Monthly Archives: March 2011

In Praise of Altruism: The Antidote to a Morally Bankrupt Ethnocentrism

Posted on 24/03/2011 by Antony Lerman

This piece is cross-posted from Eretz Acheret where it was published today. It’s been fashionable in recent decades to be sniffy about altruism. Self-interest, we are told, is the most important instinct that leads to action in support of people … Continue reading →

Posted in British Jews | Leave a comment

Israel’s Cynical Exploitation of the Murder of Jewish Settlers in Itamar on the West Bank

Posted on 22/03/2011 by Antony Lerman

The horrific murder of three children and their parents in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Itamar on 11 March was a shocking and sickening event. Even in a long-running conflict which has seen the bloodiest of murders and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | Leave a comment

Shami Chakrabarti’s Comments on Antisemitism Distorted in Jewish Chronicle Headline

Posted on 19/03/2011 by Antony Lerman

I greatly admire Shami Chakrabarti, the head of Liberty. Britain would have been a much more repressive society without her having taken such strong, consistent and brave stands on justice, freedom of expression and civil and human rights generally over … Continue reading →

Posted in Antisemitism | Leave a comment

Israel Doesn’t Reciprocate Devotion of Diaspora Jews

Posted on 18/03/2011 by Antony Lerman

This piece is cross-posted from Eretz Acheret, where it was published today. Clear signs of changing attitudes towards Israel among British Jews have been emerging in recent years. And yet old thinking dies hard. Whereas a very significant proportion of … Continue reading →

Posted in British Jews | Leave a comment

Pro-Israel Jewish Organizations Are Likely to Have a Negative Impact on the Object of Their Affection

Posted on 18/03/2011 by Antony Lerman

Apart from running down the battery on my BlackBerry at a phenomenal rate, the Twitter feed I activated recently does have its positive side. Tweets about breaking developments in Egypt and Libya gave me a sense of immediate and uncanny … Continue reading →

Posted in British Jews | 2 Comments

Libya: Arab League Supports No-Fly Zone. Now What About Egyptian Military Help for the Rebels?

Posted on 13/03/2011 by Antony Lerman

On 23 February I doubted whether the West would agree to intervene militarily in the Libyan crisis. It still looks that way and there are good reasons why the West shouldn’t. But the discussion about outside help for the rebels … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | Leave a comment

Changing Jewish Perceptions of the Arabs and the Holocaust

Posted on 11/03/2011 by Antony Lerman

This piece is cross-posted from Eretz Acheret where it was published on 10 March 2011. Spring is unfolding slowly this March. When I ventured out late last Thursday evening (3 March) to attend a session at the huge annual literary … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe | Leave a comment

Celebrity Antisemitism Teaches Us Very Little About the Reality of Prejudice

Posted on 10/03/2011 by Antony Lerman

The piece is cross-posted from openDemocracy where it was published on 10 March 2011 The outbursts of alleged antisemitic sentiment by John Galliano, Charlie Sheen and Julian Assange have been roundly condemned. It shows that there is still widespread sensitivity to the public … Continue reading →

Posted in Antisemitism | Leave a comment

Is Galliano’s Antisemitism the Height of Fashion?

Posted on 07/03/2011 by Antony Lerman

This piece is cross-posted from Eretz Acheret where it was published on 3 March 2011 The flamboyant, bandana-wearing haute couture dress designer John Galliano can be seen abusing two women with antisemitic insults in a Paris bar in October last … Continue reading →

Posted in Antisemitism | Leave a comment