The Tony Kushner moment is huge because it is transitional; Kushner the change-agent will allow many middle-of-the-road disquieted secular liberal American Jews who never really signed up for Zionism per se and probably have never been to Israel to discover that their community has been captured by a messianic ideology. Because two large values inside that community that were held to be compatible, indeed that Louis Brandeis said were compatible when he converted to Zionism 100 years ago– support for Israel and American Jewish prestige– were shown to be incompatible. The community chose Israel, and corrupted an American institution/conferrer of prestige.
Jewish Voice for Peace says it has collected 5000 signatures on a petition to give Tony Kushner his honorary degree.
The petition will be delivered to the Board of Trustees at their Monday meeting to reconsider the overturning of Kushner’s honorary degree.
Naomi Klein, author: “It is an ill-kept secret that at far too many academic and cultural institutions, critics of Israel find themselves on an invisible blacklist. With this shameful incident, the blacklist has been made momentarily visible. But it is not enough to simply give Tony Kushner the honor he so richly deserves. All the quiet and invisible blacklisting has to stop, replaced with a free and open debate about Israeli policies.”
Eve Ensler, playwright: My hope is that this attempted censoring and dishonoring of one of our great playwright may be a call to the end of blacklisting and muting of voices who have differing views on the policies of Israel. That it may be the moment that opens dialogue and discourse without shaming, bullying or anti-Semitic accusations.
Naomi Klein by the way is speaking at our Goldstone event on May 19th. Please come.
