I don’t doubt that Feministing will be addressing this news more in-depth, but in the meantime, via NPR:
Helen Thomas, is now the 89-year old former dean of the White House press corps, after announcing that she’s “retiring” as a Hearst columnist following controversial comments in which she said Israeli Jews should return “home” to Poland and Germany and give the land back to the Palestinians.
She released an apology about her remarks:
“I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon.”
I’m deeply saddened that a woman journalist who broke such incredible barriers in the field is retiring over something like this. As inappropriate and offensive as her remarks were to people, I just can’t help wondering with PunditMom about all the other newsfolks who have gotten away with the most racist, homophobic and abhorrent commentary for years without even a slap on the wrist. Adam Serwer also has a good take.
Initial thoughts? (Please be civil folks!)
81 Comments
Well, I don’t know any of the protagonists (being absed in Europe), but I’m a little surprised by the stance.
Feministing is calling all the time for people to be sacked, to resign, to be removed etc. for perceived slurs against a group, a subgroup, an organisation, etc.
And when someone actually does quit – doing the hinorable thing, really – Feministing is peeved?
I don’t mind much, but I am bothered by double standards.
And saying that a statement is less offensive to group A because the offender did something nice or good a few times strikes me as being pretty weak logic.
Although I don’t entirely agree with her comments, I don’t entirely disagree, either. The problem is blaming ordinary citizens for the actions of their evil government.
The only reason this was made such a big deal is that Helen Thomas combined 2 of the most taboo things in the world… Havingan opinion while female, and criticizing Jewish people.
I don’t think the problem was so much that she said the Jews should leave Palestine (the part of her comment that both PunditMom and Adam Serwer reference) — which is something people can agree or disagree about — but rather that she said Jews should “go back to Germany or Poland or wherever they came from.” As Thomas well knows, Jews were exterminated in Germany and in Poland during the Holocaust so naming those two particular countries was horrific. dding “wherever they came from” was dismissive… at best. While it is sad that a woman with a long, distinguished career is going to be remembered for a disgusting display of anti-semitism, she has nobody to blame for that but herself.
I think at times we all get frustrated with the situation in the Middle East that seems to be a protracted stalemate with no end in sight. And there is a double standard in place.
Without being too controversial, let me say that Israel’s relationship with the United States is a peculiar one. Israel is a socialistic, essentially European state transplanted through treaty, world mandate, and war into a region where it is an utterly anomaly. Yet, the Right tends to deify it based on quasi-religious reasons—but mainly as a way of ensuring that its Islamic neighbors, which may or may not be harboring terrorists, have their power checked.
I myself have significant disagreements with the Zionists and think the Jewish homeland could have been placed somewhere else, but now that they’re here, it’s foolish to think that the matter would be as simple as just “going home”.
As a Jew of Polish descent whose distant relatives perished in their homeland, I found Helen Thomas’ comments to be seriously ignorant and harmful to the discussion of “peace in the Middle East”…
Like all of our feminist (s)heros, Ms. Thomas was not perfect. I can applaud her for breaking through ageist and sexist barriers in her career, but her achievements cannot be used to ignore her bigotry.
There are reasons to be ever vigilant about anti-Semitism. However impolitic her comments were however I don’t think they are anti-Semitic, so much as they were anti-Zionist. There is a world of difference between being anti-Semitic & anti-Zionist. Its unfortunate that even the White House is conflating the two.
The root problem–which we’ll never see discussed in the MSM–is European anti-Semitism & European colonialism. Rather than carve out a necessary “safe harbor” state for Jews after WW2 in Europe itself, Europeans located that safe harbor in Palestine. This bred understandable resentment among Palestinians. As long as Americans dismiss this politically inconvenient fact we will never “get” the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The tragic irony today is that the occupied territories are every bit as bad as South African Apartheid (and America’s Indian Reservations for that matter).
IMO as an African-American I have as much right to modern day Ghana, as a Russian Jew today has to Palestine. While a Jewish safe harbor was undoubtedly necessary after WW2 pretending that locating that safe harbor in Palestine did not entail a moral quandary of the highest order is fatal myopia.
As an American Jewish (cisgender) female, I am so conflicted about this. Helen Thomas has been an inspiration to me for so long, but what she said was horrible. It’s true that others have said far worse, but generally those are comments from people who are known to be blowhards, voices of acknowledged-ly biased(usually conservative) media outlets. Thomas has severely damaged her position as an impartial reporter for an arguably impartial paper (or at least one that is trying to be).
On the other hand, I doubt she would have retired over comments about blacks, Muslims, or really any other non-Jewish minority. I fully acknowledge that Jews are given special treatment in the American media, largely because we are a minority with money. It’s a lot harder to get away with anti-semitism than other kinds of discrimination.
On the other other hand (leg, perhaps?), anti-Semitism is still pretty virulent in American culture, as the comments on Thomas’ retirement indicate. So I’m reluctant to give her any slack based on the previous argument. Among other things, comments like hers make it even harder to keep a civil discourse on the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It also shows an ignorance of the situation of Jews in Europe which, while certainly is not at 1939 levels, is still pretty fraught.
So basically I just took 3 paragraphs to say “I don’t know what I think.”
Regardless of Helen Thomas’ gender, choosing “Germany” and “Poland” as two places she thinks Jews should return to is hair-raising and appalling. Seriously? She picked the countries where: 1) the Holocaust was engineered; and 2) the Holocaust essentially took place. (The majority of the death camps–Auschwitz, Treblinka–were in Poland. Plus, Poland remains a virulently anti-Semitic country. She’s a smart and well-educated woman, so she knows the history.
As for men saying ridiculously stupid things, John Stossel (FOX news) recently argued for the repeal of the parts of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that applied to private businesses. I’m shocked there hasn’t any ruckus–especially since he was doing it in defense of Rand Paul, who got a LOT of media coverage.
Um, Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and O’Reilly are not members of the White House Press Corps. They do not sit a foot away from the PUSA every time there is a press conference. None of the proffered examples by “PunditMom” could even be remotely considered anti-Semitic. One is a knock on Obama for allegedly treating Germany shabbily over events that took place decades ago. Could be justified or not, but it’s not anti-Jew. Two are guilt by association. One is a (lame) joke who’s premise is that Nazis were REALLY bad.
None of this rises to what Thomas said in all seriousness, with her own mouth. Not even in the same universe.
Her comments were anti-semitic. She should definitely be castigated for her statements, and she’s right to step down, or she would probably be fired. Such should be the result of all statements like this, against any group.
And make no mistake, she was being anti-semitic. Her statement that all the Jews in Israel should go to Germany, Poland, etc. ignores the wide variety of origins for Jews who live in Israel. Many are of Middle Eastern descent, be it Jews who lived in historic Palestine, Jews who fled Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, etc., or Jews who came to Israel from places like Ethiopia.
The majority of Jews of European descent in Israel aren’t even Polish or German. They’re Russian. Many fled persecution in the USSR or got out post-Soviet collapse when emigration restrictions loosened.
The majority of Israeli Jews were born in Israel. The majority also have no “home” to return to in Germany or Poland, as they’re not of German or Polish descent. Her comments were vile, and her “solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian issue was essentially ethnic cleansing.
It’s a shame that someone who managed to break so many barriers couldn’t manage to break the barrier of anti-semitism, too.
“As inappropriate and offensive as her remarks were to people, I just can’t help wondering with PunditMom about all the other newsfolks who have gotten away with the most racist, homophobic and abhorrent commentary for years without even a slap on the wrist.”
This seems a bit wonky. Just because others have gotten away with similar comments in some circumstances (and let’s not forget that others, like Don Imus, have not) does not mean that she should be excused here.
If you and 99 people are jaywalking at the same time and a cop pulls over one, “everyone else was doing it” will not get you out of a ticket.
There would be a whole slew of journalists and so-called journalists who should be out of jobs. But as I think about it more, I wonder why she was forced to resign — it doesn’t appear that she was working as a reporter at the time that the camera and mic were shoved in her face, and she was asked her personal opinion. One might not like her opinion, but at what point are journalists forced to stay silent and waive their own first amendment rights?
It’s a shame even NPR is lying through their teeth about this.
She noted that they should get out of Palestine, (not Israel), adding that they could go to Germany, Poland…or America.
Both of which completely change the meaning.
1. She is soon to be 90. When you have worked for truth and peace as long as she has you deserve a bit of slack when being pissed off at those who block peace leads you to blowing off steam – even if inappropriately.
2. What she was probably feeling was – if you cannot live in peace with your neighbors, or make peace with your neighbors – something has to change – dramatically.
3. Have none of those throwing stones at her now, ever said something about Palestinians, Muslims, or Arabs, or any other human beings, that they would now regret?
I don’t think you can separate the two parts of her statement. Saying Jews should “leave Palestine” implies that they have some place to go that’s their true home. When she was pressed by the interviewer, she was at a loss for words. That’s how she got herself into trouble. If you think Jews should leave Palestine, tell me where should they go.
I have a strong antipathy for the, “yes, x was bigoted, but y is also bigoted and isn’t punished” line. I know it isn’t meant to be a diversion or a justification, but it becomes exactly that. Defenders of Israel say that other nations are not held to the same human rights standard, and so on. None of our work can be started until all of it is completed. That gets us nowhere.
The parallels between different forms of bigotry can be a powerful tool, but our efforts must reinforce, not cancel out. For example, there is racism in the US. There is homophobia in the US. There are racist gay people and homophobic people of color. When I see racism, it doesn’t help anyone if I say, “Oh, but there is also homophobia.” I have to say (as a gay person to another gay person) “doesn’t homophobia help you to understand how evil racism is?”
We should not use anti-Arab prejudice to provide exculpatory context for antisemitism; we should use our anger over anti-Arab prejudice to reaffirm our struggle against all forms of oppression, including antisemitism.
“The only reason this was made such a big deal is that Helen Thomas combined 2 of the most taboo things in the world… Havingan opinion while female, and criticizing Jewish people.”
Um, WTF?
I don’t disagree with the first half, but how, exactly, did Helen Thomas criticize Jewish people? She advocated ethnically cleansing the majority of Jews from the Middle East, albeit voluntarily.
She wasn’t criticizing Israeli Jews (Lord knows there’s plenty to criticize them about). She told them to “go home” to a place that is not their home. The majority of Jews in Israel were born in Israel. Israel is their home. The majority of first generation Israeli Jews are neither German nor Polish. They’re mostly Russian.
That you “don’t entirely disagree” with eradicating the more than three millennia Jewish presence in the Middle East is exactly why Jewish nationalism exists.
WARNING! Snark alert!
Would it be acceptable to suggest that all Hispanics move to “Mexico or maybe Peru”?
Would it be acceptable to suggest that all African-Americans “go back home to Ethiopia or maybe Kenya”?
I don’t think so.
Why then should it be acceptable to desire that ALL Jews ( including, one would assume, those who decend from natives of the region) should leave for some other country?
I don’t know it is a firing offense – but such remarks should certainly not be defended.
40% of all Israeli Jews are of no European descent. They are the byproduct of the “Jewish Nakba”, the eradication of Jewish communities throughout the Middle East and North Africa between 1948 and 1972. Any Jewish homeland sliced out of Europe would be no more theirs than anywhere else.
The historic land of the Jewish people has been the land of Israel. There is no other place in the world where Jews have historic claim. Arbitrarily cutting out land from Germany, Poland, etc. would not solve any problem, nor would it end Zionism.
The narrative that Israel is some European colony ignores the Jewish presence in Israel prior to 1948, the role of Zionism in Jewish communities throughout history, and the fact that Israel’s population is not majority European. Between Israeli Jews of Middle Eastern heritage and Israeli Arabs the nation is minority European.
And anyway, 70% of Jews in Israel were born there. That is their homeland.
Not really. It’s not like she said the West Bank. She clearly meant the entirety, otherwise the “back to Poland, Germany, etc.” stuff wouldn’t make sense. She’d just say they could go back to Israel (which would still exist). That she said Germany and Poland meant that “Palestine” referred not just to the West Bank and Gaza, but all of Israel as well.
It’s crazy how apologetic people get over blatant anti-semitism.
1. Both sides have blocked peace. This conflict has blame on both sides.
2. Dramatic change? Yes. Ethnic cleansing? No. Never.
3. No. And if I did, I would expect to be fired from any serious job I hold.
There’s a big difference between anti-Semitism & anti-Zionism. I certainly don’t know the woman but I don’t think she was intending to state indifference to the Holocaust. I have to confess though I’ve visited concentration camps I didn’t connect her words to Holocaust denial, or Holocaust indifference. If that’s what she meant I, too, am horribly offended. I take it that she meant that it was unfair to expect Palestinians to pay the price of European anti-Semitism.
Really? You think that if a man had said that the Jews should go back to Germany and Poland and wherever they came from it would be ok? And sorry, yes, we do have a taboo against antisemitism. It is also taboo to say anything against black people, or against women. I’m proud of that, and it’s a value I don’t mind enforcing.
Women do suffer discrimination at every level, and sometimes pro-Israel voices do use antisemitism to justify bigotry against Arabs. I don’t see how this fits either scenario. What she said was intolerable, as she has the integrity to admit.
She did not waive her 1st amendment rights. Nobody has even suggested that she should be prosecuted for anything. I don’t know what happened behind the scenes, but she is saying that she has resigned of her own accord.
How are all those bad journalists going to be fired if she stays? Next time someone says something racist, the can say, “Oh, but Helen Thomas is allowed to be antisemitic.” And so it goes on. Perhaps she recognized that her indiscretion would distract from the work she wants done, and decided that her greatest service would be in leaving quietly. For that at least I commend her.
I’ve seen the complete quote in many places and it does NOT change the meaning. Palestine was the name for the whole area before Israel was created and those who do not recognize the right of Israel to exist call it Palestine. If that was not her meaning, she could have said “get out of Palestine and go to Israel.”
Also, as many have noted, Germany produced the Holocaust and Poland carried it out. It is disgusting to ask why Jews didn’t stay there or why they don’t return. Sure, a Jewish state could have been created in Europe, but that is not the fault of the refugees or their children and grandchildren.
I think her anti-Zionist stance may not necessarily be intended to be anti-Semitic, however it is to me.
I’m not Jewish but have close Jewish relatives. Russian Jews, to be exact. And, What Helen Thomas misses is that many Jewish people are where they are because they didn’t have a place to go back to.
While the Israeli solution can be exceptionally problematic — displacing other people who also consider that area their ancestral home, I think that telling Jews of any descent to “go back where they came from” to be telling of the ignorance of much of Jewish history which is composed of going from one place to another where Jews were treated the best. This goes back centuries.
An ex of mine, also Jewish, explained the high amount of Jews in New York to me this way (and I think it applies somewhat to this situation):
“We came to New York, saw what was going on here and said ‘I’ll stay; this place lets me be me.’”
The Jewish history of ex-patriotism and relocation is not something to ignore. That’s where I pull the offense from — the shear ignorance of Jewish history of expulsion and relocation.
“Criticizing Jewish people” is taboo? That’s ignoring a long history of virulent anti-Semitic lies–and its ugly consequences.
There are certainly right-wing Jews for whom Israel can do no wrong. But there has also been consistent, reasoned criticism about Israeli policies–coming from Jews and non-Jews alike.
And, there is a difference between criticizing the Israeli government, all Israelis, and then Jews as whole. They’re not all one monolithic entity.
1. I agree that when someone is elderly, you give them slack for shooting off their mouth. But when you say something stupid publicly that’s inappropriate, racist, anti-Semitic or whatever else, your employers have the right to drop you because they no longer want you to represent them.
2. I agree that the status quo is unacceptable, but the responsibility to make peace doesn’t lie with one country. There are multiple players in this equation, and none has clean hands. OTOH, Israel has made peace with Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey. I’m not saying that’s enough, but just pointing out that Israelis and Arabs aren’t condemned to perpetual enmity.
3. Of course plenty of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian idiots have weighed in on this story–or said things in the past. They probably don’t even regret it because they’re a**holes. But it’s one thing when you’re a columnist or a commentator; it’s another when you’re supposed to be a dispassionate reporter covering the news.
This may seem like nitpicking, but Thomas didn’t say that “Jews” should get the hell out of Palestine. She was asked for comments on Israel, and she said “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.” Israel, as a state, and Jews, as a people and individuals, are different things.
There are some problems with this statement; the example of Germany and Poland was obviously a loaded choice, not to mention many people who were born in Israel, whose parents were born in Israel, no longer have connections to their European homes, and there are Jews who descend from the region since well before 1948. However, [b]the belief that Palestinians have a right to their homeland doesn’t always stem from antisemitism or a lack of sympathy for the horrors of the Holocaust.[/b] Any public figure in the United States who criticizes Israel as an occupier of Palestine, or even who asks why part of Europe or the United States couldn’t have been used as a Jewish state, will almost invariably be called an anti-Semite. It’s easy and effective and often unfair. This is no reason why Thomas should have to resign after nearly 50 years as a White House correspondent.
Helen Thomas has been an inspiration to many women over the course of her career at the White House, and as a journalist for my high school, I aspired to be like her. (Time changed my career plans, like it does, but the inspiration is still there.)
While I understand the need for a Jewish homeland, safe space, etc., and the historical significance of the area, I can’t help but feel for the Palestinians, who were displaced from their homes to make way for Israel, and their subsequent treatment by the Israelis. I support the idea of a Jewish homeland, but I think displacing one people for another is not the way to go about it.
That being said, a huge part of me wants to attribute the words of Thomas to the idea that, given that Germany and Poland were (presumably) where the Jews were from, they should return there. Unfortunately, I can’t take that stance. Regardless of her personal opinion, she is a public figure, and should consider the ramifications of her words before saying them. We’ve crucified politicians for similar “slips” (I’m thinking of Reid for the negro comment), and journalists, who are supposed to be the unbiased reporters and investigators of truth, should be held to at least the same standard.
I guess I’m disappointed.
I am saddened by all of this, because Helen Thomas has long been a hero for me. She not only broke numerous barriers for women; she also spoke truth to power in a way that few others did.
Her comments, however, were not just against Israeli oppression. They were strongly anti-Zionist and, arguably, antisemitic. Her apology completely missed the mark.
I do think she has a right to her opinion and to speak and write that opinion. But I don’t feel unreasonable to be shocked that someone I have admired espouses bigotry. Maybe if she had it to do over again, she would express her opinion in a more nuanced way that perhaps she could even justify. But what she said was “Jews get out” (by “Palestine,” she did not mean just the occupied territories) when in fact some Jews have lived in that area all along, not to mention the generations born there who have no other home.
I hope she is remembered more for her remarkable career than for what ended it.
I completely agree. “Just go back to X” is often a racist statement, and this one was compounded by ignorance of the basic facts. Why should she get off over this? Because she’s a feminist, therefore “not so bad”? We don’t let other politicians off with that argument when they say racist/homophobic things.
We should accept this development and bring it up the next time someone tries to be an apologist for these kinds of thoughtless remarks.
Except that what she said wasn’t directed at the Israeli government. Saying the Jews should go back to Germany or Poland is an ignorant racist thing to say about the PEOPLE, and has nothing to do with criticizing the government.
I’m really disappointed in her, but at least she knows how to apologize. How many times have we heard someone make an ignorant comment, then say, “I’m sorry if you were offended”? She made a big mistake, she accepted the consequences. I’m not saying she deserves cookies for doing the right thing, just expressing frustration that similar comments haven’t led to similar results.
Another thing to add is that Walt Whitman HS in Bethesda, MD (where lots of important people send there kids, and such a high jewish population that they get rosh ahana and yom kimpour off from school) – was going to have her as their graduation speaker, just disinvited her.
http://www.theawl.com/2010/06/this-helen-thomas-thing-is-tearing-bethesda-apart
And I apologize for my spelling of those holidays.
Please.
If she is not referring to the “old” Palestine which includes the current Israel when she said “get the hell out of Palestine,” why would Israelis need to go “home” to Germany, Poland, or America as if the obvious answer to the question “Where’s home?” – Israel, did not exist? If she meant, Israelis stay in Israel (which I do not find unreasonable), why not say go “home” to Israel, stay in Israel, or stay where they currently are instead of immigrating (e.g. Russian born Jews)?
Her comments were vile, and her “solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian issue was essentially ethnic cleansing.
So is the solution proposed by a lot of Israeli politicians – especially some of the ex-Russian ones – and there’s no pressure on them to resign, particularly here in the US. In fact, the way Israel was founded was via systematic ethnic cleansing, and there are still Palestinians alive today who experienced this. Helen Thomas probably knows some of them.
In fact, if anything what she’s suggesting seems like a standard anti-colonialist response – and yes, that does look a lot like ethnic cleansing, since colonialism itself was very much race-based. (It’s also a lot nicer than the things that happened elsewhere upon the end of the various European colonial empires, I can tell you that much.)
The majority of Israeli Jews were born in Israel.
This is a difficult problem with the legacy of colonialism. My own grandfather was born in India and had no home to go to in the UK, but it didn’t stop him – and a huge number of other people of mixed-race descent – being forced to leave their homes there and come here when it regained independence. There’s no nice solution and there never has been.
Criticism of Jewish people isn’t taboo; I’ve heard it everywhere. As a native Texan turned New Yorker then Connecticuter, I’ve heard it everywhere. As a gay person of color (and conviction), I feel that I must speak up for others I hear comments meant to stir up ideas of a Jewish conspiracy and censorship.
The assertion that Thomas was speaking as an opinionated female is misleading. Not all opinions that women hold are worthy of the title “feminist.” Many bigots and racists happen to be female. These comments which hearken back to Jews fleeing Nazi Europe are among the most insensitive that no “evil” government can excuse them.
As feminists, we must call out hatred and insensitivity where we see it. After all, Thomas apologized because she was wrong. Let’s not demean the sincere apology that I felt she gave.
I’m disappointed by this post.
“As inappropriate and offensive as her remarks were to people,” implies that Thomas’ remarks weren’t objectively inappropriate and offensive. Qualifying it by adding “to people” diminishes the objective bias and distaste she displayed toward Israelis of German or Polish descent, many of whom are not unlike the children of immigrants in the US, not choosing where to be born.
Feministing usually does a great job pointing out even the most subtle of insensitivity and anti-feminism. I have learned so much from this blog, but today I feel that favoritism of this trailblazer has left this site biased where it should be unabashedly ashamed of Thomas’ insensitive remarks.
Further, citing the anti-feminism of others who’ve not even received a “slap on the wrist” seems to suggest that you support that some racists should, in fact, not be punished for their views. It’s lamentable that so much racism goes unchecked, but luckily Thomas’ words were noticed and they were wrong.
While there may be a big difference between anti-zionism and anti-semitism, I stand by my assessment that her remarks were in fact anti-semitic. Telling Jews to go back to countries they fled because they where systematically rounded up and executed is anti-semitic.
What is wrong with being Anti-Zionist? Or even strongly Anti-Zionist?
Yeah, I agree. The solution should not be “well, these other people are getting away with it too, so we should let this woman off the hook.” It should be a drive to have the same reaction/punishment for all people that make these horrible anti-semitic, racist remarks. Just because someone is a feminist does not mean I automatically excuse them when they say something horrid.
The wording of Ms. Thomas’ comments were out of line, but the sentiment I can understand. I have heard other occasions of Jewish people, especially those old enough to remember the Second World War, expressing frustration that after making a stand against persecution and ethnic violence, the state that was supposed to rise up in that spirit is guilty of similar behaviour. Sounds to me like Ms. Thomas is fed up with it, although there are more civil ways she could have said so.
Anti-Zionist? Sure. But insofar as being ticked off with Israel throwing its weight around and abusing its Palestinian inhabitants is anti-Zionist, which isn’t per se a bad thing.
I tend to find the institution of Israel objectionable because it sets one group up on a pedestal at the expense of the others in the region. Add in a dose of religious division and those who run it gain a dangerous sense of entitlement from that. While ‘going back where they came from’ is clearly not a real option, the general sentiment of frustration is one I can understand.
Let’s not forget that Helen Thomas was 24 in 1945. I think she understands very well why there aren’t very many Jews of Polish or German origin (at least compared to their numbers pre-holocaust), and why telling the decendents of Polish and German holocaust refugees that they should “go back where they came from” could be offensive. I was really saddened to hear her remarks, because I greatly respect all that she has done. Unfortunately, as both a Jew and a Feminist I have a lot of experience with wishing that people I thought were talented, smart, etc. weren’t also bigoted, racist, sexist, heterosexist, homophobic, or just generally asshats. I was really pleased to hear her apology, and I think it was sincere but that doesn’t mean that I don’t think there should be consequences for openly saying something antisemitic.
“40% of all Israeli Jews are of no European descent”
So, by your own numbers, 60% of Israeli Jews are of European descent. That proves my point. And to say that 70% of Israeli Jews were born there is like saying 90% of white Americans were born in America. Well of course they were but they came from Europe.
To argue that creating a Jewish state within Palestine did not negatively impact Palestinians is like arguing that creating a white Christian state in North America did not negatively impact Native Americans.
I too support a 2 state solution, but I think you overlook history if you dispute that the creation of Israel in Palestine–while nobel in its goal of protecting Jews against future genocide–has resulted in an Apartheid-like system for Palestinians. Remember, Netanyahu has said for Palestinians, there’s “No Right of Return for you” too.
Unfortunately the Ari Fleischer’s of the world have chopped up her quote. She didn’t just say go back to “Germany or Poland”. To complete the quote she said, “Germany or Poland or America or where ever they’re from.” I don’t think she was intentionally being indifferent to the Holocaust. I do think she’s sensitive to the plight of Palestinians who now face an Apartheid-like system in their own homeland.
Ouch Feministing. I’m a liberal Jew who is strongly critical of the state of Israel. It is a hard position to maintain, especially because when I turn to the progressive community for support in the struggle against human rights abuses in Israel I also have to put up with being told that anti-semitic remarks are offensive “to some people” and that because other people get away with being racist doucehbags, I should let Helen Thomas get away with saying something anti-semitic.
It wasn’t offensive to just some people, it was offensive to me, my family, my community. I count on feministing and feministing community to call out oppression in all of its forms. I expect feministing to oppose human rights abuses in Israel, and to oppose Helen Thomas telling the children and grandchildren of holocaust refugees to return to Poland and Germany, not to mention lumping all Jews from everywhere in the world together and assuming that they are all white europeans.
I feel stuck in situations like this, between people who support my views on Israel, and people who support my identity as a Jew. I’m not alone out here, but i’m lonelier than i’d like to be. I expected you to be here with me.
I don’t agree with Thomas remarks that Israelis should emigrate (though I do agree they should get out of Palestine) but they need more context to be treated more fairly.
Thomas didn’t just out of the blue say that the Israelis should go back to Germany, Poland, and America (why, incidentally, does everyone forget that those were the three countries she named, instead of just Germany and Poland??) and wherever else they came from…
Thomas was asked about Israel.
She said it should get the hell out of Palestine.
The person informally interviewing her asked where they should go.
She said in a very off the cuff manner, like she wasn’t really thinking about it, that they should go back to Germany, Poland, America, or wherever else they came from.
Bare in mind, that Helen Thomas is *much older than Israel.* Israel was established when she was well into her adulthood. She remembers the waves of Zionist colonial immigration to Israel. And that is what it was.
Of course there is a native Jewish population in Palestine many of whom, incidentally, vehemently opposed Zionism, and had lived peacefully with the rest of the native Arab population for centuries. The political class that dominates Israeli politics, in fact, the ruling class among Jewish Israelis, is in fact largely European, largely of very recent origin.
Israel’s racist immigration policy bans Arab immigrants while allowing any Jewish person (defined by ethnicity, not religion, atheists can make use of it too) anywhere in the world to become a citizen of Israel upon setting foot in Israel. This is done to ensure an ethic majority of Jewish people. At the same time, the state was founded by evicting Arab people from their homes, and now creating prison-like bantustan’s in Gaza and the West Bank, punishing the local, indigenous population for the crime of being the wrong race.
That is actual ethnic cleansing.
Remember also that Helen Thomas is Arab, and she grew up and lived the beginning of her adult life while the Arab nation was under colonial rule by the French and British and being carved up. She is said to be of Lebanese origin, but then, there wasn’t a Lebanon for the first two decades of her life either. People forget the colonial history and context of Zionism, Israel, and the division of the Arab nation into puppet states of the west. Helen Thomas doesn’t, she watched it, she wasn’t even a child at the time.
If an African reporter had, in 1980, been asked her opinion of South Africa, and said that the Afrikaners should go back to Holland, Germany, England, and wherever else they came from…she might still be wrong.
But I highly doubt any progressive people on a feminist forum would insist she was racist against white people. Or demand her resignation. I think we’d be mature enough to understand where the anti-colonial impulse was coming from.
Why can’t we do the same here? My sense is that anti-Arab racism is so pervasive that people don’t even think about it.
I’m Jewish and yes, I’m frustrated in many ways right now with Israel. But I’m not upset with Thomas’ remarks because what she said was “clearly not a real option.” That’s absurd! I’m upset because what she said was horrible and anti-semitic. You can be upset and frustrated and still manage not to go about espousing horrible remarks like Jews should just go back to where they came from.
does this mean there’ll be no “England get out of Ireland” banner in the NYC Patrick’s Day parade this year?