Repulsive Anti-Semitism in the New York Times

From Emunah:

Many years ago I observed a protest at San Francisco's Israeli Consulate, standing with those who refused to cede the street to those that meant to destroy us.  Faces covered, the protestors' chants were blood-chilling.

"Itbach al Yahud" (Slaughter the Jews)

"Ba ruh, ba dam, nafdeek ya Falastin" (With our soul, with our blood, we will cleanse you oh Palestine),

"Al mawt al Yahud" (Death to the Jews), 

"Khaybar Khaybar ya Yahud, jaish-Muhammad saya'ud" (Khaybar Khaybar oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return).

"Falastin balad'na w'al Yahud qalab'na" (Palestine is our land and the Jews are our dogs)

"Palestine is our land and the Jews are our dogs."

"Jews are the sons of pigs and apes."

This vile rhetoric serves to dehumanize the Jewish people and is anti-Semitic to its core.  

This cartoon, appearing in the April 25 international edition of the New York Times strikes all those notes, and more.  Simultaneously, Jews are portrayed by these dual antisemtic tropes.  In the eye of the anti-semite Jews are both subhuman, yet capable of directly influencing power.

The imagery of the unscrupulous Jew leading around the blind leaders of the west echos both Nazi-era propaganda

And Soviet propaganda

It was no wonder the Times attempted to scrub the digital site of the cartoon.   But it was too little, too late.   The print version had already been distributed to over 100 different countries.

The New York Times issued a detraction of sorts, but regular readers know that this sort of rhetoric has become a feature, and not a bug of their coverage.  Their words are meaningless.

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Reactions to anti-Semitic cartoon in the Daily Cal

Last week, an anti-semitic cartoon featuring a caricature of civil rights attorney Alan Dershowitz appeared in UC Berkeley's student newspaper, the Daily Cal.

Today, Carol Christ, Chancellor of the university responded, writing

Your recent editorial cartoon targeting Alan Dershowitz was offensive, appalling and deeply disappointing. I condemn its publication. Are you aware that its anti-Semitic imagery connects directly to the centuries-old “blood libel” that falsely accused Jews of engaging in ritual murder? I cannot recall anything similar in The Daily Californian, and I call on the paper’s editors to reflect on whether they would sanction a similar assault on other ethnic or religious groups. We cannot build a campus community where everyone feels safe, respected and welcome if hatred and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes become an acceptable part of our discourse.

Adam Naftalin Kelmen, director of Berkeley Hillel also weighed in

To see The Daily Californian’s anti-Semitic cartoon online depicting Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz was a reminder that as a Jew living in our open society, we are still plagued by undertones of historical anti-Semitism. There should be no excuse or rationalization for why this cartoon is “simply” a critique of Israeli policy or the speaker’s opinion. Like any bigoted cartoon, it should be called out, and the leadership of The Daily Californian needs to take responsibility for its actions. Jewish students on campus have every right to be included, practice their beliefs and express their passion for and love of Israel — their Jewish homeland — without experiencing anti-Semitism.

There has been no comment from the staff at the Daily Cal, or Joel Mayorga, the illustrator of the cartoon