I'm about to do a dialogue with David Zellnik, the playwright, about our favorite character, Theodor Herzl. I read Herzl night and day. I adore him and identify with him. He was grand, ambitious, literary and honest with his readers. He wrote in his diaries on June 10, 1896 (the 5-volume edition of 1960):
Incidentally, when peace is concluded we [the Jews] shall already have a say as money-givers and achieve advantages of recognition through diplomatic channels.
The significance of this statement is that Herzl was devoted to the idea of baksheesh in politics, as you would be if you represented a tiny minority that had economic power, and he anticipated by 20 years the Balfour Declaration, the British commitment to a Jewish homeland in Palestine issued during World War I. Three years ago, I heard Marty Peretz and Niall Ferguson, at the Center for Jewish History, deny a questioner's suggestion that the Balfour Declaration flowed from this sort of influence. And Peretz would do that; for the question gets at the essential character of the Israel lobby as an exercise in anti-democratic bribery. But there is actually a strong basis in the historical record for arguing that Jewish economic power played a role in the British decision. And Herzl underlines that. As I say, his entire unflagging enterprise, built on access-journalism and fundraising and court-Jews, underscores this; and yet I would have supported him then, as an imaginative response to the scourge of anti-Semitism. (But I'll be getting to this in my dialogue with Zellnik.)
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Styles change and today, none of the world's thousands of Dreyfusses are Jews, except maybe Shalit..
And he's a POW. No doubt when Israel stops its war on the Palestinians, he or his carcass will be returned.
If you have not read Amos Elon's biography of Herzl, you should. It is excellent.
RE: " I heard Marty Peretz and Niall Ferguson, at the Center for Jewish History…" MY COMMENT: I keep telling you Phil, thats Marty "Macho Man" Peretz! Please show the man the respect he is due.
This article insinuates that there are conspiracies involving Jewish money. Why should we pay for some foreigner to tell us our rights?
Balfour issued his sodding declaration because he believed Russian Jews would keep Russia in the war. You have to remember, the British ruling class were tight in viewing the Bolshie horde as a Jewish-led horde. One book that makes this clear is 'Churchill and the Jews' by Martin Gilbert. Balfour when he was PM tried to pass the Aliens act to limit Jewish immigration (Churchill opposed the act). Wonder if Peretz likes to admit this?
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