The Holocaust Industry (28 page)
Justice Department. As a matter of fact the Justice Department
couldn't even show that ADL/B'nai B'rith was aware of this court
case. Still the Justice Department and the Dutch B'nai B'rith brethren
didn't want to hear about giving up, so again an appeal was started. It
was the ultimate attempt to get a conviction out of this: an appeal for
the Dutch High Court in The Hague.
In the meantime Peter Edel had decided not to hang around doing
nothing. Actually the affair with the Dutch lodges of B'nai B'rith was
an incentive for him to start a more thorough study about the history of
Zionism and the Jewish state. The result of this study was a series of
twenty articles published in another Dutch leftish magazine: "Kleintje
Muurkrant" (translated something like "Little Placard"), in one of
which Peter Edel described all the the nasty details he had found about
ADL/B'nai B'rith since his publication in "Ravage." In the last article,
that was published in Juli 2000, he announced that he was going to
send all the articles he had written for "Kleintje Muurkrant", about
Zionisme, Israel and ADL/B'nai B'rith, to the Dutch branches of B'nai
B'rith. Also in this article he proposed the brethren of this brotherhood to
join him in a discussion in "Kleintje Muurkrant."
On the third of Juli the twenty articles, as well as the proposal for a
discussion, were send to Ronny Naftaniël, the spokesperson for the
Dutch B'nai B'rith lodges. After three days "Kleintje Muurkrant"
received a letter from Naftaniël in which the Dutch Zionist leader made
clear that he saw no reason to participate in a discussion with Peter
Edel. Ten days later Peter Edel got a phonecall from his lawyer, telling
him that the Justice Department had dropped the appeal against
"Ravage" and him. Apparently Naftaniël and his fellow brethren were
scared of what they had helped creating, by taking Peter Edel in court.
Obviously silence remained their best option at his point.
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The lesson out of all of this, is that the best way to confront
ADL/B'nai B'rith, and similar organisations in Europe, is to challenge
them in a discussion. Because, as this case shows, these people back
off as easily, as they make vicious accusations against those who
criticize the Zionist ideology and the state of Israel.
_______________________________________________________________________
Dear Professor Finkelstein,
This is a message to say how much I admire your great courage in tackling a subject which should have been
discussed openly and honestly for a long time. Only someone of your background and position could dare to do
this, it seems; in Europe people are afraid to mention the use of the Holocaust and the distorted support by the
western countries of Israel, no matter how many injustices it perpetrates. These are matters which are hardly ever
spoken about in an open and objective way, which is a great tragedy, in my opinion.
In Austria, which ignored its recent history for so many years, indeed until the election of Kurt Waldheim as
Federal President, your book has received much publicity.
Thank you, Professor Finkelstein. To take a position such as you have done, knowing the great risks involved, is
so unusual these days that I feel I must state my great appreciation.
Paula Abrams-Hourani
P.S. For the record, perhaps I should mention that I am an American Jew who is married to a Palestianian writer. I
have lived in Vienna for many years and have visited Israel and the occupied territories many times.
______________________________________________________________________
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 17:11:06 -0400
Dear Norman,
As a college teacher who has been teaching the Holocaust for the past
twenty years, I want to thank you for your efforts to set the record
straight in your latest book. I have not read the book yet (it is on
order), but I have listened to the interviews on your web site, and I
cannot agree more with what I have heard of your position. Earlier, I
read your refutation of Goldhagen and found it totally convincing. Thanks for
your efforts at clarifying the record.
DG
______________________________________________________________________
Subject: supportive comment
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 08:21:46 +0100
Dear Norman G Finkelstein, at last honesty and intellectual rigour,
thank you. We cannot afford to lose awareness of human suffering through the
cruelty of others and your work helps us keep in sight ALL human
suffering. You have courage and your enemies (and, perhaps worse, new
found friends) must be numerous and powerful; but the truth is also a
great power and, we hope, a greater power than falsehood and of the new
secret police dogging the mediaspheres of our great democracies.
with kind regards
Terry Edwards
_________________________________________________________________________
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From:
[email protected]
Subject: Truth vs. Error
Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 20:02:34 -0700
God's prophet said the holocost happened! And God backed it up.
Where is your vindication? If God doesn't back up your claim then sit
down.
______________________________________________________________________
Dear Mr. Finklstien,
I am thirty -five years old, Jewish, and living in Toronto. I was not
raised with a strong sense of my heritage, but we were definitely
Jewish. And one day I will marry Jewish. I had a few years of Hebrew
school and a Bar- Mitzvah. I am writing this to you to unburden my self.
I am writing this to you for selfish reasons. I do not have anybody to
discuss this emotional issue with. If you ever print this letter,
please with hold my name.
I did not read you book "The Holocaust Industry." And I will not buy
it, because I just cannot stand anymore material on the Holocaust.
However, I did read a review of it in Salon.com, and I read your
interview.
This may make me sound silly. I do not have words to describe the way
that I feel every time I see one of our people, our so-called leaders,
or spokespersons, on TV, or the radio, or in print, crying in public
about the Holocaust. I feel embarrassed, not just a little, but a lot.
It has gotten to the point where I will turn off the TV for a few
minutes during the news, and then turn it back on. I am afraid to buy
the paper some days, afraid to watch 60 minutes.
Why do we insist on forcing our grief and suffering on other people?
Why do we behave as if we are the only people who have suffered? We give
the impression that we do not take the struggles of other people with
any sincerity at all. How can the average Canadian in working clothes
relate to all of this? Jewish suffering is tiresome. We as a community
need to set other priorities, enough with the holocaust already. Lets
move on.
These words should not make anybody angry, they just should make our
people think about how we can best serve the causes that we care about.
Always making a seen in public is not serving the best interests of our
people. You were quoted as saying that the demand for reparations is
the number one cause of anti -Semitism in Europe, you are absolutely
right. I am not going to get in to the John Demjanuk case,( The falsely
accused Nazi war criminal; the so called Ivan the terrible. )And how
terrible that was for our image, not to mention how terrible it was for
him an innocent man.
I have to much unload in just one letter, so I have to synopsis. There
is growing anxiety in the US about Jewish power and influence. The way
that this is expressed is often scary. It pains me to say this, but it
is my opinion that the Jewish leadership in the US; because of there
over bearing manner, because of there appearance of selfishness, and
because of there extremely high profile are often the cause of this.
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I believe your book will be a positive contribution to our people.
However, I do hope that your are careful in how you go about explaining
your views. Be cautious, in not giving anything to the media that they
can use in a negative way against us. The fact the book has been
published is enough, you should for the most part stay away from
reporters and journalists. Please let me know if you receive this
letter. Thank you.
______________________________________________________________________
Dear Professor Finkelstein
I am writing to express my appreciation of your book The Holocaust Industry.
I ordered it from the Guardian (UK) after they carried two excerpts.
Unfortunately because it was so short it left me wanting to read a whole lot
more on the subject and so I have been "surfin' the web".
I notice that Amazon.com allows people to deposit reviews without giving a
name. Newspapers in the UK don't allow this and nor should Amazon. The
first and lengthiest review was from a neo-Nazi puporting to support your
work whilst deliberately misrepresenting it. The review was posted
anonymously and claimed to come from New York. I don't know how to contact
Amazon to tell them that their policy of allowing anonymous reviews is
unethical so perhaps you could post some advice either to me or on your
website.
Yours sincerely
Mark Elf
ps. just for the ethnic head count - I'm Jewish
______________________________________________________________________
From: Hicham Dennaoui <
[email protected]
>
To: <
[email protected]
>
Subject: Thank you Mr Finkelstein
Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2000 21:58:02 +0200
Dear Mr Finkelstein,
Just a few lines to thank you for writing "The Holocaust Industry". This
book represents to me a huge step for the freedom of speech. Now one can
dare talking about how the Nazi Holocaust was turned into a nasty
propaganda machinery without being automatically accused of anti -semitism. Again,
though I live in Switzerland, the feeling your book provides me with is a
re-discovery of this freedom. From now on I no longer have to think "If I
ever say this or that, even if it is totally true and well documented, I
will be labelled as a racist pig, so better not say anything", or to start
any comment by : "Let me first state that I am not anti-semite ...."
I also do profoundly believe that the memory of all those who died is now
respectfully *served*, whereas up to present it was rather *used* by
various interests. Let aside the Palestinian struggle I have always been shocked
and saddened by the use of the Nazi Holocaust for political as well as
financial goals.
But I didn't mention the most important thing : My admiration. My admiration for your work, your courage, your
