A read through the lecture program reveals that the central line of the conference will be that the Jews lived wonderful lives under Muslim rule, until the Zionists came along, snatched them from their Muslim health resort, and enslaved them in Israel. I may be selling some of the participants short; perhaps someone there will have something of value to say. It's been known to happen on occasion – even in the academe.
The thing is, the main guest from Israel, the great expert on the history of the Jews under Muslim rule, who is also a great expert on the situation of the Arab Jews under the rule of the Zionists, who is also the great expert on the situation of the Muslims under Jewish rule, is – hold on to your hats – Gideon Levy.
Iraqi Jews make way to Israel
For the most part, Jews lived under Muslim rule as subjects of inferior status. Now and then there were periods, during a part of the Golden Age for example, in which Jews were generally accepted in society and Jewish religious, cultural, and economic life flourished.
When the Christians expelled the Jews from Spain, the Ottoman sultan was the one who invited them to settle in his empire. The colonial era saw another period of flourishing Jewish life under Muslim rule. These periods, however, were the exception.
Some academics have managed to turn the tables. They glorify the periods of coexistence. They hide the pogroms, the decrees, the abuse and the oppression. And they certainly hide the Jewish Nakba. The Jews didn't suffer from abuse and oppression because of Zionism. To the contrary. They became Zionists because of the abuse and oppression. But manipulating the facts will triumph once again – under the patronage of Gideon Levy and so-called academic freedom.
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More about Gideon Levy
We truly in an Orwellian world. In regard to Levy, several years ago I read in the english edition of haaretz an article by Levy about a free concert given in Tel Aviv at the Park haYarkon or the Ganei haTa`arukhah, a classical music concert. Levy told his readers with a smug satisfaction that out of the several tens of thousands of concert-goers, none were Mizrahim or Sefardim.
ReplyDeleteThis crazy claim by Levy was made in a Haaretz issue published in June 2009 or 2010, during Hebrew Book Week when Haaretz was giving out free copies [of course I don't buy it]. If someone would like to look it up that would be good. But I just don't have time.
How can a conference be organized to feature a so-called expert on "Jews in Muslim Lands" when that expert has not lived abroad in a Muslim land? Was it so hard to find a person who is better qualified? Or perhaps the hidden agenda is to spew more venom against Israel as Gideon Levy is known for doing? Let's put him in charge of the insane asylum next? Or perhaps he can be president of Palestine... a job better suited to his predisposition?
ReplyDeleteEliyahu and Anon
ReplyDeleteOdd isn't it how Levy can claim to speak for Jews from Arab lands and at the same time has utter contempt for their lack of (western) culture.
The arrogance is extraordinary, his and of those who invited him. But the fact that this conference pretending to be academic invites him is a stain on Norwegian academia.
ReplyDeleteMy first comment above was meant to start:
ReplyDeleteWe truly LIVE in an Orwellian world . . .
Because the name Levy is so common among Sephardic Jews and also because of his dark skin color, Gideon Levy has often been mistaken for a Moroccan Jew, particularly by Palestiians. (When, like the other Haaretz fossils, he is in fact of German descent). Well, maybe he sees an opportunity there for a new niche and he no longer denies it.
ReplyDeleteWe have seen that happen with that geographer from Ben Gurion University Oren Yiftachel who let every think he is Mizrahi when in fact his family were among the German founders of a kibbutz in the North and used his membership in the Keshet Hamizrahit for his family's interests.
And not to forget Shimon Peres whom everybody in Morocco thought of Moroccan descent because Peres is a very common Jewish name in Morocco (when in fact his real name was Peresky or Persky) and was not only invited by Hassan II for peace talks but became, with King Carlos of Spain and Hassan II of Morocco, a founder of the Three Cultures Forum in 1998. Juan Carlos was representing the Spanish culture, Hassan II the Moorish culture, but whose culture was Peres representing?
Trust me, Gideon Levy like all the others, is in it to further his well known agenda and for no other reason.
Oh! He did have a short-lived romance with a Moroccan girl from Dimona once upon the time. Maybe that qualifies him as well.
excuse my telegraphic style but that news didn't put me in the best of moods.
ReplyDelete