Jewish groups respond to Palin’s use of ‘blood libel’

[JEDIYoda]

The bad news is, Palin IS a high profile public figure, and the effects of her ill chosen words will be widely heard. Her failure to comprehend that is one of many excellent reasons she should never be trusted with the responsiblities of public office.

well said!!

 

[Steeplerot]

Fundie Christians have it in for Jews when the "time comes", is this news? Either a crypto-theistic dog-whistle or a rather dumb oversight from her handlers when making a public statement. Either way it is ambiguous enough to stay "under the radar" for plausible deniablility. No outrage found here, just the expected irresponsible and arrogant leadership of a failed ideology of sellout.

 

[Harvey]

Fundie Christians have it in for Jews when the "time comes", is this news?

Is that what you believe?

Either a crypto-theistic dog-whistle or a rather dumb oversight from her handlers when making a public statement. Either way it is ambiguous enough to stay "under the radar" for plausible deniablility.

BULLSHIT!!!

Blood libel

Blood libel (also blood accusation) refers to a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, usually Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays. Historically, these claims have—alongside those of well poisoning and host desecration—been a major theme in European persecution of Jews.

The libels typically allege that Jews require human blood for the baking of matzos for Passover. The accusations often assert that the blood of Christian children is especially coveted, and, historically, blood libel claims have been made to account for otherwise unexplained deaths of children. In some cases, the alleged victim of human sacrifice has become venerated as a martyr, a holy figure around whom a martyr cult might arise. A few of these have been even canonized as saints, like Gavriil Belostoksky.

In Jewish lore, blood libels were the impetus for the creation in the 16th century of the Golem of Prague by Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel. Many popes have either directly or indirectly condemned the blood accusation, and no pope has ever sanctioned it. These libels have persisted among some segments of Christians to the present time.
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Descriptions of alleged ritual murder

In general, the libel alleged something like this:

A child, normally a boy who had not yet reached puberty, was kidnapped or sometimes bought and taken to a hidden place (the house of a prominent member of the Jewish community, a synagogue, a cellar, etc.) where he would be kept hidden until the time of his death. Preparations for the sacrifice included the gathering of attendees from near and far and constructing or readying the instruments of torture and execution.[citation needed] At the time of the sacrifice (usually night), the crowd would gather at the place of execution (in some accounts the synagogue itself) and engage in a mock tribunal to try the child. The boy would be presented to the tribunal naked and tied (sometimes gagged) at the judge's order. He would eventually be condemned to death. Many forms of torture would be inflicted during the boy's "trial", including some of those actually used by the Inquisition on suspects of heresy. Some of the alleged tortures were mutilation (including circumcision), piercing with needles, punching, slapping, strangulation, strappado and whipping, while being insulted and mocked throughout.[citation needed] In the end, the half-dead boy would be crowned with thorns and tied or nailed to a wooden cross. The cross would be raised and the blood dripping from the boy's wounds, particularly those on his hands, feet, and genitals, would be caught in bowls or glasses. Finally, the boy would be killed with a thrust through the heart from a spear, sword, or dagger. His dead body would be removed from the cross and concealed or disposed of, but in some instances rituals of black magic would be performed on it.
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(continues)

No outrage found here, just the expected irresponsible and arrogant leadership of a failed ideology of sellout.

That "expected irresponsible and arrogant willful ignorance" from someone even pretending to want to be elected to public office is plenty of reason for outrage. :thumbsdown:

 

[JulesMaximus]

Well, if nothing else, this illiterate nazi is finally getting an education...good for her.

 

[hal2kilo]

Fundie Christians have it in for Jews when the "time comes", is this news? Either a crypto-theistic dog-whistle or a rather dumb oversight from her handlers when making a public statement. Either way it is ambiguous enough to stay "under the radar" for plausible deniablility. No outrage found here, just the expected irresponsible and arrogant leadership of a failed ideology of sellout.

Lol. Fundie christians are probably the biggest supporters of Israel after the APAC crowd.

Watch the 700 Club a few times. It's all about "end time prophecies"

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Well, if nothing else, this illiterate nazi is finally getting an education...good for her.

Nazi? Don't be such a Commie.

 

[ayabe]

Lol. Fundie christians are probably the biggest supporters of Israel after the APAC crowd.

Watch the 700 Club a few times. It's all about "end time prophecies"

Right they fully support them up until the Rapture where they will accept Jesus or burn. It's a means to an end and nothing more.

It's been misused by other commentators as well and not garnered much attention, albeit in print only as far as I know.

Palin really struggles outside of her comfort zone and normally falls flat on her face whenever trying to climb a few steps on the intellectual ladder. She should know this by now and just stop climbing, it won't win her any new supporters. Her speechwriter or whoever was responsible for this selfish mess of a video should be fired.

She could have used this as an opportunity to show her nurturing female side and instead it was more cornered chihuahua syndrome. This is one reason why she will never hold a higher office.

 

[Steeplerot]

Right they fully support them up until the Rapture where they will accept Jesus or burn. It's a means to an end and nothing more.

With friends of the Jews like fundie Christians, who needs Muslims enemies?

 

[airdata]

Half-Governor Palin apparently lifted the phrase from a Monday article in the Wall Street Journal, "The Arizona Tragedy and the Politics of Blood Libel". I have no doubt she was entirely ignorant of the history of the phrase and adopted it because it fit the tone of her defense.
Anti-Semitism and/or racial insensitivity not in evidence.

Sorry, but she gave up her position in government to chase money and make a reality tv show.

In my eyes, she's no longer a government figure. She can be a fox correspondent for life, but if she's elected president, I'm moving to Canada.

 

[Throckmorton]

Probably not, but since someone else used it with impunity it's not unreasonable to expect a non reaction. For all that I don't like Palin some are foaming at the mouth to pin something, anything, on her and they suck for it. If someone is going to be damned at least pick on something they did of substance.

So it seems like the right and the left are on the same page. You can say and do anything, like leaking Afghan informants' names, or putting representatives in crosshairs, or publishing a hitlist of critical sites, or telling your followers to reload instead of retreat, as long as no one can prove that anybody died as a result.

In the New World Teabag Wikileaks Order, free speech means you don't have to be held responsible for your speech.

 

[Fern]

-snip-
you'd have done your homework and looked up the derivation of the term, "blood libel" before posting...

Should've been obvious I had. Among other references, this was already posted.

Alan Dershowitz:

The term “blood libel” has taken on a broad metaphorical meaning in public discourse. Although its historical origins were in theologically based false accusations against the Jews and the Jewish People,its current usage is far broader. I myself have used it to describe false accusations against the State of Israel by the Goldstone Report. There is nothing improper and certainly nothing anti-Semitic in Sarah Palin using the term to characterize what she reasonably believes are false accusations that her words or images may have caused a mentally disturbed individual to kill and maim. The fact that two of the victims are Jewish is utterly irrelevant to the propriety of using this widely used term.

Fern

 

[werepossum]

Should've been obvious I had. Among other references, this was already posted.

Fern

In Harveyworld, the only acceptable definition is the one that most harms those opposing Marxism. Luckily Harveyworld is populated by a lot more voices than voters.

 

[Harvey]

Should've been obvious I had. Among other references, this was already posted.

And you posted:

Now someone using a relatively obscure term like "blood libel" causes more holy hell? WTH cares?

That just makes your post all the more pathetic because it paints you as cold, heartless and insensitive.

Who is crazier, us or the shooter?

That you even asked those questions leaves me wonder if, between you and Loughner (the shooter), it could be a close call. He's a violent whack job who already acted out on his lunacy. I have no idea what someone as cold hearted as you could do. :'(

In Harveyworld, the only acceptable definition is the one that most harms those opposing Marxism. Luckily Harveyworld is populated by a lot more voices than voters.

Most people who start by spewing cliched buzz words like "Marxism," "socialism," "Communism" or "communism" aren't capable of defining the meanings and implications of those words, let alone discussing and comparing them.

I was disappointed that Fern was so cold and callous about Palin's use of the term. I wouldn't expect even the possiblity of such comprehension from you.

In the REAL world, words have meaning and consequenses. Unfortunately, like Fern, you're either willfully ignorant of the meaning and implications of "blood libel," or you're too mean and cold hearted to care who is hurt when public figures like Palin maliciously spew such words.

Of course, there's the possiblity that you're defending her because you actually believe her words apply to something or someone in American politics or journalism. Do you? D:

Come on, wise ass. Tell us if you believe ANY Jews really murder non-Jewish children and use their blood to make matzoh?

Gabrielle Giffords is Jewish. Do you believe she has engaged in such practices?

Either justify your casual dismissal of such vile, hurtful references, or tell us why you believe they actually apply.

 

[JD50]

Don't worry liberals, I feel your outrage.

 

[Lemon law]

Well, the fact that either JS80 or Fern drug in the morally bankrupt Alan Dersowitz into this argument simply increases the stupidity quotient of this entire thread.

How low can we go, and what is next, maybe we can site the family values and wisdom of Vlad the impaler next.

 

[trenchfoot]

Palin and those of her ilk have been firing off reactionary, militant flavored political jargon ever since she appointed herself the Queen of the Armed and Dangerous faction of the Tea Party.

She branded herself that way. Her followers regaled themselves in the imagery of being well-armed and willing to use their weapons to fight the tyranny that Obama and the Dems were oppressing them with. They proudly wore their firearms at rallys the same way gorillas bare their teeth when threatened, daring anyone to try and confront and challange them.

The combative, war-like atmosphere Palin created and surrounded herself with made her the toast of the Tea Party and she basked in it and she elevated herself in it.

It was Palin at the apex of her ascendancy, and she owed it to her consistent and persistent use of inflammatory, seditious language to rile those that she held in her sway.

Well, someone, whether or not influenced by her rantings, took the next step that coincided with what Palin's consistent ramblings suggested should happen.

She never imagined that she would be drawn into a horrifying real-life scenario that her diatribes was suggestive of.

She and her handlers were now the victims of the very hate-filled propaganda they were spreading. Would she learn from this and tack to a new course? Her response, ignorantly inclusive of Jew bashing, proved otherwise. To have that slap her down another notch was, to those that she constantly derided and vociferously ridiculed, an opening that they could not turn away from.

She's brought all of what has happened to her on herself, by being herself. There is no one to blame for her being caught up in this controversy but herself.

She thought herself so clever to be "tapdancing on a landmine". Well, the mine finally did what it was designed to do, and more than likely, she'll be looking for another mine to play with, bruised, battered and stuck in the rut that her one-trick-pony act put her in.

Play on Sarah. The Dems need for you to play on.

 

[Red Dawn]

Don't worry liberals, I feel your outrage.

As for being outraged, not me, I'm not Jewish and have never been persecuted for being Jewish so her stupid and insensitive remark doesn't phase me aside from the amusement that I get from her shooting herself in the foot once again with her big mouth.

 

[dawp]

I agree, it more of a point and laugh and shake my head in amazement that anyone could think that she is actually worth a damn.