Out of tribal identification, I am secretly if unbenownst to him grooming young journalist Josh Nathan-Kazis to take over this blog. Here he attacks Birthright on the Jewish site New Voices, saying if you take the trip, you're giving support to Sheldon Adelson and Adelson is supporting Netanyahu, who is on "the wrong side of history." Don't know if I entirely agree--me, I'd take the free trip if I was young on my theory that you're only young once and the camels are pretty over there. I suggest that Nathan-Kazis attack the anti-Arab brainwashing that takes place on these trips. As John Mearsheimer once said to me, "You're going for the capillary, Phil, go for the jugular!"
Fat's in the fire: JTA has now picked up Nathan-Kazis's piece and questioned his claim that Birthright is "propagandistic." I'll hide you, man!
I can't help but think adelson is flat broke by now. can anyone confirm this?
He lost an approximated $10 billion in October, after shares in his Las Vegas Sands (LVS) corporation fell by 80% since the beginning of that month, according to an assessment made by "Forbes" magazine.
This is very informative–I wonder how the economic downturn will effect fundraising. In any event, the replies under Nathan's original piece seem to me to be beside the point. It doesn't matter what Adelson's politics are. There's no "neutral" trips of this nature. It doesn't matter what the kids are told about Israel. What are they told about the Palestinians? In the absence of anything substantial about them, that's propaganda enough. Beyond the food on El Al, what criticism of Israel would they be exposed to? That's propaganda enough. A trip to Yad Vashem? That's propaganda enough. By the way, a couple of local high schoolers came back from this sort of trip and told some of their classmates that they couldn't wait to go back and "kill Arabs." Somehow, the message of even minimal tolerance wasn't getting through.
I raise my glass to Mr. Nathan-Kazis. Straight-backed moral courage is always a pleasure to see.