stimatissimo dr. Finkelstein (non ancora professore...)
Norman Finkesltein è un allievo di Noam Chomsky, personaggio di non eccellenti frequentazioni -negazionisti, per esempio- e di pessimo carattere, come si vede da questo scambio epistolare con il sociologo Werner Cohn. Finkelstein è autore di un (come si dice) controverso volume intitolato L'industria dell'Olocausto e di altri (come si dice) controversi interventi sulla pericolosità degli ebrei in politica; ora si è convinto che una cospirazione sionista, guidata da Alan Dershowitz, gli stia sbarrando la strada verso la sospirata tenure, la cattedra universitaria.
La questione è raccontata in lingua italiana qui e, con toni forse un po' provocatori, da Christian Rocca [qui] a cui piace lo scontro, anzi la guerra, tra un ebreo che non gli piace affatto e uno che sta simpatico a lui. Finora, dico: perché è prevedibile che i toni si alzeranno ulteriormente dall'altra parte dell'Atlantico e anche qui non mancheranno resoconti da parte degli affezionati all'epica saga dell'ebreo che sacrifica i legami con la sua tribù in nome di alti ideali di giustizia universale, e diventa quindi perseguitato dalla terribile lobby.
Ma prima di questa ubriacatura, conviene conoscere un po' meglio il Finkelstein, che ambisce - come dicevo- alla tenure. Perché sarà forse bravo per riempire la casellina dei cultural studies, ovvero a spiegarci che se si parla della Shoah è perché gli ebrei sono razzisti e convinti di essere il popolo eletto e quindi Israele sta massacrando i palestinesi e ci sono troppi ebrei sopravvissuti perché glielo ha detto la sua mamma. A raccontare tutte queste storie Finkelstein è bravissimo, ed infatti ha un suo pubblico di affezionati, anche in Italia. Ma quanto a conoscenza dell'ebraico, e dell'arabo, il dottor Finkelstein è un po' scarsino. Lo spiega magistralmente uno che lo ha incontrato.
"(...) I approached you afterwards and offered my advice that if you were to learn Arabic and Hebrew your chances for tenure would dramatically increase (...) I offered this advice because during my time in academia I discovered that experts on the Middle East read things written in those languages.
(...) I also offered my own services to teach you Hebrew, which you politely declined, saying you “were too old for that.” Then I asked you about Arabic, offering a few kind words in colloquial Jerusalem Arabic, that I was sure you understood, from your intense dealings on the whole Arab-Israeli conflict. I did not mean to embarrass you of course, but you also told me you don’t speak Arabic. I have sadly forgotten much of the Arabic I learned as a student at Hebrew University (That is only that name of the University- I took classes there in English and Hebrew.)
(...) It is never too late. Heck, Rabbi Akiva didn’t really start learning anything till age 40. Lots of people take Hebrew during Elderhostel programs at universities. New Israeli immigrants as old as 90 even study Hebrew. I am sure that a man of your intellectual integrity and discipline will have no trouble. You can even now learn Hebrew on-line if you prefer that way of learning.
As far as Arabic is concerned - there are TONS of places and online ways to study Arabic. Or you can do a summer session in Riyahd or Cairo. Oh, well, maybe only Cairo, since you are Jewish you cannot study in Saudi Arabia. (Did you ever wonder why American Jewish students can never go on exchange programs to Saudi Arabian Universities, but tens of thousands of Saudi students study here in America? Did that ever bother you and strike you as racist?)
(...) Since your field of expertise, according to your website and your dissertation is “the theory of Zionism,” I believe that learning Hebrew, both in written and spoken form, will inform your scholarship, teaching, and service to the DePaul community and the academic field you have chosen. In fact, you might even be able to uncover some more fascinating information on this theory of Zionism that is rarely translated into English!
For example: Jews have prayed in Hebrew for nearly 2000 years to return to their homeland Israel, for and in-gathering of the exiles, for the rebuilding of the Temple, and the restoration of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel. Cool, eh?
(...) Wishing you a Chag Sameach, a Happy Independence Day— the day where we celebrate a tiny country that if it had existed before 1939, would have most likely averted the Holocaust.
testo completo qui. E grazie a Rabbi Yonah di Blogshul
La questione è raccontata in lingua italiana qui e, con toni forse un po' provocatori, da Christian Rocca [qui] a cui piace lo scontro, anzi la guerra, tra un ebreo che non gli piace affatto e uno che sta simpatico a lui. Finora, dico: perché è prevedibile che i toni si alzeranno ulteriormente dall'altra parte dell'Atlantico e anche qui non mancheranno resoconti da parte degli affezionati all'epica saga dell'ebreo che sacrifica i legami con la sua tribù in nome di alti ideali di giustizia universale, e diventa quindi perseguitato dalla terribile lobby.
Ma prima di questa ubriacatura, conviene conoscere un po' meglio il Finkelstein, che ambisce - come dicevo- alla tenure. Perché sarà forse bravo per riempire la casellina dei cultural studies, ovvero a spiegarci che se si parla della Shoah è perché gli ebrei sono razzisti e convinti di essere il popolo eletto e quindi Israele sta massacrando i palestinesi e ci sono troppi ebrei sopravvissuti perché glielo ha detto la sua mamma. A raccontare tutte queste storie Finkelstein è bravissimo, ed infatti ha un suo pubblico di affezionati, anche in Italia. Ma quanto a conoscenza dell'ebraico, e dell'arabo, il dottor Finkelstein è un po' scarsino. Lo spiega magistralmente uno che lo ha incontrato.
"(...) I approached you afterwards and offered my advice that if you were to learn Arabic and Hebrew your chances for tenure would dramatically increase (...) I offered this advice because during my time in academia I discovered that experts on the Middle East read things written in those languages.
(...) I also offered my own services to teach you Hebrew, which you politely declined, saying you “were too old for that.” Then I asked you about Arabic, offering a few kind words in colloquial Jerusalem Arabic, that I was sure you understood, from your intense dealings on the whole Arab-Israeli conflict. I did not mean to embarrass you of course, but you also told me you don’t speak Arabic. I have sadly forgotten much of the Arabic I learned as a student at Hebrew University (That is only that name of the University- I took classes there in English and Hebrew.)
(...) It is never too late. Heck, Rabbi Akiva didn’t really start learning anything till age 40. Lots of people take Hebrew during Elderhostel programs at universities. New Israeli immigrants as old as 90 even study Hebrew. I am sure that a man of your intellectual integrity and discipline will have no trouble. You can even now learn Hebrew on-line if you prefer that way of learning.
As far as Arabic is concerned - there are TONS of places and online ways to study Arabic. Or you can do a summer session in Riyahd or Cairo. Oh, well, maybe only Cairo, since you are Jewish you cannot study in Saudi Arabia. (Did you ever wonder why American Jewish students can never go on exchange programs to Saudi Arabian Universities, but tens of thousands of Saudi students study here in America? Did that ever bother you and strike you as racist?)
(...) Since your field of expertise, according to your website and your dissertation is “the theory of Zionism,” I believe that learning Hebrew, both in written and spoken form, will inform your scholarship, teaching, and service to the DePaul community and the academic field you have chosen. In fact, you might even be able to uncover some more fascinating information on this theory of Zionism that is rarely translated into English!
For example: Jews have prayed in Hebrew for nearly 2000 years to return to their homeland Israel, for and in-gathering of the exiles, for the rebuilding of the Temple, and the restoration of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel. Cool, eh?
(...) Wishing you a Chag Sameach, a Happy Independence Day— the day where we celebrate a tiny country that if it had existed before 1939, would have most likely averted the Holocaust.
testo completo qui. E grazie a Rabbi Yonah di Blogshul
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