At Huffpo, Alan Dershowitz says of Sheldon Adelson: “His generosity has helped repair the world.” That’s the first time I’ve heard the Jewish concept of social justice, Tikkun Olam, invoked to describe the work of a casino mogul who is being investigated for ties to Chinese organized crime and illegal prostitution….
Dershowitz is attacking the National Jewish Democratic Council for trying to get Romney to give back money Sheldon Adelson is giving him. The NJDC is obviously trying to save Obama’s brand as a pro-Israel candidate by painting Adelson as outside the pale.
But Dershowitz doesn’t want Adelson politicized. He is trying to keep the Israel lobby unified and nonpartisan. He says that Adelson is beloved by Democratic Party Jews. This is his way of pushing Obama right on Israel. Dershowitz seems to want the Jewish vote to divide between parties, so that Obama feels rightwing pressure the whole campaign. I predict Dershowitz will win this battle. The casino mogul who believes that Palestinians are an “invented people” will not become politicized in this campaign; Obama will be afraid to alienate Adelson’s neocon crowd, which bleeds right into the Jewish donor crowd. That’s why Dershowitz gets access to the White House even after he called Obama “Neville Chamberlain.”
Until the Jewish community splits forcefully and openly, the political Establishment is going to continue to defer to the lobby, the right wing Jewish organizations (one lesson of the Presbyterian vote this week, when J Street and Peace Now kept the monolith a monolith and the Presbyterians deferred). Dersh on Adelson:
I know Sheldon Adelson and I have worked with him on several matters relating to Israel and the Jewish community. I have spoken on behalf of the wonderful school he has built in Las Vegas. And have had the pleasure of teaching one of the brilliant graduates of that school. Adelson was deeply involved in the creation of the Birthright Israel Program, which has had extraordinary success in exposing young Jews to Israel. It’s hard to find anyone who has done as much for the Jewish community as Sheldon Adelson…. His generosity has helped repair the world.
I am a Democrat and do not agree with many of Adelson’s political views, but I think it’s outrageous for the National Jewish Democratic Council to level unfounded allegations against Adelson. They do not speak for me, and for the many other Jews who admire Adelson’s contributions to the world, to America, to Israel and to the Jewish community. I don’t know who Harris purports to speak for as President of the National Jewish Democratic Council, but his partisan gamesmanship is an embarrassment to many Jewish Democrats. The attack comes with particular ill grace from a Jewish organization, considering all that Adelson has done for Jewish causes, and considering the fact that there is nothing uniquely “Jewish” about the questionable allegations against him.
Moreover, the demand that Mitt Romney return Adelson’s contributions is absurd.
If the current state of affairs is his idea of fixing it, I’d hate to see what Broken looks like.
This is a great, illustrative example of the weird mindset cats like the Dersh have – Adelson has “helped to repair the world” by doing one thing, and one thing only, he’s “helped” Jews. That’s what the Dersh means – by “doing for” any jewish community, you’re healing the entire world. This is what blatant ethnic/religious supremacy in the language of universalism looks like. It reminds me of a brief video clip I once saw of the Lubavitcher rebbe – where someone asks what they can do back home in Russia to make it a better place and the rebbe says, “love Jews.” Its the sole criteria for being a good person in these circles.
He is the clearest exapmle where all values and morality stop at the water’s edge bordering Zionism.
“The attack comes with particular ill grace from a Jewish organization, considering all that Adelson has done for Jewish causes, and considering the fact that there is nothing uniquely “Jewish” about the questionable allegations against him…”
The tail end of the sentence is a bit murky. Apparently, a Jewish organization shouldn’t criticize a Jew unless there is something uniquely Jewish about the offense. It would follow, for example, that it wouldn’t be on for any Jewish organization to criticize Bernie Madoff.
Anyway, good to see Dershowitz marginalizing himself. Two-thirds of all Jews are Obama supporters, and I imagine some portion of that group chose to see Dershowitz as having some kind of authority. If he reinvents himself as a Republican shill, there goes most of what I imagine to be Dershowitz’s fan base.
I just want to take a moment to thank the chosen for helping to repair the world, your track record is commendable and enviable and should serve as an example for the rest of the tribes of the world. It is unfathomable how you get such a bad rap, you almost never meddle in the affairs of the nations and when you do it is only for the betterment of those nations.
thanks mr dershowitz et al.