Henry Herskovitz' "Report on Beth Israel vigil 05-13-23"

 From Palestine to the Holocaust

 

Witness for Peace explains why getting the “Holocaust” right (i.e. historically correct) is inextricably linked to Palestine Liberation. Please consider each step of the following. We believe the point at which one disagrees indicates how committed he is to justice for Palestinians.

 

1.       We recognize Palestinian suffering

2.       We want to do something about it

3.       We identify the parties

A.      Palestinians are the oppressed

B.       The Jewish state is the oppressor

4.       We identify the power imbalance

A.      Palestinians are extremely weak

B.       The Jewish state is extremely powerful

5.       We identify the support networks

A.      Israel is Jewish by definition

B.       The membership in this state is based on race, matriarchal lineage required

C.       The Jewish state employs Jewish religious symbols on many of its weapons and soldiers

D.      The Jewish state is supported by virtually all major Jewish organizations in the world

6.       We identify disinformation in the media

A.      We recognize Jewish over-representation and manipulation in the media

B.       We recognize the Jewish source of cancel-culture in social media platforms

C.       Most Americans know little of the oppression by Palestinians at the hands of the Jewish state

7.       We recognize that there is no "cycle of violence" in Palestine

A.      Zionist Jews invaded and initiated an intentional ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Christians and Muslims

B.       This ethnic cleansing is ongoing

C.       This ethnic cleansing project is not cyclical; it’s linear. Aggressor Jews invaded Palestine; Palestinian resistance opposes this invasion

8.       The ethnic cleansing of Palestine is wholly unjustified and illegitimate

A.      The United Nations Partition Plan was never authorized by the Executive Council; it has no force of law

B.       God would not approve any group to be ethnically cleansed; at least no kind, loving God could approve

C.       England’s Balfour Declaration is null and void; no country can give away land that did not belong to them

D.      Only the Holocaust myth remains to give the Jewish state any emotional support

9.       Justice demands the return of ill-gotten land

A.      Every village lost to Jewish terrorism prior to May 1948 was gained illegally

B.       Justice requires the return of these lands to the people inhabiting them prior to 1948

C.       Every village lost to Jewish terrorism represents a negative number for Palestinians

D.      Every village gained by Jewish Zionists represents a positive number

E.       The sum of these numbers is Zero

F.       The extrapolation of this Zero Sum Game is the complete elimination of Christians and Muslims from Palestine

10.   We conclude from this Zero Sum "game":

A.      There can be only a Palestine, or

B.       There can be only a Jewish state

C.       There cannot be both [Palestine “wins” only if Israel “loses”]

11.   We side with the oppressed:

A.      Palestine must live

B.       A Jewish state must be (peacefully) dismantled, in accordance with 10-C above

12.   We identify the oppressors/aggressors

A.      The oppressors/aggressors are Jews

B.       The Jews are supported by a vast network of organizations

C.       Jewish Power has been amassed over decades of careful planning

D.      Jewish Power works against the interests of host countries

13.   We recognize

A.      That if any other ethnic/religious group was implementing the forced displacement of Palestinians, the world would intervene

B.       That the world is silent in the face of this ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians

14.   We conclude

A.      That the world feels more sympathy for Jews than it does Palestinians

15.   We ask

A.      Why does the world feel so much more sympathy for Jews than it does Palestinians?

16.   We note

A.      That the Holocaust is the single most relevant "event" that grants Jews this imbalance in sympathy

B.       That the world has only a Hollywood-driven “knowledge” of this event

C.       Historians who critically examine this event risk prison, physical violence, opprobrium, loss of job, etc.

17.   We conclude

A.      That only because of the Holocaust narrative does the world feel more sympathy for Jews than Palestinians

B.       Palestinian suffering is not shown in its true context

C.       The Holocaust narrative must be explored in an honest, impartial manner to show this true context

D.      We therefore challenge the traditional Holocaust historians to provide:

1.       Forensic proof of the existence of homicidal gas chambers

2.       An exact accounting of the alleged six million Jewish deaths

3.       Concrete proof of an extermination plan

 

Responding to City Council’s caustic remarks

 

In last week’s report, we detailed the reaction from some Ann Arbor City Council members and the Mayor to the required high school curriculum concerning the Holocaust. We remember Mayor Christopher Taylor calling our remarks “beneath contempt”. At the May 1 meeting, we responded; the full text follows signature. In addition, you can view the short presentation at 16:30 from the YouTube video of the proceedings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9bIVLZFyyM

 

Anti-Semitism and Zionism Defined

Henry Herskovitz

Witness for Peace

135 Palestinians killed this year by “Israel”

ALL SO THAT JEWS CAN HAVE A “HOMELAND”

 

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Address to City Council

 

May 1, 2023 [ 313 words]

TOPIC: CC – COMMUNICATIONS FROM COUNCIL FROM LAST COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 17

 

Good evening,

 

I’d like to respond to the rather personal comments I received from Councilmembers when I spoke here on April 17

I do not wish to respond in kind

 

Rather, I come before you tonight with understanding. I have spoken about the Holocaust at least a dozen times prior to this evening. No Councilmember – past or present - has corrected any of the claims made during those 12 appearances.

 

How do most people – myself included - come to understand this historical event? I offer “Casablanca”, “Sophie’s Choice” and “Schindler’s List”. I also offer the Holocaust Museums we have locally and nationally. And the constant reminders the press reiterates again and again. My friend refers to this as the “Mighty Wurlitzer”, spinning the same songs over and over.

 

In other words, we have been coaxed – not logically convinced – into our “knowledge”, in quotes. And as they say, “you cannot argue a person out of a position they haven’t argued themselves into”

 

When people are presented with facts that run counter to what they assume they know, a great cognitive dissonance sets in.

They then have two choices: either consider what is being said to have possibilities of being true, or assault the character of the person saying them. It’s human nature, not necessarily mean-spiritedness

 

Consider the first choice; I’m sure you all have. What happens if one of you says publicly that there might be some merit in Henry’s words? Words that to date have not been challenged. Do you really think you’ll win re-election?

Look what happened to Ali Ramlawi after he accepted a small donation from me. He’s no longer here.

What if one of you vote to suspend military aid to Israel?

I think we all know the answer.

 

Reasonable people can disagree, using reason and not emotions. And I hope that as I continue to address this vital topic, reason and logic will prevail.

 

Thank you,