Au Revoir, Helen Thomas
by John Weckerle
By now, most of the furor over Helen Thomas’s recent comments on the State of Israel has died down. We’ve reviewed the video and also the transcript of the conversation – which, as is often the case, contains more than the video. The transcript is as follows:
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Any advice for these young people over here for starting out in the press corps?
HELEN THOMAS: Go for it. You’ll never be unhappy. You’ll always keep people informed. And you’ll always keep learning. The greatest thing of the profession is never stop learning.
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Today they’re covering the Jewish Heritage Month. Any—
HELEN THOMAS: Are they going to meet the President?
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Yeah, and any comments on Israel? We’re asking everybody today. Any comments on Israel?
HELEN THOMAS: Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Ooh, any better comments than that?
UNIDENTIFIED: Helen is blunt.
HELEN THOMAS: Remember, these people are occupied, and it’s their land. It’s not Germany, and it’s not Poland.
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: So where should they go? What should they do?
HELEN THOMAS: They could go home.
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Where is their home?
HELEN THOMAS: Poland, Germany—
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: So the Jews—you’re saying Jews should go back to Poland and Germany?
HELEN THOMAS: —and America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries? See?
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: Now, are you familiar with the history of that region and what took place?
HELEN THOMAS: Very much. I’m of Arab background.
RABBI DAVID NESENOFF: I see.
Leaving aside for now the appropriateness (or lack thereof) of Ms. Thomas’s comments, there are one or two ancillary issues we wish to examine.
First, let’s take a look at charges of anti-Semitism, leveled both nationally and locally by our friends at Gadabout-Blogalot.com (here). We’d like to call everyone’s attention to Webster’s definition of anti-Semitism: “hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group.” Most authorities on the subject seem to follow a similar, if somewhat more detailed, definition. (Technically, the term “anti-Semitism” is rather incorrect, as both Hebrew and Arab ethnic groups are Semites.) In recent years, however, there has been a new fashion among some commentators: that criticism of the modern state of Israel also amounts to anti-Semitism. This is an “evolution” of the term that we do not accept. Israel is not synonymous with Judaism; the former is a nation, and the latter is a worldwide religion. Criticism of any state and/or its actions (including, quite pointedly, our own) is an activity not only in which we Americans involve ourselves deeply, but of which we are proud. We do not accept that any particular nation should be exempt, nor do we acknowledge the substitution of “Israel” for “Judaism” or “Jews.”
Ms. Thomas’s proposal that the Jews in Israel go “back home” was both inflammatory and unrealistic, to be sure. She did not, however, criticize Judaism as a faith or Jews as a people. Rather, her focus was on the displacement of the Palestineans, in no small part by European immigrants, as a result of the formation of the State of Israel. To that extent, her remarks were not anti-Semitic, but perhaps more correctly anti-Israel or anti-Zionist. There is at least one very important thought that was not reported widely and that was edited out of the You Tube video most people have seen. Ms. Thomas may or may not be an anti-Semite – we honestly don’t know – but her remarks as quoted fall short of the mark in that regard.
The second issue we’d like to examine is the increasing intolerance of gaffes. Ms. Thomas certainly did not show good sense in delivering remarks such as these, especially under the circumstances. Regardless of any perception of validity (or lack thereof) that our readers may have, as a member of the White House press corps attending a White House function celebrating Jewish heritage, speaking in this manner was a serious breach of professionalism. Write it in an article, put it in a book, say it on Larry King, or whatever – but spouting off so bluntly at such a function is just not appropriate. Regardless, we find ourselves continually dismayed at how the first response to some people’s gaffes is to call for their resignation, firing, etc. Ms. Thomas apologized for her remarks, but the apology was not good enough, and she was forced to resign. We find it perpetually interesting how some people’s apologies are accepted and others not – and how in some cases people will turn a blind eye towards what amounts to unapologetic bigotry simply because it is espoused by those with whom they agree on other issues. People make mistakes, and sometimes it’s right to forgive them – but if a standard is to be applied, then it should be applied evenly.
6 Responses “Au Revoir, Helen Thomas”
John,
I would have thought you might place a transcription of the first video posted on my blog. I believe it is a great, or perhaps sad, indicator of Ms. Thomas’ feeling toward Israel … seems she had convicted them in the video. That,even before the paint balls were dry or the rods straightened from the thrashings meted out by some of those aboard the “humanitarian” vessel. Here’s the video link in case you missed it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTmZV8hGZXY
I defend my remote and rather causal reference to the word anti-semite’s to question her motives, especially since these videos are not the only times she has taken off (in my opinion angrily) on the alleged lawlessness of Israel while glibly, if not “Gibbly” (Using Gibbs for an opening) giving Hamas and similarly disposed groups and nations a pass.
I see you have used the word “Palentinian.” I see it used by some others, often as a headline or title to an article, but I have been unable to find a definition or an encyclopedia entry for the word. Perhaps those uses and the uses in various “Wiki” publications have made it a word. Or, maybe I just don’t know where to look.
You said, “We find it perpetually interesting how some people’s apologies are accepted and others not – and how in some cases people will turn a blind eye towards what amounts to unapologetic bigotry simply because it is espoused by those with whom they agree on other issues. People make mistakes, and sometimes it’s right to forgive them – but if a standard is to be applied, then it should be applied evenly.”
Looking at the above causes me to request citations and clarification — if for no other reason than my desire to completely understand your true or hidden meaning and opinion in this paragraph.
Well, in the video you reference here (I had watched that one, too) Ms. Thomas is also criticizing Israel, and not Jews or Judaism, so I don’t see any anti-Semitism there. There are in fact a large number of people, in the U.S. and elsewhere, who are critical of Israel’s actions but are probably not against Jews or Judaism.
I suppose the most recent example of somebody “getting a pass” from some quarters would be former Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams, who referred to Muslims as worshipers of a monkey god and animals of Allah. The Tea Party Express reaction was that they were not concerned because the comments appeared on his personal blog.
Either there is a glitch in your software or I have lost the authority to edit my comments.
It would not allow me to edit anti-semite’s to anti-semite and it would not allow me to complete the URL to my blog.
Thanks
Looks like the upgrade to WordPress 3 caused a compatibility issue with the WP Ajax comment editor. They want money for the upgrade, so I’m trying another plugin.
Thanks for the answer and although I don’t agree with Williams, he might as well have said “they” worship Monkey Pods for all the attention I paid to his remark.
Now that I have given his statement some thought, I count him to be in the same group or groups as the folks that question Mr. Obama’s birthplace and those that believe the events of 911 were an inside United States government job.
How did we ever get along without the “birthers” and “truthers?” And, still they continue.
Well, they make good press/media. Frankly, I’m tired of the constant, disproportionate media focus on the far left and the far right, especially when we get out to the fringe. I personally think it makes us think that the nation is far more divided than it really is – and that kind of perception plays into the hands of those who stand to gain most from manufactured conflict.