ENGELHARD’S Guide to writing… for a world gone berserk
By Jack Engelhard
By now we all know what’s going on with this playwright Tony Kushner, so I’ll spare the details, except to note that after all has been said and done, he will, yes he will receive an honorary doctorate from CUNY, the City University of New York. This didn’t happen so fast. Trustee Jeffrey Wiesenfeld voted against the measure after reminding his fellow Trustees that Kushner’s other claim to fame, that is, other than his awards as a playwright, was his relentless bias against Israel.
So after originally voting against Kushner, the vote finally went in Kushner’s favor, mostly the day after The New York Times chimed in and said Yes he can!
Never mind the argument that if a person is anti-Israel that does not make him an anti-Semite. Yes it does.
Bank robber Willie Sutton – when asked why he robbed banks, said, “That’s where the money is.”
Well… Israel, that’s where the Jews are!
Kushner, of course, denies that he is an anti-Semite – but doesn’t everybody?
To prove, or disprove, once and for all whether a person is or is not an anti-Semite, I have devised EIGHT Rules of Proof, as follows:
1. Is your grudge against Israel occasional or persistent? If occasional, you’re just like everybody else. If persistent, you are an anti-Semite.
2. Do you use every occasion to denounce the Jewish State? If yes, you are an anti-Semite.
3. Do you use your fame to stir up hatred against Israel? If yes, you are an anti-Semite.
4. Do you belong to organizations that are plainly anti-Israel? If yes, you are an anti-Semite.
5. Does it trouble you that each time you slander the Jewish State, you cause hurt and pain to every Jew and every true Christian worldwide? If this does not trouble you, you are an anti-Semite?
6. Do you EVER defend Israel in private discussions or in public forums? If not, you are an anti-Semite.
7. Do you believe everything The New York Times says about Israel? If yes, you are an anti-Semite.
8. Here comes to most conclusive test of all – In conflicts between Israel and its enemies, do you sometimes fault Israel and sometimes fault its enemies? Or, do you ALWAYS blame Israel? If it’s always Israel, why surely and absolutely you are an anti-Semite – and therefore I am afraid the verdict is in for Tony Kushner et al.
By the way, simply change the group and this same test can be used for any type of bigotry.
About the author: Jack Engelhard wrote the international bestselling novel “Indecent Proposal” that was translated into more than 22 languages and turned into a Paramount motion picture starring Robert Redford and Demi Moore. His award-winning memoir “Escape From Mount Moriah” had been officially selected CANNES Film Festival 2011 through Nikila Cole’s filming of the book’s short story, “My Father, Joe.”
Engelhard’s website: www.jackengelhard.com
About the author