Jew Phyllis Chesler Says Jews Come First, And Other Shocking Things

Jew Phyllis Chesler Says Jews Come First, And Other Shocking Things

by Douglas Wright

25 April 2004

New York City -- Phyllis Chesler, an annoying feminist Jew from the C-list of American arts and letters, stopped by an outer borough Jewish center today to pump her latest book, The New Anti-Semitism: The Current Crisis and What We Must Do About It. I nearly fell off my Jew pew when she announced that the new anti-Semitism is "demonization of the Jewish state."

Did I say C-list? Is there a D-list? Because dude, that's not even an original thesis. Half of all Jewpunditry's been saying the same thing for years now. It's already been batted around by tsk-tsking broad-minded Jews who've weighed in to say that no, criticism of Israeli policy is not necessarily anti-Semitism -- but can be if it goes too far. That's at least strategic: say any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism, and you'll put off most thoughtful liberals, who will correctly see that as over-the-top hysterics.

But that's what self-described intellectual Chesler is peddling -- a testament to the power of Jews to get totally unoriginal ideas into print, pronto, so long as it's Good For Jews. I haven't read the book, and my familiarity with Chesler amounts to a five-minute Google search and a column she wrote for frontpagemag. But if that, and her talk today, are any indication, her self-description as an "intellectual" is far off the mark. I dare say there are Jewish intellectuals, but Chesler ain't one of 'em. She's a low-rent Jew whose clumsy lies get circulation because we live in a country where the clumsy lies of low-rent Jews get circulation.

So. Why the anti-Semitism? asks Chesler. First, it's because Jews are God's Chosen People. Well, duh. "The glory of being chosen is a very dangerous burden to bear," she said. That quote, as with all others, is not made up. God speaks to Jews, and directly to Jews, Chesler said. When that happens, "You have a new set of rules." Chesler went on to say that Muslims and Christians are jealous because Judaism is the "parent" of both, and that the rebellion of non-Jews against Jews is akin to a child's rebellion against his parents. Get it? We're children. They're the adults. Let me end the suspense: at no point was it entertained by Chesler or anyone in the audience that attitudes like this might contribute to anti-Semitism.

On the belief that Jews control the world: Can't be, Chesler says, because there are too few of them, and Jews never agree with each other long enough to accomplish such a thing. (For an alternative view see my essay "Jews: A Mini-Refresher Course On Why You Should Not Be Lulled By Their Divergent Opinions") Tee hee. Always a good laugh line with Jews. I didn't laugh. Jews manage to do plenty of damage anyway. "We're going to have to have a meeting of the tribes," Chesler said, meaning the tribes of Israel. Bring the Jewish right together with the Jewish left. Hey, Phyllis! Am I invited to this meeting?

Good one from Chesler: 9/11 was an attack on "women's rights and religious pluralism." Really? I thought it was Muslims pissed off about U.S. and Israeli occupation of their lands. Silly me. OK. The Times' Chris Hedges is an anti-Semite, Chesler said, because he "slanders" the state of Israel. (I was surprised to hear how anti-Semitic the New York Times is, though I have heard this before from radical Zionists. Me, I observe in this essay that The Old Gray Lady is an Arrogant Little Jew).

Comparing Israel to Nazi Germany is anti-Semitic. Yawn. At one point, Chesler described debating a critic of Israel. When the checkpoints were mentioned, she shot back with Muslim clitorectomy. Isn't that just like a Jew, I thought: constantly evading the issue, changing the terms of the debate.

It was odd to hear Chesler continuously refer to Arabs or Muslims as "barbarians" in a speech about how terrible it is the Jews are demonized, but I doubt the Jews in the audience caught the irony. She even called Muslims child-rapists, something I doubt is all that widespread in the Islamic world.

Here was another good one: The real "occupation" is the occupation of the universities, where hatred of Jews is taught. Jews, as you should be aware, do not like the fact that campus leftists are opposing them, and have sicced Congress on universities. Chesler noted that NPR (she called it National Palestinian Radio) is funded by "too many Jews." This was worth a chuckle. NPR does side with the Palestinians.

Chesler said that Israel experiences a 9/11 "every other week." That's interesting, given that that would mean more than 6,000 dead Israelis a month, which I have yet to read about. Oh, wait. Chesler was adjusting population data to match America's. Get it? One Israeli is worth however many dozen Americans.

Bush is a friend of Israel, Chesler said, not incorrectly. Question is, is he a friend of America? The toughie for Jews will be, do we vote for Kerry and keep abortion rights, or vote for Bush and ensure a safe Israel and a war on "terrorism"? Chesler is big into abortion rights.

Attention, Christian evangelicals: When an audience member asked about the Christian interest in Israel, and how the plan was to convert the Jews in the end, Chesler quipped that "we're going to fake 'em out. We won't convert." I did laugh at that. Christians, are you laughing?

One Jew rose to say that the suicide bombers (he called them "homicide bombers") should be buried or burned with dead pigs. I am not making this up. The peaceful Jews, the benevolent Jews, the lovely Jews, the bringers of light unto nations, the moral guidepost for the rest of us, the doers of no evil, ever, lustily suggesting the defilement of enemy corpses. Chesler agreed that if such bodily defilement could be effective as a "military tactic," then it was a grand idea.

People, people, people. Jews suggest defilement of Muslim bodies. That is what they do. This is what's on their minds. You won't read about it in the supposedly anti-Semitic New York Times. You sure as hell won't read about it in The Weekly Standard. In fact, you won't read about it anywhere, but here at VNN.

The temperature of the room had "Muslims" and "the left" as the enemies of the Jews today. When the dreaded Internet came up, it was Arabic sites they discussed. We on the racist right got no mention for the entire two hours Chesler spoke. I have two mini-theories on why this is. First, because the racist right barely exists, at least as a political force to be reckoned with. Second, because Jews tread carefully with respect to the rest of conservatism, now that conservatives are fellating them so passionately. Hey, Tom DeLay! Not so much with the teeth! Talk too much shit about evil white conservatives, and you undermine support for the War for Israel.

Parting words from Chesler: "We have to worry about our own tribe first, and the rest of the world second." You heard it, right from the Jew's mouth. Are you a member of that tribe, white man?

DOUGLAS WRIGHT