By Manny Frishberg, JTNews Correspondent
Herman Goebbels’ strategy of “The Big Lie” is alive and well, and being used against Israel and Jews in general, according to Kenneth Jacobson, Director of the International Affairs Division of the Anti-Defamation League.
The first Big Lie, he explained, has been circulating throughout the Arab and Islamic world, is that the Mossad, or ‘the Jews’ in general, were behind the downing of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. The second Big Lie, which Jacobson said has been making its way into the discourse over the U.S.-led war against Iraq, is that the war policy is being directed by Israel or the American Jewish community.
Taken together, Jacobson said, they represent a rise in “classical anti-Semitism,” which is particularly disturbing to the ADL.
In the first instance, he said, rumors began to appear in the Arabic press days after the attacks that 4,000 Israelis who worked in the Trade Center buildings did not go to work that morning, implying they had been warned away as part of a conspiracy aimed at discrediting the Islam. That story has been expanded often since it first surfaced on the Lebanese satellite channel less than a week after the attack. It has since become widely believed in a large swath of the Islamic world.
“Gallup, in a poll several months ago, reported that 60 percent of people in nine Arab and Islamic countries, when asked the question, ‘Who do you believe committed 9/11,’” remarked Jacobson, “said the Jews, the Mossad, or Israel.”
“The Middle East and global anti-Semitism are the main things I’m talking about these days. And there’s a lot to talk about,” continued Jacobson, whose department monitors and analyzes events affecting Jews in the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. He was in Seattle for a series of talks , including a breakfast meeting for ADL board members and guests, a talk co-sponsored by ADL on the Microsoft campus, and an appearance on Dave Ross’ KIRO-AM radio show.
Jacobson, who is also ADL’s Senior Associate National Director — essentially the second-in-command at the national organization — received an undergraduate degree in history and Hebrew literature from Yeshiva University, and a Masters’ degree in history from Columbia University.
As part of his visit, he took time out of his schedule to speak with The Jewish Transcript.
In the United States, Jacobson said, the development that the ADL finds most disturbing is the spreading of the story that the effort to topple Saddam Hussein is being directed by the American Jewish community or on behalf of Israel.
The most recent event, Jacobson said, was the well-publicized statement by Virginia Congressman James Moran, who told a meeting of his constituents the United States would not be preparing for war were it not for the influence of the American Jewish community. Moran’s statement was condemned by Democratic Party leaders in both houses of Congress, and there have been calls for him to step down from his post as deputy Minority Leader in the House of Representatives. Moran has publicly apologized for what he called “insensitive” remarks.
The “Big Lie” of Jewish influence has begun to gain traction among the pundits who dominate the op-ed pages of major newspapers and the talking-head TV shows, he said. “We’ve seen it a little bit from Pat Buchanan, Robert Novak” and other influential columnists, including Georgie Ann Geyer.
“So much so that Bill Keller, an op-ed writer for the New York Times, Jacobson said, “wrote a piece called ‘Is It Good for the Jews?’ in which he supposedly was trying to rebut the charges, but actually to some extent gave it some credence.” He added, “We’ve begun to speak out about the need for good people to stand up, whatever their position is on the war, not to buy into the conspiracy notions.”
Jacobson emphasized he does not feel “that the vast majority of the American people buy into this” idea, but its entry into the discussion over war and peace is a disturbing trend, nonetheless.
“One has to make a distinction between legitimate issues to discuss and what goes over the top. There’s nothing wrong to analyze what impact this war will have on Israel, and there’s nothing wrong to suggest that, just as the United States would benefit from getting rid of Saddam Hussein, so would Israel. Those are legitimate issues. What’s not legitimate is to suggest that American policy is being dictated by a group of American Jews or by Israel,” he said.
Apart from the obvious disdain for anti-Semitism for its own sake, Jacobson said it is a real cause of concern for everyone who hopes to see a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “The Arab-Israeli struggle has always had an element of anti-Semitism to it,” he noted, adding that “at least some circles, [it has remained] more of a political-national struggle.
“It’s hard enough to resolve it on the political-national level. When it becomes anti-Semitic, then it becomes almost impossible,” Jacobson continued. “Once you get into Judaism and Islam and all this stuff… first of all you begin to add another billion people, and that’s not the way to go.”