Gilad Atzmon's Blog, page 14
January 21, 2015
Anti-Israel cartoon breached standards
Sydney Morning Herald caricature, published during summer Gaza War, depicted a Jewish man watching a Gaza bombing from a hilltop.
The adjudication, issued by the Australian Press Council, concerned a cartoon drawn by internationally published cartoonist Glen Le Lievre and published by the Morning Herald on July 26, in the midst of the most recent Israeli criminal war in Gaza.
In the adjudication issued January 17, the Press Council states, “A linkage with Israeli nationality might have been justifiable in the public interest, despite being likely to cause offense. But the same cannot be said of the implied linkage with the Jewish faith that arose from inclusion of the kippah and the Star of David."
Someone should remind the Australian Press Council that Israel defines itself as “The Jewish State”. Israel decorates its airplanes, drones and tanks with Jewish symbols. Israeli cabinet recently approved the Jewish National Bill. The bill is there to confirm that Israeli politics is driven by Jewish religion, ideology and culture.
January 19, 2015
A Personal Note On Jewish Statistics
By Gilad Atzmon
The British political establishment is in a state of panic. A poll revealed last week that “a quarter of Jews in Britain have considered leaving the country in the last two years and well over half (58%) feel they have no long term future in Europe.” This could be a potential disaster for British political parties. Eighty per cent of the Tories are members of the pro Israeli lobby, The Conservative Friends Of Israel (CFI), and a similar percentage of Labour and Libdem MPs have vowed their allegiance to Israel through their respective Jewish Lobby groups. The Jews are clearly a vital source of funding for British politicians. In fact, it has become hard to imagine what British politics would look like without Jewish Lobby’s money. Though the vast majority of British MPs are friends of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, it has not been established how many of our MPs are friendly with Manchester and Hartlepool.
Apparently a recent poll found that anti-Semitic beliefs are widely prevalent among the British public with 45 percent of Britons agreeing with at least one of these ‘anti-Semitic’ sentiments: a quarter of Britons believed "Jews chase money more than other British people," one in six agreed that "Jews think they are better than other people" and "Jews have too much power in the media."
However, if Jewish leaders want to focus on statistics, they surely know how to scientifically verify whether there is an element of truth in these bizarre baseless arguments that apparently 45% of Brits hold about their Jewish citizens. It would be simple to determine whether, in fact, Jews are over represented in the financial sector or in the media or politics. If Jewish leaders are concerned about the safety of their community members, it would be a good idea to examine these questions closely and think about how to address the issue. Clearly, labeling 45% of the Brits as ‘anti Semites’ is not going to make Jews feel safer in Britain.
I have lived in London, one of the most diverse cities on this planet, for about 20 years. I am surrounded by people from all over the world. Some communities occasionally prefer to voluntarily segregate themselves. Many communities are subject to harsh and manifested hatred but, somehow, it is always the Jewish community that measures statistically how unlovable the Jews are. Not the Portuguese, not the Afghans, not the Albans, not the Iranians or the Colombians. It is the Jewish leaders who choose once a month to shove in our faces the ‘numbers’ that reveal that anti Semitism is on the rise. I believe that this happens for a reason.
Jews are obsessed with measuring their unpopularity because Jews are involved collectively, and sometimes against the will of many individuals, with some very unpopular acts. The crimes committed repeatedly by the Jewish State are a problem for the Jews. The overwhelmingly forceful Jewish lobby in Britain and America is a problem that reflects badly on Jews. Even the Epstein/Dershowitz/Prince Andrew’s minor sex scandal makes Jews feel uncomfortable because Alan Dershowitz has been the prime Zionist mouthpiece for the last four decades in the USA.
I was born in Israel in the 1960’s, I am a product of a patriotic Israeli education and I am confused by all of it. In Israel in the 1970’s we were taught that Jews being despised and hated by their neighbours wasn’t something to brag about. Jews being hated filled us with shame. We believed that Jews could be reformed and become subject of admiration. We didn’t need Home Secretary Theresa May to vow to fight our haters. We believed that we could earn genuine respect through our own merits.
It took me thirty years to understand that this adventure in reform wasn’t simple at all. Israel and Zionism failed to rescue the Jew or Jewishness; quite the opposite. It took me a long time to grasp that I couldn't become a better person unless I dropped the Jew in me and started a lifetime journey to Goy-zone. I mention my own choice because I realised that there was no collective answer to the Jewish Question. If Jews want to save their souls and their ethics, if they want to look in the mirror with pride, they must leave the collective and find their own personal way toward liberation.
Theresa May Performs The Pre Traumatic Stress
In The Wandering Who I wrote, “within the condition of the Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the stress is the outcome of a phantasmic event, an imaginary episode set in the future; an event that has never taken place. Unlike the PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in which stress comes as the direct reaction to an event that (may) have taken place in the past, within the state of Pre-TSD, the stress is the clearly the outcome of an imaginary potential event... If it is taken to extremes, even an agenda of total war against the rest of the world is not an unthinkable reaction...”
The Daily Mail Reports today:
'Without its Jews, Britain would not be Britain,' warns Theresa May over fears of an exodus in wake of anti-Semitic attacks.
Home Secretary never thought she would see the day Jews wanted to fleeShe vows to redouble efforts to wipe out anti-Semitism in the UKEric Pickles says Jewish community is part of what makes Britain tickBoard of Deputies hails demonstration of the government's solidarityScotland Yard have promised extra police patrols in Jewish areas It comes after gun attack on a Paris kosher supermarket killed fourNeedless to mention, that Theresa May’s comments are based on a fear of a future (imaginary) attack on British Jews.
Wouldn't it be better if, for instance, our mother Theresa were advising British Jews to disassociate themselves from the Jewish State and its militancy? Such an act could save British Jews a lot of trouble. Theresa May could also suggest to her Tory MP friends to drift away from the Conservative Friends Of Israel club (CFI). At the moment 80% of our Conservative MPs are friends of Tel Aviv, it is not clear how many of them are friendly with Glasgow or Liverpool.
January 18, 2015
Gaza Mon Amour - Live at the Hidaway, London
Gilad Atzmon & The Orient House Ensemble
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esq1cxpGGYo
Album will be released on 23rd February. However The Whistle Blower CD is available here.
Download version is available here (for just £7.99)
The Orient House Ensemble are celebrating their 15th year launching The Whistle Blower, their 8th album to date.
The hardest working jazz band in the UK and one of the leading ensembles in Europe embark on a 35 date tour in the UK and Europe playing their new music as well as old favourites.
Gilad Atzmon Yaron Stavi Frank Harrison Chris Higginbottom
* A hard-hitting but wide-ranging set from an admirably tight and robust band led by one of the most charismatic and focused reedsmen on the planet. Chris Parker, LondonJazz
* Best Musician living in the world today, Robert Wyatt, The Guardian
Gilad is the saxophonist on the new Pink Floyd album The Endless River
Friday 23rd January 2015 Ilminster Arts Centre, Ilminster www.themeetinghouse.org.uk/
Saturday 24 Teatro Plamostre di Udine, Udine Italy
Friday 30th January 2015 The Plough Arts Centre, Great Torrington www.theploughartscentre.org.uk/
Saturday 31st January 2015 606 Jazz Club, London www.606club.co.uk
Wednesday 4th February 2015 Jazzland, Swansea www.swanseajazzland.co.uk/
Thursday 5th February 2015 Hot Numbers Coffee, Cambridge www.hotnumberscoffee.co.uk/
Thursday 12ve Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich http://www.norwichartscentre.co.uk/
Friday 13th February 2015 St Mary's Church, Wivenhoe http://wivenhoeevents.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1
Sunday 15th February 2015 Herts Jazz, Welwyn Garden City http://www.hertsjazz.co.uk/currentseason.html
Thursday 19th February, Salon - Istanbul Album Launch
Friday 20th February 2015 Jazz Live at The Crypt, London www.jazzlive.co.uk/
Monday 23rd February 2015 The Everyman Studio, Cheltenham www.cheltenhamjazz.co.uk/
Thursday 26th February 2015 The Albany Club, Coventry www.jazzcov.co.uk/
Sunday 1st March 2015 Hen & Chicken, Bristol www.jazzata.com/
Thursday 5th March 2015 Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester www.rncm.ac.uk/whats-on/events/
Friday 6th March 2015 The Bartons Arms, Aston, Birmingham www.birminghamjazz.co.uk/
Wednesday 11th March 2015 Album Launch at The Pizza Express Jazz Club, London www.pizzaexpresslive.com/
Thursday 12th March 2015 Album Launch at The Pizza Express Jazz Club, London www.pizzaexpresslive.com/
Friday 13th March 2015 Album Launch at The Pizza Express Jazz Club, London www.pizzaexpresslive.com/
Saturday 14th March 2015 Album Launch at The Pizza Express Jazz Club, London www.pizzaexpresslive.com/
Tuesday 31st March 2015 The Brook Theatre, Chatham http://tickets.medway.gov.uk/thebrooktheatre.aspx
Wednesday 1st April 2015 The Y Theatre, Leicester, www.leicesterymca.co.uk/y-theatre.php
Saturday 4th April 2015 606 Jazz Club, London www.606club.co.uk
Sunday 5th April 2015 Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester www.colchesterartscentre.com/
Tuesday 7th April A-Train, Berlin, Germany
Thursda y 9th April Saarwellingen, Germany
Friday 10th Freiburg
Saturday 11th April 2015 Drill Hall, Lincoln www.lincolndrillhall.com/
Thursday 16th April 2015 Watermill Jazz Club, Dorking www.watermilljazz.co.uk/
Friday 17th April 2015 Wakefield Jazz Club, Wakefield www.wakefieldjazz.org/
Thursday 30th April 2015 The Spin Jazz Club, Oxford spinjazz.net/events
January 17, 2015
Jews Are Turning Their Backs On Dershowitz
Introduction by GA: as it becomes clear that sex slave scandal Alan Dershowitz is associated with, is not going to clear up any time soon, some Jews seem to be keen to expel this bogus character out of the Ghetto. In the following piece Ronn Torossian explains why Jews should regard their favorite spokesman as a liability. Pretty amusing I must admit.
Defending Alan Dershowitz is not a Jewish issue
Well known rights advocate, celebrated criminal attorney and Harvard law Professor Alan Dershowitz is under attack. An under-age girl claimed in court proceedings that she had sexual relations with him while she was a “sex slave” by businessman Jeffrey Epstein. Dershowitz, who is truly a master of media, knows all too well that the the court of public opinion works much quicker than the court of law; and he is not wasting any time firing back at his accuser.
Time will tell whether or not he is guilty—but his character will be hurt regardless. The manner in which media and the public are drawn to certain issues, accusations such as these are harmful whether true or not.
Truth be told, I do not know him personally—but I have never been fond of Professor Dershowitz. I do not believe he is a good spokesman for Israel or the Jewish people. He talks of being Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian, he advocates for the discrimination of Jews when he proclaims that Jews should not live in Hebron, and has been an outspoken advocate for President Obama who has been a disaster for both America and Israel. Dershowitz is no more than a well-spoken uber-liberal American Jew. I find that he is always about what is good for Alan Dershowitz.
As a high-profile CEO of a major PR Agency, I find his claims, as well as the claims of others implying that accusations against Dershowitz are about Anti-Semitism or are somehow a Jewish issue to be quite absurd. Whether they are found to be true or not, this is simply not a Jewish issue.
When Bernie Madoff was arrested, I wrote at the time that “I don’t believe that the “Jewish Brand” was affected in any way by the Madoff scheme. The Madoff family is a clan of crooks—of which every race, religion and people has, and the Jewish people are no different. America is well beyond the Anti-Semitism of the USA of Henry Ford.” And that was true. Madoff was a crook—but he did not represent the Jews.
When Dershowitz claims that “Anti-Semites and anti-Israel “zealots” are having a field day over sexual abuse allegations leveled against him”, and “The anti-Semites are crawling out from under their rocks, they are loving this...,” he is inappropriate and wrong.
Working on countless high-profile issues, I would be amazed if Dershowitz received even 50 emails from anti-Semites as he claims. (Although it is smart PR—sympathy does help when you are accused of rape.)
Dershowitz’s assertion that Jews should support him, telling the Jerusalem Post, “I’m not only defending myself here but I am defending other values as well. I am defending the values that I have represented and stood for, for so many years” is, frankly, offensive. Maybe the values people are offended by include the fact that he got Michael Jackson, a long-suspected child molester, off the hook.
Perhaps other Jews feel as noted conservative Debbie Schlussel wrote in 2012, that Dershowitz is a “schmuck,” which she called him when she said he was a “plagiarist” who “misses no chance to support a Palestinian State and attack Jews’ rights to live where they want including in Jerusalem (which he derides as “illegal settlements”), all while he pretends to be a strong advocate for Israel, and supports Barack Obama.”
I have no idea whether Alan Dershowitz is or is not guilty. I simply know that defending him is not and should not be a Jewish issue. As a proud Jew, I find the argument that he should be protected because of his Jewishness, to be despicable.
Ronn Torossian is an entrepreneur, author and blogger for The Times of Israel.
Palestine Polaroid - They Need Your Support!!!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1677961432/palestine-polaroid
Palestine Polaroid is a proposed photography project run in conjunction with Project Hope in Nablus. Young students from the Balata refugee camp will spend 10 days documenting their own lives and surroundings through the medium of Polaroid photography. The aim of the project is to encourage young Palestinians to confidently express themselves within a visual context. Each student will be given some film and a Polaroid Camera with the purpose of exploring themes of identity, culture, family, community and occupation. We will then collectively edit the images in the workshop to create a book entitled 'Palestine Polaroid'. The book will be printed here in Berlin. This will be followed by an exhibition in Berlin showcasing the students work from the Polaroid Workshop. I am currently trying to arrange for local film makers from Nablus University to get involved in filming the project.Why Polaroid?
None of the schools in the Refugee Camps are equipped with digital cameras, scanners or printers. Given the time constraints and the simple nature of instant photography, I feel its a medium that suits this project. Photographs are shot and instantly printed, this will allow students to give vital feedback on their images. Polaroids are fun too which is important. It's a process the children will be unfamiliar with but as no technical knowledge is required they can feel at ease with the camera.Costs:
We will be shooting mainly on Fuji Mini, Wide 300 and Impossible Project Film for Polaroid 600 Series cameras. My aim is to have 200 rolls of film and ten cameras for the children to use. Numbers participating may fluctuate but my hope is that each child will be allocated 5 - 10 rolls each (40-100 photos). I will fund my own flights and accommodation.
About Project Hope:
Project Hope creates safe and supportive spaces where children, youth and other community members can learn, thrive, and grow. Through their educational, artistic and recreational programs, they aim to empower Palestinian children and youth who have grown up in a context of violence and occupation, giving them the tools they need to access a better future.
Please visit their website for further details;
Balata refugee camp:
Balata is the largest refugee camp in the West Bank with over 23,000 registered refugees. The camp was established in 1950, the majority of refugees originally came from the cities of Lydd, Jaffa, and Ramleh. 40% of the population are under 14 years old. This is the demographic in which the project will take place.For more information visit the United Nations Website below
http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/features/balata-refugee-camp
Risks and challengesTo avoid any unnecessary complications with the customs officials I will pre-order and purchase cameras and film from the Fotofilm photography store in Tel Aviv. I will purchase the impossible Project film here as it is significantly cheaper.
I don't envision any issues beyond that. I will fly to Tel Aviv on the 17th of February returning on the 28th.
I will begin scanning and printing in my studio as soon as I return to Berlin, i would expect to have everything printed and scanned within 4 weeks.
Thanks in advance,
Owen McCann
January 16, 2015
Must watch-Jon Stewart on French Hypocrisy And Our Most Beloved Dieudonne
Jon Stewart brilliantly mocks the anti social tyranny performed by the pathetic Francois Hollande and his Jerusalem 'socialist' government.
Press TV: Military might ineffective against terrorism
Analyst Gilad Atzmon says military might is ineffective in uprooting terrorism.
US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have announced a joint war on what they have described as “Islamist extremists”. The announcement that was made through a joint article in the Times of London came in the wake of last week’s terrorist attack on a Paris office of Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine.
Obama and Cameron may already appear to be working on an agenda the details of which may not be known to the public at the moment. However, analysts believe that the two, themselves, are responsible for the creation of extremists through pursuing interventionist policies in the Middle East.
“There is a very good reason for American administration, for the British government, and especially more than anyone else for François Holland and his government to be uniquely embarrassed at this point in time,” Gilad Atzmon, a London-based author and political analyst, told Press TV.
“This is because it is clear beyond doubt that these governments were involved in interventionist wars, were supporting different forces in the Middle East especially in Syria in the last few years,” Atzmon added.
He further said voiced doubt if terrorism could ever be uprooted through military means by the Western countries.
“I don’t think all of our drones, our great air force and our military ability to kill people from a far would ever help,” Atzmon told Press TV’s UK Desk in an exclusive interview.
“It is pretty much a disaster we brought for ourselves.”
Atzmon further said the Israeli lobbies have played a key role in dragging Western countries into several conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. However, he said this has produced no fruits.
“Look what is happening in Libya now and how these Libyans combat with the insurgents for no avail,” he said. “What do they think of this kind of intervention?”
January 15, 2015
Why Is Charlie Hebdo OK, But Not Dieudonne? FRENCH HYPOCRISY
Is France selective about which speech they allow and which to censor? Find out with TV presenter Hassan Alkatib and political expert Hafsa Kara-Mustapha as they discuss how the French Comedian Dieudonne is being censored by the French authoritie
