My friend Max has decided that he will henceforth boycott a chain of vegetarian restaurants in the Bay Area. I applaud this decision, and would do the same, except that not being a vegetarian (very much a meat-eater, thank you), it would be pointless for me to do so - I never patronized the restaurants in question in the first place.
Here is the letter that he sent informing them of his displeasure:
From: Max
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 3:09 PM
To: info@herbivorerestaurant.com
Subject: Corporate sponsorship of Nakba event
To whom it may concern,
I am surprised to see that Herbivore is listed as one of the corporate sponsors of the Nakba-60, FREE Palestine, Peace and Solidarity Festival.
I assume that you have researched both the event in question, and the implications of their stand regarding the Israel-Palestine issues. And can I therefore also assume that you are entirely comfortable with the destruction of Israel as inherent in their point of view, which would be the inevitable consequence of any of their positions becoming reality.
If that is indeed so, I can only assume that you neither appreciate the custom which many in the community have given you over the years, nor disagree with the anti-Semitism that has been displayed by the organizers of this event and their associates over the years, and which has been a blatant part of their political stand from the beginning.
That being the case I will no longer patronize any of your establishments. I only regret that I ever did so in the past. Rest assured that I will diligently inform as many people as possible of your reprehensible politics and recommend that they also cease their patronage.
------Max
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The restaurant mentioned in his letter:
http://www.herbivorerestaurant.com/
Three locations: 983 Valencia Street, 531 Divisadero, and 2451 Shattuck in Berkeley.
Listing of sponsors of May tenth Nakba event (click on sponsors):
http://www.araborganizing.org/main.html
Several of the usual haters, and some who are new to organized anti-Semitism.
Rainbow Grocery shows up in the guise of 'Rainbow Boycott Israeli Goods Campaign'. There has been an anti-Semitic element among the members of that collective for many years now, and we keep our eye on them. It's only a matter of time before they succeed in pushing through a boycott motion.
As with the vegetarian restaurant above (or for instance Tsunami Sushi and Sake Bar, also one of the sponsors) it is immaterial to me what they do - I do not frequent their establishment.
I rather suspect the funk of their average customer would be enough to chase me out. I do not like blond dreadlocks and unwashed tie-dyes.
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Will you please ask Max if he'd consider posting his excellent letter in the Northern California Jewish weekly?
Publicizing the complicity of Herbivore in sponsoring this hate fest and organizing a boycott is giving the haters a taste of their own medicine.
I like it. I like it a lot
This post reminds me of a popularly scrawled slogan from the '70's and '80's: "Boycott Gallo". Under which, more often than not, would appear the words: "No problem!".
As a member of the east bay jewish community, i want to express admiration for the courage and moral integrity of Herbivore and other Free Palestine concert sponsors.
Many Jews were involved in the planning of this concert, and many Jews support equal human rights for Palestinians, as does the UN and international law. The stance of the concert and its supporters is that zionism is a racist ideology that is harmful to Jews as well as Arabs and others. Anti-zionism is not anti-semitism; an end to political zionism is the only hope for the continuation and morality of Jewish culture.
It is a loss to everyone when any dialogue about, or dissent from, mainstream zionist ideology is censored within Jewish communities.
My dear Anonymous No. 2,
There is a profound difference between supporting human rights for Palestinians and actively participating in an event based upon a constructed narrative of hatred and blame - as the ideology of the Nakba-groups, Meca, AlAwda, and others so obviously are (and even a cursory glance at their literature and their websites will make that clear).
Anti-Zionism is, as you say, not necessarily anti-Semitism - but all anti-Zionism in the Arab world IS very much sodden with anti-Semitism, as is obvious from the popularity of anti-Semitic classics such as the Protocols, The Eternal Jew, Mein Kampf, and even Mahmoud Abbas' doctoral thesis ("The Secret Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement", later published as "The Secret Relationship Between Nazism And Zionism), which is as stellar an example of poison and holocaust denial as you will find. Holocaust denial is one of the fundaments of the Arab cause, it runs like a poisoned artery through all pro-Palestinian propaganda.
Even admitting that Jews are humans is a rarety among those who espouse the Palestinian cause, and how much rarer still is it to find an Arab who will admit that Israel has any right to exist. That they more-or-less accept that at present it does exist is hardly commendable - no Brownie points for admitting an obvious fact.
To be sure, Palestinians do deserve better lives and self-determination. But as long as their organizations, activists, and advocates support violence, murder, and bigotry, the world has an interest in keeping their dreams from being realized.
Israel deserves peace and security - if the Palestinians cannot be relied upon to respect even that little, those of us who support Israel have no reason whatsoever to support any part of the Palestinian dream. The history of terror attacks (no, do not dare call them 'acts of resistance' - Munich was not resistance, the murder of American diplomat George C. Moore in Khartoum was not resistance, killing Leon Klinghofer was not resistance, Netanya was not resistance, Sbarro's Pizzeria was not resistance, Mahane Yehuda was not resistance) diminishes the Palestinian cause to the point where their weal or woe is of little consequence or concern.
One may disagree with Zionism, and criticize Israel's actions and policies. Certainly that is legitimate - necessary even. But doing so is only constructive if it is not paired with uncritically lending active support to those who seek Israel's destruction. Let Herbivore show that they are not bigots and Jew-haters by holding the Palestinians and Arabs to the same high standards that they hold Israel; I'm sure that the P's and A's would be found much more wanting.
Your concern with human rights for the Palestinians is commendable. Do not let it blind you to the rights of Israel, or the great good of that country, and neither let it turn you against your own people - your family, your kinfolk, your community.
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