitz and constellation to harass, discredit, and defame a true, frank, and honest scholar — Professor Norman G. Finkelstein — for his stand on issues of social justice and academic ethics. It’s sad that he has to pay for his superb work in Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History in which he proved a Professor of law —Alan Dershowitz — to be a hoax. Also we can’t forget that The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering is live and kicking still. Dr. Finkelstein’s views are not to the liking of Zionist hawks who are quite influential in the States these days. Alan Dershowitz’s “Jihad” to “vilify and defame” (with Professor Chomsky’s permission) Professor Finkelstein seems to have worked. Thanks to you and your likes, Fr. Dennis Holtschneider, President of DePaul University. I think, Sir, you have done your institution a disservice. I don’t know if you would be able now or later to stand in front of the student body at DePaul to talk about values, ethics, integrity, or freedom of speech. I strongly protest and wish you’d reconsider your treatment of Dr. Norman G. Finkelstein. A. k. Ardat Best Regards, Norman, I’ve been following the tenure’s waves; and I just got the word on NPR, that you’re resigning. After the moment of chock has passed, I thought, why not! after all, DePaul University probably does not deserve you. So move on! change is always a positive thing in life. I just hope, wherever you decide to go, your lectures are still going to cover the nation’s campuses. No matter what your plans are, I’d love to have you count me among those you can count on. I would guess you need some rest after the several-month long battle over tenure. Even though we’ve met just twice, my wife and kids, who all know you very well, would love to have you come to our house, just for you to be far away from all the media and other lights and noises, for some time. We live in an anonymous house in the north-western suburb. If you can or can’t make it, please let me know whatever I can do for you. The honor would always be mine. Thanks a lot for who you are and for what you do. – Isselmou From: rriddle[at]sprynet.com To: president@depaul.edu CC: rriddle@sprynet.com, jrichard@depaul.edu, hepp@depaul.edu, bkozoman@depaul.edu, eudovic@depaul.edu Subject: Shame Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 12:46:10 -0500 Dear Rev. Holtschneider: I graduated from Loyola Academy (’62) and Georgetown University (’66). I learned from right and wrong. Last year I suffered a massive stroke by paralyzed my left side and comes slowed speech. (Writing too. “To,” “and,” “at,” “that,” and other connectives are mixed up. You should forgive me.) I lucky to read newspapers, magazines, and books. Regarding the dismissal of Norman Finkelstein, shame on DePaul. I’m lucky another the stroke. Sincerely, Randolph Riddle Oxford, MS Dear Dr. Finkelstein: I read about your resignation today and it saddens me. I am also a retired college prof who suffered greatly because of being outspoken and in my last years because I was the wrong color in a historical Black university. My heart bleads for you because in your case you took an unpopular though correct position over the unfairness of being labeled antisemitic if you disagree with Israel’s policies. All I can say that you and President Carter are real mensch. That you are speaking for fairness. I am a native of Cuba so I well understand how it feels like when your own people claim to be freedom loving while denying the basic right to freedom of speech. I do not need to spell out for you the stance of a great majority of Cuban Americans in this respect. As a descendant of Spaniards I am certain that there is a nice stream of jewish blood coursing through my veins. Furthermore, for ten years I was married to a non-religious Jew who was very instrumental in forming my liberal political philosophy. Later on in 1981 I spent 10 days in Israel as a visitor of the government together with a small contingent of Spanish language journalists. I wrote extolling Israel, though disturbed by the knee-jerk reaction against the Palestinians. I was courted by the local consulate members. Then came Sharon’s march upon the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. That is where I finally drew the line. As far as I am concerned it is people like you who can remind American Jews that they owe allegiance to the nation whose passport they carry and that because of their nationality their religion and/or ethnicity are protected. Keep up your head high. You stand for what to me is a basic tenet of our shared religious philosophy: What are we asked to be good people? To do justice, have mercy and walk humbly with our Lord. God bless you and guide you, Silvia Novo Pena, Ph.D. Retired Asst. Prof. of Spanish To Professor Norman Finkelstein, Though I am disgusted with the way you have been treated at De Paul, you are better off not continuing in the employ of invertebrates such as these. Anyone organization that would ignore Raul Hilberg, but listen to that cheerleader for torture in our time and in our name, Alan Dershowitz, is not worthy of wasting your time. I imagine St. Vincent Paul must be spinning in his grave, or whatever reliquary he occupies. My very best to you and Mehrene Larudee. I have worked on many projects through Norcal ISM and various other Bay Area Palestine Solidarity groups with her brother, Paul Larudee. You are a giant among ethical Liliputians, and there is always a bit of trouble there as you know. I don’t know when you are next in the Bay Area for a speaking engagement, but we are always very happy to see you here. We know a true scholar and man of principle when we see one. Sincerely, Francesca Rosa San Francisco, CA Dear Professor Finkelstein, I know these have been difficult times for you. I am grateful for your work for justice and human rights. My mother’s parents, who were born in the 1880’s and who were among the last what I like to think of as “real Jews,” i.e. Yiddish-speaking with roots in the shtetl, liberal, modest, and with an ironic, self-deprecating wit, would have been proud of you. So am I. Walter Miale http://www.survivalversusdoom.net Gentlemen: Along with many other people I have watched the events at DePaul with dismay. A professor supported by his department is denied tenure due to the interference of someone with no scholarly credentials in the field. Another professor supported by her department is denied tenure because she publicly supported the first professor. This all happens without any prior indication that there is a problem. For example, no problem is cited during a midterm review. All signals from the relevant departments about tenure are positive. To add insult to injury, the first professor finds his rather popular classes cancelled during his last year, and is evicted from his office. Surely, with this kind of arbitrary, unfair, and unsavory behavior on the part of the administration, talented academics will think long and hard before applying for jobs at DePaul. And, since a popular professor has been denied the opportunity to meet with students, surely future students will think long and hard before applying for admission to DePaul. I don’t know what kind of short term gain you think you’ve achieved, but in the long run DePaul University will be badly hurt by your behavior in these two cases. And your response to political pressure has been akin to paying ransom in political kidnappings. More pressure will be brought to bear on more institutions because you caved in. So you have not only damaged DePaul University, you have increased the threat to academic freedom everywhere in American. Sincerely, Judy Roitman Professor of Mathematics University of Kansas Dear Norman, I have heard/seen you twice in the last few years. I have written before but do not by any stretch expect that you should remember me. While I am extremely disappointed for you and even more for the students at DePaul, I am happy that you feel you’ve received a measure of justice. I want to tell you in the most direct way I possible can that had you left DePaul with absolutely no settlement or statement by the (cowardly) dean, you are one of far too few who absolutely should hold your head high and know that your reputation is intact. Anybody thinking or protesting otherwise has no reputation worthy of consideration, no matter their stature or power. You, sir, are an oasis in a desert of cowardly and grotesquely biased scholarship and public perception. People who matter, that is; people who consider honest scholarship as the highest priority at any university, know this well and will always support you. Thank you for your work, your unblemished integrity, and your unfailing commitment to the highest standards of integral scholarship. Sincerely, Kurt Schweiger – Mpls, MN From: adriannebourassa[at]hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: remarkable Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2007 14:52:26 -0400 Dear Dr. Finkelstein, I attended a lecture you gave several years ago at The University of Western Ontario, and was deeply impressed. Your being denied tenure is an unacceptable academic persecution. All the best in the future, A.C. Bourassa From: mmench1[at]hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: best wishes Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2007 01:23:25 +0000 It is with much sadness that I read that you had to leave Depaul- this institution is loosing more than it realizes. The discussion of truths is indeed too much for some- even academicians. I write only to convey that there are many others in Chicago- who believe in academic freedom and truth seeking- not propoganda or manipulation of fact. Best wishes Martha Menchaca, MD PhD Dear Reverend Holtschneider, Provost Helmut Epp and Denise Mattson: The latest statement issued by DePaul University, concerning the settlement reached with Professor Finklestein, was reflective of the state of higher education today. In contrast to their stated goals, to “ turn our full attention and energy to discharging our most important duty: the education of DePaul students…,” the university has decided that students should not be exposed to critical thinking, and most importantly, waking up a generation of students who have no desire to work on making the world a healthier and peaceful place. We must change the notion that education is only a means to a job, and not also a means to giving back to society. Regarding “ …the education of DePaul students, who have placed in us their trust and faith,” is DePaul a babysitting service or a place where students will be asked to stretch their minds and test out new ways of thinking. The social historian, Theodore Zeldin wrote succinctly, the human race should be concerned with curiosity, imagination, generosity, and empathy. It is precisely within the walls of academia where students should be pushed to their curious, imaginative, and empathic limits, and not running away from controversy, as shown in the response of the university to not grant tenure to Professor Finklestein. DePaul’s final statement is an example of (neurotic) passive aggressive behavior. Let’s say one thing, but do another. In your statement you write that “Professor Finklestein is a prolific scholar and an outstanding teacher.” Are those not the qualities one looks for in a teacher? Intelligence plus devotion to students? Within academia, it is an established fact that tenure is not based on merit or the qualities of curiosity, imagination or empathy, but on politics and money. DePaul now sets the standard for this. As a Jew who grew up a Zionist, lived and attended school in Israel, and is dedicated to peace between Arab and Jew, DePaul, has aided not the cause of peace, but its enemy, by not supporting a professor who spoke passionately and vehemently against hypocrisy and racism regarding Israeli Palestinian relations, the state of some of our Jewish organizations and how American foreign policy perpetuate war and conflict. If the heads of the university do not understand how they help create a climate of fear amongst teachers and scholars, if they do not understand how this decision continues the downward spiral of war and conflict in the Near East, they should not be in positions of leadership. Only the unhindered and free dissemination of information and discussion will begin to change the disastrous course this country is taking. “With this issue behind us, we can once again turn our full attention and energy to discharging our most important duty…” DePaul has not put anything “behind us.” The only thing you have accomplished is to mimic the Bush administration’s loathing practice of eliminating and avoiding voices of dissent, manipulation of the public, and creating an atmosphere of tension and fear between administration (business) and faculty (knowledge). Yours truly, From: stringofstars[at]gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: you rock the modern world! Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 20:27:19 -0500 Hi, Dr. Finkelstein. It’s me again. I hope you are doing alright now, at this difficult time. I want you to know my prayers are with you. You didn’t want to give up, but you had to. DePaul has proved itself unworthy of you. I would have supported you if you had protested, but I think you did the right thing. Really. I want you to know that I contacted LAWN (Loyola’s Anti-War Network) about you speaking at our campus. They are really supportive of the idea. They say it would be pretty easy to do, so keep your fingers crossed. I really want to meet you in person after all I’ve heard about you. Please know I have complete faith in you, and that everything will work out for you in the end. Just keep praying. By the way, I noticed the post on your website about Israel’s sad treatment of Holocaust survivors. That really touched me. I have always been very deeply concerned about not only the Holocaust, but all genocides around the world, in the past and that are occurring right now. I don’t think the world has learned any lesson. The horrible suffering all over the world today deeply concerns me. In my Honors English seminar freshman year, I did a research paper on not only the Holocaust, but world genocide, that was published. I discussed how people are programmed to kill, and how they are desensitized and conditioned to think of people as the “Other.” I discussed Rwanda, Bosnia, the Mayan genocide in Guatemala, as well as, of course, the Holocaust. Anyway, my point is that I always am horrified because I find that today, all of the elements that are needed to create a Holocaust are there, and growing, as society has a new “Other.” What horrifies me so much about your tenure denial is that it is an attack on academic freedom such as you will find in states that are preparing themselves to become dictatorships. I am not promoting any conspiracy theories here, just observing the facts. I hope you won’t let this get you down. The best way to fight this is to continue doing what you do, and to keep on working on your magnificent scholarship. *~Wishing you the best, Nadia Saba Qazi **************************************************************** “All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind.” “Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.” “A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.” “Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity. “ “And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” -Kahlil Gibran From: spgockel[at]mindspring.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: New Beginnings Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 20:48:59 -0400 (EDT) Dear Norm, I heard the emotion in your voice on NPR tonight, some sadness and some joy. I hope you see this as I do, the end of one era and the commencement of greater and more important things to come and wider avenues opening up for you. Maazal Tov! Pete From: pfarzanfar@gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Your Resignation Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 15:01:17 -0400 I just wanted to write you a letter and show my support for DePaul university in refusing to grant a pathetic, fascist, wacademic such as you tenure. People like you ruin the name of academia and brainwash students with their propaganda and as such should have no place in academic institution. Kudos to DePaul University for realizing this. I want to applaud your decision to resign from your post thereby allowing DePaul University students to get a proper education. They will not be subject to your lies masterfully masked as academic discourse anymore. Peyman Farzanfar From: jvalladaresj2[at]yahoo.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: I think you deserved tenure! Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2007 05:58:44 -0700 Deat Professor Finkelstein, I just wanted to write an email to you and tell you how truly sadden and angered I am to hear about your resignation. By not granting you tenure, I think DePaul is losing one of their great professors! I had the honor of taking courses by you and you have been one of my three favorite political science professors there. You actually got your students thinking and am saddened to hear that you no longer will be at Depaul due to trivial politics…But I wish you the best and hope that where you go from here, they will appreciate you as a professor. I think I am correct to say that your students knew what a great professor you were, that is why they stood behind you supporting you, and will greatly miss you! Best Wishes, A former Finkelstein Student Jasmin Valladares From: dsatyra[at]gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: resignation Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:52:13 -0500 Norman, Although I am unaware of the details I would like to respond to the news of your resignation. I believe you have exposed your heart, you have revealed that you are a true teacher, one who cares about the spiritual accomplishments of his students and the purity of their environment; proved that you are unwilling to poison their learning environment further with this disgusting debacle; proved that you are not concerned with scandal but rather with honest scholarship and teaching. You have risen above your opponents and your suffering. Thank you for this. Your head cannot be held higher, your reputation cannot be further from the mire. Derek From: Alomarbros[at]aol.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com CC: pfarzanfar[at]gmail.com Subject: To Professor Norman Finkelstein Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 16:16:10 EDT Dear Professor, Thank you for deciding to resign from DePaul University. You are a disgrace to the academic community for the lies you spread to your students. Justice has finally been done by President Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider for refusing to give you tenure. Sincerely, Daniel Alexander From: dm.silver[at]verizon.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: the “settlement” Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:02:40 -0400 Dear Norman The DePaul statement is not a settlement but a vicious act of forcing your resignation and damage control. All the best Dave From: JoanWDrake[at]aol.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com CC: Subject: My Letter to DePaul University Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2007 11:47:50 EDT Dear Professor: I was very sorry to learn on Tuesday via the Washington Post of the decision by DePaul not to grant you tenure and the ridiculous charges which have now been made public that influenced the university’s misguided decision. Please accept my sincere concern and best wishes. I have attached to this message my letter mailed today, to President Holtschneider. You may be interested to know that Professors Mearsheimer & Walt are here this week in DC speaking to overflow crowds about the topic of their book. Debate flourishes and I hope you remain within the leadership of it. All the Best, Joan W. Drake Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., Ed.D., President From: johnwfarley[at]yahoo.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Congratulations Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2007 13:43:20 -0700 Norman: The DePaul administration gave the game away when they admitted that you are a “prolific scholar and an outstanding teacher.” The DePaul administration didn’t want be hammered by the Israel Lobby, and firing you was a way out for them. As for the official denials by a few DePaul administrators that outside pressure played a role? Nobody believes it, and few even pretend to believe it. I am sure that one way or another you will find a way to continue your good work as an activist and scholar, inside or outside of academia. Consider the examples of Paul Sweezy (too hot for American universities) or W. E. B. DuBois (never hired by a major white university), both of whom were able to accomplish a lot outside of academia. According to this recent Reuters story, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0439419520070906 opinion among American Jews is flowing in your direction, not to mention the 97% of Americans who are not Jewish. Best regards, John Farley From: Tracey.Stephens[.at]iag[doht)com.au To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Good Luck and Well Done - Now for Something New Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2007 11:48:12 +1000 Professor, Perhaps in time, Jews will recognise the quiet truths in your work, and understand that in fact you have done them a service in cautioning against further degradation of what should be a commemorated (but not glorified) event. As a humble and long-term student of the glorious but tragic disaster area that is the current Middle East and the vexed political mesh that crosses it, I am awed by your courage and commitment. Good luck in your future ventures, Tracey Stephens, Melbourne, Australia. From: gpapastoitsis[at]mac.com To: NormanGF[at]hotmail.com Subject: Thank you Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 21:58:43 -0400 For all your brave and scholarly work that you have been doing exposing injustice and fraudulence. The likes of Dershowitsh may have carried the day but they will not be able to silence the truth as long as people like you keep the light burning! best regards and good luck, greg Gregory Zarbis-Papastoitsis, Ph.D. Director in Biotechnology Downstream Process Development Hey you, Well I heard about the settlement yesterday. Does this mean that you will not be teaching your courses at the quad still? I was enrolled for F & E and was glad that I would still be able to take it via an IS credit. However, now that the settlement has been reached, does this change? Well either way, please know that it is truly disgraceful what has happended to you. You ARE the best professor that I have taken at Depaul and I learned a great deal from you last quarter. I am truly sad that it is the only opportunity that I will get. It is a shame what has taken place, and Depaul’s reputation will definitley take a blow, which it deserves. I am deeply sorry for what happend and will miss seeing you around in 990. Please let me know about the class. Thank you and take care! Roxy Vazquez From: ehtesham74[at]yahoo.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 09:34:58 -0700 (PDT) Hi Professor, I just can’t express in words how outraged I am over DePaul’s latest insane attitude. Is this how a university behaves - play power game with its employees? It seems to me that they are simply flexing their muscles and telling you “we will do whatever we want, simply because we can.” Is this a university or a mafia gang? So this is how they practice their precious Vincentian values! Bye for now. Ehtesham. From: ben.freeman[at]rca.ac.uk To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Message Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 00:54:29 +0100 I was sorry to hear about your recent problems, I hope it all goes well for you now. You seem to be saying things that need saying. Best wishes Ben Freeman Best wishes to you,Professor Finkelstein, on what must have been a negotiation capably managed by you and others. De Paul University has shamed itself and I can only imagine the longterm damage to its students and teachers by a few pusillanimous administrators. If you are satisfied, I am happy for you, your friends and those you love. I’m glad you have not had to undergo a hunger strike. Marie L. From: bekaymecca[at]yahoo.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: DePaul Resolution Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2007 08:37:56 -0700 (PDT) Professor Finkelstein, This is Alex Sheremet. I just read about the resolution with DePaul. Did it turn out as you expected? I remember you were hoping for a statement acknowledging your scholarly contributions. I’m glad you can now move on, especially since your portion of the statement is so strong — any sensible reader can only view the outcome as an example of academic injustice. Do you still plan on holding classes in the library? If not, are you moving back to Brooklyn? Best wishes from Brighton Beach, - Alex Dear Norm, I am pleased to learn that DePaul university decided to settle. the students of the university did a remarkable jobs. I frankly doubt if Harvard or Columbia students would do the same. Kudos to the students of DePaul. It is also to the credit of the university that they let you in an academic position. True they gave in Zionist lobbying, but almost any institution in the U.S. probably would. That’s no excuse obviously, but a fact. Anyhow, I want to wish you success in the future. And I hope that you will be able to teach at a university in the U.S. Kind regards, Tanweer From: luft1341[at]yahoo.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com CC: president@depaul.edu, hepp@depaul.edu, csuchar@depaul.edu Subject: Tenure Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 18:19:39 -0700 (PDT) Dear Dr. Finkelstein: I know you have gone through a great deal of emotional turmoil during the past year at De Paul. Shame on its administration! Their decisions and actions dealing a high caliber researcher like you were truly appalling and unbecoming of a Vincentian university. Your place in academia is well-establisehd, regardless of your tenure at De Paul. They truly lost not only an outstanding academician/teacher, but also an indiviual of highest integrity. I was once thinking of sending my son to De Paul! I am glad it never came to fruitition. Best of luck to you. You have a lot of admirers in this world. Best regards, Mike Benny, MD (You may post on your site) Dear Professor Finkelstein, You don’t know me, but I have followed your tenure case for some time. I am sorry that you have to leave DePaul. You are a brave teacher, which is what academia needs more than anything else. Once more I am reminded that Dershowitz gives swine a bad name. Your intellectual project and the related one of my friend Jim Petras are crucially important to the health of our country. I salute you for undertaking your work. A personal note, meant to lift your spirits. Twenty-five years ago, I was paid to leave by the University of Colorado (Denver). This was very difficult at the time (Who in the hell are THEY to pay ME to leave???). But, it was the right move. My life has improved a lot since leaving. Best Wishes, Aleksei Zolotov (Al Shelly) Norm, I hope this finds you in improved spirits. You fought a good fight. Your dignity and reputation are intact. Whatever else you walk away with from De Paul probably pales by comparison. Susan From: smchndlr[at]access4less.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: My thoughts are with you always: never ginve in to the bastards. Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 15:08:43 -0800 (GMT-08:00) Dear ProffFinkelstein: I haver read only one book of yours, the Hol Ind…I review the great DVD of your lecture at UCLA for the cause of Palestine. I saw you at the pannell discussionof the rather far-fetched “Confederation” idea to re-oorganize Israel. I always feel your humility in the face of the great challenges you face. I feel rather small when I think what I am doing or even able to do inthe cause of humanity in the case of Israel/Palestine. YOu make me proud of my Jewish heritage. It is painful to constantly explain the issues and correct the deformed lies people are fed. I only wish I could be there with you when you stand up against Mcarthyite brutes like Deshowitz and David Horowitz. IT is the only way to live as a human being. With ultimate love and respect, STuart M.Chandler. ps. Have a great class. I wish I was in a position to register and take it! From: monethug[at]yahoo.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Peter Mone Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 18:59:05 -0700 (PDT) Finkelstien, They just never stop with you do they? I hope that all is well besides dealing with the nazis at DePaul. I just wanted to check in and let you know that I respect you as a teacher and as a person more than anyone else i have met. If there is anything that i could do for you(holtzsidener) or however you spell his name, let me know. Whatever happens i hope you understand that 99.9% of the people you teach come away with an experience and education that is unrivaled in the mundane existence of DePaul. God Bless Mario Savio, Peter Mone JR From: amani.ismail[at]csun.edu To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: RE: how will you teach? Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 08:47:10 -0700 (PDT) well, happy labor day. i’ve read what you said to the chronicle most recently. i firmly believe you’re a profile in courage and perseverance. i wish we had more people like you around. maybe one of those days i’ll earn the privilege of meeting you. best, amani From: silviamarsans[at]sbcglobal.net To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: RE: Apologies Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:31:53 -0700 (PDT) Hi again, Just wanted to say ‘I’m sorry’ for firing off the previous email to you. It is easy for me to sit here presume and pontificate because I am not in your shoes and my career is not on the line. You decide the best course of action for your situation; it is not for me or anyone to say; you are a gifted Politics professor, after all. I just want you to know that I wholly support you and what you stand for.Your courage and perseverance in the face of overwhelming obstacles are inspiring. Peace and courage to you, Silvia From: ayalona[at]mail.ccsu.edu To: president@depaul.edu,hepp@depaul.edu, csuchar@depaul.edu CC: info[at]academicfreedomchicago.org, normangf[at]hotmail.com, criticalxthinking[at]yahoo.com Subject: Silencing Prof. Finkelstein Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:51:39 -0400 To Dennis H.Holtschneider, DePaul University president, I am very disappointed with your conduct toward professor Finkelstein and the degrading of his academic freedom and rights as a faculty member. Your university conduct is a disgrace for all of us in higher education. I urge you to rethink your actions and not only allow professor Finkelstein to teach this year but to reinstate him. I will do anything I can to let all my colleagues know what you have done to academic freedom in higher education in American and together we hope to censure your university until it comes to its senses. Aram Ayalon, Ph.D Aram Ayalon Assistant to the Chair Teacher Education Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) - Director for Northeast Region www.nameorg.org From: derekc[at]yorku.ca> To: /DepaulPresidentsOffice@depaul.edu, normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: /Norman Finkelstein/ Date: /Sun, 02 Sep 2007 13:39:30 -0400/ Dear Father Holtschneider, I am a Jewish Professor of English at York University in Ontario, Canada. I know Norman Finkelstein through his writings. I have never met him. However, I am shocked to discover that you have decided to deny him tenure at De Paul. Dr. Finkelstein is demonstrably one of the most prolific, scholarly, and sound historians and political theorists to address the question of the Nazi Holocaust and that of reparations of the Swiss Banks. His books on these matters are balanced and brilliantly researched. While his conclusions are controversial, they have received enormous support from a highly qualified critical and intellectually inquisitive fraction of the academic and scholarly communities. Most disturbing in all of this, is the apparent way in which De Paul University, and you in particular, have succumbed to pressure from outside parties who wish to prevent Dr. Finkelstein from teaching and earning a living. It is very surprising that a university would allow its processes to be interfered with in this egregious manner by individuals who are blatantly politically motivated to stop the voice of Dr. Finkelstein. Professor Dershowitz, who seems to have led the charge against Dr. Finkelstein from his impenetrable position of enormous personal wealth, fame, and a tenured position at Harvard is acting shamefully. That your university would lend its support to Dershowitz and his followers is hard to understand. What can you be afraid of? Surely a reputable university should be able to stand up to the likes of Dershowitz without fear. I urge you, in the name of academic freedom, fairness, and, yes, boldness, to change your position on Dr. Finkelstein’s dismissal and do the decent thing, the honourable thing, and give him the security and tenure he so richly deserves so that he can fearlessly continue to add an essential ingredient to the dialogue in which he has been so nobly engaged. Yours sincerely, Derek Cohen, Professor of English From: lstep[at]cavtel.net To: Depaulpresidentsoffice@depaul.edu CC: cminorfugue[at]rcn.com, normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: /Norman Finkelstein/ Date: /Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:57:22 -0400/ Dear Father Holtschneider: Please reconsider the rash decision to deny Professor Norman Finkelstein tenure. Do not allow stubbornness to be presented as a virtue, as the true virtue of Fortitude gives one the courage to admit that they might have been wrong. My best, Lawrence Stepelevich Professor Emeritus Villanova University Former President of The Hegel Society of America. Former Editor of the journal of that society. From: kesich[at]npacc.net To: /president@depaul.edu, hepp@depaul.edu, csuchar@depaul.edu/ CC: /info[at]academicfreedomchicago.org, normangf[at]hotmail.com, criticalxthinking[at]yahoo.com/ Subject: /Please stop the persecution/ Date: /Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:20:38 -0400/ President Holtschneider, Provost Epp and Dean Suchar, I am shocked, disgusted and deeply disturbed by the your outrageous treatment of Dr. Finkelstein. You are conducting a witch hunt against an outstanding scholar and gifted lecturer solely because he has dared to voice legitimate criticism against an apartheid, terrorist regime. The irony is that, as far as I know, Dr. Finkelstein has said nothing which would be regarded as beyond mainstream discourse within Israel itself. By violating standards of academic freedom and basic human decency you have irreparably tarnished DePaul’s otherwise admirable reputation. If your actions are not reversed the university shall become a pariah among all establishments of higher education. I fear your transgressions are so egregious that only your resignations might wipe away the stain of this whole sorry affair. Therefore, for the good of DePaul, and academia in general, please resign at once with appropriate apologies to Dr. Finkelstein. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, John Kesich Millerton, PA no affiliation with DePaul University President Holtschneider, Finkelstein lost an exhausting battle for his job. Now you want to kick the downtrodden and deny him his contractual right to teach his last year. Where is your humanity? What purposes does that decision serve except for depriving the students of a beloved teacher and add a stone to Finkelstein’s burden? If some of you don’t like the sight of him, this is an extremely unprofessional way to deal with it, to say it at least. Vae victis, said the Gaulish king Brunnus, 390 BC. We like to think that mankind has developed since that, but you Sir, have some millenniums to catch up. HR, Norway From: horsthofff[at]yahoo.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Yet one more support email Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 17:22:44 +0200 (CEST) I have just learned about the ordeal you are going through. Don`t know if you still remember me, I have sent you a couple of emails along the years and you have always taken the pain to reply me thoroughly and politely. Suffice to say I am a great admirer of your work and your courage. It is a bloody shame, what they are doing to you. Cristobo de Milio Carrin - Asturias, Spain. From: joeller[at]bgnet.bgsu.edu To: oadeoye[at]depaul.edu, cadibe[at]depaul.edu, mandolin[at]depaul.edu, dbarnum[at]depaul.edu, lbennett[at]depaul.edu, jblock[at]depaul.edu, mbudde[at]depaul.edu, pcallaha[at]depaul.edu, zcook[at]depaul.edu, dfarkas[at]depaul.edu, shibbar1[at]depaul.edu, kibataar[at]depaul.edu, vjohnso5[at]depaul.edu, hjoo[at]depaul.edu, alaw1[at]depaul.edu, alayton[at]depaul.edu, smalik6[at]depaul.edu, kmarrar[at]depaul.edu, cmay1[at]depaul.edu, mmezey[at]depaul.edu, crivers[at]depaul.edu, rspaldin[at]depaul.edu, wsteger[at]depaul.edu, hwray[at]depaul.edu Subject: Finkelstein, Academia and Fighting for Change Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 23:08:02 -0400 Dear DePaul Political Science Department: I am sure the Norman Finkelstein affair, including his denial of tenure, has occupied a lot of your time this past year. However, I am writing because I cannot in good faith turn a blind eye to the recent turn of events. As you well know, this case has demanded national and international media attention. The eyes of the world are on DePaul University, and what we have witnessed is nothing short of an outrage. When I heard that DePaul University had cancelled Professor Finkelstein’s remaining classes during his “terminal” year I literaly thought I was going to spontaneously eject from my recliner, through the celing and out into orbit. This is the nail in the coffin. This is the final parting shot to Dr. Finkelstein which attempts to steal every remaining shred of dignity, respect and civility to a man who committed his life to scholarship, public intellectualism and the pursuit of Peace. And it is unheard of! During the “terminal” year of a professor who has been denied tenure, they are able to teach for one remaining year while they search for another academic posiiton. But why not so in this case? Because they want him to go away and disappear. Because they can’t take the inter/national news criticism. Because they have caved into incredibly conservative and religious-right forces who do not wish to hear an open dialogue and truthful discourse regarding the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Many of you have already fought for Norman. You voted to give him tenure. You stood up against the unfair actions of some your colleagues and administrators. Some of you are senior faculty who may be quite tired of fighting academic battles and the tremendous emotional/physical toll they can take on your well-being. As a Ph.D. student, I have been (already) flabbergasted at some of the mean-spirited and downright vicious behavior I have seen play out in the “Ivory Tower.” But now is the time for courage and the time for a continued fight- back spirit. All of you understand better than me the meaning of “politics.” Often my students have a very narrow understanding of “politics” as high-profile candidates, elections, and the goings-on of the Congress and the Senate. As an activist, I have a meaning of politics that is very linked to social justice and cultural transformation. In our frighteningly conservative cultural epoch, politics has taken on the meaning of stagnation or, worse, active regression. Where is the place for forward-thinking people, for, dare I say it, Revolution? I don’t pretend to have the answer. But is it possible for you as a Department to do SOMETHING to protest this travesty of justice? In our world of constant fragmentation and divide-and- conquer politics, what would it mean for you all to unite in solidarity? What would it mean for you to boycott your first day (or week) of classes to protest what has been unfairly done to your colleague? What would it mean if you all picketed your lovely president’s office en masse as a department and stated that you refuse to let a colleague be treated in such an unprofessional and discriminatory manner? What would it mean, if in some small or large way, business as usual in academia was interrupted, and you used your rank as faculty to fight for what’s right? Thw following quotation is, perhaps, greatly overused. But I think it serves an important function in this case: First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out– because I was not a communist; Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out– because I was not a socialist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out- -because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out– because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me– and there was no one left to speak out for me. - Martin Niemoller Dr. Norman Finkelstein’s brilliant research has made him a target because of its supposed controversial nature. But who is to say what will be controversial next? Who is to say they won’t come looking for you or me next? Please know that I say these things not as a “threat,” in any manner, but as a call to action. PLEASE do what you can to rectify this situation. The world is eagerly watching, and people all over the globe want to help in any way we can. With Much Gratitude for your reading and consideration! Peace, Joelle Ruby Ryan Ph.D. Student Bowling Green State University American Culture Studies Program From: weathers.james[at]gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Re: Hello Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 18:15:33 -0400 Hello Mr. Finkelstein, As I’m sure you’re getting a ton of emails with all the attention on the outrageous actions of De Paul University, I’ll keep this short. I find you and your actions inspiring. I’m a high school senior and it’s professors like you that make me excited about going to college (potential political science major). As an African-American who is really starting to identify myself with the Jewish faith (intending on converting), your words and thoughts on anti-Semitism and how often it’s used as to put it bluntly, an excuse, have really made me think deeply about the faith and the world. I really respect the fact that you’re willing to go as far as putting into practice Thoreau’s policy of Civil Disobedience and you’ll have my support all the way. I don’t expect a reply, but I’d just like you to know that you are an inspiration to me. - James Weathers From: martin_groups[at]inbox.com To: president@depaul.edu, hepp@depaul.edu, csuchar@depaul.edu Subject: Denial of Tenure for Doctors Norman Finkelstein and Mehrene Larudee Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 17:49:09 -0800 Dear Messrs Holtschneider, Hepp and Suchar I refer to my email to you of the 19th June, reproduced below, which you have not had the courtesy to acknowledge, let alone reply to. Your most recent action - in effectively dismissing the most accomplished teacher and scholar that you have in the Politics Department, if not the whole of the College of Liberal Arts - is quite simply disgraceful. You are punishing your own students; debasing the very idea of ‘Vincentian Values’, and aligning yourselves and by proxy your institution with the very worst elements within US political and academic circles. It is as if you wish to recall the very real and terrible history of the Catholic Church and its collaboration with the Nazi Holocaust. Your treatment of Norman Finkelstein, in particular, is merely to reinforce the shameful history of the Catholic Church in that midnight of the century. And it is at such direct odds with ‘Vincentian Values’ that all three of you - along with Messrs Block, Callahan and Mezzey - should resign your positions immediately, or be forced out of them by the weight of support for honesty and academic freedom, and sever all your links with De Paul University so that it may, just, regain the respect that you despicable individuals have thrown aside. Not one of you merit any longer the respect attached to your respective institutional, faith or academic titles and awards. You have forfeited that respect by your denial of liberty and freedom, not just to one or two academics but the hundreds, thousands of current and former students who you are harming. Martin Brewster Suffolk ENGLAND UK —–Original Message—– From: ms44[at]cornell.edu To: president@depaul.edu, hepp@depaul.edu, csuchar@depaul.edu Subject: Silencing Norman Finkelstein Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:09:25 -0400 To: Dennis H. Holtschneider, Helmut Epp, Charles Suchar, Reading of the extreme steps that your administration has taken to silence Norman Finkelstein by cancelling his classes and barring him from campus led me to ponder the extraordinary blow to intellectual inquiry and free speech delivered by your action. What high principle does Finkelstein, a leading authority in his field, pose to the integrity of De Paul University? Surely your action can only undermine the highest ideals of the University and further contribute to polarizing the university community. Now is not the time when the interests of university or society will be served by silencing voices that challenge American global policy. The actions you have taken should be reversed immediately. Mark Selden Professor of Sociology and History emeritus, Binghamton University Research Associate, Cornell University From: anthonypaul.smith[at]gmail.com To: info[at]academicfreedomchicago.org, normangf[at]hotmail.com, criticalxthinking[at]yahoo.com Subject: An Open Letter to Fr Holtschneider Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 22:23:10 +0100 Fr. Holtschneider, I’m writing as a concerned alumni of DePaul. I graduated from the philosophy program in 2006 and am currently finishing my MA in philosophical theology at the University of Nottingham, where I have been accepted, with funding, to the PhD program. My first publications are now coming out and I am delivering papers at three conferences this summer and one in the fall. I’m quite proud to say that two of these conferences are major meetings. None of this would have been possible without the excellent education I was given at DePaul. I transferred to DePaul after my sophomore year at Olivet Nazarene University. The decision to attend Olivet was made because my mother is a minister in the Nazarene denomination and it enjoyed a high reputation amongst those in the pews. However, when I arrived I was horrified at the lack of academic freedom. The President of that university regularly bowed to the pressure of outside groups and failed to stand with his faculty, choosing instead to publicly embarrass them. This was especially repulsive because he was respected and had the political clout needed to stand for academic freedom; he chose instead cowardice. During my time there I saw this reach truly despicable levels when they drove out the one professor qualified to teach philosophy. I knew that my time there was over. DePaul was the perfect place to transfer. Its commitment to assisting students with financial difficulties, its catholic character, and tradition of mostly progressive political and social stances were all very attractive. The philosophy faculty is also, by far, one of the best places to study Continental philosophy in the English speaking world and I’ve enjoyed seeing their reputation extend even here to the UK. The care and joy my professors had was infectious and continues to drive me in my studies. For these reasons I’ve always been very proud to be a DePaul alumni. Even when there were clashes between the administration and students that troubled me, particularly with regard to sexual issues, I had a strong sense that our university would continue to be a truly excellent place. However, with your decision to deny Dr. Norman Finkelstein tenure I am no longer proud. Now with your decision to deny him his terminal year I’m actually ashamed to be a DePaul alum. You have seriously damaged DePaul’s reputation with regard to intellectual freedom. Though you and the LA&S administration may decide to shame us more by spinning the story and stretching the truth it is quite obvious that these decisions have had nothing to do with his ability to teach or the quality of his research. These decisions have everything to do with bowing to outside pressure. My beloved DePaul has moved much closer to the model of control before education that I saw at Olivet; a model that truly violates the same Vincentian principles that make DePaul great. I urge you to reconsider, both as an educator and as a Christian, for you have seriously damaged the reputation of both. A final remark before I close this letter. After reading online about your initial decision to unfairly deny Finkelstein tenure I received an email from DePaul asking me to consider donating to the university. While I cannot currently donate due to my financial situation, I had always assumed I would give to my alma mater when the time came that I could. If your decision marks the path you hope to see DePaul take then I no longer feel that way. My money will go to a university that stays true to its principles and respects academic freedom. I would very much like for that place to be DePaul and again ask that you reconsider your decision and do the right thing. Hi, Norman, I heard that you are determined to fulfill your contractual obligations and teach this semester even though DePaul is paying you to remain in Brooklyn. Not only do I think this is heroic but it’s also delightful! Here we are in America, in the 21st century, and teaching core courses to undergraduates is an act of civil disobedience! This *must* be unprecedented! The ironies abound, but the beauty of this is that you and your students are going to enact the very ideas that I presume you discuss in your courses, such as in “Freedom and Empowerment.” The topics in your class will no longer be an academic exercise. This year, the course is literally and figuratively outside the classroom and in “the real world.” This is in the great tradition of guerilla theatre. It’s a wonderful act of dissidence, and in a perverse way I’m sure many of us envy that circumstances have given you this opportunity. Despite the struggles of the past year, this can now be a great time in your life. What I think is especially wonderful is that you are doing this entirely for your students. And this is what is most enviable: the idealism that you have to embark on this classic example of direct action with a group of idealistic young people who will be having the time of their lives insofar as their actions may have an enormous impact. And what more *civil* act of civil disobedience can there be than teaching young people about freedom and empowerment in a democratic society! How transgressive! How subversive! This will be the greatest moment of their education, and it will give them a sense of civic duty that is so necessary in a country like ours where political apathy and social conformity among young careerists are so pervasive. All in all, I’m sure this will inspire much of the student body and students at other schools, not to mention many people throughout the world. You will hear a lot abuse for your actions, but just stay focused. This is a very worthwhile thing, and it will have an impact on a lot of people, primarily young people. If you go to jail and go on a hunger-strike, please be sure you know what you’re doing. Educate yourself as to what your body will endure. (From what little I know, your body can receive irreparable damage after a relatively short time.) A fast need not be self-immolation, just self-denial. You don’t need to drink hemlock, just plenty of fluids, and you’ll make your point. Let me say that although I don’t know you personally, I can sense from what little I know that you have no choice but to do this. But despite Necessity, Fate, etc., this action will justify your life up to now more than anything else could. I wish you all the best in this, and may the idealism be infectious. Frank From: buttrey[at]usc.edu To: normangf[at]hotmail.com> Subject: Things really coming to a head Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:32:31 -0800 Dear Norman, I am shocked at how quickly DePaul has shown their hand with their petty foolishness. I find your stand quite courageous and offer my full support. If there is anything I can do, please let me know. This cannot be the ultimate fate of an honest intellectual. Your friend, Bill Buttrey From: maria_m_tudor[at]yahoo.com To: cmcuria@cmglobal.org CC: mbudde@condor.depaul.edu, dholtsch@depaul.edu, president@depaul.edu, hepp@depaul.edu, jswiftcm@aol.com, nepcm1@cox.net, cmsouth@sbcglobal.net, cmwest@att.net, CMPHILA@WORLDNET.ATT.NET, normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: serious error of judgement at DePaul University Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 12:45:28 -0700 (PDT) August 30, 2007 Very Reverend G. Gregory Gay, C.M. Superior General, Congregation of the Mission Via dei Capasso, 30 00164 Rome, Italy email: cmcuria@cmglobal.org Dear Reverend Gay, I am writing to you, in your capacity as Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission, to bring to your attention a serious error of judgment that occurred at DePaul University, the most prestigious Vincentian university in the United States. On June 8, Reverend Holtschneider, president of DePaul University, has announced his decision to deny Professor Norman Finkelstein tenure. Further to the June 8th announcement, DePaul University has also announced on August 24th that it has cancelled all of Professor Finkelstein’s classes for the upcoming 2007 fall quarter, thus violating his contractual right to teach during his terminal year at the university. This chain of grave mistakes has serious consequences impacting academic freedom, the student body at DePaul University, the Palestinian struggle for a just end to the illegal Israeli occupation, and of course Professor Finkelstein himself. In the June 8th letter announcing the university’s decision to deny Professor Finkelstein tenure, Reverend Holtschneider outlines two main imputations against the Professor: 1) that there are “several concerns touching upon his scholarship, specifically …the intellectual character of his work and his persona as a public intellectual”; and 1) Reverend Holtschneider writes that there are “several concerns touching upon Profesor Finkelstein’s scholarship”, but no further explanation of these concerns is put forth. However, in the words of the same DePaul commission that recommended against tenure, Professor Finkelstein is a “nationally known scholar and public intellectual”. He has written extensively about the Israeli-Palestine conflict and has gained the praise of many renowned scholars irrespective of their political affiliations, such as the now late Raul Hilberg, Avi Shlaim, Alfred de Zayas., Noam Chomsky to name just a few. The decision to deny Professor Finkelstein tenure is the more puzzling and suspicious as the record shows an overwhelming support among the university faculty members. The Political Science Department voted 9-3 in favour of tenure, the College Personnel Committee voted 5-0 also in favour of tenure and the two external reviewers of Professor Finkelstein’s work were favourable. The overall voting result of 17:7 in favour of tenure serves as a clear testimony of the value his own colleagues attribute to Professor Finkelstein’s work. 2) If the quality of his research is held in such high regard, then one has to look elsewhere for the reason to deny him tenure. The second fault attributed to Professor Finkelstein is his “ad hominem attacks on scholars with whom” he “disagrees”. The American Association of University Professors has made it clear, both in their official guidelines as well as in one of the several letters they have written to DePaul University regarding this specific case, that only academic merit along with teaching and not collegiality should be part of the criteria for evaluating scholars. Furthermore, remaining faithful to the practice of making unsubstantiated accusations, Reverend Holtschneider offers no evidence of the “ad hominem attacks” attributed to Professor Finkelstein. One cannot doubt the fact that Professor Finkelstein’s expose of fraudulent works characterized by distortion of facts and authored by the likes of Alan Dershowitz, Daniel Goldhagen , and Joan Peters has hurt some rather large egos. However, serious concerns about academic freedom arise when extensive and meticulous research, driven by the same values embodied in DePaul’s mission statement - preserving, enriching, and transmitting knowledge, is distorted and labeled as “ad hominem attacks”. DePaul University has also made a conscious decision to deprive its students of one of its highest ranked teachers. Professor Holtschneider’s letter itself states that the commission found that “by all accounts, he [Professor Finkelstein] is an excellent teacher, popular with his students and effective in the classroom”. A quick perusal of his website reveals an impressive number of letters from his students stating that they have had transformative experiences in his classes, experiences that they feel will shape the course of their lives. These same students have been so deeply affected by their university’s decision to deny their most cherished professor tenure, that they have staged a series of protests prompting media coverage. Faced with the complete disregard of the administration, they held a several week long liquid fast during the summer and have formed a student organization dedicated to defending academic freedom on campus.. You can find more information about their initiatives and upcoming events on their website at www.academicfreedomchicago.org . Finally, Professor Finkelstein’s work has been a rare beacon of light for the long oppressed Palestinian people in their struggle to end the brutal and illegal Israeli occupation. His integrity and unwavering dedication despite vicious and despicable attacks to his person and family have been an example for people all over the world and have moved many to own up to their responsibility and contribute to this struggle for justice. By attempting to delegitimize his work, DePaul University is becoming an active participant in the crime of silencing the victim and thus negating the very core of its Catholicism and Vincentian heritage. The Congregation of the Mission at the United Nations lists the plight of the Palestinian people as one of the Vincentian global concerns. I trust that you are committed to upholding your values and beliefs throughout all of your establishments and not only as an official stance in front of the United Nations. Professor Finkelstein has announced his intention to defend the far-reaching principle of academic freedom and fight the erroneous actions taken by the university administration through whatever means available to him. He is committed to defy the university’s decision to cancel his classes by showing up on campus on September 5th . If stopped he will undertake nonviolent resistance and commit civil disobedience. If arrested he will begin an open-ended hunger strike. In a touching display of loyalty, respect and strong commitment to academic freedom, his students have vowed to remain by his side regardless of how difficult the road ahead might prove to be. Any university, but especially a Vincentian university should be proud of being the educator of young minds such as these. As Raul Hilberg has stated “it takes an enormous amount of academic courage to speak the truth when no one else is out there to support him” and “his [Professor Finkelstein's] place in the whole history of writing history is assured”. The question remains what role will DePaul University - and implicitly the Congregation of the Mission and the Catholic Church - play in the history of academic freedom and the history of the human rights struggle? There is still time to correct the injustice, restore the university to its true Vincentian values, provide its student body with an “excellent teacher, …effective in the classroom”, defend academic freedom and promote honest and critical research of the Israeli-Palestine conflict, and last but not least give a “nationally known scholar and public intellectual” the bare minimum of what he deserves – immediate reversal of the decision to cancel his classes during the upcoming 2007 fall quarter and affording him the opportunity to appeal the adverse tenure decision. Father Gay, I trust that as the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission, you will take immediate action to correct the failure of the DePaul University administration to uphold the values of its own mission statement, guaranteeing “academic freedom…both as an integral part of the university’s scholarly and religious heritage, and as an essential condition of effective inquiry and instruction” as well as ” ennobling the God-given dignity of each person”. Respectfully, Maria Tudor P.S. As a final closing point, I would like to include a relevant quote from a letter the American Association of University Professors sent to Reverend Holtschneider on August 20th (the full text can be found on Professor Finkelstein’s website at www.normanfinkelstein.com ): “A final decision by the president about the merits of a candidacy for tenure does not appear to us to shield that decision from the “Appeal Procedure for Nonrenewal of Nontenured and Tenure-Track Faculty” that is set forth in the “Separation” section of the handbook. Its provisions, as I observed in my previous letter, track AAUP-recommended standards, which are intended to afford opportunity for appeals of adverse tenure decisions—a particular category of “Nonrenewal of Tenure-Track Faculty.” Again, in the view of the president of DePaul’s Faculty Council (and her fellow Council members), “the handbook guarantees certain rights for faculty members who have received adverse decisions in the retention, tenure, and promotion processes. One of these is the right to a review by an independent faculty body. This is clearly described in the handbook’s chapter on separation.” Affording a faculty member opportunity for appeal of an adverse tenure decision would not appear to preclude the president from making the final decision after the appeal has been heard. From: benjamin.geer[at]gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: please consider teaching outside the US Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:27:14 +0300 Dear Prof. Finkelstein, I strongly support your intellectual stand, I’m indignant that DePaul doesn’t, and I’m concerned that you intend to continue what may be a futile battle with them, at a time when you can do more good by continuing to teach and write. Have you considered teaching at another university, perhaps outside the US? Surely there are good universities that would be delighted to have you. It seems to me that your active presence on the academic scene is much more important than your conflict with DePaul. Best wishes, Benjamin Geer MA student, Middle East Studies SOAS, University of London United Kingdom Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:25:49 -0500 From: paschke[at]math.ku.edu Subject: bad publicity To: president@depaul.edu, hepp@depaul.edu, csuchar@depaul.edu Cc: normangf[at]hotmail.edu, mlarudee[at]depaul.edu Gentlemen: DePaul’s actions in the cases of Professors Norman Finkelstein and Mehrene Larudee severely test the maxim that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Professor Larudee’s dossier was apparently in fine shape when it reached DePaul’s UBPT. One gathers that the sole reason for her misfortune was her public support for Professor Finkelstein. She became, so to speak, collateral damage, which happens often in war zones but rarely at institutions of higher learning. Should not such an unusual and distasteful result prompt a fresh hearing? It seems that Professor Finkelstein has gotten the axe for writing books that displeased the energetically mischievous Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard, a legal scholar with no particular credibility as a historian or a political scientist. Notwithstanding his lack of relevant expertise, Professor Dershowitz was somehow able to insert himself, by sheer force of will, massively into DePaul’s personnel process. This is not the way these things are supposed to work. At my institution, and I imagine at most other civilized places, there are strict rules of evidence that apply in faculty personnel transactions. A file is created, all discussion of the case is based on this record, and everyone involved is aware (at an appropriate level of detail) of what is in the file. Furthermore, we have a sort of midterm review for probationary faculty that aims to detect problems a few years before the actual tenure decision. Surely your system embodies similar guarantees of fundamental fairness. If so, I don’t understand how input from rampaging outsiders could play as large a role as it seems to have in Professor Finkelstein’s case. On top of this, we now have the funny business with the cancellation of Professor Finkelstein’s course, and his eviction from his office. It is all most unsavory. Professors Finkelstein and Larudee have gotten a raw deal. There should be a do-over for each. Yours truly, William L. Paschke Professor of Mathematics University of Kansas Dear Professor, A note from a colleague on the west end of this country, southern California. I sympathize with you for having to endure the bogus tenure process at DePaul. Our universities are the lap dogs of the few who find them convenient places to give community service. Unfortunately, administrators (I’ve been one for most of my academic life) pay homage to their dollars and their attitudinal needs. It’s the inevitable decay of academia in the US. I’ve been at odds with Alan; he used one of my articles to make his case in “The Case for Israel.” Chapter nine. I wrote a rebuttal to that in Counterpunch, Oct. 14, 2004. Amazing how he conveniently overlooks evidence. Strange habit for a lawyer. I just listened to Dylan Thomas read “Do Not Go Gently into that Dark Night” on PBS. Indeed, Professor, do not go gently into that dark night. Peace, Bill Reverend Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M. Dr. Helmut Epp Dr. Charles Suchar Sirs: I wish to add my voice to the opposition that has mounted against your denial of tenure to Dr. inkelstein. I am confident that the only lasting damage of your decision will be to your university’s reputation, not to Dr. Finkelstein, whose scholarship and teaching may be controversial, but also meet the highest standards of academic inquiry. As a Professor of Rhetoric, I am particularly concerned that the reasons given for denying Dr. Finkelstein tenure are based on rhetorical principles of argument ascribed to the Vincentian Order, ad hominem fallacy and “faulty” appeals to ethos and pathos. Dr. Finkelstein’s work employs the rhetoric of academic argument, a rhetoric almost exclusively reliant on logos, that is, argument that seeks truth from reasonable deduction through examination of evidence, inquiry into oppositional claims, and adherence to disciplinary standards. Academic work typical of the social sciences, as well as the humanities, is expected to make truth claims about social and human issues which are, by their very nature, debatable. Dr. Finkelstein’s work does not seek to shut down further inquiry, but to provoke it. Academic standards of social inquiry can not and must not take into account whether some information uncovered might hurt someone’s feelings or cause a reader to lose respect for a person. Critiquing a living person’s actions is acceptable and required in certain genres of academic argument. To construe a critique of a living person’s actions to be an ad hominem fallacy reflects a misunderstanding of that rhetorical category. Ad hominem, by definition, does not link criticism with evidence about what one has done, as is the case in Dr. Finkelstein’s scholarship; rather, it seeks to create an unfavorable impression of a person by ascribing to that person characteristics that cannot be supported by evidence, for example, the claim that someone is evil, uncivilized, inhuman, etc. In essence, it appears to me, as a rhetorician, that under the cover of supposed Vincentian rhetorical standards, DePaul’s administration is overturning the rhetorical standards of academic argument. Sirs, please do not take my criticism as an ad hominem attack. My analysis of the reasoning behind your actions is based in the academic knowledge of my field. Dr. M.J. Braun Professor of Rhetoric Department of English and Foreign Languages University of West Florida From: “Steve Kay” redex99@gmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Norman Finklestein Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 15:40:57 -0400 Norman; I am Russian jew living in Israel. You look like man who want suicide, you want destroy israel, maybe you never have hate against you. If you are Russian jew, you understand why have Israel. Every person hate us, and even rich jew like you. FUCK YOU AND SHUT MOUTH From: Iranconsulting@aol.com To: csuchar@depaul.edu CC: NormanGF[at]hotmail.com Subject: (no subject) Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 10:29:09 EDT Hi Chuck, I read your letter to Finkelstein. I am very impressed. You are what, six or5 seven and already a university prof. Keep up the good work. Are you planning to stick your tong out to Finkelstein next time you see him? You should. You must live up to your reputation world wide. FM From: gerald_virieux[at]hotmail.com To: normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Support message: I disapprove De Paul’s decision Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:54:35 +0200 Dear Professor Finkelstein, I am a lawyer in Switzerland and learned about De Paul University’s decision to relieve you from your teaching responsibilities. I am outraged at so much cowardice on the part of such a reputable institution whose concern should be not to gag academic freedom and freedom of speech but to foster it. I was an exchange student in the U.S. some twenty years ago and have nurtured a profound admiration and respect ever since for this country’s most valuable institution: freedom of speech. Sadly enough, I have the feeling that freedom of speech in the U.S. is in ever great danger lately. I wish to let you know that you can count on my support in your fight for your right to speak your mind and not be penalized as a result of your doing so. Kind regards Gerald Virieux From: syzygy12[at]new.co.za To: president[at]depaul.edu CC: info[at]academicfreedomchicago.org, normangf[at]hotmail.com Subject: Academic freedom Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:23:35 +0200 Sir, It is difficult for me, as a physician with a double specialty in neurology and pathology to comprehend the utterly u | ||