http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2009/11/04/house-denounces-goldstone-baird-courageously-dissents/comment-page-1/#comment-115776

You’re right. There’s a website set up by Maize with almost the same name, http://www.ungoldstonereport.com/ which I confused w. the other website.

Why would you waste yr time creating a site dedicated to “fisking” the Goldstone Report? Don’t you have anything better to do w yr time? But now that I think of it one of yr partners is the notorious Aussie Dave & he REALLY doesn’t have anything better to do w. his time. So I take that question back.

BTW, who paid for that snappy graphic design for yr site? The foreign ministry perhaps?

Glass house. Stone.

Introducing Silverstein’s public LinkedIn profile:

[click images to enlarge]

In other words, it is Silverstein who REALLY doesn’t have anything better to do with his time.

The latest targets of his venom are those who took Jane Fonda to task for signing a letter protesting the Toronto Film Festival for spotlighting Tel Aviv. Amongst other things, Silverstein makes a serious accusation: because of Fonda’s stance, some wealthy Jews threatened to withdraw support from Fonda’s Atlanta charity, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, compelling Fonda to issue her clarification.

Fonda too came under fierce assault for endorsing the declaration. She founded an Atlanta charity, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, which enriches the lives of young women by seeking to avoid early pregnancy. Among her funders are many wealthy prominent local Jews, some of whom took umbrage at her stance on TIFF and threatened to withdraw support.

Her worst fear was that the nonprofit she worked so hard to create would be destroyed. As a result, she felt compelled to pen a “clarification” of her endorsement, which didn’t retract it but certainly tempered it with a series of statements that indicate pro-Israel operatives, including a Chabad rabbi, worked her over pretty well.

Silverstein’s source  is this letter from a group of Jews in Atlanta, which appeared in the Huffington Post. The problem is, the letter never makes this claim.

Jane Fonda has done great good in Atlanta. She is the driving force behind G-CAPP, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, that is committed to enriching the lives of young women and helping them achieve a healthy, productive future free of early pregnancy.

When she is mischaracterized through these outrageous misrepresentations and accusations, many in our community might not know the truth — that Fonda is a strong supporter and friend of Israel — and they may stop supporting G-CAPP. Were that to occur, not only would Israel’s friend be hurt, so would thousands of teenagers who are helped by G-CAPP.

We are speaking out in support of Fonda because the truth must be known about her strong support for Israel, and we need to support G-CAPP not only for her, but also for the young women who need our help.‬

In other words, the group of Jews from Atlanta are concerned that perhaps some Jews will stop supporting G-CAPP, but are not claiming – as Silverstein does – that any actually threatened to do so.

The absence of any such threat is reinforced by Fonda herself.

As you can tell from my blog comments not to mention all the other internet activity circulating about the Toronto International Film festival protest letter that I signed along with 1500 or more friends and colleagues—there’s a lot of hatred spewing out there. I have not censored most of the hostile blog comments because I want to give space for the full range of voices. One of the hostile comments suggests that I wrote a follow up statement (released on the Huffington Post as well as on my last blog) because of pressure from Rabbi Marvin Hier with whom I met after I had begun composing my statement. What I said in my statement is true and I am not proud of it: I neglected to read the protest letter carefully enough. It was the outcry that ensued that caused me to study it very carefully. It was then that I saw that there were parts of it that I did not agree with. That is why I wrote my statement, not because I was pressured by anyone. It was a case of having to sit down, take a deep breath, go into a meditative state to clear away all the noise and zero in on my real feelings.

Once again, Silverstein has been caught lying. He has no compunctions about spreading libel against his fellow Jews, as well as Jane Fonda, to advance his anti-Israel agenda. The question is, how much longer will others give him a platform to do so?

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, PA President Mahmoud Abbas and President Barack Obama are set to meet on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, according to a surprise White House announcement on Saturday night.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

7:32PM: Earlier today, palestinians fired on Defense Ministry laborers engaged in infrastructure work. The IDF responded by firing mortar shells at the gunmen.

7:15PM: Back when I lived in Australia, a journalist by the name of Liam Bartlett was the news anchor for one of the local television stations. He seemed like a pretty laid back, affable fellow, and when he made it on to the Australian version of 60 minutes, he showed signs of not following in the footsteps of fellow 60 minuter Richard Carleton. In other words, not displaying an incredible anti-Israel bias.

Well, that was then and this is now. Watch here for Liam Bartlett’s blatantly one-sided treatment of the conflict.

And Bartlett’s blog reveals more of the same.

Bartlett shows no hint of even trying to cover the story fairly. He has made up his mind that the so-called” settlements” are wrong, and their inhabitants “extremists.” He takes the word of his palestinian interviewees as fact, while deriding the statements of the “settlers.” There is not even a mention of the terrorism plaguing Israel, and which is the reason for the checkpoints and security fence he is so quick to deride. In fact, one gets the impression that Bartlett would justify terrorism from palestinians, given their allegedly bad treatment at the hands of Israel and those “extremist settlers.”

Bartlett describes anti-fence demonstrations in which participants throw rocks at soldiers as “peaceful” (I’m guessing he has never been hit in the head with a rock, although if he had been, that would explain a lot). He also makes no mention of the context of the war in which Israel captured the territories in dispute, nor the other wars in which the Arabs made very clear their intentions to destroy the tiny Jewish state. And speaking of which, notice how Bartlett describes how tiny the “West Bank” is. He is simply not interested in the fact that Israel is the tiny place surrounded by hostile neighbors out to destroy her, which is the key to understanding the whole conflict.

(Thanks to both my mum and Gedalia for bringing this to my attention)

3:55PM: Old and busted: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

New hotness: Zionist man slayers of death.^TM

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday he was proud he had managed to enrage the West by denying the Holocaust during a speech he made in Tehran in honor of Jerusalem day.

Ahmadinejad was quoted by the Iranian News Agency (IRNA) as saying that the angering of “professional man-slayers is a source of pride for us and will not stand in our way”, apparently in reference to Israel and the West.

“The more these imperialists, enemies of humanity and those whose hearts have no love for the human kind run wild, screaming and throwing accusations, we know our path is correct,” said Ahmadinejad.

1:50PM: How bad is the Goldstone report? Even the former editor in chief of the leftist Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz has ripped it.

Excerpt:

Israel intentionally went after civilians in Gaza — and wrapped its intention in lies.

That chilling — and misguided — accusation is the key conclusion of the United Nations investigation, led by Richard Goldstone, into the three-week war last winter.

1:25PM: How bad is the Goldstone report? Hamas is urging the world to embrace it.

De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged world powers on Sunday to embrace a recently-released report on alleged war crimes committed during Israel’s recent war on the Gaza Strip.

“We hope the report … will not be doomed to the fate of the dozens of reports that Israel has condemned for decades,” referring to the report of the fact-finding mission led by Justice Richard Goldstone.

Released last week, Goldstone’s 575-page report drew criticism from the US and Israel for its finding that Israel committed war crimes during the attack on Gaza. While the report focuses on Israel, it also calls for further investigations into alleged violations by Palestinian armed groups.

Responding to the alleged Palestinian violations, Haniyeh said he “affirm[s] our right to self-defense under international law.”

Haniyeh specifically asked the Arab League and European countries to use all means to make sure the report is brought to the attention to the UN Security Council and then referred to prosecutors.

11:15AM: Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was the national security advisor of former US President/current fossilized meddler Jimmy Carter, has said in an interview that the US should use force against IAF planes if they fly over Iraq to strike Iran.

Is the fallout as bad if Israel preemptively strikes Iran?

Absolutely. That is the way, more importantly, how the Iranians would view it. They really can’t do much to the Israelis, despite all their bluster. The only thing they can do is unify themselves, especially nationalistically, to rally against us, and the mullahs might even think of it as a blessing.

How aggressive can Obama be in insisting to the Israelis that a military strike might be in America’s worst interest?

We are not exactly impotent little babies. They have to fly over our airspace in Iraq. Are we just going to sit there and watch?

What if they fly over anyway?

Well, we have to be serious about denying them that right. That means a denial where you aren’t just saying it. If they fly over, you go up and confront them. They have the choice of turning back or not. No one wishes for this but it could be a Liberty in reverse.

10:15AM: Roseanne Barr:

I will be atoning for the sins of the state of Israel on behalf of the jewish soul. I may be one of the only jews on earth doing this, and so I feel compelled to do it even more strongly. It is very neccessary that this be done, because without atonement and repentance for the things we have done to offend and abuse our neighbors, we will be erased as a people, according to the teachings of our holy books.

Our very existence is the thing which offends our neighbors. I certainly won’t be atoning for that.

By the way, I am really curious as to where in our Holy books Barr found reference to us being erased as a people for offending our neighbors. Curious, since no such reference exists.

9:00AM: Sweden is giving us another reason to dislike them, besides the organ harvesting blood libel, their refusal to condemn it, and ABBA.

5:50AM: Here is Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren’s response to the Goldstone report, to which I linked a few days ago, but now embedded for your viewing pleasure.

5:40AM: Here’s Russian President Dmitry Medvedev talking about Iran, including the claim Israeli President Shimon Peres assurance to him that Israel would not attack Iran, and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s recent “secret” trip to Russia.

The Toronto Film Festival opened on Thursday with an outcry against the fest’s City to City program, which spotlights Tel Aviv this year. Some prominent names in the industry — including Harry Belafonte, Jane Fonda, Julie Christie and Viggo Mortensen — are protesting the inclusion in light of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. One filmmaker, John Greyson, withdrew his doc “Covered” in protest, although the group, led by writer Naomi Klein, says that their protest is not a boycott. Their letter is called “The Toronto Declaration — No Celebration of Occupation.”

I will admit he is a good actor, since watching him as Aragorn, one could be convinced he is a hero.

Meanwhile, some other celebrities have joined Jon Voight in speaking out against this anti-Israel protest.

TORONTO, Sept. 10 /CNW/ – Leading members of the film industry are speaking out against the group that opposes the Toronto International Film Festival’s spotlight on Tel Aviv. Judging films, they say, by their country of origin rather than the quality of the artistic product, is censorship. “I am against censorship in all its forms. The attempts to stop TIFF’s City to City spotlight on Tel Aviv amount to political censorship. I am against it.” David Cronenberg, Filmmaker.

“Empowered groups of people, deciding whose stories can, and cannot be told, does nothing but remind us of oppression that has no place in film-making.” Minnie Driver, Actor.

“The recent attack on Israeli films at TIFF is an attempt to politicize art. It has been demonstrated that in Israel, artists are free to create work, which often is critical of their own society. “Waltz with Bashir” was nominated for an Academy Award last year, despite its criticism of Israeli government policy. This recent attempt at political censorship smacks of anti-Semitic bigotry. Let’s keep political hatred out of the artistic community. Artists should treat each other with respect and support regardless of religion, colour, or nationality. You can have a great career and become a Hollywood legend – but there’s a spirit of humanity and caring for others – that we are honouring tonight and we thank you for coming to Toronto.” Norman Jewison, Filmaker.

“Israel is the only country in the Middle East where films are made without censorship of any sort. Films that are critical of the country, or some aspect of Israeli society, even the Israel Defense Forces, are made freely, without interference and with the State’s financial support. Witness last year’s Academy Award nominated Waltz With Bashir, which, despite its ferocious criticism of Israel, was largely funded by the Israel Film fund, a government agency. The attack on TIFF is a vile attempt by a gang of fashionable bigots to use coercive tactics to stifle voices they don’t like. These are not crusaders for justice. If they were, they would be alarmed by films from countries like Malaysia (where a woman gets lashes for wearing trousers), China and Iran where civil liberties are in short supply. But these vigilantes have no stomach for standing up to ruthless totalitarian regimes. They prefer to wage their crusade against a tried and tested target: Jews. Today, Jewish filmmakers from Tel Aviv get their turn. Their brand of political censorship is at odds with the most cherished values of Canadian society: Freedom of expression and freedom of choice. Bigotry like theirs has no place at the Toronto International Film Festival.” Robert Lantos, Filmmaker.

“Film is essentially about telling global stories – of exploring the complexities and contradictions of the human condition. Any attempt to silence that conversation – to hijack the festival for any political agenda in the end, only serves to silence artistic voices.” Ivan Reitman, Filmmaker.

“Back in the early 1970’s when I was performing at the newly founded Theatre Passe Muraille, Toronto Free Theatre and Factory Lab Theatre, Toronto police had what was called a “Morality Squad” to protect the population from unseemly material. I remember an early production by playwright Hrant Alianak was seen by the squad and deemed unworthy of public performance. They threatened that if the show wasn’t closed immediately, the next night anyone onstage could be arrested and charged – and so over fifty well-known Toronto artists like Pierre Berton sat on the stage the next night and dared the police to arrest them. That night effectively ended the power of Toronto’s Morality Squad. Censorship has reared its ugly head now and again, against all kinds of art, for all kinds of reasons. The reasons invariably suit only the agenda of the one doing the censoring – as if the same specious logic couldn’t be turned on them one day.” Saul Rubinek, Actor and Director.

“The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has been hijacked by a group of so-called activists bent on furthering their agenda – to demonize Jews and to marginalize Israel, in order to bring about the destruction of the Jewish State. Clearly, they do not support a two state solution. By objecting to a “spotlight” on Tel Aviv they are saying that no place in Israel is legitimate. From their twisted perspective, everything that Israel does is – by definition – illegitimate and everything that the enemies of Israel do is – by definition – legitimate. This is anti-Semitism in its crudest form. Furthermore, they have chosen to align themselves with Gaza’s Hamas regime that stands for terrorism, fundamentalism and totalitarianism. It is a Holocaust denying organization that is against Jews, Christians, gays and women. There is no worse regime in the world and yet Naomi Klein, John Greyson and company have chosen to identify themselves with it. You can tell a person by their friends.” Simcha Jacobovici, Filmmaker.

http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2009/09/10/nefesh-bnefesh-jewish-blogging-conference/

Any newspaper articles about blogging naturally catch my eye.  Al achat kama v’ kama (”even more so”) regarding Jewish blogging.  So when I read that Israel would be hosting a conference for Jewish blogging my interest was piqued.  But as soon as I began reading, my interest turned to horror (or something approximating it).

One of the most entertaining parts of writing this blog is bringing my readers unintentionally hilarious bits of Jewish or Israeli life, and this one will tickle your (ironic) funny bone.  Before you begin, keep in mind that the conference sponsor, Nefesh B’Nefesh is the very-same American Jewish non-profit organization bringing new olim from America and other western countries and settling them, with the help of tax-deductible donations from American Jews, in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territory.  As the saying goes, your tax dollars hard at work.  Here, by the way, is NBN’s little promo for living the phat life in Maaleh Adumim, one of the most contentious settlement projects dividing the U.S. and Israel in the debate over a freeze.

[Silverstein quotes article here, which ends as follows:

Members of Nefesh B'Nefesh explained that the conference's aim is to "deepen collaboration and coordination between Jewish bloggers around the world in order to further join the interests of the Jewish people and the State of Israel."

The conference will host officials from the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Information who will attempt to recruit the bloggers for these goals.]

Now here I was ready to reserve my airline ticket until I read that last line. Am I prepared to be recruited by the PM or PR or Mossad or whoever, to become a hasbarist on behalf of the State of Israel? No thank you. I’ll leave that task to David Abitbol, Aussie Dave and the humus eaters of Nefesh B’Nefesh. I’d prefer to be able to look myself in the mirror and say I’m still my own man, not bought and paid for, whether through mammon or ideology by anyone or anything, except The (Jewish) Good as defined by yours truly.

Ahh, dear. Still bitter and twisted after all these years.

Incidentally, this is what Silverstein sees when he looks at himself in the mirror.

As Yoda would say, if had to look at that in the mirror every day, also be bitter and twisted, you would.  Yes, hmmm.

There is so much anti-semitism in this world,

It’s not even funny.
It is as everyday as baking cookies.
Ignorance is not bliss.
Recalling the horrors of the holocaust will not deflect or divert it, as many Jewish people think.

I’m willing to bet that turn of phrase is no coincidence.

And for those of you who would like to compare Barr’s Hitler-Oven photo shoot to Mel Brooks or Charlie Chaplin’s treatment of the Nazi leader, I remind you of Barr’s vehementely anti-Judaism and anti-Israel rhetoric.

Update: I notice the the Barr photoshoot story is gaining traction among the blogs. I am pretty sure I was the first one to break the story, yet not one blog has made the attribution, including a certain blogger who accused yours truly of plagiarism concerning another Barr-related post of mine.

And no, I am not accusing her of plagiarism since I am not arrogant enough to believe that everyone must have read about it first on my site.

I say this as an introduction to the latest abomination to hit their pages:

In case you were wondering, yes, that is nutcase Roseanne Barr dressed as Hitler with an oven mitt.

Deplorable.

Update: From Barr’s blog today:

i think i was hitler in my last life

because I am so often awful in this one, and so racked with guilt over being like that.

Sean Penn’s marriage to Robyn Wright Penn reportedly ended because he had started seeing actress Natalie Portman.

Star magazine reports Penn, 48, and Portman, 27, have been together since at least March 17, when spies say they were spotted kissing for over 45 minutes at the Tower Bar in LA’s Sunset Tower Hotel.

The pair first got to know each other when they teamed up in May 2008 as jury members at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

“She stimulates him in ways no other person has, mentally or professionally,” a source told Star magazine.

“There’s a lot more there with Natalie than any of the other girls Sean’s been with.”

Oh Nat, how you have fallen.

Recently, PETA’s European affiliate wrote to the Pet Shop Boys to suggest that they change their name to the “Rescue Shelter Boys.” It’s got a nice ring to it, right? PETA Europe let the duo know that dogs and cats sold in pet shops come from breeders who often keep animals in cramped, filthy conditions and that many animals sold in pet shops suffer from inbreeding, genetic weaknesses, physical deformities, or behavioral disorders. By changing their name, the would-be-Rescue Shelter Boys could raise awareness about the cruelty of the pet trade at every tour stop.

As one of the commenters on the PETA site says:

Are you going to go after Meatloaf next..?