Ernst Zundel, the most prominent contemporary Holocaust
denier, was recently extradited to Germany, where he will likely be indicted on
fourteen counts of hate crimes. Zundel was arrested solely for his speech,
which is more stringently regulated in Germany than in the U.S. and many
European nations. Germany should be censured by civil libertarians for its
policies on free speech, as should all groups that advocate similar repression.
Suppression, bullying, and surveillance do not stop the problem of intolerance.
These tactics inevitably do more harm than good.
“Suppression, Bullying, and Surveillance” aren’t just
tactics; it is also the motto of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which, for
years, has helped alert the public to Zundel’s despicable work. It is true that
the ADL does an unparalleled job of identifying hate groups, cataloguing hate
crimes, and highlighting dangerous rhetoric. However, the ADL does not just
expose hate speech, but also tries to censor it and relentlessly spies on
“suspicious” organizations, collecting license plate numbers and other personal
information at events like Arab community meetings for their Ashcroftesque
files, among other dubious activities. The ADL also intimidates through smear
campaigns and has repeatedly (and successfully) been sued for libel by people
recklessly accused of anti-Semitism.
Such practices extend to the realm of paranoia and can only
be justified through inflated fears and trumped up threats. In a recent survey,
the ADL sounded the alarm of anti-Semitism, claiming that 14% of Americans are
“unquestionably anti-Semitic.” The ADL prints some of the questions, but does
not divulge the formula used to establish “unquestionable” anti-Semitism. One
question found that 33% “of Americans believe Jews are more loyal to Israel than
America.” Does this really make those 33% anti-Semitic? Such an abstract
question is completely meaningless. Many Jews feel a deep spiritual connection
with Israel – how does one measure that in terms of “loyalty?” Last year, over
a quarter of the Jews in Florida came out to vote for Bush, far more than in
2000. Bush’s hawkish foreign policies in Arab nations are celebrated by
right-wing Jews and Israelis. The change in Jewish support since the invasion
of Iraq is a reflection of how important Israel – and loyalty to Israel – is for
many American Jews.
The survey then happily states that “a majority of
Americans favors measures that would support and teach tolerance and support
diverse student bodies.” The first supporting statistic is, “50% agree to
stopping racist and anti-Semitic groups from using the Internet.” How is
denying free speech on the Internet equivalent to supporting tolerance and
diversity? Equating anti-censorship to anti-Semitism is incongruous and absurd,
especially given the ADL’s rather suspect definition of “anti-Semitism.”
The ADL is a giant, both in resources and influence, and
criticism of the organization in the mainstream media is rare.
As a result, the ADL’s credibility remains unquestioned and the threat of
anti-Semitism in America becomes overstated. By all accounts, anti-Semitism in
the U.S. has continually been on the decrease. And yet, according to a
Slate.com article, 60% of American Jews view anti-Semitism as the greatest
threat to American Jews. This figure is completely divorced from reality
(remember, a Jew was popularly chosen as vice-President in 2000) and is the
result the hyperbole of groups like the ADL.
The anxiety caused by the fear-mongering ADL and others
have deterred many Jews from dedicating attention to pressing issues. Jewish
publications and organizations, particularly those involving youth, are
dominated by identity rhetoric about the “Jewish experience” or “finding one’s
voice” or a college student’s “first encounter with anti-Semitism,” which is
often something akin to someone else telling him that “he doesn’t look Jewish.”
Instead of political dissent and protest (a vibrant aspect of the Jewish
tradition), pens are too often committed to introspection and personal
narrative. Let’s keep things in perspective here. We live in a racist
country. Blacks, Arab-Americans, gays, and other truly marginalized groups
probably wish they encountered the types of “intolerance” that many young Jews
write about. In Florida, a study found that 80% of drivers who were stopped by
police were black or Hispanic, even though those two groups compose just over 5%
of the population. There are countless similar statistics, from police
brutality to prison population to schooling disparity, that paint a picture of
the true, devastating intolerance and racism in America.
The parochial views of so many Jewish groups is only
narrowed when someone like Zundel is locked away and silenced and when the truth
is not allowed to emerge through debate and discourse. Authoritarian tactics
and inflated fears further repress that discourse and have denied attention,
particularly from young Jews, to those who are truly oppressed and do not have a
voice. Groups like the ADL may amplify the Jewish voice, but they also cheapen
what is being said and diminish those who might be listening.