Do they think we’re stupid?
Do they think they can single out only one country in the world for an artistic boycott and get away with it?
Maybe they’ve concluded that when that country is the Jewish state, they can never get in trouble.
And maybe they’re right.
How else to explain the idiotic temper tantrum masquerading as a pledge signed by more than 5,000 literary figures “to stop engaging with the Israeli state and with complicit Israeli institutions?”
Evidently, Israel’s big sin was its reaction to having 1200 Israelis being butchered by Hamas on Oct. 7. Evidently, Israel’s effort to eliminate those Hamas terrorists who hide under hospitals, schools and homes in Gaza has merited the artistic equivalent of capital punishment.
Put aside the obvious absurdity of literary folks who thrive on freedom of expression initiating any action that would hinder that expression.
Look only at the sheer hypocrisy of ignoring all the humanitarian disasters and war crimes happening around the world to focus only on one story: Israel’s defensive war in Gaza. If that’s not antisemitic discrimination, nothing is.
Thankfully, the sanity wing of humanity is fighting back. The attack from the 5,000 signatories seems to have been the tipping point.
An initiative by the Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) has gathered more than 1000 leaders from the literary and entertainment industry to sign an open letter in support of freedom of expression and against discriminatory boycotts.
The letter comes in response to “continued efforts to boycott, harass, and scapegoat Jewish and Israeli authors and literary institutions,” according to CCFP’s release.
“Over the past year,” the release added, “planned bookstore appearances by Jewish authors have been canceled, ads for books about Israel have been rejected, book readings have been shut down, literary groups have been targeted, and activists have publicized lists of ‘Zionist’ authors to harass.”
The growing list of signatories who are pushing back includes names like Howard Jacobson, Mayim Bialik, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Yossi Klein Halevi, Dara Horn, David Mamet, Douglas Murray, Bret Stephens, Haim Saban, Debra Messing, Scooter Braun, Aayan Hirsi Ali and many others.
“Art is the antithesis to a political party,” Jacobson said. “It is a meeting place not an echo chamber. Art explores, discovers, differs, questions and surprises. Precisely where a door should be forever open, the boycotters slam it closed.”
Bernard-Henri Lévy said: “I have always believed in the power of ideas and truth. I have always been in favor of debate, clash of opinions, even the confrontation of convictions. But what we have here is not a clash of opinions or a debate. Boycotting Israeli writers, publishers and festivals is pure anti-Semitism – and it’s anti-democratic and dangerous.”
Mayim Bialik said: “Harassing authors, canceling bookstore appearances, and boycotting people based solely on their identity is disturbing and polarizing in ways that cannot be dismissed or minimized. Attempts to dictate ‘who’ or ‘what’ should be published have nothing to do with any path to coexistence or peace.”
I wonder if any of these sane and self-evident observations will have an impact on any of the 5,000 signatories who seem obsessed with Jews and Israel. I can understand how that obsession can blind the hysterical anti-Israel activists on college campuses. But these are plain old activists, not authors and publishers and agents whose whole lives revolve around the freedom of artistic expression.
When these so-called literary lights check that freedom at the door only for the Jews, they either think we’re stupid or they simply hate Jews so much they don’t care how stupid they will look.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.