The HyperTexts
"I, Human"
by Esther Cameron
with an introduction by
Michael R. Burch
Esther Cameron has asked me to remove her poetry and prose from the pages of
The HyperTexts. I have complied with her request, although this brings
me no pleasure. On the contrary, I am very unhappy with what I
perceive as an act of coercion and censorship aimed at The HyperTexts,
and at me personally. Poets invariably want to be free from censorship, and to
be able to speak freely. And I agree with them. But if someone else speaks
freely, should the ideal of freedom of speech fly out the window, and the
poet become the censor? If editors should not censor poets, should poets censor
editors? How can any editor do his job reasonably or justly, if one poet demands that someone
else's words be changed or removed, or else work of hers that had previously
been published must be removed? I invested a good deal of my own time on the
publication of Esther Cameron's work. I think it very unfair of her to demand
that I remove her work because she disagrees with what someone else said on the
pages of The HyperTexts. I do not believe in censoring the poets I
publish, nor do I believe that I should be censored by them.
Shouldn't readers be able to read what different writers have to say, and form
their own opinions?
In this case, the writer Esther seems intent on censoring is me. She made
it clear to me that I had one of two alternatives. I could either remove or change
things that I said in my own writing, or I would have to remove her work from
The HyperTexts. But when Esther said things I disagreed with, I
published her words just as she wrote them and left it to readers to form their own
opinions. When Esther did not agree with me, I let her speak freely. But she
did not reciprocate. I find this unfair.
What does Esther find objectionable about my own writing? I cannot read her mind. Therefore I can only
speak speculatively from my own perspective. But it seems to me
that when Esther and I worked together on Holocaust poetry, condemning what the
Nazis did to the Jews during the Shoah ("Catastrophe"), I was in her good
graces. Together, we said "Never again!" to another Holocaust, and we were
allies. I believe we made a good team, and accomplished good things, by speaking
truthfully of what obviously did happen to the Jews during the Shoah. However, when I began to say on the pages of THT that we must also say
"Never again!" to similar atrocities wherever we see them, including the Nakba
("Catastrophe") of the Palestinian people, for some strange reason
this was taboo. But why should Israel not be held to the same standards as
other civilized nations? I have found this very strange attitude to be quite
prevalent among Jewish poets and intellectuals. Not with all Jewish poets
and intellectuals, of course, but with many. Of course they are entitled to
their opinions, but I am equally entitled not to agree with them.
Every civilized nation is responsible for establishing equal rights, fair
laws and fair courts for all the people under its aegis. All people,
without exceptions. If Esther were to study history, she would soon
discover that it is the "exceptions" to this rule that result in Holocausts.
When white Americans decided their "rights" superseded those of Native
Americans, before long innocent women and children were walking one Trail of
Tears after another, and dying horrific deaths in horrifically large
numbers. That was the first American Holocaust. Then white Americans decided
they had the "right" to enslave blacks, and slavery became the second
American Holocaust. Then abolitionists and other Americans opposed slavery,
but the slaveowners decided their "right" to own slaves trumped even the
Union and the Constitution, and this led to the third American Holocaust,
the Civil War. Even after the Civil War was over, many southerners were
adamant that they deserved "more equal rights" than blacks, and America went
through a fourth Holocaust: the period of Jim Crow laws and public
lynchings. What white Americans did to non-whites in their theoretical
"superiority" was evil beyond belief, and the maniacal illness only began to
be cured when American courts finally began to establish a measure of
justice in the mid 1900's, thanks in large part to Martin Luther King Jr.
and the American Civil Rights Movement.
The Holocaust began when Germans decided they had "rights" and the Jews,
Gypsies, Slavs, Communists, and other disenfranchised people had none. It is
self evident that Jewish women and children who were obviously not criminals
could not have been punished collectively as if they were criminals, if the
Jews had been protected by fair laws and fair courts.
Now Israel is making the same terrible mistake. The Israeli Jews have
appointed themselves superior rights, and denied basic human rights to the
Palestinians. The minute innocent women and children are not protected by
fair laws and fair courts, ruthless men begin to take advantage of them,
while blaming their victims for every ill known to humanity.
Think about it, for a second. White settlers called Native Americans
savages, but who was driving whom from the land? White slaveowners called
blacks "inferior," but who was treating whom so abysmally? Members of the
KKK lynched young black men for looking at white women "the wrong way," but
who was clearly in the wrong? German Nazis blamed the Jews for everything
that went wrong in the history of the world, but when seventy million people
lay dead at the end of World War II, who ended up being tried as war
criminals?
Obviously, we can never believe what ruthless men say about their victims.
Racists justify their actions by blaming both cause and effect on their
victims. And this is just what we see today, in pro-Israel propaganda. Such
propaganda almost invariably claims that Israel can excuse doing the
inexcusable because, in effect, Palestinians are the devil. But white
racists called blacks the devil, and German Nazis called Jews the devil. So
why believe what the racist state of Israel says about its victims?
Today Israel suffers the same maniacal illness: rampant racism and
injustice. The laws and courts of Israel are matters of public record.
Anyone can study them, as I have. The laws and courts of Israel are
blatantly racist, and therefore illegal. No one should be expected to obey
racist, illegal laws. According to the Declaration of Independence of the
United States, human beings have the right and the duty to rise up against
unjust governments. Unless the United States is an illegal entity itself,
our Declaration of Independence says that the Palestinians have the right
and the duty to rise up against and forcefully resist the unjust government
of Israel, unless Israel grants them equal rights, including the right to
self-determination. Thus, Israel must either make the Palestinians full
citizens of the state of Israel, or Israel must give the Palestinians
autonomy as full citizens of an independent Palestinian state.
But the government of Israel is obviously intent on stealing what little
land and water the Palestinians have left in the West Bank. All the cries
about the "security" of Israel are like the cries of southern slaveowners
who feared what their slaves might do if they gained their liberty. Israel
has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on things that have nothing to do
with "security," such as "Jewish only" roads and settlements deep inside
Occupied Palestine. If Israel wanted "security," it would build security
walls at the edges of its own borders, bring all the Jews inside the walls,
and let the Palestinians have their own state outside those walls. But this
is not what the government of Israel wants. Instead, it obviously wants to
drive the Palestinians from their own land. To do this, Israel wantonly
demolishes houses, mindlessly bulldozes olive orchards, and allows
Palestinian children to be cursed, kick, spat on and abused on their way to
school. Anyone who doesn't believe me has only to read what Jewish
humanitarian organizations say about such atrocities. They happen every day
to the Palestinians, who are victims of overt, systematic racism that is
sponsored and encouraged by the government of Israel.
My beef is with the government of Israel, not Jews as individuals. But
democratic governments are, of course, elected by voters. If there is a
blatantly racist government in Israel, this means there must be large
numbers of voters who are racists. I do not want to stereotype the Jewish
people. I have many Jewish friends, although not as many as before I began
to speak publicly against the Nakba. But then I really don't care to have
friends who believe in abusing children because they belong to the "wrong"
race. I don't believe there is such a thing as a "wrong" race. So I am glad
to have Jewish friends who oppose racism and intolerance, and while I don't
want to be enemies with anyone, I choose not to be friends with racists. The
Jewish people will have to make the same decision Americans had to make, not
so very long ago. Should little children be spat on and cursed because of
their race? To me the answer seems obvious. But to many people in Israel,
the answer is not so obvious, because such things continue to happen on a
daily basis, and are matters of public record. I have personally met with
and communicated with people who have gone to Gaza and the West Bank to act
as "human shields." One of these human shields, Anna Baltzer, is a
Jewish-American woman who has written an excellent book, Witness In
Palestine, on the realities she encountered while protecting
Palestinian children and farm families with her own body. The links below
will allow readers to investigate the truth. Then they can decide for
themselves whether they think I should be censored. The sites below are
those of Jewish individuals and organizations, so there is no danger of
being misled by anti-Semites. The existence of so many organizations
mobilized against racism and injustice with the ranks of the Jews themselves
says a lot, to anyone with ears to hear and a brain to think. The situation
in Israel today seems to be quite like the situation before white
abolitionists helped bring about the American Civil War because they refused
to accept the abomination of slavery. And we all know who was right, and who
was wrong. — Michael R.
Burch, editor, The HyperTexts
My personal recommendations:
Anna Baltzer's Blog (Anna is
a Jewish-American "human shield." Why?)
Anna Baltzer's Website (Be
sure to read her book Witness in Palestine.)
Breaking the Silence
(Read what Jewish soldiers say about their actions.)
Jews for Justice for Palestinians (Read what
Jews of good conscience say.)
Rabbis for Human Rights (Read what Jewish
Rabbis say.)
Rabbis for Human Rights - North America
(Read what American Rabbis say.)
Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions
(Why are homes being destroyed, really?)
Jews Against the Occupation (Why is there
an occupation, really?)
B'Tselem (Get the unvarnished
truth about the occupation.)
Jewish Voice for Peace ("Two
people, one future.")
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
(Israel's oldest and largest human rights group.)
Gush Shalom ("Putting an end to the
occupation.")
British Shalom-Salaam Trust ("Crossing
Borders for Peace.")
Israel's Back Yard (Testimonies
from Israel Checkpoints.)
Jewish Socialists' Group
("Campaigning for the rights of all oppressed minorities.")
A more comprehensive alphabetic list:
5th Mother www.the-5th-mom.org/eng/home.htm
Abraham Vision www.abrahamsvision.org
Action committee for one democratic state www.onerepublic.org
Alliance of Middle East Scientists and Physicians www.keck.ucsf.edu/~yoram/amesp.html
Al Nakba in Hebrew www.NakbaInHebrew.org
Alternative Information Center www.alternativenews.org
Alternative Voice (Galilee co-existance and equality) www.alternative-voice.org
American Council for Judaism www.acjna.org
America-Israel Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace www.other_israel.tripod.com
Anarchists against the Wall www.awalls.org
Andalus Publishing www.andalus.co.il
Anna Baltzer's Blog
www.annainpalestine.blogspot.com
Anna Baltzer's Website
www.annainthemiddleeast.com
Association for Civil Rights in Israel www.acri.org.il
Bat Shalom, Israeli Women for Peace www.batshalom.org
B'Tselem www.btselem.org
Birthright Unplugged www.birthrightunplugged.org
Breaking the Silence (Israeli Soldiers website) www.breakingthesilence.org.il/index_en.asp
British Shalom/Salaam Trust (Peace in Hebrew/Arabic)
www.bsst.org.uk
Bustan (Arab Jewish group for sustainable development) www.bustan.org
Bustan L'Shalom www.bustanlshalom.org
Challenge (Israeli magazine) www.hanitzotz.com/challenge
The Coalition of Women For a Just Peace www.geocities.com/EndTheOccupation
Coalition of Women for Peace www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org
Combatants for Peace www.combatantsforpeace.org
Courage to Refuse (Ometz L’Sarev) www.seruv.org.il
Eda Haredit, anti-Zionist Hasidim www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/7891/satmar.html
European Jews for a Just Peace www.ejjp.org
Faculty For Israeli-Palestinian Peace www.ffipp.org
Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement www.gisha.org
The Green Line (Kav Yarok) www.kavyarok.co.il/index_en.php
Gush Shalom www.gush-shalom.org
Hagada Hasmalit www.hagada.org.il
Hopeways www.hopeways.org
House of Hope www.www.hohpeacecenter.org
Independent Jewish Voice www.ijv.org.uk
Indymedia
www.indymedia.org.il/imc/israel/webcast/index.php3?language=en
The Interfaith Encounter Association www.interfaith-encounter.org
International Jewish anti-Zionist Network www.ijsn.net
Israeli Academics speak out www.academic-access.weebly.com
Israeli artists against the war www.maarav.org.il/draftedart
Israeli citizens for BDS www.boycott-occupation.mahost.org
Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions
www.icahd.org
Israeli Committee Against Torture www.stoptorture.org.il
Israel Insider News www.israelimperialnews.org
Israel Legal resource center www.stopisraeliapartheid.org
Israel Religious Action Center (against religious bigotry) www.irac.org
Israel's Back Yard (Checkpoint Testimonies)
www.draykcab.wordpress.com
Jewdas www.jewdas.org
Jewish Academic Network for Israeli-Palestinian Peace www.janip.net
Jewish Alliance Against the Occupation www.opentent.org/jews.html
Jewish and Arab Women for Peace www.tx.technion.ac.il/~ada/home.html
Jewish Friends of Palestine www.jewishfriendspalestine.org
Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Group www.igc.org/traubman/global.htm
Jewish-Palestinian Encounter www.salam-shalom.net
Jewish Peace Fellowship www.jewishpeacefellowship.org/index.htm
Jewish People Liberation Organization www.msanews.mynet.net/Scholars/Weizfeld
Jewish Solidarity www.jewishsolidarity.info
Jewish Socialists' Group
www.jewishsocialist.org.uk
Jewish Unity for a Just Peace www.junity.org
Jewish Voice for Peace www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
Jewish Voices Against the Occupation www.jvao.org
Jewish Unity for a Just Peace: www.junity.org
Jewish Voices Against the Occupation: www.jvao.org
Jewish Women Watching
www.jewishwomenwatching.com
Jews Against the Occupation www.jewsagainsttheoccupation.org
Jews For Justice www.mediareviewnet.com/JewsForJustice.htm
Jews For Justice for Palestinians www.jfjfp.org
Jews for a Just Peace www.ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/S_Aberle
Jews for a Just Peace (Australia) www.geocities.com/jews4jp
Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel (JPPI) www.jppi.org
Jews of Belgium for a Fair Settlement www.israel-palestine.be
Jews on first www.jewsonfirst.org
Jews NOT Zionists www.jewsnotzionists.org
Jews Renounce www.jewsrenounce.org
Just Vision www.justvision.org
Kibbush (Occupation Magazine) www.kibush.co.il
Kibbush 40 (Coalition against the occupation) www.kibush40.org/wordpress
Machsum (Checkpoint) Watch www.machsomwatch.org
Matzpum, Jews to Ban Israeli Products and Tourism www.matzpun.com
Middle East Crisis Committee www.thestruggle.com
Muzzle Watch (tracking Zionist efforts to silence critics) www.muzzlewatch.org
Nahalat Shalom www.nahalatshalom.org
Needle in the Grove www.needleinthegroove.org
Negev Coexistence Forum www.ariga.com/dukium
Neturei Karta Homepage www.netureikarta.org
New Israel Fund www.nif.org
New Profile (movement for civilization of Israeli Society) www.newprofile.org
Neve Shalom/Wahat as-Salam www.nswas.com/sfp
Norman Finkelstein's Website www.normanfinkelstein.com
Not in Our Name Coalition www.diak.org/not_in_our_name.htm
Not In My Name! www.nimn.org
Occupied Territory www.occupied.org/The
Olga Appeal
Olive Tree Movement www.o-t-m.org/drupal
One Voice Movement www.onevoicemovement.org/wps/portal
(The) Other Israel www.other_Israel.tripod.com
Oz v'Shalom (religious Zionist anti-Occupation) www.ariga.com/ozveshalom
Oznik News Service www.oznik.com
The Parent Circle www.theparentscircle.com
Physicians for Human Rights, Israel www.phr.org.il
Peace, Justice, and Jews: Reclaiming Our Tradition www.peacejusticeandjews.com
(The) Public Committee against Torture in Israel www.stoptorture.org.il
Rabbis for Human Rights www.rhr.org.il
Rabbis for Human Rights - Israel www.rhr.israel.net/overview.shtml
Rabbis for Human Rights - North America
www.rhr-na.org
Realistic Religious Zionism www.tzionut.org
Re'ut-Sadaka - Jewish-Arab Youth for Peace and Democracy www.israelpages.co.il/reut
Refusenicks www.refusersolidarity.net
Righteous Jews www.righteousjews.org
Schalom 6767 (German Jewish group) www.schalom5767.de
Shministim Refusal Movement www.shministim.org/english/index.html
Search for justice and equality www.searchforjustice.org
Shvil Zahav (The Middle Way) www.middleway.org
Ta'Ayush (Arab Jewish Partnership) www.taayush.org
Toronto's Jewish Youth Against the Occupation www.TJYATO.tripod.com
We Refuse to Be Enemies
www.we-refuse.org
Windows—Palestinian-Israeli cooperation www.win-peace.org
Women in Black www.womeninblack.org/history.html
Women`s Organization for Political Prisoners (WOFPP) www.wofpp.org
Visions for peace with justice in Israel/Palestine www.vopj.org
Yesh Din (There is Law) www.yesh-din.org
Zochrot (Israeli group to remind people of Al-Nakba) www.zochrot.org
Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Israel:
www.shministim.org/english_letter.html
www.refusersolidarity.net/
www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1999/SUM/51504999.htm
www.amnesty-usa.org/news/1999/51506799.htm
www.uscj.org/ctvalley/beki/conscientious.html
Israeli Reservists Refusing to Serve www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp
Yesh Gvul, IDF men refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories www.yesh-gvul.org
You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in
the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:20-21)
Love your neighbor as yourself. (Leviticus 19:18)
Justice, Justice shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit
the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (Deuteronomy XVI, 18:20)
The footnote in the Hertz edition reads: “(T)here is
international justice, which demands respect for the personality of
every national group, and proclaims that no people can of right be
robbed of its national life or territory, its language or spiritual
heritage.”
Learn to do well – seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the
fatherless, plead for the widow ... Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
and they that return of her with righteousness.(Isaiah 1:17,27)
If all afflictions in the world were assembled on one side of the scale
and poverty on the other, poverty would outweigh them all. (Exodus Rabbah, Mishpatim 31:14)
Our Nakba Index
These are just a few of the many, many organizations united to establish
peace through justice in Israel/Palestine. Why does Esther Cameron want to
censor me, when I am merely agreeing with Jews of
good conscience who believe the Palestinians should be treated as human
beings, with the same human rights as Israeli Jews? —
Michael R. Burch
The HyperTexts