On Sunday, the last day of his 81st year, Noam Chomsky gave a speech on Gaza in Watertown, Mass., at the behest of Newton Dialogues on Peace and War. They raised alot of money for the Gaza Freedom March. I heard a rumor that the original venue for the speech, Eliot Church in Newton, had dropped the speech under pressure, saying that the speech was "controversial" and had not gone through the appropriate processes for church events. I emailed Newton Dialogues. Dave Ascher responded. If you read between the lines of his response below, it is clear that the Eliot Church came under pressure because of the political nature of the Chomsky speech.
As you read this, remember one thing: This suppression of free speech took place in the heart of abolitionist territory. 150 years ago, Boston-area churches helped lead the movement that forced politicians to come out against slavery. Those churches asserted that All [Americans] are created equal. That same principle is being defiled by scared Bostonians today. Why? Because of the Israel lobby, because of the construction of Jewish identity around Israel, because of fears of persecution that have caused an empowered group to overlook the persecution of others. Dave Ascher:
I have been asked to reply to your inquiry about the Chomsky/Gaza fundraiser that our group, Newton Dialogues on Peace and War, had planned to have in Newton this past Sunday. As an active member of the group, I have been one of the central figures involved in organizing the event and have been privy to virtually all the emails and phone conversations that went on involving the change of venue.
I can confirm that the venue was indeed changed and on fairly short notice. At the new venue we had a turnout of about 200 people, which was considerably more than the capacity of the new space and the event raised significantly more money for the Gaza Freedom March than we’d anticipated.
The change of venue was due in large part to a failure on our part, as the sponsors of the event, to communicate and coordinate our plans well enough with the original venue. This might not have been a reason for cancellation in itself, but there was also a set of circumstances (pastor on vacation, short notice, Thanksgiving holiday) that conspired to make things difficult to straighten out.
We have heard that the church received phone calls after our notices were sent out. We do not really know the substance of those calls nor whether they came from nervous parishioners who recalled the hysteria in Newton when Chomsky came to speak to a club at one of the high schools or from people who wanted to alert the relatively-inexperienced assistant pastor of the possibility of this event being different from the used book sale to raise money for the homeless or from people in the community who have attempted to disrupt other events in Newton over the past several years that included speakers who are critical of the Government of Israel’s actions toward the Palestinians and its neighbors (like Lebanon).
After a lot of last minute phone calls and emails a venue was located at a church in neighboring Watertown, about 1-1/2 miles from the original venue. We were told that there were demonstrators from "The David Project" outside the church on Sunday morning, protesting the event, but nobody showed up in the evening to disrupt or demonstrate and all went smoothly.
We plan to re-schedule Chomsky to speak at the original venue, in the City of Newton, about Israel’s actions and policies toward the Palestinians as soon as we can arrange it after the New Year.
Makes you wonder if Chomsky notices the correlation of this type of pro-Israeli pressure against his speeches vis-a-vis the oil companies he talks about.
You mean it isn’t the oil companies and high-tech companies that are behind this???
;-)
I find it interesting that it depends on what the position is, that draws the ire of the Lobby. During the conversation with some of these venues I have heard that the subject of not only “antisemitism” comes up, but the threat of the loss of the 501C3 tax exempt status – using the “church” for the purposes of “hate speech” (that is, calling Israel on its genocidal process against the Palestinians, and how our tax dollars are used to support this murderous activity).
It is interesting on the flip side, that if you have a meeting which supports the continued illegal and immoral expansion for settlements in Israel and supports the “war on terror,” by calling for the bombing of Iran, that you can have massive national meetings and even elected officials show up to support the process even in public venues.
HOLY JOE, SATANIC MUSLIMS, AND THE ESCHATOLOGY OF DEATH
So pathetic that the I lobby continues to be successful at shutting down the debate. Too bad the church did not stand up to this negative force.
I believe this does Israel far more harm in the long run
Since when did the Church stand up to anything regarding I/P? All they do is grovel.
Which Church? To be fair. Unless you mean in the general sense.
Not that I disagree with you. While I can attest to some very well informed, dedicated and outspoken individuals in the Catholic church… the leaders of the church as a whole (the fathers, if you will, and the male-dominated term still applies, sadly) on the whole display no such commitment.
In the general sense, Church with a big C. Rare individuals don’t have any weight. It’s Church doctrine dictated from on high that counts.
Sensa, let me just say that essentially you are right, from a historical sense and currently.
Local congregations of the American Friends and Unitarians have made some very bold statements. In fact, if I recall correctly, an AF group in SF was recently denounced for its antisemitism because of its programs in support of Palestinians.
RE: “an AF group in SF was recently denounced for its antisemitism because of its programs in support of Palestinians…” – sylvanen
SEE: “KORET FOUNDATION FLAYS SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL OVER CORRIE DOCUMENTARY”, By Richard Silverstein, 07/22/09
(excerpt)…Now, it’s appropriate to examine Koret’s hysterical attack on the screening and those who orchestrated it. I quote the statement in full because the rhetoric is quite instructive:
…* It is partnering with Jewish Voice for Peace and the American Friends Service Committee, two virulently anti-Israel, anti-Semitic groups that support boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel. Both are closely associated with the International Solidarity Movement and other groups that aid and abet terror against the Jewish State. These groups cross the line for inclusion in the Jewish community….
SOURCE – link to richardsilverstein.com
ALSO SEE – link to mondoweiss.net
Sadly, both in the US and Canada and in most of the European countries – the term “freedom of speech” is reserved for the pro-Israel groups. For them the criticism of Israeli policies and Zionism is nothing less than anti-Semitism or Jew-hating. Canadian Jew professor Yakov M. Rabkinnis (University on Montreal) summed it up: “To fight anti-Semitism, it’s crucial to dissociate Jews and Judaism from the state of Israel and its behaviour. Our parliamentarians should affirm the right of all Canadians to criticize Israel like any other country in the world without the fear of being labelled ‘anti-Semitic’. This would be a sure way to rid Canada of the scourge of anti-Semitism, new and old…..”
Canadian “vassals of Israel”
link to rehmat1.wordpress.com
How many organizations have caved to the pressure. Are they unaware that there is a shift going on. Get on the bus. Israel will be better off for it