I ask my readers to read the whole piece and not just disconnect the second you find a line that makes you see red. If you think that one, two or more points are nonsense, so be it but that doesn’t invalidate every point I make. And even any one of my points exonerates Corbyn.
1. It is important to discover, expose, condemn and oppose as many antisemites as possible, especially among leaders of society and politicians. Failure to do so may be outright dangerous. However, that doesn’t mean that we should accuse as many people as possible. Those to be confronted should be genuine antisemites, not just possible ones.
2. Jewish unity is of paramount value. There’s little more dangerous than Jewish infighting. Especially when confronting antisemites. That doesn’t mean that if many Jews and famous intelligent Jews accuse a Gentile (or Jew) of being a diehard antisemite, that then all Jews must univocally join them. Standing up for the truth is more important than speaking with one voice. The truth is that there is much new proof that Corbyn is an extreme anti-Zionist but not that he’s an antisemite in any way.
3. He opinionated that British Zionists, even when having lived all their lives in the UK, have no English irony. People started falling over each other pointing out how foul this “accusation” is, setting native Jews apart as aliens. But what if he’s right? Could simply stating the truth be antisemitism? Corbyn didn’t say that therefore all British Jews should be deported. He just said that we go ballistic when confronted on Zionism. That’s a mild response to being confronted by massive (but baseless) allegations of antisemitism. How would you respond in his place?
4. Often anti-Zionism is part of antisemitism, just as dislike of feminism is usually a sign of sexism. But that doesn’t mean that anti-Zionists must be antisemites. Especially not if the hatred of Zionism is connected to an overall far-left worldview that erroneously misreads Zionism as racism, imperialism and colonialism – as I blogged recently. His claim is not that Jews run the world secretly, but that Israel does. There is a difference. Just like an anti-feminist doesn’t need to be a sexist if it’s part of his/her overall conservative worldview as someone who hates all modernity.
5. Corbyn has no doubt anti-Jewish stereotypes in his mind, but which Gentile or Jew hasn’t? We all learned against our will prejudices against every oppressed group. That doesn’t make anyone suspect or unkosher.
6. The term antisemite has become synonymous with immoral monster. Corbyn is obviously no such animal. Listen to his recent clip denouncing antisemitism in Labour saying that there is no place for such sentiments in his party and that Jews have a right to feel safe. There is no proof and not even a hint that he was lying when he said that. There is no reason to believe him to be insincere when he rejects antisemitism. Especially not when many anti-Zionists are proud of their hatred for Jews.
8. Corbyn is still not proven to be an antisemite when any number of distinguished prominent US and UK Jews or even the UK Jewish street claim that he is. Proving goes through argumentation and with facts and not via authority, popular sentiment or by majority vote. It is true that British Jews are not used to protest their lack of safety. They rather try to get by quietly and inconspicuously so. Yet, that fact that they now protest Corbyn is no proof for that he’s beyond normal and at fault.
9. Too many who now speak out against the Labour leader have never voted Labour and never will. Anti-left sentiments are legit but if a Jew dislikes the left that doesn’t mean that he should accuse its leaders of being antisemites. (Do his accusers realize that ousting the far-left Labour leader may bring Labour to Downing Street?)
10. There are antisemitic sentiments, stereotypes, pronouncements, behaviors, policies and laws in the world, but no one is born an antisemite. There is no antisemitic DNA. Often, certain Gentiles are profiled as antisemitic to make other Gentiles to feel good as (relatively) kosher. This is a fake distinction. Rather, instead of assigning blame to the “right” people (the wrong people, actually), one should allot responsibility to all Gentiles to help uproot the oldest of Gentile diseases: antisemitism. As there are no wicked people, there is no need to replace people – only to confront them with their responsibility to get the right information and get on the right side of history.
Corbyn is totally wrong on Zionism and must become knowledgeable, able to think beyond the Middle-Eastern lies. But he’s not an antisemite.
As long as Corbyn has not cleaned up his anti-Zionist act, Labour will not get enough votes to enter government. If Labour is serious about social change, it better starts reading some good information about Zionism, which contradicts and can replace the ultra-leftist mantras.
About the Author
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
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