A letter from Gilad Atzmon
Due to the publication of my new book The Wandering Who and a worldwide defamation campaign to stop it, many of my recent postings were concerned with matters to do with the leagues that were formed against me (Zionists, Jewish 'Anti' Zionists and the odd Sabbath Marxist Goyim).
The good news is that my publisher, Zero books, didn't surrender at all. If anything they probably realise how truthful The Wandering Who is. I am also pretty sure that they are all glad to see the book on the Amazon.com top sales rank for the last two weeks. Also the list of intellectuals, writers and activists who stand up for me is astonishing and reassuring. None of the endorsers surrendered to the Jewish 'anti' Zionist intimidation campaign.
However, I would like to use this opportunity to apologise. If any of you are annoyed by the amount of 'self-centred' materials published through this list, let me assure you, within a week or two, I will start to write again about a wider list of topics. This battle had to be won and we won it.
Peace & Love
Gilad
1. Gilad Atzmon: May vs. Salah
Sheikh Raed Salah won a great victory in Britain High Court yesterday, Sheikh Salah (52) was detained on the orders of the home secretary, Theresa May who was obviously following instructions from the real rulers of this country (in Jerusalem). Salah was then imprisoned for funding Hamas and leading a violent demonstration. The High Court, however, ruled that Sheikh Salah was held unlawfully and is entitled to compensation.
Since his arrival on 25 June, it has emerged that no one informed Sheikh Salah that he was prohibited from coming to Britain and that a Heathrow immigration officer who scanned his passport ignored a live alert to exclude him. Three days after entering the UK Sheikh Salah was detained at his west London hotel, handcuffed and taken to Paddington Green police station. He had been due to address a series of public meetings, including one at the Houses of Parliament.
2. Endorsements for Gilad Atzmon's The Wandering Who
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/endorsements-for-gilad-atzmons-the-wandering-who.html
'Gilad Atzmon has written an absorbing and moving account of his journey from hard core Israeli nationalist to a de-Zionized patriot of humanity and passionate advocate of justice for the Palestinian people. It is a transformative story told with unflinching integrity that all (especially Jews) who care about real peace, as well as their own identity, should not only read, but reflect upon and discuss widely.'
Professor Richard Falk, Albert G. Milbank Professor of International Law Emeritus, Princeton University, author of over 20 books, and UN Special Rapporteur for Occupied Palestinian Territories.
***
'Gilad Atzmon has written a fascinating and provocative book on Jewish identity in the modern world. He shows how assimilation and liberalism are making it increasingly difficult for Jews in the Diaspora to maintain a powerful sense of their 'Jewishness.' Panicked Jewish leaders, he argues, have turned to Zionism (blind loyalty to Israel) and scaremongering (the threat of another Holocaust) to keep the tribe united and distinct from the surrounding goyim. As Atzmon's own case demonstrates, this strategy is not working and is causing many Jews great anguish. The Wandering Who? should be widely read by Jews and non-Jews alike.'
John J. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago
***
'Gilad Atzmon's book, The Wandering Who? is as witty and thought provoking as its title. But it is also an important book, presenting conclusions about Jews, Jewishness and Judaism which some will find shocking but which are essential to an understanding of Jewish identity politics and the role they play on the world stage.'
Karl Sabbagh is a journalist, television producer and the author of several books including A Rum Affair, Power Into Art, Dr Riemann's Zeros and Palestine: A Personal History. He is currently the publisher of Hesperus Press
***
'Gilad Atzmon's The Wandering Who? is a series of brilliant illuminations and critical reflections on Jewish ethnocentrism and the hypocrisy of those who speak in the name of universal values and act tribal. Relying on autobiographical and existential experiences, as well as intimate observations of everyday life, both informed by profound psychological insights, Atzmon does what many critics of Israel fail to do; he uncovers the links between Jewish identity politics in the Diaspora with their ardent support for the oppressive policies of the Israeli state.
Atzmon provides deep insights into "neo-ghetto" politics. He has the courage - so profoundly lacking among western intellectuals - to speak truth to the power of highly placed and affluent Zionists who shape the agendas of war and peace in the English-speaking world. With wit and imagination, Atzmon's passionate confrontation with neo-conservative power grabbers and liberal yea sayers sets this book apart for its original understanding of the dangers of closed minds with hands on the levers of power.
This book is more than a "study of Jewish identity politics" insofar as we are dealing with a matrix of power that affects all who cherish self-determination and personal freedom in the face of imperial and colonial dictates.'
Professor James Petras, Bartle Professor of Sociology at Binghamton University, New York, author of more than 62 books including The Power of Israel in the United States.
***
'Atzmon's insight into the organism created by the Zionist movement is explosive. The Wandering Who? tears the veil off of Israel's apparent civility, its apparent friendship with the United States, and its expressed solicitude for Western powers, exposing beneath the assassin ready to slay any and all that interfere with its tribal focused ends.'
Professor William A. Cook, Professor of English at the University of La Verne in southern California, and author of The Rape Of Palestine.
To read more follow the URL
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/endorsements-for-gilad-atzmons-the-wandering-who.html
You can now order Gilad Atzmon's New Book on Amazon.com orAmazon.co.uk
3. Prof. Brian Leiter: Mearsheimer Responds to the Latest Right-Wing Smears on Him...
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/prof-brian-leiter-mearsheimer-responds-to-the-latest-right-w.html
Introduction by Gilad Atzmon: The discrepancy of the general quality between those who stood up for me in the last two weeks and those who used every tactics in the Stalinist book to silence me or my writing is staggering. Amongst my supporters you'll find the greatest minds in academia, activism, journalism, art and beyond. The list of my detractors is slightly embarrassing. It includes an ex-concentration camp guard Jeffrey Goldberg, UK leading Sayanim ring, one or two Bundists operators specialising in harassment campaigns and even one who thinks that he is Lenin.
For the obvious reasons they have failed all the way through- until now we didn't see a single attempt to debate my ideas. We didn't come across a single argument. Instead we see a tsunami of unsubstantiated labels levelled against my endorsers, supporters and myself. But we stand firm, we lost our fear. We know that The Tide Has Changed.
I do think that my detractors better change their tactics, just for the sake of making life slightly more interesting. They better find within their battalions some who are clever enough to support their case. Forging documents, quoting out of context, attributing misleading interpretations, copying & pasting, intimidating, harassing, bullying or even shameful tantrums are not going to provide the good.
The following is a short post by professor Brian Leiter from Chicago University who comes into a conclusion looking at the evidence that is laid in front of him. A transparent and brilliant text.
http://leiterreports.typepad.com/
...all because he wrote a blurb for a book, which none of the critics appear to have read. What a world. (I should add I've never met Professor Mearsheimer, and I share Professor Chomsky's skepticism about his and Walt's thesis about The Israel Lobby, but the hatchet jobs on him and Walt, which continue to this day, are such a travesty for academic freedom and honest intellectual discourse, that I hope readers will look at Mearsheimer's measured response to the latest smear and make sure to share it widely with colleagues and friends.)
UPDATE (9/28): Prior to this tempest in a teapot about a blurb (!!!) on a book no one seems to have read (other than Professor Mearsheimer!), I'd not heard of Gilad Atzmon, the author who is apparently so verboten in certain circles that one can't even recommend anything he has written. I found this interview with him illuminating and clarifying about his position, and it certainly confirms Mearsheimer's description of his outlook at the link, above. Of particular relevance is this part of the interview:
4. Kim Petersen: Into the Mentality of the Occupier/Oppressor
What is an intellectual? Some say it is the educated lot in the ivory towers of academia. Sure, many of those professors are intellectuals, but many of them are also challenged outside their field. Intellectuality is a concept that transcends university degrees.
So how to define an intellectual? An intellectual is someone who thinks beyond the strictures imposed by upbringing, education, societal norms, dominant media, etc. to arrive in agreement with other conclusions or to form one's own conclusions. It is more than simply thinking outside a box or applying critical thinking to issues and challenges because intellectuality also demands honesty and integrity.
5. Shana Tova to Gene, Lenin, Harry's Place and all the rest
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/shana-tova-to-gene-lenin-harrys-place-and-all-the-rest.html
I feel obliged to correct myself and to apologize to 'Richard Lenin Seymour Tomb' and his allies within the Islamophobic Award Winning Harry's Place Blog.
Yesterday morning I exposed Richard Seymour as a Zionist collaborator and I even published this comic image.
Apparently Gene, Harry's Place's Zionist cheerleader, wasn't impressed. He was offended by the exposure of his little Lenin on Rosh Hashana eve. He wrote to me:
"Well, Mr. Atzmon, let me vouch for Richard Seymour's anti-Zionist credentials: I've been following his blog for years, and I can assure you that he hates Israel as much as anyone I've come across on the web."
I indeed regret my obvious mistake. How could i miss it myself? I hope that the following images of Richard Seymour depict the true meaning and scope of Lenin's dedication to the 'anti Zionist cause'.
Click here to read and see more.
6. Richard Jones: The Ultimate Quiz
Gilad Atzmon: I love Richard's work and will support everything he does!!!
7. Kevin Barrett: A joyous affirmation of the end of identity politics
Introduction by Gilad Atzmon: Kevin Barrett offers here an Islamic interpretation of The Wandering Who. I am obviously very happy with Barrett's reading of my text. Barrett sets my work within the exact framework I wish it to be- a critical reading of contemporary West from a philosphical and universal point of view.
http://truthjihad.blogspot.com/2011/09/gilad-atzmons-wandering-who-joyous.html
Gilad Atzmon's The Wandering Who - a joyous affirmation of the end of identity politics
As a recovering angry Muslim, I cannot help loving fully-recovered ex-Zionist Jew Gilad Atzmon's The Wandering Who: A Study of Jewish Identity of Politics...and the firestorm it has sparked.
It isn't just the joy of watching Atzmon say all the things about Jewishness that need to be said, but that hardly anybody has the guts to say.
It isn't just the fun of watching Atzmon and his defenders like John Mearsheimer and Jonathan Cookrip apart Zionist thugs like Jeffrey Goldberg and clueless gatekeepers like Andy Newman.
It isn't just the irrepressible voice of Gilad Atzmon, the inspired thinker and jazz artist whose words and ideas are almost as beautiful to listen to as his music.
Most of all, I love this book for its larger message: Identity politics is a dead-end.
For Jews, the end of that dead-end road is the cul-de-sac they're stuck in over in Occupied Palestine.
Click here to read more.
8. The Wandering Who Finds Its way to the top!!!
It looks as if yesterday the Judaic street onAmazon.com pulled some self reflective lost souls. No1 was Victor Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning. No 2 was my Wandering Who. The Talmud and the Torah were far behind.
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